Surgery Day
Surgery day arrived. My ultra-helpful saint of a wife drove me to the hospital and we arrived at 7:00am for a scheduled start time of 8:30. After all the requisite paperwork and collection of monies, I was in the surgical cue with an IV in the top of my hand (ouch; I don't really prefer that location).
My doc comes back and tells me about the procedure. I was a bit wrong about how it will go down. He tells me that he intends to get behind the Achilles to remove the bone. No plans to cut it or to anchor it. Some poking and prodding to figure out if the pain favors one side or another. My guess is that he's wondering where the ideal location will be to make an incision? The doc also tells me that everything looked good to go in the MRI; nothing that wouldn't be fixed by today's surgery. The anesthesiologist also has a chat with me about the sedation and numbing to be done. Then more waiting; quite a bit of waiting.
Finally they come to wheel me back. Very friendly surgical staff. They put me next to the surgical table and flip me over onto my stomach. The nurse asks me to get into a comfortable position. She puts a couple of pillows in place under my head/face and it feels pretty comfortable. My heels are hanging off the end of the bed. Then they put a needle in my IV and I get a sting and a burn in the hand. Sedative #1. The doc is prepping my foot at the time, as well (this is going very fast!). Then a second needle goes into the IV; sedative #2. In seconds, I'm out.
Next thing I know, I'm in the recovery room. The nurse comments that I woke up rather quickly. She says all went well. There's a tight wrap around my ankle. I don't feel much of anything, though; it was blocked quite well. I'm thirsty! I was required not to eat or drink after midnight. Eating isn't a big deal but I did get a little thirsty. She tells me she's going to find a boot and the doctor will be by soon.
The wife comes and and so does the doc. He tells me everything went well and the bone was removed. He did say that he ended up anchoring the tendon with a screw. He said this was just to "make sure." I didn't think to ask for more detail. It doesn't bother me; I'd really rather the thing stay in place! I'll try to remember to ask more about the "why" at the follow up. I'm told again to be non-weight bearing for two weeks, followed by weaning away from the boot over time. I ask about physical therapy and he tells me that it is optional; he'd write a script if I wanted it or I could just work on it on my own based upon my busy schedule. I wasn't quite expecting this, either. He says the boot is mostly to help me out in case I fall on it while on crutches, but I get the impression that I can remove it often while lying down (I should have clarified this a bit more, though; I'm a little confused on this point). He also gives me instructions which tell me to ice it and keep it elevated. 20 minutes of ice periodically. I'm given a script for the antibiotic Cephalexin 500mg and the pain killer Hydrocodon - Acetomenophen 5-325. Then I'm given the boot; here it is:
I'm wheeled to the car where I use the crutches to insert myself in my dad's SUV. I had requested that he pick me up because my wife's sedan is just a bit too low to the ground. This was a good call. My pops puts his passenger side front seat all the way forward and I'm able to wedge into the back seat. Then I'm on the way home. The entire thing, from start to finish (including wait time) takes about 4 hours.
I feel the heel a bit, but it isn't all that bad. I can take either 1 or 2 Hydrocodones every 4-6 hours, so I take one and it lasts for six. Later in the evening, though, oh...my...goodness. The pain increases substantially. I down two hydrocodones that evening, and continue with two throughout the night. It hurts! I wear the boot most of the day, occasionally taking it off to ice the foot from the front. Most pain, I'm told, is from swelling that needs to be reduced. The doc had told me that for the first couple of days, only crutch around to get back and forth to the bathroom. These days are for healing. I do exactly that. I figure out my crutches are too tall. I had borrowed them from my dad and he's taller than I am. These wouldn't adjust low enough for me. We'll be on the prowl for shorter crutches tomorrow.
Lessons learned:
- Wearing lose shorts and a comfortable t-shirt was perfect
- Getting an SUV to pick me up allowed me to more easily "drop" into the seat post-surgery for the ride home
- I was fooled (like many others) about the pain based upon the early blocking procedures. It increased in a big way later on that day.
- My bedroom is on the second floor of the house. Obviously, this presents a problem for NWB. So we purchased an inflatable bed with a decent height, queen-sized, to become my temporary home. It is self-inflating and adjustable for comfort. I blow it up to the max capacity when I'm getting in and out of it, and relax it a bit when I'm in it. It works great! Here it is:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DP5KWC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- The normal crutch pad areas are a bit rough. I ordered some pads that attach with velcro and they are more comfortable (plus they look cool!):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAJGM24/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- The boot is a velco strap octopus; sort of a pain to take on and off. For the first day or two, anyway, I really need help to put it on.
- Gallon-sized bags with ice from Sonic (you can buy it by the bag) are great for ice packs. Because the ice is so small (we call it rabbit-poop sized) it wraps around quite well.
- Steel 30 ounce cups are great for keeping ice cold, either for drinks all day or for making your own ice packs in the middle of the night. These are sold at Dick's Sporting goods for a ridiculous amount of money, but you can also get them on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ITXAVS0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My doc comes back and tells me about the procedure. I was a bit wrong about how it will go down. He tells me that he intends to get behind the Achilles to remove the bone. No plans to cut it or to anchor it. Some poking and prodding to figure out if the pain favors one side or another. My guess is that he's wondering where the ideal location will be to make an incision? The doc also tells me that everything looked good to go in the MRI; nothing that wouldn't be fixed by today's surgery. The anesthesiologist also has a chat with me about the sedation and numbing to be done. Then more waiting; quite a bit of waiting.
Finally they come to wheel me back. Very friendly surgical staff. They put me next to the surgical table and flip me over onto my stomach. The nurse asks me to get into a comfortable position. She puts a couple of pillows in place under my head/face and it feels pretty comfortable. My heels are hanging off the end of the bed. Then they put a needle in my IV and I get a sting and a burn in the hand. Sedative #1. The doc is prepping my foot at the time, as well (this is going very fast!). Then a second needle goes into the IV; sedative #2. In seconds, I'm out.
Next thing I know, I'm in the recovery room. The nurse comments that I woke up rather quickly. She says all went well. There's a tight wrap around my ankle. I don't feel much of anything, though; it was blocked quite well. I'm thirsty! I was required not to eat or drink after midnight. Eating isn't a big deal but I did get a little thirsty. She tells me she's going to find a boot and the doctor will be by soon.
The wife comes and and so does the doc. He tells me everything went well and the bone was removed. He did say that he ended up anchoring the tendon with a screw. He said this was just to "make sure." I didn't think to ask for more detail. It doesn't bother me; I'd really rather the thing stay in place! I'll try to remember to ask more about the "why" at the follow up. I'm told again to be non-weight bearing for two weeks, followed by weaning away from the boot over time. I ask about physical therapy and he tells me that it is optional; he'd write a script if I wanted it or I could just work on it on my own based upon my busy schedule. I wasn't quite expecting this, either. He says the boot is mostly to help me out in case I fall on it while on crutches, but I get the impression that I can remove it often while lying down (I should have clarified this a bit more, though; I'm a little confused on this point). He also gives me instructions which tell me to ice it and keep it elevated. 20 minutes of ice periodically. I'm given a script for the antibiotic Cephalexin 500mg and the pain killer Hydrocodon - Acetomenophen 5-325. Then I'm given the boot; here it is:
I'm wheeled to the car where I use the crutches to insert myself in my dad's SUV. I had requested that he pick me up because my wife's sedan is just a bit too low to the ground. This was a good call. My pops puts his passenger side front seat all the way forward and I'm able to wedge into the back seat. Then I'm on the way home. The entire thing, from start to finish (including wait time) takes about 4 hours.
I feel the heel a bit, but it isn't all that bad. I can take either 1 or 2 Hydrocodones every 4-6 hours, so I take one and it lasts for six. Later in the evening, though, oh...my...goodness. The pain increases substantially. I down two hydrocodones that evening, and continue with two throughout the night. It hurts! I wear the boot most of the day, occasionally taking it off to ice the foot from the front. Most pain, I'm told, is from swelling that needs to be reduced. The doc had told me that for the first couple of days, only crutch around to get back and forth to the bathroom. These days are for healing. I do exactly that. I figure out my crutches are too tall. I had borrowed them from my dad and he's taller than I am. These wouldn't adjust low enough for me. We'll be on the prowl for shorter crutches tomorrow.
Lessons learned:
- Wearing lose shorts and a comfortable t-shirt was perfect
- Getting an SUV to pick me up allowed me to more easily "drop" into the seat post-surgery for the ride home
- I was fooled (like many others) about the pain based upon the early blocking procedures. It increased in a big way later on that day.
- My bedroom is on the second floor of the house. Obviously, this presents a problem for NWB. So we purchased an inflatable bed with a decent height, queen-sized, to become my temporary home. It is self-inflating and adjustable for comfort. I blow it up to the max capacity when I'm getting in and out of it, and relax it a bit when I'm in it. It works great! Here it is:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DP5KWC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- The normal crutch pad areas are a bit rough. I ordered some pads that attach with velcro and they are more comfortable (plus they look cool!):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAJGM24/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- The boot is a velco strap octopus; sort of a pain to take on and off. For the first day or two, anyway, I really need help to put it on.
- Gallon-sized bags with ice from Sonic (you can buy it by the bag) are great for ice packs. Because the ice is so small (we call it rabbit-poop sized) it wraps around quite well.
- Steel 30 ounce cups are great for keeping ice cold, either for drinks all day or for making your own ice packs in the middle of the night. These are sold at Dick's Sporting goods for a ridiculous amount of money, but you can also get them on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ITXAVS0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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