Post-Surgery Update!

This will be very brief because it's hard for me to type with the laptop on my belly (I have to remain prone in order to keep the right leg elevated above my heart).

So I have been sleeping off and on for about 5 hrs after coming home from surgery...I'm awake now.


Morphine is Weaksauce

After surgery I was in so much pain that my whole body was being racked by violent and uncontrollable tremors.  It hurt so much that the sweet nurse, Rosemary, gave me something similar to Demerol (I think she said Thalide or Thalidol?  I googled that and it's not right, so I'm not sure. I was in and out at that point so I couldn't think straight.)  I asked Rosemary why the morphine was not working:  "I'm not a junkie."  She said, "No, you are just in too much pain."


Blood Pressure Through the Roof!

My body could not handle the pain threshold so my blood pressure was dangerously high and I could see the concern in the nurse's face.  She told me that the opiate she was injecting into my IV was "extremely dangerous" but at that point I just wanted the pain to subside.

 The nurses told me that Dr. Hanssen had paid me a visit before he left for his next surgery appointment but I have no recollection of it at all.  My father tried to explain to me what the doc said...apparently my tendon had contracted so much (after nearly a month) that he had to go to extreme lengths to connect the ends.  He normally uses 2 to 4 threads to sew the ruptured tendon together but required 6 threads for my injury.  I doubt that's the correct terminology but that's what my dad said to me more or less.  All I know is that it hurt like a motherf*cker!!

The nurses were very conservative with the Demerol (Like I said don't know exactly what opiate it was but I overheard another nurse saying to give me Demerol, so I'll just say that.  Rosemary told me that it was a "top-shelf painkiller" and that it is "several times the potency of morphine.")  Each time they gave me an injection it was only 0.5 milligrams.  Eventually after like 4 or 5 injections (so 2.5 mg ?) of Demerol, my blood pressure came back down to normal.  (I was trying to control the pain by focusing on my breathing by doing deep diaphragmatic breathing but that only gets you so far.  I needed hardcore drugs, man!)


Cortisone Shot to the Ass!

I had an allergic reaction to the medication and was scratching all over until I had visible scars, so she gave me a cortisone shot in my bum.  (She was so skilled, I barely felt the needle at all!)  Rosemary told me in the future to tell them that I am most likely allergic to morphine.  


Vicodin & Vomiting Time!

When I was finally allowed to go home, I took 2 Vicodins (Hydrocodone) in the car after eating a sandwich.  (Another nurse told me that I needed to get the vicodin in my system ASAP since my body would metabolize the Demerol quickly and I needed to get the Vicodin to cover that ensuing pain.)  When I got home, I was so nauseous that I threw it all up.  The fluid and particles rushing out with so much force that I couldn't even hold back; I basically opened my mouth and it came shooting out like a fire hydrant!  LOL.  It went all over the Persian rug.  I was concerned that I threw up the Vicodin too, so later when the pain came rushing back with a vengeance, I took an Aleve and that actually helped (my dad didn't want me to risk taking another Vicodin).


ER

Oh yeah, one thing that scared me was that Rosemary told me that if the pain returns to high levels even with the Hydrocodone, then I need to go to the ER immediately.   She said, "You don't want to lose your foot!" She said there's a risk that if the foot swells to the point where the skin can no longer accomodate it, then circulation would be cut off and the foot may be lost.  Yikes!

What an ordeal.


Fasting

I had to fast from midnight to 1 PM last night and then today after eating a sandwich I barfed it up.  It's currently 10 'til 10 PM but I almost don't even want to eat anything because I don't want to feel that nausea again.  Blah.  Funny thing is that before the surgery started, I kept thinking about sinking my teeth into a juicy, rare T-bone steak.

But I guess I'll have to eat something since I need to take my next dosage of Vicodin and Benadryl (to help with the nausea).  Let's hope it stays down this time.

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Future Physical Therapy Sessions (aka Continued Need for Contributions to the Fund)

Clearly, as I've already had my surgery it's no longer a pressing matter but I'm going to leave the donate button up since I'll still need to have follow-up visits and eventually start seeing a physical therapist.  That may add up to a pretty penny, so I'll appreciate any additional help from peeps.


Refunds Will Be Kept Discreet

Again, no pressure and no obligation at all.  As I touched upon in the previous post...I would much rather you NOT donate at all than do so out of a feeling of obligation and then wind up bearing ill will or resentment towards me!  Either donate freely and with joy or don't do so at all.  No hard feelings.  If you have already done so and regret it.  I will find a way to return it to you and I promise I'll be discreet about it.  No one will know and we'll still be friends. =)  I appreciate the initial sentiment to help a fellow brother out, in any case.


Drugs, Baby!

Alright, now that I just took a Hydrocodone & Acetamitophen and a Benadryl.  I feel kinda sleepy.  I'm going to watch "Role Models" DVD, which I got at Redbox on the way home.  Peace out, y'all!  Stay safe out there.