So I showed uP at 6:15 am at. Emory Orthopaedic for my date with destiny, or with one of the finest Orthopaedic surgeons in the land according to my son and Angie's list! After putting on the required Suit of Embarrassment, replete with blue bonnet and open in the back to display vertical butt crack, we commenced the long day of verious meds, creams, and most importantly, titanium alloy and cross-linked polymers of limitless durability.
Speaking of meds, specifically pain meds and techniques. We began the day with Verced, followed by injectable Fentanyl to take the edge off two nerve blocks (can't imagine doing that without heavy medication, the quivering patella alone was weird enough) followed by more Verced, then whatever they give you to knock you senseless.
While most Orthos take two or three hours for Arthroplasty, this guy started at 8:14 am and was done by 8:59 am. And they closed me up with Superglue's advanced cousin to avoid big ugly scars on my gorgeous legs.
Then more Verced, then the nerve block drip, then the Dilaudid pump, then toradol, Morphine ER, Tylenol, some weird calf wraps that pump and squeeze to avoid clots, a PCM that flexes your knee 30 degrees regularly.
90 minutes after arriving in my room, I had my first physical therapy. It went well.
So, all in all,not a bad day.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Pre Op funnies
The folks at Emory Scheduled a Pre Op for my Arthroplasty on Wednesday. I've noticed that since the last time I was in a hospital, things have changed. For example, no longer are you expected to swill down lime jello and rubber chicken at 10 30 in the morning. Now, dininig is a room service model..whatever you want and whenever you're hungry. You can even invite up to four people to have a meal with you (not covered by insurance!). Also, the staff are actually glad to have you there, they've even learned "Ritz-speak".
In the pre-op interview, I was told that I'd have two pre-surgery nerve blocks: one for the lower leg that dissipates by midnite and the other that will be maintained longer. Apparently, this helps to navigate the "discomfort" of early rehab. As my buddy JR says "to hell with gritting it out and fighting through then pain, I want to whine and bitch and be taken care of!"
So after getting poked and prodded, I had a series of visitors icluding the anesthesiologist and then a chaplain. I thought inclusion of the chaplain was odd, because when I was asked what religious preference I had, I said "occasional Methodist and aspiring Buddhist". So the chaplain comes in, probably a little uncomfortable, and wants to know if I would like for him to pray for me. Or course I said yes, and then he asked "which knee is it. I like to be specific". I told him it might make sense to do a total body prayer, kind of like a neck massage vs a total body, but he was insistent. I wondered if I would offend celestial benevolence if I goofed with him and gave him the opposite knee, but I didn't.
Stay tuned!
In the pre-op interview, I was told that I'd have two pre-surgery nerve blocks: one for the lower leg that dissipates by midnite and the other that will be maintained longer. Apparently, this helps to navigate the "discomfort" of early rehab. As my buddy JR says "to hell with gritting it out and fighting through then pain, I want to whine and bitch and be taken care of!"
So after getting poked and prodded, I had a series of visitors icluding the anesthesiologist and then a chaplain. I thought inclusion of the chaplain was odd, because when I was asked what religious preference I had, I said "occasional Methodist and aspiring Buddhist". So the chaplain comes in, probably a little uncomfortable, and wants to know if I would like for him to pray for me. Or course I said yes, and then he asked "which knee is it. I like to be specific". I told him it might make sense to do a total body prayer, kind of like a neck massage vs a total body, but he was insistent. I wondered if I would offend celestial benevolence if I goofed with him and gave him the opposite knee, but I didn't.
Stay tuned!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Decisions, decisons.....
Contact sports and the human body just don't agree. Frivolously, I always thought that I could outlast the spectre of injury by staying in shape and not doing anything really stupid. But after years of aches, twitches, shifts, and other anomalies, my right knee finally decided to turn on me....literally. The x-ray showed serious degradation on the interior side of the knee with the surfaces of the femur and tibia literally rubbing against each other. The dreaded "bone on bone" that sounds like something Vincent Price might have whispered on a late Friday night back in the 60's.
So, I tried acupuncture, TENS machines, therapy, anti-inflammatory meds, massage, saunas, Synvisc (a bio-engineered gooey substance that's injected into the knee joint), all types of 'juice, including cortisone, and others. While some treatments helped, in the end, I was miserable and not only did I limp, my right leg started to bow like John Wayne.
What this means, is a total arthroplasty, or knee replacement. To give you an idea of what happens, I've attached an animation that let's you play doctor and do the deed.
Orthopedic Surgeon Animation
No cheating!
Next: Pre-Op!
So, I tried acupuncture, TENS machines, therapy, anti-inflammatory meds, massage, saunas, Synvisc (a bio-engineered gooey substance that's injected into the knee joint), all types of 'juice, including cortisone, and others. While some treatments helped, in the end, I was miserable and not only did I limp, my right leg started to bow like John Wayne.
What this means, is a total arthroplasty, or knee replacement. To give you an idea of what happens, I've attached an animation that let's you play doctor and do the deed.
Orthopedic Surgeon Animation
No cheating!
Next: Pre-Op!
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