Today was the day of surgery.
I got a call early today (or was it yesterday) telling me I should bring whatever payment I could afford to the hospital to make when i was checking in.
I said okay.
Today at 1245 Janae and I went to allied orthopaedic to pick up the continous movement machine which will help me move my knee. They demonstrated it to me and it moves very sloooooow. They said run it two times a day for 30 minutes, I said how about I just bend my leg three times a day and call it good. Anyway, we packed it up and put it in the car. I will plan to use it.
Next we headed over to treasure valley hospital where they quickly checked me in and I sat in a love chair with my wife (it was probably made for one 400lb+ person but we fit pretty cozy)
About 5 or so minutes later some rather stick in mud-ish guy came out and asked me to head out the corner. That is where they asked me to sign payment, HIPAA and waiver info.
They also confirmed that I knew that the hospital is owned by the drs. The stick in the mud guy didn't appreciate humor, and when he wondered if we have any questions, I asked once if they needed payment. He said no, so I said ok.
I went to sit down. My wife left and I read a book for less than 10 minutes. My friend and nurse came to get me and took me back to a room with 3 walls and a curtain facing the nurses station. Before showing me my new home ahe asked if i neede to go to the bathroom and i said not really. She asked me again in a very nonjudgemental voice that helped me to understand that I probably needed to try. So I went over to a conveniently located bathroom and was able to empty was little I had. I decided I shoulda gone with my gut and not even tried because peeing such a lile amount makes me feel the opposite of the "machismo" that I get with a [morning, race horse style pee]. Anyway, eleesha showed me the robe and socks i needed to wear so she left and I changed. i got to leave my underwear on. She helped me to tie the gown a bit loosely so that it did not bunch up when I lay down. Then I got in bed. She put an automated cuff on which took my blood pressure about a half dozen times over the course of 20 minutes. my pressure was about 122 over 72 most of the time. My pulse was just over 60 and as I settled down a bit to read an alarm kept going off. I dint pay attention since they had not given me any drugs yet, at this point I was just hanging out. Finally some nurse came in and said that she will just turn off the alarm since my pulse kept dropping below 60, but since I looked like a fit guy it was not a problem. I spent the next 10 minutes breathing deeply and d lowly trying to lower my pulse below 50 to see if I could set off another alarm. I got it down to 52 before the nurse came in and through an airplane at me and she blew some bubbles at me. Some how my heart rate went up again to 56 and I couldn't get it down again.
Actually, eleesha was awesome and all of her friendly coworkers were great. They had just purchased a bunch of toys earlier that dayo hence the bubbles, airplane and tiara, I think normally the are for kids but i showed up as they needed to test them. Some nurses showed me cool tattoos, others teased eleesha about being crazy, or awesome and after about 30/40 minutes of kinda hanging out with whoever wanted to talk I realized eleesha had been working as ll along. She had all of my vitals. She had a little pump / hose connected to my robe gown to blow air into it. There was a builtin air distribution contraption inside the gown which was kinda warm, but made it so I did no sweat and was comfortable. She had also had poked me wuthering a small needle to give me a local anesthetic before putting in a larger needle for the IV. I had asked about the little air bubbles and she said that she is not worried about the little air bubbles. It would take a lot of air to cause a problem. After she had been feeding me some saline solution for about 20 minutes. Stuff really started to happen quickly.
The nurse anesthesiologist came and asked if I had any questions. And I told him I thought I would be a light weight and that I might sleep a long time if they put me under. I Asked if i could watch and he said the procedure is too brutal. Also He Said That If I Were Awake the my muscles would guard the joint and cause issues with the surgery. I understood and said no further questions
Next a full anesthesiologist came in to put a block on my knee. They brought in an ultra sound device and found a nerve in my inner right thigh. He poked a large needle ( I don't know if the used a local to make the big needle less painful, but I did not hurt)
He said he needed my help finding a bf that would block the pain. So he asked that I tell him when I felt a twinge. He moved the needle around a bit and I found the nerve, it was odd I actually as I felt an electric shock (not painful, just a sensation, travel 4 to 6 inches down my leg in two separate braches. Then I think he poured in the juice.
After he left, the place got real busy. A$ guy named Scott that I played soccer with for a couple of seasons on and off was a nurse there and he recognized my name and came and tried to chat with me, but midway through the convo the registered nurse ( I didn't catch her name) interrupted to make sure I knew my name, dob, etc. We started moving the bed and there were like 6 people in the 18 by 8 foot room for a bit. They must of given me drugs by now because I don't know what they were doing.
Pretty soon they were moving the bed to the or, and the drugs must've been kicking in cuz I thing I slept fo a good part of the ride, so I don't know of it was 20 senond or 5 minute ride.
When I got in there I looked around and there were about 8 people with there backs all turned to men. Positioned along counters and areas around the room.
Someone told me to switch over onto another or bed so I did a kind of lame squiggle over on to the bed and I tried to make a joke about how it would have been easier for me if 4 people would have each grabbed a corner and they coulda done a movie style quick transfer. Unfortunately, I did not even understand what I was trying to say and so I doubt they could either. But that was the last thing I remember.
The next thing I remember I am waking up in a post op room. Janae was there and said I was not making much sense. But I was waking up and it was only about 440. Janae left with eleesha ( who had apparently gone off the clock, and jumped into street clothes) to go get prescription drugs. I made some joke about the drugs making me want cheetos. But this lady was not into joking she brought me vanilla pudding. We had a coversation about warm tapioca but most of my question about what about the post op were not answered. Really she told me that your wife has been briefed on that. She was not as personable as my preoperative team. She also seemed a bit confused by the information that eleesha was gonna drive me home we hole my we if went to get drugs. (Seemed odd to her that their nurse we would be taking a patient home. I thought better of the idea and decided not to say that we had formed a special relationship in preop)
Anyway all that was wrong. My wife was just waiting in the waiting room. She coulda taken me 15 minutes sooner.
Anyway, she came back and they transferred me to a wheelchair, out some side door and down a ramp that woulda dumped me into the bark and bushes if I'd been a more momentous dude. Dr hassinger was out there, as he was as lso leaving. I Said my thank yous and awkward ly fit my straight leg into my front seat bt perching my butt on the edge of the seat so my leg was straight in to the legroom area. I drove away...
