WEDNESDAY: DAY THREERECAPPING (couldn't resist the joke!). It was early rising on Monday to get to the Outpatient Surgery Center of Strong Memorial Hospital...a modern and imposing building on the southeastern side of Rochester, commissioned last August. I half expected to have a valet parking service, so like a plush hotel is this center, but no, unassisted, I hobbled inside to join the few first arrivals.
A few formalities and I was soon called to go down to the cubicle where all the medical preliminaries were to take place...blood pressure and all the other vitals; getting to meet the first of the long line of staff who were to look after me, everybody warm and cheery. Musing a little on those nice premeds, I began to think that this was going to be quite the party. I do admit to being somewhat apprehensive but the brisk pace and the friendliness of staff greatly diminished this feeling...rather like finding oneself on a pleasant conveyor belt. The nursing staff took lots of trouble to ensure that it really was me and that it really was my left knee that was to have the procedure, drawing all sorts of hieroglyphs on my left leg. Then two anesthetic teams (one for the regional block and the other for the general anesthesia) and finally Dr. Drinkwater to discuss the surgery once more and to leave his initials on the target knee. That day, the surgical unit had 28 procedures to do and have done up to one hundred on some days...quite a production line. I hope you like the picture of me (courtesy of Uma) holding up the saline drip! Next blog posting, expect a picture of the incision; I have to wait for the district nurse to change my dressing to get a shot of the knee.
With the aid of ultrasound, the regional block team laid a slug of something like long acting Novocaine alongside my left femoral nerve (done very, very carefully), the other anesthetic team shot in the premeds and, right on time, I was transported down the corridor (all those ceiling lights flashing by) through the double set of double doors to the OR. This I observed to be spacious, filled all sorts of shiny equipment on the one side of the waiting operating table, and also rather like an office with a desk on the right hand side. Once on the table I seemed to be surrounded by a host, two of which gave me a friendly invitation to take deep breaths from the plastic mask and...the next thing I knew it was 10:30 and I was in my recovery cubicle.
The nerve block ensures that I had no feeling and no pain. It really was long lasting but also paralyzes the quadriceps so I was quite unable to move the lower leg upward all of Tuesday...a little disconcerting. However, I had two follow up calls from the anesthetic team and the surgery team and these reassured me that it may be up to 36 hours before feeling and motor control would come back to the leg. These resulted in a third call from Dr. Drinkwater's medical secretary warning me to keep up with the pain medication as feeling, once it began to return, would do so very quickly. This it did overnight. Nicely cushioned by magic Oxy-s (-contin and -codone) I slept the night through and found my leg was beginning to work this morning.
So I am getting around of crutches and gradually able to place more weight when walking with my left leg. The nurse returns tomorrow to redo the dressing and the physical therapist makes the first call for rehab on Friday.
Time for some more ice therapy and my exercises to keep blood moving around my lower leg. Thanks for all your good wishes and more later.
2 comments:
I work with Jeff Roderick, great guy. anyway. I have had knee problems for many years and have had ACL 's replaced in both knees. Now with age and wear and tear (never mind the pun) this may someday be my fate as well, So glad to hear how it is going and love to know about the experience. Jeff thinks I should look into it this year. Lets see how you do . . . Friend thru Jeff.
Dear friend of Jeff (who could not be so): Let me know if my story needs filling out, from your perspective. I try not to present too many boring details. Original advice to me was to leave this as long as possible and this probably applies well enough for total knee replacements. With the partial knee, getting the knee done earlier rather than later seems the way to go as it can help prevent further deterioration of the joint and readmits one to much prior activities. There are operative and post operative risks of which one needs to be fully aware.
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