1 Week Post Op CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!

                So it’s been a week since I was sliced and diced!  I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by.  I’ve been saying all along that being on all of these drugs does weird things to my mind and makes time go by really fast. 

                                                  (I made it outside for a little bit today!)

                The drugs I’m on are having some weird side effects.  Some of the side effects are common ones like causing drowsiness and constipation, but some are really weird and annoying.  My eyes can’t focus on anything so everything is blurry, and sometimes I have double vision.  My mouth gets so dry at night that my tongue has a crack in it.  My brain moves so slowly that sometimes it takes like literally a minute to answer a question or just say a sentence.  Oh and I have awesome crazy dreams and sometimes I swear I’m hallucinating. 

                I decided to take a couple internet classes this semester and they started this week.  It took like an hour to read each syllabus haha.  One class doesn’t require me to follow a timeline so I can start on that class once my mind works again.  The other class has assignments due tomorrow…yikes…

First Two Days of Life At Home

                Sorry about not posting last night… It was a pretty rough night to say the least.  My muscle spasms are basically constant now and are making life at home pretty rough.  I am on the muscle relaxer Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) but it is not doing much for me at all.  For some reason the pain medication that I’m on doesn’t seem to do enough for the pain caused by the spasms either.  I called Dr. Peters office today and they want to try me on Valium (diazepam) to help control the spasms… we’ll see I guess.

                So Monday night I made it up the stairs and slept in my own bed!  That was really nice to be back in my own bed.  Tuesday morning though was kind of scary/funny…. I woke up to a bloody nose (which is somewhat of a common occurrence for me) and didn’t have any tissues or anything in reaching distance and my forearm crutches were out of reach too.  Tatiana was in the shower so I tried to get her attention by throwing anything in my reach at the bathroom door, like a powerade, my wallet and such.  She didn’t notice the sound while she was in the shower so I decided to roll off of the bed and then roll over to the bathroom door.  As soon as the door was in reach I just knocked on it until Tat got out to help me.  It’s kind of funny how much I am able to do, but at the same time so utterly helpless.

                There is another thing has really not been fun.  At least a couple times a day I have this really sharp pain that feels like my skin is ripping apart in the area at the top of my thigh by my groin.  I don’t really even know how to fully explain how painful it is.  I think it may be happening because my leg is SOOO swollen (and hairy haha) that it is chaffing on anything I wear or my other leg.  If it keeps happening I will definitely bring it up to my doctor.  I was actually wondering when the swelling should start going down, I know epidurals can cause swelling for a while after they wear off, and obviously major surgery will cause some swelling…

                           (Incision area 6 days post-op... can you tell how swollen my upper thigh is???)

                Well I’m not sure what else I should write, but I do want to keep blogging so hit me up with some questions so I have more to talk about!

Heading Home

Hey it’s me, Andrew… I’m still alive!!  I’m really thankful for my wife for approximately 1,000,492 reasons, but I’m especially grateful that she was willing to keep the blog updated.

                                           (view from my hospital room, not too bad right!)

           

             So we got discharged today around noon.  That was nice…  I called around to different pharmacies to see who had all of my medications today so that I wouldn’t have to make multiple trips.  The only pharmacy I found that had everything was the Target in Orem… which happens to be the pharmacy I work at!  It was really nice to see my friends at the pharmacy but it took A LOT out of me to stay awake and my pain quickly skyrocketed.  Moral of the story: after you get discharged from a hospital for major surgery you should probably go straight home…

           

            Personally I think that the surgery went well and that I am recovering quicker than expected.  All of the nurses were really impressed at how quickly I was out of bed and how eager I was to move around.  Tatiana was really impressed that I was able to use what I learned in physical therapy at home, like going up a whole flight of stairs (up to the bedroom and to take a shower) and to be able to get into bed with her.

            There are a couple of things that I’m a little concerned about.  First, my right thigh and buttocks are huge, like literally twice the size of my left.  Second, I occasionally have a sensation that the skin is ripping in my crouch region…  Third, I still have muscle spasms that make my pain unbearable.  And last, my nausea is somewhat still uncontrolled.

            The hospital stay went by really fast, and today is really kind of just a blur.  I’m really excited at the prospect of actually getting some sleep…  speaking of sleep… zzz…zzz

Recovery: Day 3

So last night I slept pretty well.  It turns out though, that while I was sleeping Andrew was awake for most of the night.  Andrew got a new nurse at 7 AM, and he found out really quick that he wasn’t going to be his favorite.  I was sleeping when the nurse first came in this morning so I didn’t know who it was.  First, while I was in the cafeteria getting breakfast, Andrew wasn’t feeling good so he asked the nurse if he could get some Zofran for the nausea.  The nurse tried both of Andrew’s IV’s and told him that they were shot and that they would have to get the life flight team to put in a new IV.  No life flight team ever came.  Then, Andrew found out around 11 AM that since he hadn’t gone to the bathroom since his catheter came out yesterday that he would have to have the catheter inserted again to empty his bladder.  (He did end up being able to go the bathroom on his own today, just so everyone knows).  Andrew’s aunt Janell came to visit so Janell and I waited outside as the procedure was being done.  While we were outside a guy came to Andrew’s door so I told him that he was in the middle of having his catheter put in.  He just said that he needed to talk to the CNA about something, and then went in.  It turns out that the CNA was just in the middle of putting the catheter in and that Andrew was very traumatized by the sudden interruption.  Andrew told him off for coming in so rudely and the nurse told him to “get over it.”  Andrew then told the CNA (who is great by the way) that he wanted a new nurse.  His CNA came out and told us that Andrew was upset, so we went in to find him red-faced and very aggravated.  He told us what happened and he also told us that he still hadn’t gotten any Zofran.  Eventually they just called in oral tabs so that he could the medication he needed.  He also got a new nurse.  From there things were much better and he didn’t feel like he was being neglected.  Throughout the day Andrew had tons of visitors including; Janell, my mom, dad and siblings, Andrew’s brother Kevin and three of his kids, my grandma and grandpa, Andrew’s friends Greg and Nickelle, and Andrew’s boss Mason with Rachel and his three kids.  It sure kept Andrew occupied and hopefully he will get some good sleep tonight.  For physical therapy today he tried out the forearm crutches, which he says he likes way better than the walker.  He was a little wobbly on them at first but he has gotten used to them and he says they are a lot better on his shoulders.  He walked around three different times and probably a total of 200-250 yards today.  He is getting stronger every day, and has a great attitude and drive for learning and doing anything he can here to make home a little easier.  Andrew’s biggest accomplishments today were that he learned how to get in and out of bed and how to go up and down the stairs.  He says that the stairs are harder than just plain walking, but that it is still pretty easy.  I think he is getting a little cabin fever and I have to admit that I am too.  He will probably get discharged tomorrow so that will be exciting, but he will get another session with the physical therapist as well as some forearm crutches to take home before we leave.  They gave him his Oxycodone and some Benadryl for a little rash on his back, so right now he is completely zonked.  Yay for sleep!  Wish us luck tomorrow on our adventure of breaking out of this joint and heading home. 

Today’s Accomplishments

-          Learned how to get in and out of bed

-          Learned to get up and down stairs

(I know I already said both of those, but he did great and was rewarded later with a donut)

-          Stuck up for himself and got a new nurse

-          He is constantly impressing his nurses and CNA’s with how well he is progressing

-          He makes sure that every day he is trying to learn as much as he can about how to make post-op life easier.

So I know I told you about how he likes to show everyone his incision.  This is from day 1, so not too much bruising, but he still wants everyone to be able to see it.  So once and for all here it is.  Not too bad right?

Recovery: Day 2

So today started a little rough, I’m not going to lie.  We were up a lot of the night from beeping machines, and at 4 AM Andrew woke up and was having a hard time breathing.  There ended up being a couple of nurses and a doctor all trying to figure out what was wrong.  They did another EKG and listened to his lungs, everything seemed fine so the doctor told him it was probably from anxiety.  They gave him some Ativan to help with that and it also put him to sleep.  They came in again in the afternoon just to check up on him and see if anything has changed, so at least they are keep a close eye on him.  After that little adventure though today has been pretty awesome.  The first thing he said this morning is that he wanted to get up and move around today.  He has been such a good sport and had a great attitude.  He is going to show this surgery who is the boss! 

This morning they took out his epidural (which was fine since it didn’t seem to be doing much anyways).  They switched him from IV pain meds to oral pain meds, Oxycodone every 3 hours and Oxycontin every 8 hours, which he is handling wonderfully; they just make him extra tired.  They also changed his medicine again for the muscle spasms; he is trying Flexeril now to see if that works any better.  He sat up in the chair position to eat breakfast and watch TV but he was pretty disappointed when he realized that The Price Is Right wasn’t on this morning since it is Saturday.  He has used the CPM contraption thing twice today for about an hour each time. 

He ate his WHOLE lunch today AND kept it in his stomach! Yay! We got a nice surprise today as well.  Andrew got an Edible Arrangement delivered from Lisa Wall, a pharmacist that Andrew and I both love working with, and a Brooke Boren, a friend of mine from school who is also friends with Lisa.  When he saw what the deliver was he said “Yummy, yum, yum! Thanks a ton!”

He has slept a lot today, which I think is a good thing.  I told him that I loved him and he responded with “I nub you too”, so I think he was pretty out of it.  I did make sure that he was awake when the physical therapists came in to see if he wanted to get up and walk today though.  He was pretty excited to get up and try walking with the walker.  He did so good!  My family arrived right before he was getting up to walk and they were surprised to see him getting up.  Even the physical therapists were impressed. 

Here is the link to see him walking... be amazed, be very amazed.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150581824766354#!/photo.php?v=10150581824766354&notif_t=like

He didn’t walk too far because his shoulders started to hurt, so they turned him around (We made a tunnel for him to come back to his room under. Go Andrew!) and taught him how to get in and out of the bed when it is in the chair position and he got to eat his dinner while sitting up. 

He says that walking is easy, like really easy.  He says that he wants to walk all the time.  As a reward for how awesome he did at walking he also got to eat some bread and milk, which he loved.  (If you don’t know what bread and milk is, it is homemade bread, with milk poured over it, with some jam or honey on top.)  P.S. thanks for the homemade bread Mom!  It is really good for Andrew to have the company, but it is also nice for me to have the company and feel more at home.  We played Apples to Apples with my family, which was pretty entertaining since Andrew decided to talk like a mob boss with a speech impediment.  I tell ya, those drugs are pretty crazy.  My family left and Andrew felt bored so we played a game of UNO which didn’t work so well since his eyes couldn’t focus on the cards.  He decided he was still bored and wanted to go walk again.  While we were waiting for a nurse to come he was looking out the window and said “What is that red light?” So I told him that it was a stop light and he told me “I want to walk down there.  I want to push the button and make the light turn green.”  He was a little upset when the nurse told him that he couldn’t go outside let alone off of the sixth floor, so he settled for walking to the drinking fountain.  Now, the first time that he got up and walk today he traveled about 10-20 yards round trip.  His second adventure was around 120 yards round trip and he only stopped once!  He is progressing so well and eager to try new things.  The nurses, CNAs, physical therapists, and doctors here are so awesome and I think they are growing pretty fond of Andrew.     

Today’s Accomplishments

- Great attitude

- Doing well on new pain medications

- Eating more at a time and still keeping it down

- Got to brush his teeth and wash himself somewhat

-WALKING!!

Recovery: Day 1

The night felt a little long as we got woken up every 2 to 3 hours because of machines beeping or nurses checking up on him. They gave us ear plugs for tonight though so hopefully we both get a little more sleep. Andrew woke up this morning around 7 AM happy and without much pain.





They brought breakfast, which he was really excited about since the new nausea medication (which is actually called Droperidol) was working wonderfully. He ate one bite of his toast and then his right hip muscles started to spasm. This is when his pain skyrockets. The nurses gave him more Valium for the spasms which pretty much knocked him out. His physical therapist, Katie, came around 9 AM and moved Andrew’s bed into a chair position. He sat there for about 10 minutes, which she said is pretty impressive for the first time up. (It probably helps that he was half asleep).

Andrew’s brother, Kevin, came to visit around 10:30 AM with his two little boys. Andrew was so excited to get visitors today, but he was still pretty groggy and he slept most of the time that they were here. Janell, Andrew’s aunt, came to visit a little while later and it was crazy how much more aware Andrew was. He was awake the whole time and interacting well. Janell brought us People magazine, some peanut butter m&ms, and an awesome turkey sandwich (thanks Janell) which I shared with Andrew. He loved it. He had another session of physical therapy and Katie sat him up again, but started moving his legs a little bit. That didn’t go over very well pain wise, but he is a trooper and did a good job. He got to eat a little of his lunch and his nurse, Heather (whom we like very much), got his pain medication changed from Dilaudid to Morphine, which seems to be helping relieve the nausea, as well as changed the Valium to Ativan because Andrew doesn’t like being so tired. My mom, sisters, brother, and homemade cookies came to visit next. Andrew liked seeing everyone, but was a little tired again. He kept telling everyone, “I’m sorry I’m so lame.” He is broken though so it’s okay if he is lame. Speaking of broken, Andrew finally convinced the doctors to print some of his x-rays so that he could show visitors more than just his incision.

Anyways, next, the physical therapist came and sat him up one more time and he got to eat some dinner like a normal person. He got settled back down and they came back with a contraption that they strap his right leg into, and it slowly bends his knee and gives his hip a 10 degree angle. Andrew really liked this and they kept him in the machine for about an hour. Then something in his body decided that it was mad. He started to have spasms in his chest and arms, it looked like he was really shaky, and he said that his chest felt really sore and that it was hard to breathe. His heart rate was also staying close to 120-130 beats per minute, which they like it under 100 beats per minute. The doctors ordered an EKG, to check his heart rhythm, a blood draw, to check for heart damage, and a CT scan of his lungs to look for a blood clot. The EKG and the blood draw went smoothly, and they decided that they needed a new IV set up for Andrew’s CT scan. This proved to be quite the task. Between 2 nurses, a couple of nurses from the life flight team, and 6 different attempts at setting the IV they finally got it in. They kept trying to start an IV and then they would say that the vein would “blow” and they would have to look for another spot. We think that this might have to do with his Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but we aren’t sure. In the end they finally got the CT scan done. The EKG and blood test came back normal, and the nurse told us that they didn’t see a blood clot in Andrew’s lungs, but they would come and talk to us about the scan later. So for now there are no answers to why his heart is beating fast, or why he has the spasms and chest tightness, but tomorrow is another day.



Accomplishments for the day

- Kept all food down

- Made it through day one of physical therapy

- Kept pain under control for the most part

- Remained happy for most of the day

Surgery

                Today we got up early and got to the hospital around 6:20 AM.  The nurse took me, my wife, and my mother-in-law to get checked in and ready for surgery.  They told me to change into a gown and put a thigh high compression sock on my left leg.  After I was changed, Dr. Peters’ resident and physician’s assistant came and talked to us about how the procedure was going to work and any possible complications.  The PA told us about possible nerve damage that is usually temporary, but can possibly be permanent.  My nurse, Bonnie, then brought in some medications for me to take; Celebrex for inflammation, as well as Oxycontin for pain.  They put a heating blanket on me, which was supposed to help my body from going into hypothermia from the general anesthesia.  The only problem is that the nurse assistant put it on low temp instead of high so this delayed my surgery because they had to warm my body up first.  One of the guys from the pain management team came and told me that I would be getting an epidural and that he would be back for me right before surgery.  He left and the anesthesiologist came in.  She was really nice; she put in my IV and told me about how the anesthesiology would work during surgery.  She said they would use propofol, fentanyl, and another drug that sounded like fentanyl for the anesthesia.  She then told me to give hugs and kisses to my wife because I wouldn’t be coming back after they gave me the epidural. 

                This is where my story begins.  My name is Tatiana, I’m the wife.  They made me say good bye to Andrew at about 7:45 AM.  It was hard seeing Andrew wheeled away from me, but my mom was there to keep me company, which I really needed.  So the surgery was supposed to start at 8 AM, but it didn’t.  Like we said earlier Andrew’s body hadn’t heated up properly, so after that was done they could start the operation.  He spent about three hours in surgery and then went into the recovery room where he was for about two hours.  The nurse in the waiting room would give me little updates on how he was doing and I soon found out he wasn’t doing well at all in recovery.  They had a very hard time getting his pain under control, but finally they let me go visit him in the recovery room while his real room was getting ready.  The nurse who was giving me updates had told me that Andrew wanted to know if I was having a “sob fest” while I was waiting for him and that he said that he had no pain.  This meant to me that they found a drug that worked and that he was feeling really good.  I went in and didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.  He was really excited to see me and immediately went on to tell me that him and the nurse had a really good idea; instead of giving cubed ice they were going to get a snow cone machine and add tigers blood flavoring.  Andrew said he would gladly pay money for that.  He called me dude several times and was really happy to show his scar to anyone who would look, even if it was their third or fourth time seeing it.  The nurse told me about the complications of finding a drug that would control pain, which ended up being Ketamine for pain and Valium for spasms, and that they also had a complication with the epidural.  Unfortunately, the epidural didn’t work too well because it only numbed his left side, which didn’t really help since the surgery was on his right hip.  Andrew got moved to his room and was still feeling good so he wanted to sit up.  This turned out to be a bad idea.  He went from no pain to crying and screaming within 20 seconds.  The nurse had gone to get medicine for Andrew that they put in a pump that he could have administered up to every 10 minutes by him pushing a button, but he needed it now.  It was awful to watch and be helpless.  He said later that he had never felt any pain like that before.  He finally got relief from the pump which contained Dilaudid and was able to get some rest.  The anesthesia, valium, and dilaudid finally caught up to him though and he threw up several times between 5 and 8 PM.  He was given Zofran, but still felt nauseous so they gave him Anzemet and he is doing much better.  They also are having him use a barometer chamber thing, which will help him get some of the anesthesia out of his lungs which will help with the nausea.  He is sleeping well now so hopefully it stays that way.  Bring on day 2 and the beginning of physical therapy.  (We will post pictures tomorrow)             

Pre-op

So the big day is TOMORROW!!! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by.  I really hope that the next couple months fly by as fast! 

I had my pre-op/anesthesia clearance appointment today.  It was really just formalities and a few instructions like making sure not to eat after midnight and to wash my body with Hibiclens and they tried to tell me to use a Fleet enema tonight… haha we’ll see about that one… 

Our neighbors, the Mcknights, invited us over for dinner tonight.  Mr. Mcknight is in his 30’s and had a double hip replacement 3 years ago.  Although this isn’t the same surgery I’m having, I was totally excited to meet and talk with someone first hand that has gone through a hip procedure.  The Mcknights sent us home with a walker, a cane, a shower stool, a grabber and a sock pulleroner thingy.  I’m really glad that we were able to meet with them, not only because of what Mr. Mcknight had to tell me, but also the advice Mrs. Mcknight had for my wife.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I’m putting on a legit front.  The pre-op appointment was in the same office that I’ll be going to for the surgery and that was kind of weird and honestly made me pretty anxious.  The staff that I met with today was all really nice so that was good. 

One thing I’m am somewhat worried about is having to put all of my weight on my left side and having to support myself with my shoulders on crutches or a walker… I’m afraid that my left hip won’t be able to support me and my shoulders will start to give out again and just be really painful.  I think I can put up with all of that but I don’t like thinking about having a nurse or physical therapist pushing me to do something that aggravates my other joints… Oh well…

I have to be at the hospital at 6:30 am, surgery at 8:00!!!  WISH ME LUCK!!!