Today I am post op day 8 from a total knee replacement. The first week sucks. I'm told the second week also sucks. By the third week, things are supposed to be looking up and getting much better.
I'm officially off work for 12 weeks and my hospital requires that I take a medical leave of absence, giving up my clinical privileges until my surgeon releases me back to work insuring that I will not be a hazard to my clients thru impairment because of drugs or pain. What a bureaucratic mess. Like I didn't have pain on a daily basis prior to the surgery (duh).
The surgery itself went well and I came thru that without a hitch. The recovery has been interesting. I had a severe allergic reaction to the narcotics that were used to control pain (there was very little, so they probably worked well) but I broke out all over my body with a blistery rash and it felt like fire ants were constantly biting me (my skin burned and itched fiercely). Oh boy, that was fun (not). I took Benadryl for the itching which made me comatose. I came home on post op day 3 (Superbowl Sunday). I live in a two story home that you have to go up a flight of stairs from the garage to get to the first floor or up an outside stair-filled walkway to the front door, so just getting in was a big deal. Of course, I was up to the challenge (there was no other way) and got home and got settled in the loft where I slept the rest of the day away. I started physical therapy Monday. Tuesday I had a melt down and cried multiple times. Wednesday I had physical therapy and the rash started to abate, I began to feel much better. Wednesday night I got my foot caught in the covers and wrenched my knee jerking awake with agony and terror. Thursday, I was tearful but did OK. Friday, I went shopping for a new refrigerator and then to physical therapy. Now why would someone 7 days post op from knee replacement surgery go shopping for a refrigerator you might ask - I know I ask myself what I was doing. The answer is that the refrigerator at the house has been broken for 3 weeks and the repair guy came Friday morning and let us know that basically the cost for repair was $800-900 and perhaps we would like to consider a new fridge. This became ever more necessary when the repair guy told us that the new compressor would be delivered FOB, take 2-3 weeks to arrive and cost another $200-300 shipping and installation. So that is how I ended up shopping for a new fridge 7 days post op.
One of the biggest challenges is that I don’t' have a good mental image of how the rehabilitation will go. I'm a true believer in the adage "I create the dream, I make it happen." However, my dream for the rehabilitation is really, really fuzzy and this is causing some problems (crying and carrying on). I keep working on the patient, persistent, strengthening vision, but it is really weak. I see hiking, biking, traveling, and working (end view) with vague pictures of baby steps learning to walk. I'll keep working on the vision day by day.
So now it is just a regimen of exercises and strengthening so that I can get back to the birthing barn and catch those babies. Right now my partner has control of the practice and is doing all the births. I bet she is tired. I know I was before she came to be part of the group. I'm starting to miss it, though.
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