three days post op

Its three days post op and I decided to stop taking the Oxycodone.  I am managing the painpretty good with tylenol and advil.  The oxycodone was making me feel so weird, and sounds were so loud.  Even the tap water sounds were super super loud, I could barely stand it.  I had to whisper my own voice was hurting me so badly. 
My knee looks ok, pretty darn swollen.  Also, it looks like someone stapeled up the wrong piece of knee... like they dropped the stapler and it got me in the wrong place or something. But other than that, mobility is an issue.  It is hard to want to get up and do anything.  At night I tend to flex my own muscles andhurt myself.  Things pop and it feels like my muscles are cramped or tearing.  Very weird.  Other than that, I can't wait unitl I can walk again!

Day One Post Op

I got up early yesterday and did my usual barn chorse.  My mom and I got to the surgery center right at 8 o'clock.  I was so nervous I could barely stand it until... I saw someone I knew!  A wonderful woman from the barn where I ride Monday nights was there!  I immediately felt better having seen her.  Once in the pre-op center I changed and got ready to see the anesthesiologist.  Everyone was so nice!  But come time for my IV I got really tense.  I pass out with needles, so I was really nervous!  The nurse told me it wouldn't be that bad.  She priked me with a tiny little needle with some numbing stuff in it, and honestly, I didn't feel a thing! 

Once they took me back to the operating room, I laid down on the table.  I was joking with everyone about how the operating table looked like one of those things they strap guys down onto in death row, and made them promise not to kill me!  haha

They gave me something that made the lights go wiggy and the next thing I new, someone was holding hot chocolate in front of me helping me drink it.  And let me tell you, it tasted GOOD!
Things were slipping in and out of conciousness, and before long I was getting dressed by someone, and then I was shaking and trying to use a walker to get into a wheel chair.  The pain was non-existent, thank God.  I remember getting into the car, and then something about the Walgreens pharmacy and mom begging with them to give me my perscription in 1/2 an hour, not 2 hours.  They did. 

Once home, I went to bed and fell asleep.  A few hours later I moved from my bed to the couch, promptly threw up, fell back asleep and slept til dad got home.  All in all, a pretty painless day. 

Like sand through my fingers...

Got my tax return yesterday, and promptly bought two money orders to pay the surgery center and the doctors.  Dang.  The good thing is, I have my deductible almost paid... only my co-insurance to go, and I have no idea how I'm going to get that money.  Its in God's hands.  I  pray he helps me somehow.

Oh the Bills

Got a bill from the surgery center, already.  I mean, seriously?  I havn't even gone under the kinfe!  Oh well.  The good news is I did my taxes today, and if  I did them right, Im going to be getting over $1300 back!  And its all going to go straight to the surgery center.  Such is life.  Stupid knee.  Will you ever get better?

I found a really good article that I want to share

This article told it how it is... so I liked it.  I am tired of reading the comments and posts about how "wonderful" surgery was.  I mean, yeah I wish I could believe it, but I've had knee surgery before, just not so extensive.  This one was really good... made it seem more real I guess.  From pre-op, to even recognizing how the poor guy had been compensating his bum knee without even knowing it... check it out.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/398466/what_to_expect_when_a_loved_one_has.html?cat=70

Fitted for my knee brace

Today I ducked out of work and headed to the Cast and brace room at the doctors office.  They fitted me for a post surgery knee brace.  It is big and black and nasty with velcro and buckles like you have on a backback.  There are two little round gadgets at the knee that you can either lock to keep the knee straight, or you can make it so your knee can flex to various degrees.  I got to talking to the woman who was helping me and when I told her about my first surgery, especially the part about how my wooden crutches had no rubber stoppers, and they slipped around, and I had no knee brace, she was shocked! 

Any way, 757 dollars worth of knee brace is in a blood red carry tote in my car ready for March 1st!  I also started collecting change, you know, to pay for it haha.  So far I have $12.87 !!!

This is me in 20 yrs if I don't have surgery!

Check this out... me in 20 years if I don't get my ACL repaired.  This guy had a surgery that failed back in like 1979, and then never got the failed surgery repaired.  I can already feel my bones locking together like that, leaning into the inside... and I don't even have a meniscus like this guy to cushion the blow!  Check out the nasty arthritis!  Thank God I live in the USA where surgery is constantly getting better, and this kind of stuff can be repaired!