I'm "Hip" Oh Yeah!

Friday, August 22nd: I was instructed to arrive at the hospital (Lufkin Memorial) at noon for a one o'clock surgery. I went into it knowing that it may get started a little later than that because I was kind of a work-in surgery. Dr. Guse did me a great favor squeezing me in - I only had to wait one month instead of three to six months. Milton, Emelie, Megan, and Jarom were all there with me. The kids had planned to go to the zoo while they waited, but they ended up just staying at the hospital. There was a two person rule for the pre-op room, but we had five or six in there at one point. Jimbo and Wendy Kethan came up - that was a really nice surprise. I found out later they had stayed with Milton and the kids until I was in recovery. That is a visiting teacher going way more than the extra mile!

In a little while a nurse came in and started my IV. She got it in one stick and it didn't even hurt. Of course she used Lidocaine, so...it was numb! Basically the wait was pretty boring. I just kind of laid there and visited with everybody and got more and more nervous. Finally things started buzzing and then someone came in and said there was another delay: no pregnancy test on the chart...AND??? We assured everybody that was NOT an issue, but they insisted. Finally I was in the operating room - the anesthesiologist was apologizing that I was even aware I was taken into the operating room - but explaining once again that they couldn't give me anything until they got the pregnancy test results. Not a problem, especially after he gave me the first hit of medicine in my IV! (the results must have come in) No more nerves - they could have started the surgery right then and there and I would not have cared! After they had me move over onto the operating table they gave me a second hit of medicine and that's all I remember until somebody was telling me to wake up and hold up so many fingers or whatever it was they told me to do! I remember Dr. Guse telling me to move my feet, and then a nurse put some TED hose on my legs. I could hear everything and follow whatever command they gave me, but I didn't have the energy to speak. I remember the nurses were talking about their blogs and going to "Cutest Blog On The Block" and one of them must have said a cuss word cuzz I remember hearing the other one say something about there being a patient in the room. I didn't hear what she said though, so...it was all good. The first thing that came to my mind was what time it was, but I didn't have the energy to ask. I did, however, see a clock on my way out of post-op: 8:00pm. I found out later that the surgery didn't get started until about 4:10pm
I don't really remember the ride from post-op to my room, but I do remember being wheeled into the room and hoping I wasn't going to have to move from whatever I was on to the bed. I didn't - they must have moved me onto the hospital bed in post-op. Pretty soon Milton and the kids were in the room and though I was still pretty groggy I was glad they were there. After a little while the kids headed home and Milton stayed with me. He seemed to sleep pretty good on the little fold out into a bed chair! My nurse that first night was really great. She offered me several options for pain control: a PCA pump, Morphine, or Percocet. I didn't have any pain in my hip at all so I kept turning it down. I didn't really sleep throughout the night - I would fall asleep and then wake up cuz I'd set off the alarm. The anesthesia was still having an effect so my breathing would get shallow and my oxygen sats would drop. I kept waking up to take a deep breath. Finally she just put some oxygen on me and that solved that problem!
Saturday, Aug 23rd: I finally broke down about four thirty in the morning and got a pain pill. I felt like I had been run over by a very large truck. My limbs felt heavy and swollen,; actually my face and hands were very puffy. Milton pointed it out to the nurses, but they didn't seem very worried and I felt fine, so I chalked it up to the surgery. My biggest complaint - even in post-op was that my low back hurt. I guess it was the hard operating table and not moving for several hours. That's actually what I need the pain pill for. The nurse and the aid came in and pulled me over using the draw sheet so they could kind of get me off my back. That was HORRIBLE pain. The pain was in the muscles and tissue where they had cut me open and did who knows what else while they were in there! Pretty soon I learned that Percocet was my friend, and we got pretty close! Dr. Guse came in later that day; he told me that both the ball and cup of my hip had no cartilage left, and were full of Arthritis. Also, my cup was pretty shallow so he deepened it and then screwed that part of the prosthesis in. He also told me he had to use a smaller pin in my thigh bone because though my bones are big they are young bones which means they are dense - that's actually good news!
That afternoon Physical and Occupational Therapy came in. I was very nervous about having to get up and move around with the pain I was in. I didn't think I could do it. Sarah was there with me and she didn't think she could stay in the room. I begged her to stay though and decided I would be brave! John Livingston had just called me not thirty minutes before they came in and had told me not to be afraid to get up when they got there. He said the hip wasn't going anywhere which was inspired advice because you do wonder if you'll be able to stand much less walk on this metal hip that was just put in less than twenty-four hours previous. The PT and OT were wonderful and the next thing I knew I was sitting on the side of the bed, then standing, and then actually walking down the hall!!! The doctor said I could be one hundred percent weight bearing which was also amazing to me! I had my walker and didn't put all my weight on it, but I was walking!!!
Sunday, Aug 24th: Dr. Guse's Physician Assistant came in and saw me Sunday morning. He looked me over, told me he was also pleased with how the surgery went, and even said there was help in the operating room that could not be seen. Caryn McCabe came by Sunday and brought some brisket and pork that her brother Court had smoked the day before. I didn't have much of an appetite yet, but it smelled SO GOOD! Milton said it was awesomely good! She also brought chips and other snacks - a great blessing to Milton. Physical Therapy came back on Sunday and I went walking down the hall again. It was a lot better the second time.
Monday, Aug 25th: It was kind of a sad day because it was the first day of school and I couldn't be there to take Jarom to school. He's a sophomore this year though so he was fine - better than I was! Dr. Guse came in that afternoon and wrote discharge orders. I didn't want to leave that day though because it had been less than thirty-six hours since the surgery. I don't know why - I just had this fear. He said I could leave the next day, and gave me the blood clot lecture. He scared me so bad I had Milton call Justin to come by later so they could give me a blessing. Getting a blood clot was one of my biggest fears and Dr. Guse didn't help with those fears at all! My second fear is that the hip will pop out, but they gave me the "hip rules" right away and I follow everyone of them! As far as the blood clots go - they had the TED hose on me, I was getting blood thinner shots, and I was ALWAYS moving my legs - no sitting still for me!
Physical Therapy that day was down in the Physical Therapy gym. She made me walk all the way down there and then while I was there she taught me how to go up and down stairs and get in and out of bed and the car. I also got to go and get a shower where they showed me how to use the shower chair and get myself in and out of the bath tub.
Tuesday, Aug 26th: Time to go home...in a way it was scary cuz I felt safe in the hospital. The PT went out to the car with us and made sure I could get in and out okay, and she told me to pump my legs pretty often cuz the drive home was about and hour and a half. I pretty much pumped my legs constantly!