Step by Step ...

March 15, 2010 was the date of my second surgery.   You know thinking back it was both a day of fear and desire.  I couldn't wait to get the external fixator removed from my leg/foot but at the same time I was afraid of what was to come after the surgery!  My surgery was scheduled for 9 am.  I was transferred to the hospital by an ambulance company on a gurney.  It is very weird laying on a gurney in the middle of the hospital lobby as the driver tries to determine where I am supposed to go.  I of course told them when they picked me up which floor and suite to go to but they statued that they needed to 'check in'.  Numbnuts!  Anyway - by the time they got me where I was going it was 9:30 a.m.  Late for my damn surgery.  I was really nervous.  The nurses came over to me and we had to derobe me so I could put on the elegant hospital gown.   Thankfully in this day and age they have begun to make these gowns large enough to fit those of us that have a little more cushion for the pushin!!

I played the waiting game - as I watched different patients come and go.  Then I saw Dr. Ostrum.  He assured me that he was ready for the task at hand and that I had nothing to worry about.  They were going to give me a shot that was going to put me out and I would wake up later all fixed up.  I remember laying there in the "waiting area" ... and the next thing I knew it - I was in recovery.  I'm not 100% sure how long the surgery took.  I wish to some extent that I would have been able to see what they saw.  They cut open my foot and basically reconstructed my heel w/ metal screws and bolts.  I am forever going to have problems going into an airport or through any metal detector!  I hope I do not get called for jury duty any time soon!  LOL

Laying in recovery it was clear to me immediately that I had not been catheterized during surgery.  Not sure how I did on the table with my bladder control BUT I did know that at that moment .... I had to pee.  I called over my nurse and she said "Ok - let me get the bed pan"  -_-

Bed pan?  Oh boy.  She came over and placed it under my ass.  I sat there for I do not know how long trying to pee.  I had to pee so bad that I thought it would be simple enough but nothing ... not one drop.  I asked her to come back and I told her that it wasn't going to work and that I had to use the potty.  This is where I said thank God to my Physical Therapy group in the Cinnaminson Center.  They taught me how to manuever in and out of a wheel chair with one foot.  They taught me how to get from the wheel chair to the toilet with one foot.  They taught me how to get back in the chair and even back into bed!  My nurse was so impressed!!

One thing I did have connected to me post surgery was my morphin drip.  If you have never had morphin before ... I can attest that it is an amazing drug.  I had a little control that every ten minutes I was allowed to hit the button and I would get an injection of the morphin.  To this day I can swear to you that I never got any of that drug into my system.  The damn button didn't work!  I'm not sure if my doctor was trying to test me on how tough I could be or what but I spent the first 24 hours post surgery in extreme pain.  Every doctor that came in to visit me said the same thing ... we need to talk to Ostrum.  Well I know the man is busy - he's a surgeon for crying out loud!

Eventually he showed up in my room to admire his handy work.  I was crying at this point and begged him for help.  He talked to the nurses and told them to shoot the pain drugs right into my IV line.  Relief at last!  OMG it is amazing how nice you feel after you get drugs from your doctor.  They have the good stuff at the hospital!!

My roommate at the hospital actually was a patient of Ostrum as well.  She had some messed up feet or something.  LOL  She told me but I don't really remember.  The reason I am telling you about her is because this woman was addicted to coffee.  She had to have like 12 cups of coffee a day!  Our first day in the room she was crying and throwing up from withdrawal!  How crazy is that!  Man oh man - it was insane.

So I was in the hospital until 3/17/2010 ... then I was released.  St. Patty's Day.  I don't have much Irish inside of me but the luck of the Irish was on my side on this day!  Jim had his car ready to take me home.  It really felt so great having the wind blow threw my hair and head home.  I had not been home for exactly 3 weeks!  I missed my couch - I missed my kittens ... I just missed everything.

YAY I was home !!!