When the day came for my surgery, I was supposed to arrive at the hospital by 8:30 for a 9:45 estimated starting time. We got there in plenty of time, got my IV in, and watched some HGTV while we were waiting... and waiting... and waiting. I didn't end up going into surgery until closer to 11. After reading more accounts of foot surgeries, I had begun to panic a little about what type of screws would be used for my surgery. I've always had issues with nickel jewelry. The nurse noticed my hesitation when she asked about allergies, and she simply added a nickel allergy to my chart. The anesthesiologist came to visit us, asked some questions, talked a lot, and left. I've never had any problems with anesthesia, nor has anyone in my family, so that was pretty standard.
When the anesthesiologist went on his way, my foot doctor popped into autograph my right foot and review the surgery procedures. My nurses all morning were phenomenal and they stuck around to hear about my surgery so that they would know exactly what they were dealing with afterward. Dr. P. showed me exactly where each incision would be made and reviewed that he would be putting two titanium (not nickel) screws in my heel and a wedge in the bone on the outside of my foot to help build the arch. He also went over what would be happening with my tendon. Then it was time for me to say goodbye to my husband and I was wheeled into the OR for surgery.
The last time I was wheeled into an OR while I was conscious, it was in a big rush and everything about it was stressful. I had been pretty chill leading up to that, but once I was in the cold, bright OR, I started panicking a bit. My nurse was tremendous in helping me to calm down. Then anesthesia kicked in and I woke up... over four hours later?!
The surgery was supposed to take 2 to 2.5 hours, but it wound up taking four. My husband said that when my doctor finally came out to talk to him, he looked like he was wiped out. It turned out that when they went into my foot, they discovered the problematic tendon was beyond repair, and the inside of my foot was basically a mess. The surgical assistant told me later that they weren't sure how I had still been walking prior to the surgery (I mean, it hurt really bad, so at least that was justified). They wound up removing the tendon and then connecting other tendons so that I'll still be able to walk. We were warned that was a possibility, but that was part of the reason the surgery took so long. Additionally, my nerve blocks took a little longer than anticipated because my legs are "thicker" (the anesthesiologist's words - I am aware my legs are not skinny. LOL)
In the meantime, a huge mess was taking place with my prescriptions and pharmacies. (Yes, it turned into PLURAL pharmacies.) My husband was running all over the country trying to track down the different medicines I was going to need - an antibiotic and a painkiller.
All that aside, after I was sufficiently conscious and settled, the nurse helped me get dressed and wheeled me down to our car, which my husband drove to the door. She helped him figure out how to best situate me in the car to keep my leg straight and elevated comfortably, which wound up being the seat behind the driver's seat with my foot propped up on the center console. Then she demonstrated to me how I would stand up from the wheelchair and move into the car. Then it was my turn! She did a great job teaching me, because I have had to get in and out of the car many times since, and the way she showed me has worked out great.
When we got home, I had to take the knee scooter inside. I was exhausted, hungry, and in pain- so there was no way I was making it up our stairs in our split-level house. I had (foolishly) not taken that into account beforehand. Also, the nerve blocks made balancing my knee on the scooter extremely difficult - it felt like my leg was asleep. I cried the whole way into the house but I made it to the guest bedroom on our lower level, where my husband was able to situate me for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment