Guest guest Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Hi I am so sorry for what you went through! My daughter had her surgery on the same day as you, but she has turned the corner (mostly!) in her recovery now. My prayers are with you. Take care! / RI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Hi Sounds like no fun at all! You poor thing! I cannot believe it took them that long to realize the one tube was blocked! At least you are home now. Is there anything we can do to help ya out? I hope your pain issues get resolved and that you won't need any more work done. I would have thought they would treat one of their own a little better than what you described. :-/ Mia > Hi y'all, > > While my pain meds were still working, I managed to get this written > out. > > I arrived at the hospital at 7:15 on June 29 for my scheduled 9:15 > surgery. Pre-op was uneventful except that there was a little delay. > Because of my small opening and difficult airway, they can't > intubate me the conventional way and need to use a fiberoptic scope > to put the breathing tube now. It had just been used on another > patient so we just had to wait for it to be cleaned. They gave me > something to sedate me so I don't even remember going back to the > OR. > > The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room with > excruciating pain in my right joint. They brought me to my room > pretty quickly and once I got hooked up to my morphine PCA (patient > controlled anesthesia) pump, things were under control again. I > don't remember much of that night except that I was annoyed I > couldn't wear my glasses and couldn't see anything. Around my face, > I had a bulky pressure dressing along with the ice packs and oxygen. > I had two pain pumps in place (one in each joint) that were hooked > up to long catheters that were taped across my chest. I also had a > urinary catheter and continuous pulse ox (to measure my oxygen > levels) along with the IV with PCA. The night was uneventful and in > the morning, a lot of that stuff was taken off. The only problem we > had was that there was a lot of bloody drainage from the right pain > pump (a clue of things to come). > > The second day and night went pretty well. I was able to keep down > fluids well (which had always been a problem with me before). I > didn't have any pain on the left side and the right was kept under > control with the PCA. > > Things got bad the fourth night. They decided to take me off the > morphine and just give me oral pain meds, Lortab, along with IV > Toradol. The Toradol was great for about 4 hours at a time but it > can only be given every six. The lortab only helped slightly. I > cried and howled in pain until 4:30 a.m. when they finally knocked > me out with Phenergan and Valium. That lasted until 6:30. The left > side still felt fine, it was only the right which didn't make sense > because the pain pumps had been tested in the OR and worked fine > there. I was supposed to go home that day but there was no way I > could in that condition. > > That morning, my surgeon shot the right side up with a local > anesthetic to try to find the source of the pain. My husband said he > pushed the inch long needle all the way in to the hub but I didn't > even feel it, I hurt so badly. Finally he was able to numb me up > enough so I was more comfortable. He discovered the catheter from > the pump was occluded so the anesthetic never got into the surgical > site and that's was why I was having so much pain. > > Thankfully, they put me back on IV morphine that night so I was able > to get about two hours sleep and I was discharged yesterday > afternoon. I had a little panic session again this afternoon at home > before my meds kicked in again. At least at home, I can take however > many of them and whenever I need to within reason. Being a physician > does have its advantages – I can calculate my own drug dosages and > write them out for my family. > > Last night, I did get about four hours sleep so that was more than I > ever got in the hospital. Between the pain meds, nausea meds, muscle > relaxant and Elavil (typically used to treat depression but also for > chronic pain because it alters a person's perception of pain), I was > knocked out good. I just hate feeling like this and can't wait to be > able to get off all the meds. I don't even like to get drunk because > I hate feeling out of control. > > I never ever want to go through this again. I don't know what I'll > do if this doesn't work. I use a feeding tube or live off Boost for > the rest of my life before I have another surgery. > > I hope the rest of you have easier recoveries. I don't want to scare > anyone. I've had two orthognathic surgeries as well (BSSO and lefort > I) which were a walk in the park compared to this total joint > replacement. > > Thanks for letting me vent. I going back to the couch before this > round of meds wears off. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Oh my God, ! I'm keeping you in my thoughts. I know that you are having a very hard time. We are all here with you. Sending you healing thoughts, Fay > Hi y'all, > > While my pain meds were still working, I managed to get this written > out. > > I arrived at the hospital at 7:15 on June 29 for my scheduled 9:15 > surgery. Pre-op was uneventful except that there was a little delay. > Because of my small opening and difficult airway, they can't > intubate me the conventional way and need to use a fiberoptic scope > to put the breathing tube now. It had just been used on another > patient so we just had to wait for it to be cleaned. They gave me > something to sedate me so I don't even remember going back to the > OR. > > The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room with > excruciating pain in my right joint. They brought me to my room > pretty quickly and once I got hooked up to my morphine PCA (patient > controlled anesthesia) pump, things were under control again. I > don't remember much of that night except that I was annoyed I > couldn't wear my glasses and couldn't see anything. Around my face, > I had a bulky pressure dressing along with the ice packs and oxygen. > I had two pain pumps in place (one in each joint) that were hooked > up to long catheters that were taped across my chest. I also had a > urinary catheter and continuous pulse ox (to measure my oxygen > levels) along with the IV with PCA. The night was uneventful and in > the morning, a lot of that stuff was taken off. The only problem we > had was that there was a lot of bloody drainage from the right pain > pump (a clue of things to come). > > The second day and night went pretty well. I was able to keep down > fluids well (which had always been a problem with me before). I > didn't have any pain on the left side and the right was kept under > control with the PCA. > > Things got bad the fourth night. They decided to take me off the > morphine and just give me oral pain meds, Lortab, along with IV > Toradol. The Toradol was great for about 4 hours at a time but it > can only be given every six. The lortab only helped slightly. I > cried and howled in pain until 4:30 a.m. when they finally knocked > me out with Phenergan and Valium. That lasted until 6:30. The left > side still felt fine, it was only the right which didn't make sense > because the pain pumps had been tested in the OR and worked fine > there. I was supposed to go home that day but there was no way I > could in that condition. > > That morning, my surgeon shot the right side up with a local > anesthetic to try to find the source of the pain. My husband said he > pushed the inch long needle all the way in to the hub but I didn't > even feel it, I hurt so badly. Finally he was able to numb me up > enough so I was more comfortable. He discovered the catheter from > the pump was occluded so the anesthetic never got into the surgical > site and that's was why I was having so much pain. > > Thankfully, they put me back on IV morphine that night so I was able > to get about two hours sleep and I was discharged yesterday > afternoon. I had a little panic session again this afternoon at home > before my meds kicked in again. At least at home, I can take however > many of them and whenever I need to within reason. Being a physician > does have its advantages – I can calculate my own drug dosages and > write them out for my family. > > Last night, I did get about four hours sleep so that was more than I > ever got in the hospital. Between the pain meds, nausea meds, muscle > relaxant and Elavil (typically used to treat depression but also for > chronic pain because it alters a person's perception of pain), I was > knocked out good. I just hate feeling like this and can't wait to be > able to get off all the meds. I don't even like to get drunk because > I hate feeling out of control. > > I never ever want to go through this again. I don't know what I'll > do if this doesn't work. I use a feeding tube or live off Boost for > the rest of my life before I have another surgery. > > I hope the rest of you have easier recoveries. I don't want to scare > anyone. I've had two orthognathic surgeries as well (BSSO and lefort > I) which were a walk in the park compared to this total joint > replacement. > > Thanks for letting me vent. I going back to the couch before this > round of meds wears off. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 karen, we're all glad to hear your home - and hopefully resting comfortably ) it sounds like quite the ordeal you had in the hospital...which completely stinks. hopefully things will get better from here on out. much love and hugs... -becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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