Homecoming

I returned home around dinnertime.  My most excellent wife, Amy had bought me some chicken noodle soup from a really good local market and maybe a cookie (because they’re known to have healing properties). 

I was sent home with a couple of pain management medicines; Naproxen, which is like an industrial-strength Advil and Dilaudid, which is a narcotic.  I’ve had Dilaudid in hospital IV’s in the past and it certainly does the job of taking the pain away.  However, until now, I didn’t know there was a play-at-home version. 

I was told to stay on top of the pain to start so, I took both medications in the evening.  The Dilaudid makes me drowsy but not sleepy, so it wasn’t a very restful night.  I took the Dilaudid through the next day but stopped it after that.  I’m not a fan of how it makes me feel and the pain is not enough to really warrant it for much longer. 

Ice is important.  When I woke up from surgery, I had an ice pack strapped to my leg in a way that made it clear there was no modesty left to question during surgery.  It wasn’t just a normal ice pack.  It was connected to a cooler with ice that circulated the cold water.  Very innovative.  As it turns out, it was a big help.  I left it on for the first few days; until I could shower and it did a great job of keeping the soreness in check.  My wife changed out the ice 2-3 time each day.  I could disconnect the line to get around.  Now that the ice “system” is off, there is more soreness but it's not unmanageable.  And, I’m still icing it with regular ice packs. 

Before the surgery, the surgeon mentioned the area may feel numb for a couple of weeks.  A few days out and my leg still feels like it’s been shot with Novocaine.  I guess I just have to be patient. 

Another fun post-surgery take-home is the anesthesia, which takes a couple of days to wear off.  That makes trips to the bathroom more challenging.  That could be a post unto itself. 
 
Mobility has not been as much of an issue as was expected.  I’ve been able to get around with a single crutch with no problem since the first day.  While I’m not trying any acrobatics, I can get in and out of bed, up and down from chairs, up and downstairs, and to the bathroom on my own.

The surgery was on a Tuesday.  I was allowed to shower on Friday (today).  It was very nice.  I was able to do it on my own but I had the wife in the room just in case.  I would not have attempted it on my own on the first try.
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I changed the dressing on Friday as well.  It’s only a couple of incisions and they were only a couple of stitches each so, I could re-cover them with band aids.  The good news here is they were expecting to repair two tears but as it turns out, there was only one.  Hopefully, that will ease the recovery process.