A shower sitting on a chair with my leg in a plastic bag, i was feeling not to bad, still not right but determined to prove i could go home, except i couldn't eat and had had little to drink. I got myself dressed feeling pretty proud made my way with a tall four wheel walker frame to sit myself out in the chair.
As i still had that numbness feeling down my leg i didn't realise i was bleeding. I looked down and there was blood at my toes. Why is it you can never reach your nurse button when you need it! i made my way over to the bed dragged my new pj bottoms off that now had blood all over them and found the culprit, the drain site was oozing alot...pressure applied, nurse bell called, leg up ahhh the old clexane trick, blood thinners are great. Not only over my pj bottoms but also over the very expensive looking freshly applied ROM brace, ooh no. The nurses tried to clean it but the physios deemed it to be an infection control issue so would replace it in the morning.
In the morning! Dr and I agree best to stay another night to be sure to be sure, i guess being 2 hours from this hospital it is a good idea to be fairly confident prior to discharge.
My beautiful sister and husband visited and I remember this visit somewhat better than their first but i still say sorry as my eyes didn't want to stay open.
As we live on the farm my husband headed home to the kids and animals and would return to pick me up tomorrow...yay...i hope!
The physio returned and took me for a walk for the first time with canadian crutches, the ones that have a support just below your elbows.
The Stair Challenge...3 stairs up 3 stairs down and repeat ....as the physio chatted away about children and work i didn't realise, i had passed.... up and down yay yay yay!! with no issues.
I have a 2 story house, bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, 1 toilet downstairs, a step into the back of the house and a few steps to the front. So i needed to be able to do steps!
I must say when the dressing came off i was suprised to see such a great incision site. When the Dr visited he said it had been very extensive and he had some pictures to show me at my post op visit. I don't mind the scar, that will fade but it actually gave me a better understanding as to why i had so much pain. I had watched plenty of MPFL and TTO videos on utube and I shouldn't have been suprised the amount of work that was done in that old knee of mine, it wasn't going to be happy for a while.
As i settle in for another night i am pleased to say it was a much more pleasant experience than the night before and as the sun rose that morning i did feel confident about going home. I was up showered, nibbling on breakfast, a big bag of discharge medications and waiting for my husband to pick me up.
The 2 hours trip home in the car was pretty uneventful and i made my way into the house with ease, i was doing OK. I settled in to start watching some videos my sister had kindly sent home and netflix was set up.
Relying on other people is hard when you are so independent, how do you carry your cup of coffee over to the lounge room when you are on crutches?? Its the simple things that you take for granted.
Learning to ask without being annoying, there has to be a way. Watching everything going on around you and not being able to help is difficult.
Where was that bag of discharge medication i was needing them, sleep came easily that first night at home. I slept on the lounge and with pillows between my legs i could prop myself up onto my side and rest my back into the back of the lounge. It isnt restful sleep as when you roll from side to your back and vice versa you have to wake and physically lift the leg, which seems to be a dead weight.
I have asked my husband to attach one of the shower heads that are on cord that you can hold onto and asked him to bring in a plastic chair for me to sit on, looking forward to my first shower at home in the morning, just have to get up the steps!
My first look at my knee without the bandages on.
Finally enjoying a cuppa before my husband picked me up to take me home :-)
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