I'm free!!!

Okay, so I was awoken this morning at 3:42 by an alarm telling me the pain pump was low and that we were down to the wire in terms of doses left. So I stayed up, figuring it would just go off again when it was ready to be taken apart.

Which happened about 7:20 AM.

Anyway, the bandage came off, the little wire came out with the bandage and no real tugging on my part, which is nice. Last time I tugged just a bit. This time, I was dealing with more of a biohazard situation; there had been bleeding and fluid leakage from the solution, and it was a bit of a mess, plus I had the wire, and it was all attached to an IV bag that had to be cut off from the pump, then tossed into the trash.  Then the box had extra batteries you removed, you took everything out of it, turned off the pump, put its pouch in a plastic bag, and then chucked it into a box, placed two stickers and voilà, you have a postage-paid return box ready to go.

I am so glad to be free. Not only do I not have to worry about:

1. walking away from the pouch.
2. trying to get to the bathroom in time and get my pants down.
3. making sure the cat doesn't play with it.
4. making sure a dog doesn't chomp it.
5. rolling over it while getting into bed.
6. having it fall over while placing it down.
7. having it move while biking.
8. or, just randomly anything that will jerk that wire, it is a relief.

Plus, as a bonus, I can now take a shower!!! I just have to make sure I put cling wrap around my incision. Yep. It's generally waterproof but just needs a bit of help. The pump...that was not waterproof. I so feel like I need a shower. Even that stuff you disinfect with, that you shower with every day for five days, then wipe down twice before surgery? It makes you feel tacky, like tacky to the skin. Not clean. I want to feel clean.

Today

So this time I started 'cruising' around the furniture a little earlier, meaning if I have something to hold on to, I feel pretty good about not having the walker, at least in my bedroom, where the bookshelves are three feet from the bedrail or desk, for example. I am being careful otherwise, particularly of the dog gates. I wouldn't go across the kitchen or living room in the more open areas. But the house is fairly small, so there aren't spacious areas, anyway. The bathroom is too narrow for the walker, so I keep my normal collapsible cane there as it is light and won't hurt the tile if it knocks over. It easily fits between the sinks, which fit together and are on pedestals, not with vanities. The steel cane is reserved for the stairs, which I'm taking it easy on as I've switched 'good' vs. 'bad' legs and muscle memory changes hard, but so far, so good.

I'm doing pretty well. The pain with the nerve block hasn't been over a 4, maybe a 5, for a minute or two.. My flexion is down from what it was right after surgery, but that's because of swelling, although there is nowhere near the swelling there was last time. The extension is 1° [they want 0°] and flexion 74° [90° at 3 weeks, so not bad] (both a little better than the same time with the left knee). While I've always considered my left knee my 'worst' knee, and yes, it was, Dr. Talwalkar said that with the exception of the grooved patella they had to put the button behind, both were in terrible shape, and the right was about as bad. The surgery was definitely needed. if not overdue.

The only issue I'm having is with the nerve block. I didn't have any issue before, but this one may have been tugged slightly and bled. With me being on aspirin, it probably looks worse than it is. It may have mixed with some fluid that wasn't absorbed by the nerve, so we've shut the machine off for an hour to see if that'll give it a chance to take up the bolus of rhindrocaine. I've only got a few hours left, maybe 10? of the solution, I'd like to not have to take it out, as it's really helpful, especially in terms of moving around and doing the ROMTech bike, or for that matter this afternoon I straightened up my room on my own, which gave me the feeling of a little independence and gave my roommate a little break. After all the stuff going around the surgery, etc., and taking care of me, I think he needs and deserves one.

I'm not up to doing chores yet, probably, but I can get my own water (I have a cupholder on the bag on my walker) or ice. And the dogs seem to be doing pretty well. I had to go outside my room without notifying him, and they were fine, so we tested them at dinner, and they did well. They just have to be reminded to not sniff me or get too near occasionally, but generally, they leave me alone, and they're very wary of the walker, so I mainly keep my leg surrounded by that. It seems to be working. They'd pretty much been trained to stay off me with the left leg already. But I'm still keeping track of where they are at all times, just in case.

Tired

I spent two hours in the chair after PT put me there, which got a little uncomfortable. Part was fine. I ate both lunch and dinner there. The aide was overworked though, and it took the better part of an hour to get me to the bathroom and into the bed. I was, for the most part, understanding. I wasn't in dire need of the bathroom like earlier. But, they must be short staffed.

I did manage to get her to get my bag which allowed me to use my phone charging bank and my headband headphones, so now I can listen to some sort of music (such as Cian Ducrot), or the sixth chapter of Pox Romana by Colin Elliott. Currently it is the former.

I will say it takes a lot to move me. Take the ice off my right leg. Disconnect the two pads for the deep vein thrombosis therapy machine from my legs. Disconnect the oxygen reader. Make sure I transfer the nerve block pouch to the walker. Move the IV around the bed. Stand me to and turn me. Scooch up the bed. Sit me down. Get me in and positioned. Reattach everything. Put a sheet and blanket over me and tuck me in. My CPAP is on the table next to me, set up already. She gave my my backpack, which is also on the bed, on one side.


A few items are on the sliding table, such as the spirometer. After she leaves, a nurse comes in to give me my medicine including insulin, and I don't have enough water and the pitcher is empty. She goes to get some and I move the sliding table closer only to knock some out of my cup. It's shift change, and so she comes back with her replacement along with the replacement for the other aide and the introduce themselves and help me with the spill. So everything is good now. It's quiet (they almost all automatically close the door.) It's not quite dark. But everything's where it's supposed to be, I feel good, my DVT machine is squeezing my calves, the ice is just cool now and feels nice, and there's almost no real pain, maybe 2 at the absolute worst. Earlier today it was an 8. I'm interested in what the post-block pain will be, but still. This surgery has already made a huge difference.

I will say, Baptist has wonderful meals.

Finally

Got the first session of the day down. Called the ROMTech rep. Apparently they are open from 8 AM-9 PM. Making a mental note about that. 🙂 They don't do the straps anymore because people were stepping out of the pedals without getting out of them and getting hurt. I can't say anything--it's something I might do. He suggested wearing something with a heavier tread, so I did and it was better. Not perfect, I had to stop a couple of times, but much better. The main thing is I finished, and I increased twice. I did have to resist the urge to pedal with my knees out rather than up. I've done that for years. It hurts and it's bad for them, and the whole point is to get height in angle anyway. So I'm trying to watch my form while making sure the machine doesn't slide forward. I need to brace it with something about a foot long.

Also, I am itching where my nerve catheter was and trying so hard to resist scratching. I'm hoping it'll settle down once I get a shower. Roommate's not up yet so that's for later. One productive thing I did manage to do earlier today was water all the plants. IT was going on three weeks and they hadn't been watered by surgery day, and I was worried some might die. One was very peaked--it's a peperomia that acts a canary in a coal mine. Anyway, I got everyone taken care of.

I think I will rest a little now and listen to some music, maybe make a list for the day. I do better with lists, but I'm a bit tired. That machine takes '12' minutes' but it's really something like 45, and then about another half-hour or 45 minutes of plotzing. Then it's time for the next one, it seems.

Frustration

It's been really dreary outside, and I've been listening to Ella Fitzgerald on Pandora, so I haven't done much more than my regular PT exercises, taken my meds (well, I'm working on that right now), dealt with the pump (only because it was necessary) and ate a banana. I'm ready to crawl back into bed. I have not done the ROMTech after the frustration of last night. I did not finish my fourth session or attempt my fifth one...instead I need to see if they're open on Sundays and they can help as my feet keep falling out of the pedals whenever we increase the pedal radius. I kept hitting the stop button but it would reset the session and I would lose my progress instead of starting back up so I know I'm doing something wrong. Unfortunately there is nothing on the machine or the website that is the same as the setup instructions given by the rep, just a specifications document on the machine and a brochure for why you have your doctor prescribe it. I may just Google it for YouTube or such rather than rely on the company, but really, not all of us process auditorily well. Why not just give a stupid information sheet, either on paper or online? Have they never heard of a FAQ? But I do want the acetaminophen to kick in before I start that, so maybe 10?