Yesterday was a major day. I had a right total hip replacement and it was an experience! Because I have my crazy swallowing issue the anaesthetist was not keen on me having a general. So I had a spinal. Normally they give you a sedative but because of my MS she only wanted to give me a light no effect dose. So while my hip was sawn and reamed and hammered and glued I lay there listening to Queen on an iPod! We will rock you will never be the same.
It was actually really nice arriving in recovery compis mentus. I just hung around being monitored and watching all the other poor souls struggle out of their general fog.
The spinal took two goes because I had sharp pains shooting down my left side on the first attempt. Once it was all set I felt like I could still feel my feet. I asked if it would get stronger and the anaesthetist said it would. Then she announced that they'd started so I could relax because I was a bit worried I would still feel things. It was really strange - like some one was constantly pushing and pulling my feet. The only strange time was at the end when they pulled on my legs to check things were lined up and I moved up and down. The mild sedative was enough that I could hear all the sawing and hammering but feel relaxed. It didn't make me forget anything.
Because I'd been curled up in the fetal position for insertion of the spinal my brain told my body my legs were curled up on my chest. They felt really tired! I also had a spasmy right arm that shook madly and made people keep trying to cook me.
The anaesthetist had advised me so some studies that found a worsening of symptoms with epidural anaesthesia so when I couldn't feel anything in my right leg for 7 hours I was a little concerned. I definitely couldn't do my bed exercises in recovery or for some time on my return to my room.
The left leg started to get some sensation back after 5 hours but nothing major. My right leg finally got sensation back this morning.
I lost quite a bit of blood and my haemoglobin went down around 90. They hmmed and haaed about a transfusion. Finally at 10pm the nurse got really excited. I had a drain in but not just any drain apparently - I had a reinfusion drain and I had reached the magic equivalent of one unit of blood in it that could be put back into me! Freaky! I just made the 6 hour cut off.
My blood pressure was low but I felt fine. After breakfast this morning my drain was removed (hurray) and the Physio came to help me ambulate. I got up fine and went a reasonable distance on two crutches with no problems. Then when I was in sight of my bed a black hole appeared and sucked me in. The Physio yelled for a seat and held me up for what seemed like ages. Suddenly I couldn't hear anything and apparently just sat looking at the Physio. After a while everything seemed back to normal so we decided to finish the trek. The black hole came roaring back and this time I couldn't hear and couldn't speak. I had to be dragged into my room on the chair.
Very weird experience. After a cup of tea and some sweet dunking biscuits life returned to normal. I was escorted to have a shower and since I was a good girl I was allowed my nasty catheter out. So I left the bathroom feeling human again.
I've managed to go to the loo on my own so I think we're doing well. I still have to have oxygen due to the morphine in my spinal so my nose isn't that happy but everything else is. My biggest problem is I have to have a pillow between my legs when I get on and off the bed and my weak MS quads struggle to hold it. The last time I got on the bed I felt a slight clunk so I think the process needs some tweaking.
So now I'm a cyborg with sexy white tights. Such an attractive look. Now I just need to recover and learn to cope with stairs and then I can go home. Maybe Saturday ( today is Thursday). Yay!
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