The night before the big day and apprehension had set in. Not about the op, but that blooming epidural! No matter how many told me I wouldn't feel a thing, it still played on m mind. At 9 pm I was advised to have a carbohydrate snack, something to do with preparing the body for the shock it would receive, somehow I got it down, but I really didn't want to eat! Bed at 10 pm and took an age to get to sleep, and then woke intermittently with the worry that the alarm wouldn't go off, and I would miss the 7 am deadline to be admitted. Of course it went off at 5 30 am, the heater then switched on for the water and 15 minutes later had a tepid shower using that special antibacterial soap. No breakfast or tea allowed, just water.
Ian got me to the private hospital in plenty of time. That hour of the morning, hardly a soul about! I was shown to my room, had its own private ensuite, wow, this was better than going into a hospital ward full of beds and people. Thanks go to the NHS, for sending me private. On the bed was a hospital gown, one of those that do up at the back, and a pair of knickers!
OMG... I'm never going to get in those!!!! Well actually I did, they stretch to an enormous size, definitely a bonus for my ample proportions! After a three-hour wait, Ian stayed with me the whole time, (another perk of going to a private hospital) I was wheeled up to the theatre at 10.30 am.
So my irrational fear of the epidural was unfounded, the anaesthetist was amazing, showed the size of the needle and the tiny catheter that would remain in during surgery. I wasn't sure what to expect when the drug was administered, thought it would feel strange with all sensation leaving my lower limbs. In fact, I was hardly aware the legs had gone numb! I was also given a sedative, assured that this would make me sleep during the procedure, but I did keep waking, heard the electric saw and the drill, really weird feeling when I felt my body move as the surgeon manipulated the leg. And if truth be told, it did feel more like a dream than the actual op. Anyway, into recovery, and of course I had to ask how long the op had taken. When I was told just 50 minutes, gosh that was quick! All in all, from leaving for the op and my return to the room, 2 hours had passed. Ian was still there, had gone to the canteen for a spot of lunch (fish and chips) and then my first very welcome cup of tea and slice of toast arrived.
Every 20 minutes my obs were done, blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. At one point my beats fell to 44, slight panic from the nurse but doing them another three times, was relived to see the heart rate back to 66 BPM.
I was attached to a cryo machine, which every two hours for 30 minutes would start pumping ice water around the operation site. It felt lovely and helped with the pain, but when you have that machine beeping away all night...it could have been wished further!
At first, painkillers and antibiotics were frequently administered through the catheter in my hand, but soon that was replaced by tablets. Probably a good job because the physio arrived to see if I could get out of bed and, being attached to a catheter, would have made it a little awkward! Unfortunately, I failed my first walk! Not because my mind wasn't willing, but because the epidural was still in my system, making me wobbly as hell! So that was abandoned for now, it was rescheduled for tomorrow morning.
Pain was ever present during the night and my call button was pressed regularly. I must say the staff were lovely, never a tut or a scowl, only sympathy and the painkillers. The bedpan also arrived, I hadn't realised I wanted to go until cramps started in the bladder region. Every part of the brain was screaming, DO NOT WEE IN THE BED. It's strange, you know you want to go, but it felt all wrong. I did eventually get going, nearly a ltr of urine was measured, and once started, wondered if I would ever stop! So the first night not a lot of sleep was had, and it was 6 am when the rounds started and day 2 had begun.
