Hippily Ever After

Wow! What a day! At least the parts of it that I can remember...

My IV bandage
and wristband

I checked in for surgery at 6:30am. Of course they had even more paperwork for me to fill out and sign. Someone from billing called me back and I gave her the same information again.

A few minutes later the pre-op nurse came to get me prepped for surgery. I went to pre-op and into my little curtain cubicle. The nurse took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Then I changed into a hospital gown and had on some fancy socks and a blue bouffant (or shower cap, as I like to call them). It was so cold in there, but luckily they keep blankets in the warmer. They covered me up and I was all cozy!

A few anesthesia doctors/residents came through and introduced themselves and asked me all the same questions I had already answered several times. The nurse put in my I.V. and started me on some fluids. I took 3 medications by mouth before the surgery to help me get a jump start on pain management after surgery. The gave me Tylenol for general pain, Celebrex to reduce pain from inflammation, and Neurontin for possible nerve pain. Apparently the dose they gave me of Neurontin was a little higher than normal. (And by a little I mean I got 600mg instead of 300mg...) That made me somewhat more groggy after surgery.

The surgeon came in and marked my hip. "Ok, Jessica, we're working on the right hip. Do you agree that we're doing surgery on your right hip? And do you agree that this is your right hip? Ok, I'm marking you on your right hip." Naturally, me being the provider of comic relief in tense situations, even my own, I replied with "Yes, that is the right hip AND the correct hip." They laughed. Not my best material, but I was drugged and nervous, so I did the best I could under the influence.

The anesthesiologist came over asking if I was nervous at all, and I told him I was. He gave me some Versed (Midazolam) through my I.V., which is an anti-anxiety med similar to Xanax and Valium. He started with half the syringe, but I didn't feel anything so he gave me the rest of it.

Shortly thereafter I was being wheeled into the OR. There were several people in the room. My operating table was in the middle of the room surrounded by a bunch of big machines, including the awesome traction contraption (ha, like that?) they used to pull on my leg.  I scooted myself onto the operating table and my warm blankets stayed in my nice warm bed. Immediately I was cold and shivering and had chattery jaw.

They put a mask on my face and said that it was Oxygen, but I bet it was really NO2 (nitrous oxide) rather than O2 (oxygen). Either way, after a few deep breaths I woke up in recovery.

Recovering from anesthesia is rough. Immediately I can tell that something happened while I was asleep. My hip hurts, but it's different than before and my right foot/ankle are sore. I tell the nurse watching over me about my foot and he checks it out. "Nothing there" he said. Thanks guy. I knew nothing was there, but why does it feel like I just rolled my ankle and sprained it? Duh! The traction contraption! My foot hurt for several hours after, but it's finally almost back to normal.

Then I realize my throat is freaking killing me! I remember that they were going to intubate me during the surgery, so it's probably irritation from the tube being there and then being removed. "WATER... I need water..." I called to the nurse in a very raspy voice. He brings me some water and it's the best water I have ever tasted! I felt so dehydrated and had a sore throat on top of it. Water hit the spot!

Next thing I know, some larger nurse comes into my curtain cubicle, pulls the curtains closed and starts emptying out my clothes bag. She never introduced herself or told me why she was in there. Then she starts peeling down my gown to take off all the heart monitors they had stuck on me while I was in surgery. Then she proceeds to help me get dressed, again never saying a word. Very awkward. Probably more awkward than the thought of me being spread eagle in that contraption... well, maybe not...

Finally, they moved me to a reclining chair so I can continue to "recover" from the anesthesia. I ask for my mom and they go get her from the waiting room. As soon as I see her I start crying. I don't know why, but it was like this flood of emotion hit me as soon as I saw her. I felt helpless, like a little kid, and so I just started crying. The nurse said it was probably the anesthesia, but I think I'm just a wimp.

Amigo! Perfectly content to
lie next to the bed :)

Anyway, I sat in the chair for about 15-20 minutes and talked to my mom, drank some water, got another dose of the good pain meds.  When I was feeling up to it, they took out my I.V. and got me ready to go. My mom pulled the car around and they wheeled me out.

I got back to my mom's house and lay down to rest some more. I fell in and out of sleep for the next several hours. I tried to eat but I kept getting nauseous. Then I remembered I had some anti-nausea meds the doctor gave me. I took that and I was able to eat finally without feeling like I was going to lose it all 5 minutes later.

We had to put my dog out so he didn't attack me while I was trying to walk with the crutches. When we finally let him in, he sneaked into the room trying not to be seen by my mom and lay down on the floor next to me. She let him stay, but he had to leave when my dad got home. "No, your dog can't stay in here. He's spoiled enough as it is." My reply, "But Dad! Look, he's so cute! He just wants to be next to me and comfort me! He knows I'm in pain..." That didn't work either.

The heart monitor they forgot to remove.

I was lying down again and suddenly felt something odd on my left side. I pulled up my shirt and there was a heart monitor left stuck to me! Free souvenirs!

Right now, I'm doing pretty well. My pain medications are adequate and I'm able to lie on my back and sit up without too much difficulty. As of right now, I'm non-weight bearing, which means I have to use crutches for anything I do, including hobbling to the toilet.

I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow morning so I'll get more information on how the surgery went and what to expect as far as rehab/recovery. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the surgeon today before I left because he was in another surgery already by the time I had woken up.

YES, this is the right/correct hip!

So, as far as I can tell, the surgery went well. I'm glad it's over. I have, I believe, 2 incision sites (unless one piece of gauze is covering 2 holes) that are stitched up and covered with gauze and a waterproof tape. You can still see where they marked my hip, and I have iodine stains all over the place. Unfortunately, I can't shower until Saturday at the earliest, possibly a week. Only sponge baths. Gross.

Other than that I'm going to try to sit back, relax, and enjoy the time off from work!