My replacement was scheduled for 7am but I didn't get into the operating room until about 7:45. They gave me a spinal to to numb the lower half of my body and through my veins gave me a cocktail that included the same medicine that killed Michael Jackson. They said that they were talking to me a bit during the surgery but I have no memory. Thank god.
The surgery lasted just under 2 hours and the doctor said things went really well although I was in no shape to talk to him. The entry was from the side (not anterior-lateral) and the incision was about 6".
I want to keep this short as I am in more pain than I expected, or at least hoping for and have some minor (hopefully) complications. First the wound bled out and left a 2 foot stain on the sheets. They changed the sheets (very painful) and dressed the wound. Thank god for the PCA morphine pump. That was about 4 hours ago and the new bandage is completely dry as are the sheets. Very good. My main concern is have a fever that has been going up the past 3 or 4 hours to 102.4. However I am sweating pretty good now which is a great sign.
Tomorrow they will get me out of the bed to start some physical therapy which I am looking forward to. Right now the catheter is my best friend.
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OK, so no more complications, okay Gerald? A bit of advice (from my last one) - you might ask when you can start taking a stool softener. Believe me on this one, please :)
ReplyDeleteMake that morphine pump your friend and make sure that you time is so you can take a hit before your physical therapy begins.
Will keep in touch.
Cheryl
Cheryl, thanks for the advice. They gave me a stool softener yesterday and today but so far there are no results. Because there is more pain than I anticipated I over medicated myself and was very dizzy so I couldn't get off of the bed without falling down. The medication is making me dizzy but unfortunately is not working for the pain. I will discuss this with the doctor tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYou may not get many *results* from the softener right away. I think my first real result (from my first hip replacement) was maybe 10 days later. Without going into a lot of gory details, it was there, just wouldn't let go.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you're having such side effects with the pain med. I really don't think you can overmedicate with the drip (you can push the little button 'till the cows come home' but it will only give you so much every so many minutes); you may just have a bad reaction to it. Hopefully the Percoset will work better. By no means do you want to fall! Are you (trying to) using a walker or crutches?
Cheryl
Gerald....I'm so sorry your having a rough start...I hope soon you will be reaping the benefits! Its interesting to read about the differences in everyones care plans. I had pain meds put directly into my joint plus took Darvecet..worked beautiful. I pray today is a better day for you! HUGS
ReplyDeleteIt's the recovery period that pains the most. Sorry to hear you have to undergo this. I'm not the type of person who can handle pain effectively. I don't know what would I do if I were on the same shoe. Best wishes. Tim @ depuy asr recall
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