Post Surgery! and notes to those like me

Surgery was this morning. Here's how it all went:


The night before, I had a really hard time sleeping. I wasn't nervous about surgery until yesterday, and then sleeping had a lot of awkward dreams and stuff. The morning wasn't too hard to get up, and I made my hair look pretty since it was the last day for 3 days that I can have a full shower (can't get the dressings wet). Got to the surgery center and signed a bunch of forms, and then quickly got into the back. Got my weight, blood pressure, a few more questions, then the hospital clothes. You get the booties, the gown, and the robe--and you look like a movie extra lol. So then they took me to get my leg wiped down and soaped to get clean, and then off to get the IV and stuff.

My anesthesia guy was awesome. His name was Michael, didn't catch his last name, but he was funny and relaxed. Another girl was doing the IV first. I got it in my hand, and it hurt (duh), but because my veins are small and somewhat hard to find (that's from my Dad's side), that didn't work. Reminiscent of 5th grade ear surgery when they had to redo the IV (sigh). So then Michael redid it, and it hurt worse the second time.. ugh lol. And then I got the leg block. But first, the medication had to go through the IV. It felt warm and weird and uncomfortable. But then you get all woozy-ish and such. I got the leg shot and it hurt, and then the last shot didn't hurt at all. After a bit, I dozed and then Chris and my parents came in. And on that stuff, time truly is relative. I would talk with them and then it would feel like I would black out and then continue the conversation an hour later when really, it was all happening at the same time. Weird lol. So then two ladies wheeled me to the operation room, but I didn't stay awake to get through the second door.

I woke up and starting moaning and crying.
On a scale of 1 to 10 for pain, with 10 being the worst, I was borderline 11. Part of it is because in order to do the surgery, they have to drill into two bones to put the graft and the screws in. So it was bone pain, and that's the worst pain of all. I was crying softly, and squirming and trying not to say expletives lol. Chris said that while he was standing there with me, they gave me about 5 different pain killer shots. But because I was in so much pain and concentrating on that pain, my body was in a somewhat panic state and combating the pain killers. Any more of them and I might have had something go wrong with my respiratory (that's from my Mom's side). So they gave me some Valium to calm down and that worked. I had Mr. Tobias "Toby" Penguin (my stuffed penguin who's the bigger stuffed animal size of the beanie baby penguin) there with me :) and calmed down. After a bit and lots of information I was just like "holy crap get me out of here". So they get me in the wheel chair and we go to the bathroom, and after being horizontal for so long, UGH. I felt like I had to puke. But I didn't--yay lol. Then got in the car, came back to the hotel, had to get half carried by my Dad and then Chris just carried me in the rest of the way and got on the bed. It took me a little while to pass out, and I've already had to use the bathroom SO much lol. Ugh.

But I get Darvoset (a narcotic pill) every 4 hours, an Ibuprofen in the middle of those four hours, and then one Bayer per day. And I have that cold care thing on; I had it on right as I woke up after the operation. But basically, I feel alright right now. That first pain after waking up was expected.. but yeesh, rough. And then now it's just cold, numb, and heavy. But I feel all right, and I'm MUCH MUCH stronger than I was when the accident happened because of all the PT. And after that accident, I've perfected getting on the toilet and manuvering and such, but I'm not walking on my own yet. Too early lol.

And eating isn't really an issue. I was realllly hungry afterward, but you have to be careful. My stomach is kind of weak, and I also don't do well with pills and no food. So I had 3 slices of bread and ginger ale and apple juice and I was fine.



So that's that. For those of you that are reading this and have torn your ACL, I'll be frank. The bone pain hurt. Badly. And the needles, well I'm not afraid of them, but they do hurt some. But other than the initial nervousness and worry and those pains, it's well worth it and the pains and worries don't last for long. I'm glad I went through with it. As far as the eating, you may want to take this situation and use it as a great lifestyle change in nutrition. Eat healthy to let your body do what it needs to do--keep away from junk food, excess sugars and stuff, and try to stay away from preservatives. Take some green tea, juices, ginger ale is good for sick stomachs as is bread and saltines, and then just be healthy. ALSO: talking with a patient in the PT, after his surgery he skipped doing his exercises just once, and he lost flexion. So do it. Every. Single. Day. Really lol.

I've got my first post-op PT tomorrow morning at 8:45 am with Greg, and he'll take the brace off and start working it a little. So that's cool, but otherwise, keeping that brace locked, that Polar Care thing on, the leg elevated and my pills coming, I'm good.



Right now, I'm just in bed, writing this post, and then I might read or work on my Internet Marketing eBook about dog training. Otherwise, relaxing and staying the HELL out of the way of the moving situation with the apartment. Blam.

Thank you everyone for all the calls, prayers, well-wishes, gifts, and love. I really do appreciate and feel so very lucky to have so many friends and family members that care for me!

Onward!

ugh. life.

I'm so stressed out with everything. With moving out and moving in and the dog and the surgery and the car and the money and the everyone. There's just too much going on and too much that I have to remember to remind other people and to get done and tell people to do and all that.

I don't even have school yet or a job yet and I can still walk and yet I'm freaking out about everything right when I'm supposed to be calmed down.

Where the hell is my magic wand.

In other news, it'll all get done, and count down is 2 days.

updates

Okay, so after the meeting with Jeremy, here's some random news as far as the surgery goes.
(Oh, and the cool guy Brian also knew about the blog lol--hey Brian, if you're reading this lol).

So I'm gonna get that cold therapy machine for after the surgery. I'm having the achilles tendon allograft (very popular and successful right now). There is the chance that the wounds could get infected, that I could get a blod clot--there's chances of DEATH lol. But that's the general disclaimer for anything. So surgery is gonna take a total of 4 hours, with only a little over an 1 on the operating table. I'm getting a numbing shot in my hip AND a sedation for the surgery, and I get pictures of the operation and the inside of my knee afterwards :) Yesss.

I'll be able to start walking as soon as I can, but with the brace locked. I'll have dressings that can't get wet for three days, but then can be removed and put on bandades or whatever and shower normally after those first three days. There's a post-op meeting on August 11 at 1:20pm with Jeremy to check how everything is going. Uh... I think that's everything new.

For folks that are ACL-torn and reading this, don't be nervous. I mean, I haven't gone through it yet, but surgery is very successful and great for down the road. There will be a good amount of pain, and the first day and first night will be the worst apparently. Then it's just going through the not walking and being helpless AGAIN :( But the ACL graft isn't as fragile as I've read about in some blogs--and wearing the brace locked for 2 days, it'll be okay. NO BENDING THE KNEE except in physical therapy. The most important thing is just getting it out straight all the way, and keeping it there. Also, you can't be in bed all day--stiffness and clotting can occur. BUT don't overdo it either and try and hobble around or crutch around all day either lol. It's all just a "let pain be your guide" and use common sense.

Now. Onward to cleaning and packing MORE stuff :)

oh the internet

Hello all.
Short post at the moment, then a larger update later.
The people at Garner Raleigh Orthopaedic physical therapy found my ACL blog! Hehe. It's funny. So, if you all are reading this, hello!! Basically the point is to keep friends and family up to date, and to let others in my situation know everything that they'll go through.

Oh, and Dr. Isbell being "chill" means he's cool and relaxed, not cold-hearted lol. And Greg is cool too--I've done the exercises so much that I just kind of go around and do all of them myself now lol. It's funny. But I have to be there to do them because they have all equipment. I really love the Garner PT people too, it's fun and a relaxed atmosphere. BUT Ken is leaving (one of the other PTs). BYE KEN lol. He was hilarious. Also, one of the patients there today was talking about all the languages he knew/knows (German, French, Spanish, English, and written Mandarin). CRAZY!

Okay, so I've still got surgery on Thursday. Count down: 5 days!!
I'm gonna go find out everything about my surgery now :) Cheers!

NEWSFLASH!!

Well, my meeting with Dr. Isbell went easily. He's such a chill doctor lol. If anyone in the RTP area, Raleigh especially, tears their ACL, request Dr. William Isbell at Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic. Seriously.

The ligament grouping on the side of my leg is healing and tightening up. It's sore to the touch, but not a big issue. My ACL is still torn (heh, duh) and the swelling is down enough to schedule the surgery. My surgery is tentatively schedule for 9:00am on July 31st, a Thursday. Currently, the China-folk get in Saturday night, and the lease is extended to August 5th. So... timing is what it is and nothing is gonna change that. Oh well.
I'm going to have a follow up appointment to go over everything about the surgery; before, during, after, what not to do, what to do, time frames, etc. What I do know right now is that I'll have the machine that circulates cold water around the knee constantly. My knee will be locked out straight for about 2 weeks. I'll have physical therapy the day immediately following the surgery to prevent stiffness and start working with motion. I'll find out what exercises I can do on my own, and continue in the coming weeks to strengthen my quad.
I'm choosing to do an allograft (tendon graft taken from a cadaver--love that word), and the rest is technicalities and semantics that the doctors will handle. I'll show up at 7am, surgery will be at 9am, and then an hour and ten minutes later, I'm out of surgery, and I go home that day. Woo.

SO. What'll happen is that after a day or two, I'll slowly start trying to walk with my crutches, and then try to walk without them. After 2 weeks, my brace doesn't have to be locked, and after another 4 weeks I think, I get a new brace. A simple one that just slips over my knee, has the same mechanisms but no locking. Blam.
I'll have to get help with moving things, because I won't be able to pick up anything or do anything lol. This ACL reconstructive piece will have the strength of a wet towel for a couple months (SCARY) so I'll have to be careful. I should be able to go to school by the end of the month, and possibly even drive. So we'll see about all that.

So that's the lo-down. I get my folloup appointment scheduled this Monday or Tuesday and I'll update you all then. As of right now, I have 11 days until surgery. I have 2 more days of physical therapy, and one more appointment. As of right now, I'm counting down :)

11 days.

yes, i exist

Sorry--I know my posts are few and far between, but there really isn't much happening. By Monday, I had 135 degrees of flexion, and my knees were about the same size yet still having fluid. I meet with Dr. Isbell tomorrow at 2:15pm, and the rents will be there. They're coming up for tomorrow and Saturday to hang out and chat about life and the leg and whatnot.

Rikku is currently at the vet getting her last round of puppy shots, her heartworm, and getting spayed. No, it's not too early--I asked. Although, with the peeing-when-excited thing, sometimes they don't grow out of it. So I'd have to have her take a pill like Maelstranna does about once a day to help tighten up that pee muscle lol. Oh well. I'd rather her pee and be excited than be afraid and aggressive with people lol. Besides, it might work out really well if it's someone that I don't like ;) they'll get pee on their shoes. BLAM!

So I'm researching about Internet Marketing. It's not a scam, and it works really well. It just takes time, a lot of learning, help, practice, and patience. But, theoretically, within a couple of months, I could be pulling in about 800/month, and then within a year, I could be pulling in about 2,000/month. Theoretically. It all depends upon how I do it, how much I do it, and how much I keep up with it. I want to try and make some money because of how much Rikku is costing me, because of my leg and whatnot... so we'll see how that goes.
You can write articles and get paid for it you know. Using hoplinks to places--say I write an article about potty training you puppy with a hoplink to an ebook that someone can buy. If they buy it, through my link, I get a commission from that sale. Blam. In fact, I already wrote an article. If you Google "potty train your puppy fast", I'll show up on the first page lol. It's an article called "how to potty train your puppy..." by "Lisa Larsson". A penname, using the Laurene's REAL last name. Word.

Anyway. I'm going to go run errands while the puppy is away. What a nice respite!
Cheers!

updatin'

Nothing much going on with the leg. It's still busted lol.
Eh, nothing too much better from Tuesday/Wednesday. I'm still trying to work with it. I jog a little with Rikku now, but only in short bursts. Rikku is doing well--still pees when excited, still growls some. She did really well at Petsmart in the shopping cart though :) I guess I'd rather her pee near people than hate them!

Hanging out at Laura's :)

little by little

Yesterday at the PT, Greg measured my flexion (how far I can bend my leg). Wednesday it was 110 degrees. Yesterday, it was 127 degrees. Improvements! My right leg can do 150 I think? So that's good. And I really felt my quad and my knee working. However, I did feel like a lot of the workout would move to my ankle. Since my knee is so unstable then my ankle tries to stable it it seems.

I'm watching Dead Poets Society. LOVE that movie. Classic.
Rikku had a puppy exPLOSion today--a random burst of hyperactive energy that I haven't seen her had since her bath at Laura's. It was amusing. But then she wanted me to be her playmate and tried to nip and bite, and well--that ended that lol. Regardless, it was amusing and fun.

Onward!

happy belated 4th

Not that I did anything for the 4th lol. I watched my neighbors grill out and then be idiots running to and from another apartment in the CRAZY AWESOME thunderstorm. And I wactched other people try to get off some fireworks before the rain got too bad. Rikku and I watched the storm on the porch for a while.

So my leg is progressing. I can bend it much farther. I've been going around braceless ever since the PT really. It's nice not having it on so much. I've been trying to ice it more, but for some reason I just keep forgetting :( And I try to do my exercises at home. My PT apt tomorrow is at 3pm I believe. We'll see if I've improved since Wednesday. I've been watching movies, watching Rikku, relaxing, watching storms, surfing the net... I talked to Chris a few times, but they're off on a crazy tour for a week since yesterday, so I won't talk to him until this coming weekend. Oh, and Hancock (the new Will Smith movie) is okay.

Sorry I haven't been posting as much. But honestly, there really isn't much to say. I'm improving. It only hurts if I do something too fast, or my leg is bent sideways or extended to fast too hard. I had to dash out to put up my windows before the rain (well.. it was already raining lol), and that was a little much to hobble job/run lol. But it's okay.
OH, and thank you to Grandmamma and Grandaddy for the little carepackage of cherries and chewys lol. It was very sweet. I'm not a big fan of the cherries, but regardless ;) And I already had a Chewy bar--love those things! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. I'm all right, and I won't really need them until surgery.
We'll see how that swelling goes. My knee is still too big to be a normal knee lol, so we'll see.

Onward! Watching Twister (an old one!), Rikku, and hopefully another storm!

pre-op PT number one

Well that was fun lol. Greg is really chill but very nice. The whole place is just one big room with random stuff and tables along the wall. It was really relaxed. I did a couple of the exercises I knew about, and a few new. Including being hooked up to this electric machine that zapped electricity into my left quad to stimulate it. I was really nervous before he turned it on, but it just felt like tingles. I need to ice for 15 minutes then rest for 2 hours. I have to create this "warm--cold--warm--cold" sort of thing, acting like a pump to get the fluid out of my knee. UGH.

I was there until 4:15, but they're usually 45 minute appointments. And I have another tomorrow morning, and then 2 next week, and 1 the next, and then 2 more after the 18th unless surgery can happen. I've got exercises to do at home twice a day to get my leg in shape. Rikku going to get used to being alone for 2 hours around 3pm or 10am.

Laura's bday is tomorrow--good thing my apt is at 10:15am tomorrow. Maybe we'll get to hang out or go somewhere to eat. I'M STARVING right now actually. With the puppy, I really don't eat as much :/ Bad Lisa.
But that's that. It was nothing special, nothing crazy, but it'll be good to be forced to do the exercises because I haven't been keeping up with them. Time to exercise during movies.
Okay, onward.

rubber chicken FTW!

That's right, rubber chicken for the win. Rikku is in love. She needed some new toys, so I made a Petsmart run and splurged on some more treats, dental bones, brain toys, squeakies, and a rubber chicken. And my god. Rubber chicken is the winner so far. The "Kong" and the brain toy are treat-holders that are very difficult to get treats out of and really make the puppy wear itself out mentally. I'm going to use one of those while I'm at the PT today at 3pm. But yay!

I haven't heard from Chris since Friday. *sigh* I miss him.
Sometimes I forget that my knee is bad. Because I can drive, go up and down stairs, walk, and I don't exercise that much anyway (running, swiming, biking, jogging, etc). Sometimes I feel normal lol. BUT then I might accidentally step down farther than I think and jar it and make it hurt. Or when I get into a car and have to bend it weird. Or when I have to lift it up out of a position I've been in for a few hours. Or when I really want to crouch down to play with Rikku but can't. Otherwise though lol, it's not too bad.

My next appointment is July 18th, and by then, I'm hoping the fluid will be gone. It's still there. Not AS bad, but you can definitely tell. And my problem is that I haven't been doing my exercises :/ Heh. We'll see what Greg says today, PT apt #1!

Otherwise, breakfast time and rubber chicken squeaky time lol.