Post by choco on Aug 31, 2011 10:49:20 GMT 10
Well, I am in Week 3 of Knee Replacement Surgery, so I thought I'd spend a few minutes and share with you the highs and lows of my adventure. I need to do SOMETHING to fill in the time!
I used to play grade baseball in my youth. I was a catcher. Some of you may already be thinking "Oh, now I get it" but for those that don't, catchers end up doing a lot of knee damage that will come back to haunt them. I locked my knee up several times leaping from a full crouch for the second base pick-off or the double play to third. Anyway, the sports physios use baseball catcher's knees as pin-up posters to convince the rest of the world to look after this complex joint.
At the same time, my then Girlfriend (who later became my Wife) was in the Australian Speed Skating team.
"So fargin WHAT?" I hear you ask?
Well, fast forward a few years. We have been married for 35 years when she falls over at work and her knee gives out from underneath her. She goes in for an Arthroscopy (key-hole surgery) to fix a torn cartilage. It does nothing, and she ends up at a specialists who gives her the bad news that she needs a full knee replacement. The surgeon recognises the arthritic damage from long ago, and Vicki's skating career is to blame. By this time, she has been in agony for months, can't walk without a walking stick, so the surgery is booked.
At this time, my poor old knee has started playing up again. This time, it's more painful than ever, and as Vicki has been on the Orthopedic Surgery round-about, she already has the contacts. So I go in for an MRI and book an appointment with her surgeon with a view to getting some more cortisone or maybe an arthroscopy. The surgeon takes one look at the MRI scan, and shakes his head in disbelief.
"Choco" he says. "Your knee is rooted."
Yeah, I've heard that before, so what?
"You need a full knee replacement, and you need it yesterday. It is deteriorating rapidly and in 2 weeks you are going to know all about it."
Well, of course, it has to wait until the Mrs gets HER knee done. Same leg, same surgeon, same hospital. As it turns out, same ward, same room, same bed! By the time I get there, I am already on a first-name basis with all the hospital staff! I look after my Wife for her 2 weeks in bed when she gets out of hospital, then, when she is well enough to drive a car, I go in for my knee operation.
Let me tell you now, I was warned that it was a painful procedure. The surgeon calls it "the cruelest Orthopedic procedure there is." I nursed my Wife through it, and had a good idea of what to expect. But nothing really prepares you for the excruciating pain that you must endure.
Straight out of the Theater, I am in post-op and they try to gauge my "pain management" threshold. I am on straight morphine, but they need to switch to a different system as I am not coping. The anesthetist switches my to Ketamine, blocking all pain (the only few minutes "pain free" that I will have for months) and then bring me back to Morphine that I can adjust myself as I need it. That little green button will be my focus for the next 5 days.
I am wheeled out of post-op, the operation having been successful, and now I am in "pain management" phase. I am completely spaced out on the drugs, and this is a good thing for when the Physio Therapist does her rounds the next day. The Mrs comes to visit me, and I am in high spirits. The Physio comes along, and I know what is expected. I have to place both my feet on the floor.
The entire ward hears my screams as this simple act of moving my bad leg takes place. I hold nothing back. I have a VERY loud voice, and EVERYONE now knows it! The "pain management" has ailed, and I can't swing my leg around without almost blacking out. After a hasty jab of morphine, I am calmed, and they attempt to get to the bottom of the problem.
I am a wuss.
I also have a high tolerance to pain killers. I already told them that. Do they listen?
No, they never do.
The next day, with pain medication adjusted accordingly, I pass all tests with flying colours, and even get up and walk around the room on the walking frame.
The next few days are like this, until it's time to leave the hospital. I pack up my stuff and the Mrs helps me out to the car on my crutches, albeit clumsy and slow.
It's now Week 3. The staples got pulled out on Monday, the Physio is happy with my progress, but pain management is still an issue. If I don't treat the pain, I can't do the Physio. I am going to see the Dr tomorrow to review my medication and see what alternatives I have, but, apart from that, I am doing well.
I have my LapTop next to me in bed, still, as I can't sit up in a chair for more than 20 minutes at a time. It's awkward playing WoW at this angle, and I couldn't keep it up for a raid, so I shall just have to wait until things improve.
I do a lot of reading, some eBay stuff (I sold a gearbox and a dashboard last week!) and I do the dailies in Hyjal. I now have my Rogue in WM, so I might try and level him up (he's 82 right now).
And it's only week 3! Four weeks to go.
I used to play grade baseball in my youth. I was a catcher. Some of you may already be thinking "Oh, now I get it" but for those that don't, catchers end up doing a lot of knee damage that will come back to haunt them. I locked my knee up several times leaping from a full crouch for the second base pick-off or the double play to third. Anyway, the sports physios use baseball catcher's knees as pin-up posters to convince the rest of the world to look after this complex joint.
At the same time, my then Girlfriend (who later became my Wife) was in the Australian Speed Skating team.
"So fargin WHAT?" I hear you ask?
Well, fast forward a few years. We have been married for 35 years when she falls over at work and her knee gives out from underneath her. She goes in for an Arthroscopy (key-hole surgery) to fix a torn cartilage. It does nothing, and she ends up at a specialists who gives her the bad news that she needs a full knee replacement. The surgeon recognises the arthritic damage from long ago, and Vicki's skating career is to blame. By this time, she has been in agony for months, can't walk without a walking stick, so the surgery is booked.
At this time, my poor old knee has started playing up again. This time, it's more painful than ever, and as Vicki has been on the Orthopedic Surgery round-about, she already has the contacts. So I go in for an MRI and book an appointment with her surgeon with a view to getting some more cortisone or maybe an arthroscopy. The surgeon takes one look at the MRI scan, and shakes his head in disbelief.
"Choco" he says. "Your knee is rooted."
Yeah, I've heard that before, so what?
"You need a full knee replacement, and you need it yesterday. It is deteriorating rapidly and in 2 weeks you are going to know all about it."
Well, of course, it has to wait until the Mrs gets HER knee done. Same leg, same surgeon, same hospital. As it turns out, same ward, same room, same bed! By the time I get there, I am already on a first-name basis with all the hospital staff! I look after my Wife for her 2 weeks in bed when she gets out of hospital, then, when she is well enough to drive a car, I go in for my knee operation.
Let me tell you now, I was warned that it was a painful procedure. The surgeon calls it "the cruelest Orthopedic procedure there is." I nursed my Wife through it, and had a good idea of what to expect. But nothing really prepares you for the excruciating pain that you must endure.
Straight out of the Theater, I am in post-op and they try to gauge my "pain management" threshold. I am on straight morphine, but they need to switch to a different system as I am not coping. The anesthetist switches my to Ketamine, blocking all pain (the only few minutes "pain free" that I will have for months) and then bring me back to Morphine that I can adjust myself as I need it. That little green button will be my focus for the next 5 days.
I am wheeled out of post-op, the operation having been successful, and now I am in "pain management" phase. I am completely spaced out on the drugs, and this is a good thing for when the Physio Therapist does her rounds the next day. The Mrs comes to visit me, and I am in high spirits. The Physio comes along, and I know what is expected. I have to place both my feet on the floor.
The entire ward hears my screams as this simple act of moving my bad leg takes place. I hold nothing back. I have a VERY loud voice, and EVERYONE now knows it! The "pain management" has ailed, and I can't swing my leg around without almost blacking out. After a hasty jab of morphine, I am calmed, and they attempt to get to the bottom of the problem.
I am a wuss.
I also have a high tolerance to pain killers. I already told them that. Do they listen?
No, they never do.
The next day, with pain medication adjusted accordingly, I pass all tests with flying colours, and even get up and walk around the room on the walking frame.
The next few days are like this, until it's time to leave the hospital. I pack up my stuff and the Mrs helps me out to the car on my crutches, albeit clumsy and slow.
It's now Week 3. The staples got pulled out on Monday, the Physio is happy with my progress, but pain management is still an issue. If I don't treat the pain, I can't do the Physio. I am going to see the Dr tomorrow to review my medication and see what alternatives I have, but, apart from that, I am doing well.
I have my LapTop next to me in bed, still, as I can't sit up in a chair for more than 20 minutes at a time. It's awkward playing WoW at this angle, and I couldn't keep it up for a raid, so I shall just have to wait until things improve.
I do a lot of reading, some eBay stuff (I sold a gearbox and a dashboard last week!) and I do the dailies in Hyjal. I now have my Rogue in WM, so I might try and level him up (he's 82 right now).
And it's only week 3! Four weeks to go.
