Tillie’s Adventure Begins

Hello Friends!  

My right knee, Tillie, has been replaced and is now on the mend.  My surgery was on Tuesday, June 12.  I was lucky enough to be the first one on my doctor’s schedule, but that meant I had to be at the New Albany orthopedic hospital by 5:00 am, and then I was in my room before 10 am.  YAY!  Surgery went very well.  I didn’t open my eyes in the recovery room, but I did say the word “pain” a couple of times.  I felt myself being moved to my room - the bed rollers on the floor and the elevator.  Once I got to the room, my 2 friends were there, and I gave them thumbs up.  Over the next hour I started to wake up more and open my eyes.  By 11, I was able to get up and walk about 6’ from the bed and back.  Then around 4 pm, I walked about 30’, from the bed to the sink and back.  After this walk, I was able to get my legs in the bed on my own.

I drank a lot of water and took all the meds I was given.  My pain was very low once I started taking meds.  I was on a clear liquids diet, so I got Jello and a sherbert called “Ice”.  Finally, for my final meal, I also ordered chicken broth hoping it would do a better job of satisfying my hunger.  (It sort of did.)

The nurses gave me long stretches of quiet silence during the night which I really appreciated.  The IV machine made whiney noises, which sort of kept me awake, but overall my night was peaceful.  

About 5:30 or 6 am on Wednesday morning,  the nurses came in to take vitals,  pull the catheter and check my dressing.  They cut off the ACE bandage, but didn’t remove the actual bandage on my incision because it wasn’t all bloody.  Shortly after they were in, my doc’s partner and 2 other docs came in to talk to me and look at the bandage.  They were impressed.  They said the actual bandage wouldn’t be changed until it was closer to my checking out because they want me leaving with a clean bandage.   

After that, I was able to order real food from the breakfast menu!  I was so excited to learn that they had Egg Beaters!  They made me scrambled eggs!  I got turkey sausage which wasn’t very good, and English muffin which was tasty with strawberry jam.  

After breakfast, things moved very fast.  My Physical Therapist came in and took me for a walk down the hall.  She did some exercises on the bed with me and was impressed by how much strength and range of motion I had.  She measured the bend in my leg at 70 degrees and was impressed, and she said I was at -11 degrees of straightness which is excellent!  She was impressed enough that she released me from PT.  Step one in getting to go home!

The rest of the day until I actually left was a whirlwind of activity.  The pharmacy person came in to give me my take-home meds, but she needed payment, so I had to wait until Hubby came with my wallet.  Then someone came in to give me my leg pumps, and my case manager had to come in with information about home care.  WHEW!  All the while, my nurse was coming in for meds and vitals, and I was trying to coordinate my ride home with my friend and Hubs.  Goodness gracious it was a busy and hectic few hours.

Then there was THE BIG ISSUE!  Pee!  Not only did I have to pee and be measured, but then my bladder had to be scanned to show that it was virtually empty, or they wouldn’t let me leave.  I made the mistake of going after the PT took me for my walk, and my nurse didn’t get back to check for an hour - and that was too late to check my bladder, so I had to go again when I could get scanned.  SHEESH!  Seriously? 

Anyway, I finally got home around 2 pm.  I felt strong and awake and was in a very good mood with almost no pain.  

Thanks for reading - stay tuned for more!

:)Amy