The Morning After (Surgery; Day 8)

Once again, I'm tired and in pain, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.


Eating is a Chore

It's extremely awkward eating while laying prone.  I've made a compromise to sit up and try and keep my leg semi-propped up (those yoga classes paid off finally).  It still hurts but it's better than letting my foot just rest comfortably on the floor in a seated position.


Logistics of Pissing (The Female Persuasion Is the Key)

It's not that bad using the restroom.  I just sit down like a woman instead of trying to keep balance on one leg and giving the toilet seat and rug a golden shower.  (Now I know why y'all get mad about keeping the lid down!)

Oh and I dunno if this it TMI, but I've also been constipated ever since I started taking the Vicodin.  I'm going to try and eat more raw salads and see if that helps.  Meh...I've never had this issue before, but my dad said the nurse warned that this could happen.


Smellin' Like the Filthy, Rank Dog That I Am

I haven't showered or bathed in 2, maybe 3 days now and I'm sure I smell like a rank, mountain man...but oh well, it's not like I'm entertaining guests in my condition.  And according to Alex, a man's rank B.O. attracts the opposite sex with his pheromones (I'm not holding my breath on that one).

When it gets so bad that I can't even stand my own odor, I'll probably have to figure out the logistics of crawling into a tub with my injured leg hanging off the edge.  (And no I don't have someone in mind to help me with this endeavor.)


Reason for the Cortisone Shot to the Bum!

The scars have mostly all but faded but there are still remnants on my upper right arm (yes, it looks like some bulbous fat thing but that's actually my arm.)  The scratches on my belly have already faded away.  I have fast healing abilities!  Let's hope that applies to the poorly vascularized Achilles tendon as well.


Keep Dat Foot Up, Son!

Whenever I have to stand up to go to the bathroom or let my foot drop down, the pain comes rushing back as the blood pools and collects in the ankle that has been operated on, so I try my best to keep it elevated above my heart at all times.  This means I'm basically an invalid at age 26.

It's a gorgeous day out and I'm stuck here looking out from my bedside perch by the window.

Free Mystic Tan (From the Knee Down)!

FYI:  My skin isn't naturally that orange-y...they covered my leg and even the toes in some reddish-orange disinfectant, probably something like iodine. It stained my skin.

So now I have a free mystic tan on my right leg (below the knee) from Faith Surgical Center! Yay! ;-p


Why the Hard Splint?

A friend just commented that he was surprised that I will need a cast put on after this hard splint is removed.  From my limited knowledge, it's because my tendon has contracted so much and they had to pull it and then sew it together.  It's really taut right now, hence the extreme PAIN.  (Someone f'n get me some codeine or oxycontin please!  LOL...I'm actually kinda serious. Vicodin is not doing it for me.)  If it wasn't held in place by a hard splint and/or a cast, then I may accidentally flex my foot back and rip apart the fragilely-held together strands that are holding my ruptured Achilles together now.  Right now, the splint is keeping my foot in the awkward position where the foot is angled down (like when a woman wears high heels), which doesn't exert pressure on the achilles tendon.  (So now I know what it feels like to pee like a woman and to wear heels...)

The hard splint was put on to allow for some swelling post-surgery.  After a week and the swelling subsides, then a hard cast can be put on and that will be left for around 2 months to let my tendon fuse together on its own.  This is slow work though since tendons and ligaments are not highly vascularized like bones and muscles (thinking back to A&P class...I think that's right?).  After the cast is removed, then I will wear a boot for a month or so.  Then I believe finally, I can start physical therapy.  Dr. Hanssen said that recovery will be 3 to 4 months and he warned of a 20% reduction in strength but I'm hoping with proper nutrition, rest, and physical therapy I can beat the odds and get it back up to 100%.

(Beastmodal told me that he has set PRs after his surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon so there's hope for me yet.  He did say that his calf muscle is weaker but he feels like his tendon is back to where it was.)


School Next Week?

I doubt I'll be leaving the house next week due to the pain and since just letting the foot drop below my heart increases the pain.  I seriously hope I don't wind up failing Organic Chemistry II because of this.  I've already failed the past 2 quizzes and then having to miss the quiz next week would not be ideal.  Then I would miss the 3 hour lab and all those hours of lecture as well.  I'm way behind in guitar class too.  Oh well.  I think I'll pop some more pills pass out and hope for the best...

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This Would Have All Been for Naught,  If Not or Y'all!

I've spent nearly the whole fund on the surgeon and anesthesiologist already (father paid for the facility fees) but I was reminded by Ted that I'll have to still pay for follow-up visits and a long physical therapy, so I'll still be accepting donations.  Thank y'all for continuing to express your generosity with your pocketbook (#PayItForward).

Updated List of Cream of the Crop Top Contributors (Triple Digit Donations):

Jorge Salhuana
David Wu
Alexander Holliday
Alvin Lin
Siby Spurgeon
Kyuha Lee
Jonathan Ko
Niven Hsu

Extremely Generous Contributors (very close to the cream of the crop):
*
Shawn Hiller
Valerie Easterling
Christina Ayala-Vance
Chase Park
James Haver
Kim Palumbarit

*Vast majority of donations ranged from $20 -50, so I needed to make a judgement call and have a cut off point for this second list (right below top contributors).  Since the amount donated could be any amount you typed in, it was hard making that decision.

There were amounts such as $40 and $60, etc.  Just know that whatever amount you contributed, you definitely helped tremendously and you are greatly valued and loved.  Thank you all.  Even to those who did not contribute and helped out in non-monetary ways as well.  Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers.

I promise whatever you dole out will come back to you double or triple-fold at least.  It's an undeniable fact of life.  Those who are perceptive enough already know this.  Skeptics will discover it eventually as well...that karma is as real as electricity.  We're all connected on this Earth and every action has a reaction (e.g., the holographic universe, Indra's Net, and all that jazz ... a friendly suggestion — watch "What the Bleep Do We Know?").

Whatever we do for (or to) another, we ultimately do for (or to) ourself.

I still need to calculate the fund amount since most of it has already been spent on the surgery... I'll post that later (my mind is foggy after taking that Hydrocodone + Acetaminophen + Ibuprofen).  (Around $200- $300 has been added to the pot since then though.)

If you don't see your name on this list, know that I still greatly value your contribution and that every bit counts, even the single digit donations.  I just wanted to provide more praise and recognition to those that went above and beyond the call of duty.  I promise to include the entire list of contributors eventually.

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.