Head Over Heels (A Broken Ankle Blog): ankle...THE POST OP prt 1

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

11:57 PM - ankle...THE POST OP prt 1
Current mood: high
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

Well the surgery was Friday, 2/23.

After getting very little sleep the day before, due to a black-out and nerves.....I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:30a!! So we leave at the crack of dawn. We get to the hospital on time. And the day begins.

The doctor has me put on the "fancy hospital dress" and the equally as fancy 'shower cap'. (Which means I have to remove the beautiful scarf my cousin had given me and comb out my hair) So I'm laying there in my "O.R. Best" ....and the doctor comes to explain the various options that I have for anestia. I can take a numbing shot, that numbs the one leg from the waist down.....I can take a spinal numbing, which is a shot into the spine like epidoral that numbs the waist down.....(Both leaving me awake and able to hear things) OR I can just be put under.....

I decide: OPTION 3 IS FOR ME!!! So the doctor tells me all the draw backs, including the fact that they will be putting a tube down my throat. Then the doctor explains that they will be giving me "sleepy stuff" to relax me just b4 they put me out. So I'm like fine, just please tell me before you knock me out.....(I like to know so that I can relax my body and not fight against the medicine). So we wheel into the OR room. I'd been talking to the anesthesiologist about the Grey's Anatomy episode that I missed as we were wheeling to the room. And she says "so you've never been in a surgical room before huh?". I tell her no and she says "well I'll give you the sleepy stuff inside so you can see what it looks like". She was mad cool.
So I get in. There were 3 doctors and a few other people....but the doctors all gathered around, said hi, and let me know not to worry. They start looking at my ankle and the anestiaoligist said something about sleeping to me and that's all I remember.

When I wake up, I'm in the recovery area. AND MY MUTHAFCKN THROAT HURTS LIKE ALL HELL. My mouth is dry like a dessert and I can't talk. My ankle hurts! I'm feeling pain...A tear falls.....Oooouch.....my arms hurt from all the needles. (I have small veins, so they poked me a lot). My leg feels heavy again. Oh shit my throat hurts!!! The nurse (Karen) offers ginger aile.....???....ummm NO (that will burn)....."Can I have water?". She brings water...I sip....it hurts. Each sip hurts. Then she asks if I'm hungry. Shit, I don't know. My throat hurts. "Can I have ice?". She brings a big cup of ice and a pkg of peanut butter crackers.....and I eat one.....Immediately I am pissed!!! These crackers are dry and the PB is sticky....remember my mouth is dry as hell and my throat is already hurting.....so how da hell am I gone swallow this shit!?
"WATER!!!" Nurse Karen brings more....I drink, try to swallow and it hurts. I want to punch her for giving me this cracker pkg. And....MY ANKLE HURTS! (Ooooooouch). The nurse gets me up into a wheelchair, with my injured leg elevated in a folding chair.....she is ready to send me home. (This was out patient surgery)
And then she says "I'm gonna let your family in". I think okay my mom.................and here comes Mommy, Grandma, Auntie F, and Princess. Each person is talking, asking me questions and touching me.

"I can't talk....it hurts". They keep on talking and asking.....Then my mom says...."Dr. Najibi says you can stay if you want". My mom calls the doctor to confirm and we are waiting for him to come down. I'm in pain....I'm uncomfortable....and the family keeps talking! My mom decides to get smoothies for the nurse and I, so she leaves. Princess senses the irritation and she leaves. And my grandma and my auntie stay. My pain and discomfort grow. Again I'm sitting in a wheelchair, with pillows under the broken ankle as it is resting on a folding chair.
My mom comes back. The smoothie is Big, cold, and tasty! THANK GOD for this smoothie. Then Nurse Karen peeps the irritation. She asks my family to leave so she can get me back into a bed. Before my mom leaves I get my ipod and cell phone from her. I pull up his cell number and ask my mom to call "him" while she is in the waiting area and they head out.
Nurse Karen wheels me to the rest room....I see my mom, who is standing waiting for me at the restroom. She is talking on the cell...."is that him?", I grab the cell and whisper to him so he knows I'm okay and give the phone back. Karen tells my mom "I'll call for you when we get her situated" and she gets me back into a bed.
I turn on my ipod, close my eyes and try not to cry....it doesn't hurt very bad but I have to pee again (thanks to the IV), my throat is burning and Karen is chasing a man who keeps trying to run out of the recovery area! (yes. the man is jumping out of his bed and running down the stairs) I keep my eyes closed....turn Tyrese up as loud as it will go....and cuddle the smoothie. Then Karen returns....I tell her. "You aren't gonna believe this but I gotta go again"....she walked away....chasing again....she is gone a long while. I see some other nurse....I tell her "I will go on this bed-my bladder is too full to get up". She brings a bed pan.....I HAVE NEVER....ever ever used a bed pan so I just look at her. She tells me how to do it. I follow instructions, the nurse removes it and I am completely grossed out. It was awful.

So I try to relax....more Tyrese....and Karen returns. She tells me "the doc is here I will get your family". My mom, gma, and auntie return and my mom's all like "they told us you were sleep. It's been almost an hour". (Shhhh....I can't talk....it hurts). "MA, I was sleep!!!". The doctors come over....they say it went well and that they are pleased with the operation. Dr. Najibi explains that he'd prefer I stay over night and talks to my mom about things. One of the surgeons ask that I be given pain medication every 3 1/2 hours and I complain about my throat.
The surgeon explains that the breathing tube is what caused the pain. Dr. Najibi explains everything and I ask questions..."Can I get a colored cast? When can I go back to work? Am I gonna have physical therapy?". Dr. Najibi shakes his head. He says "I need to see you in my office in 2 weeks". Then he taps my shoulder and says "you and I are gonna have a fun time Ms. Hiphop...u are gonna be fun" and he leaves.

Satisfied with the doctor's conversation and tired, my family leaves. It's about 3pm. Nurse Karen promises me a room, so I go to sleep.

I wake up around 7 and wonder why I'm not in a room. Karen is gone to lunch and there is a new nurse. I tell her "I've been here sine 5a....I have to potty often....and my throat hurts really really bad. I just want a quiet room."

She brings me ice and water .... 30 min later....they are moving me to room B451B. I crutch into the room....slowly.... asking the nurses not to touch my leg and not to help me stand. I've got the crutches for that. (WHY PEOPLE KEEP TRYING TO TOUCH MY LEG IS BEYOND ME) I crutch past my roommate, who is elderly and visiting with her daughter.....I finally make it to the inside bed of the room (after yet another potty break)....get into the bed and my new nurse Ronald comes in. He grabs pillows to elevate my leg and he goes to lift my leg. "No-do not touch my leg. I'll move it". (I know they want to help...but when people touch my leg-IT HURTS). It takes me a min but I lift my leg and he puts the pillows under. I'm comfortable and tired. He puts a shot of morphine in my IV and asks if I'd like to be hooked up to the one you can administer for yourself. "No thanks....I don't want to be pressing buttons, doping myself all night. I can deal with this with those Tylenol 3's". Ronald says "are you sure!? I will just come back in 3 hours and we will decide then". I tell him ok.

I exhale....then I remember: I need to call Johnathan. And before I could hang up, he was in my room! I was happy to see him. He got me more icy water. I tell him I can't talk, he says that's okay and he sits down. And then guess what...POTTY BREAK.....sigh...

(the funniest part is being typed now!)