Details

So obviously it has been a few crazy days. I will try to relay as much as I can, but it will take several entries.

Surgery Day

My husband and I got up early and got to the hospital on time. I had to wait for about an hour as they had a full schedule and there was more than enough time allotted for my preparation. I cooled my heels in the family waiting room and got to see where my husband and mother would be waiting. It was a nice room with a monitor that provided updates on patients by their numbers. The room had a view of the Baltimore harbor and you could actually see the USS Comfort docked out there.

At 9:30 they called me back and I changed into a hospital gown. Soon a series of people started streaming in asking the standard questions about any complicating factors. Dr. Trice came by and signed the correct leg for surgery. He asked if I had any questions, but the way he looked at me I could tell he knew we had been through everything and there was just nothing left to discuss. This was it.

The operating room had been booked for eight hours. While we knew it would be a while, that was still a shockingly long time. My husband and mother would be given updates from inside the operating room every few hours and they could leave the waiting room (or hospital) and still get updates as long as they left cell phone numbers.

The surgery was scheduled for 11:00 and we headed back there just a few minutes after. When the operating room doors opened the first thing I saw was the smile of Holly, Dr. Trice’s surgical nurse who I had spoken with at every appointment leading up to this. She knew how glad I was to finally be there. I am not sure how often patients are that happy about surgery.

They moved me over from the pre-op bed to the operating table, which was very narrow. They swung in arm rests with foam egg crate padding and began strapping me down. They put a mask over my face and told me to breathe deep. I went out like a light.

After

Things went smoothly and they were able to finish in 4 ½ hours. I woke up in the recovery room in a more comfortable bed and in some pain. I actually came out of the anesthesia much smoother than I expected. I read a lot about others having nerve blocks, but I don’t think they did that with me. My painkiller was in my IV and I had a morphine pump that I could use once every six minutes.

The recovery room is basically where they take you to wake up. Family isn’t allowed in there and I don’t really remember much, so this part is hard to write about. About all I remember is that the recovery nurse did notice my pretty toes and got a kick out of them. :)

When I was clearly stable they took me to my room in the Wenz Orthopedic Wing and brought my husband and mother up to join me. The room was gorgeous! It was big, had hard wood floors, a few chairs, and a sofa that folded out into a bed. It looked like they hired the same designers that Westin uses. I saw all this in the morning though, because my eyes were closed. I was alert, but just had no interest in opening my eyes. After seeing me get settled in, my family left since all I wanted to do was sleep. I got right to that.