I made it through the surgery with flying colors, my minions. I went into the hospital and had the total knee replacement in 45 minutes and spent an hour in recovery, which is normal. Then got out of the hospital on Thursday. Drugged but not painless. Shit!!
A few funny stuff I noticed. The OR had one entire wall area with a table covered in drills, I counted four of them. They were all nice and shiny stainless steel. All sizes of drill bits imaginable. Mallets, hammers, screws, metal plates, claw plates, chisels, cutters, etc, etc. This table could make any man whine and cry if not dribble like one of Pavlov's dogs. maybe even make Home Desperate envious.
They didn't put me "out". They gave me an epidural, which was fucking weird as shit. I was awake for the whole thing and it was way cool!! It felt like he was guiding his finger over my knee when he was cutting into my knee. When I said that was so cool, the anesthesiologist asked if I felt pain. I told her no but she still asked if I would like to be put out for the rest of the procedure. I told her no. Through the whole thing I just felt light pressure and feather like touching of my knee. It was great. I got to hear all the drilling and cutting and the "oops" now and then. I told the doctor to check the oil and transmission fluid too. Everything was good under the hood.
I counted 25 staples going into my knee when he finished. David was with me when I was in recovery. I was trying to move my toes by then. That was a strange feeling to go through. They get my final vitals in my room connected my ass to every IV, oxygen and my new little best friend, my fentanyl pump. I actually locked myself out of the pump twice. My nurse checked it and adjusted the lock out for me.
I started walking with a walker on Tuesday and now I'm walking with my cane off and on. My PT said I'm three weeks ahead of myself. I need to slow down or my ass will catch fire. I have Home Health and a Physical Therapist come in three times a week to teach me new exercises and to make sure I'm doing the stuff they left me.
Other than that I'm just puttin along as best I can. Trying to stay one step ahead of the fucking knee pain. I will still be around reading blogs when I can. But for now I have a couple of Hydrocodone pills with my name on them. Ciao.