I had knee surgery on November 15th of 2017. At the beginning, I wasn't sure if having this procedure would help. You see, my right knee has given out so many times in my life, that I've hurt myself during some of those falls. The most recent fall, I weakened my left wrist, and I had to wear a brace for a month, in order for the bone to strengthen again. Don't worry, it healed. My knee, stayed swollen, and I remembered that when I had fallen, the bone didn't click back into place. My mind began to worry, as my parents and I were keeping an eye on it.
We got an MRI done, and received clear photos of the injured areas. My doctor transferred us to a surgeon who would look at it a bit further, to see if I really needed to have an operation. A few weeks later, we met up with him, and he treated me as if I were his own daughter. He explained to us that this procedure would be a great help for me, and that he would never cut someone up just to do it as if it were an experiment. I trusted him, and so did my parents.
2 days before the operation, we met up with the Anesnteiologist's assistant, to make sure that my medical history was all lined up, and ready to go. Even though the appointment was an hour long, we were just glad that all of my information was put into the computer correctly. I've had a lot of operations in the 26 years that I've been alive, and it's always hard for me to accept the fact that life won't always be easy, and that I'll never know if this will be my last surgery. Hopefully it is.
Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 had finally arrived. I was more than ready to get my knee fixed! Before each operation, the nurses need a urine sample to make sure (females usually) you're not pregnant. I'm not, so I don't have to expand on that note. Then, I was escorted into a small, and dainty like room, with one window for us to enjoy the view of Salt Lake City. It was slightly raining outside, but I barely had time to look out the window, because my vitals were being taken, and the nurse was checking things on the computer and asking me questions like, "What is being done today?" or "How are you feeling?" We discussed how I often have low oxygen after surgeries, and to be sure to keep the oxygen tube on me. My blood pressure is always on the lower end too, and mom and I think it's probably genetic, other than that, we have no idea why it's so low most of the time.
We were then visited by 2 of the doctors that would be working with me in the surgical room. We got our questioned answered about the procedure, and Doctor Burkes finally appeared. Knowing my mom had been here a year ago for my sisters (completely different) knee surgery, she asked Doctor Burkes if he had a certain pen with him. Pausing in mid-sentence, he pulled the pen out of one of his pockets, he waved it in front of his face, as if he would never, ever forget his special marking pen. He wrote a big YES to indicate the proper knee he was going to operate on.
P.S. ~ PURPLE is one of my favorite colors. ~
I was kind of worried about having to get my knee cut open by this point, so I kept looking at it, wishing that I could have a magic wand to make it all better. Time slowly ticked by until someone had finally come in, to wheel me away into the freezing OR (operation room) section of the Hospital Wing. Without wearing my glasses, peoples faces blurred by me, and unwanted beeping sounds slipped passed. When my bed went through a big elevator, the person pushing me mentioned that my bed had an issue with the front left wheel, making it hard to move the bed down each of the hallways. I wonder if they switched me to a different bed during, or after the procedure.
My favorite part of surgeries, is when the anesthesia goes into my system and lulls me to sleep. Sometimes the process happens so quickly, that I can't remember the room at all, or anything that happened in that room when I wake up in the recovery room. All I know, is that is exactly how the anesthesia is supposed to work. Forget what happened before, during or right after surgery, so that you don't feel the pain right away. Trust me, it works wonders!
When patients wake up in the recovery room, nurses check on them by doing their vital signs, and asking them questions about how they are feeling. I remember that as soon as I began opening my eyes, a nurse was on the lefthand side of me, probably scanning information into the computer system, and taking notes on how I was doing. Then, 2 doctors had come in to give me 'The Block' to prevent me from feeling anymore pain from the surgery. Basically it's just a medical shot. It felt like they had pressed something hard (like a block) against my thigh, and the shot gave me a huge bruise that lasted for a long time!
I usually have low oxygen levels after surgery, so they place the oxygen tube through my nostrils to help me breathe more easily. Popsicles are a great way to get your energy up after a procedure, as well as Sprite, or any type of drink you might be in the mood for, to get your sugar levels up. Most patients need to fast after midnight, so that they don't get nauseated after the anesthesia is in your body. I don't even want to know what would happen if someone had a big meal before a surgery. I bet you the consequences would be most dire!
Doctor Burkes wanted me to stay at the Hospital overnight, to be sure everything was going to be okay. Mom told me that the nurses told her I said something coming right out of surgery, something like, "I think I'm used to the anesthesia, since I'm already starting to wake up." I rolled my eyes and smiled, knowing that what I said was probably true, since the recovery team noted that I didn't have any problems while waking up.
After I had breakfast the next day, they had me order lunch and dinner, since it's hard to tell when a patient is ready to be released from their stay. Mom arrived around 8:30 in the morning, and around 9 or 10, a pair of Physical Therapists, showed me how to get around with my new friends, (the leg brace and crutches). The night before, since I didn't know how to get out of bed properly to walk to the bathroom or anything, the night nurses gave me a bed pan to go pee in. It wasn't the most relaxing way to go potty, but hey, anything is better than nothing right? So basically, I was more than happy to work with the Physical Therapist team.
Since I had 6 velcro tighteners on my brace, I held onto one near my ankle, and pulled up with my right hand, letting my body shift over to the side of the bed. My leg was as straight as can be, and it was fun to bounce it up and down a bit, knowing that the brace prevented my knee from bending. The hospital handed me a spare walker to use for learning how to move myself around. The trick is to lower the handles first, so that the walker is just right for the patient, and then you slide the walker forward inch by inch, letting your feet move forward, knowing that they're supported by the metal miracle in front of them. Before long, I was in the hallway, and a small wooden staircase of about 4 steps, was placed not too far away from my assigned room.
In no time, we had 2 ways of helpful chants for me to use while going up, or down, the stairs:
- To go UP the stairs, I'd hold one crutch under my right arm, and say: "Crutch, good foot, bad foot. Crutch, good foot, bad foot." So on, and so forth until I reached my way to the top. Saying it out loud helped me to move at a slower pace, and focus on the way I was walking.
- To go DOWN the stairs, I'd hold one crutch under my left arm, and say: "Crutch, bad foot, good foot. Crutch, bad foot, good foot." It's basically the opposite as it is going upstairs.
When it was time to go, I was wheeled out to the car, and mom had a hard time putting me up into the seat. I tried stepping on the stool that she had brought with her, but she ended up picking me up around the waste, allowing me to jump up and over the seat. I scooted towards the other end of the car, and at the time I was wearing a pair of really short shorts, which made me feel uncomfortable out in public, and when I finally settled in near the opposite door I decided to prop my legs up on the seat, instead of sitting forward with the seatbelt on. I know it's dangerous, but how in the world was I supposed to get situated with my knee in a huge leg brace, making it nearly impossible for my leg to bend? Mom even had a pillow, and a soft blanket for me, which made it easier for me to relax for the 45 minute drive home. I just love my parents and all they do for my siblings and I.
