Safe on my couch again

After a send off phone call from Penni we headed to the hospital with Danielle driving me and mom and dad leading the way in their car. I arrived shortly after 11 as instructed. After checking in I was soon taken back to the pre-surgical area where vitals were taken, I got a gown, a bed and an IV was started with fluids. Ran into CC Hays in the lobby and she came in to the pre area and visited with me for a few minutes before she went off to work on a patient of her own. Sure was nice to see a familiar and friendly face. Especially one who works in the hospital. After they got me settled they retrieved Danielle from the waiting room and she came back to sit with me. I met the anesthysiologist and resident who works with Dr. Ove who came to give me an estimate of when we would start. Dr. Ove checked in, verified which knee I wanted surgery on and signed it - right on my kneecap. CC returned and chatted with Danielle and I about her kids and fellowship stuff. A nurse poked her head in and quizically asked me "There's clergy here to see you?" Yep, there sure is, send her in. Guess they aren't used to seeing ministers in the pre-surgical area. So Heather joined our little pow-wow. Not long after there was another familiar voice outside the curtain and Vivian (who teaches Sunday school with me and works in the critical care unit) was down to visit too. So we had quite the gathering and it was pretty hard to be nervous with all these kind caring folks around me. Heather lead us in prayer and then went to bring my parents back. Dr. Patel the anesthesiologist arrived about the same time that they came back and said we were ready to go. He added a shot to my IV and I don't remember anything after getting kisses from my family and he started to wheel me down the hall.

Next thing I remember is waking up in the post-op room. Apparently I woke up "hard" and was thrashing around a bit. My blood pressure was pretty high and they gave me lots of IV drugs to try to bring it down. They had me sitting up in a chair and traded my gown for my t-shirt so that I would begin feeling "normal" soon. Nothing helped that more than an ice cold fountain Coke. Ahh how I love the Coca-Cola! Dr. Ove came by to check on me and tell me how things went. He said that it was fairly difficult, but that they were able to get all the pieces up where he wanted them and use filler to fill the voids. He also explained how they drilled into my femur and low on my tibia to put temporary external bolts. These were used with some contraption that opened the joint up so that they could get in to work without having 4 strong men holding my bones apart while he did his thing. So in addition to the incision there are also two stab wounds and holes in my bones that need to heal. Dr. Ove has already called this morning to see how I'm doing. He wants to see me on Monday and I'll get to see x-rays and he can show me what he did. Hopefully I'll get copies of those and if I can get electronic files I'll post them here. The post op nurse was a bit overwhelming and frankly was not all that gentle with my leg. I thought Danielle and/or Becky were going to step in and whack her. She seemed to be in a hurry to get me out of there and I felt that I would be safer at home and under the care of my wife and family, so off we went. I was back to the saftey of my couch by 5:30 or 6 I think.

I was pretty uncomfortable and in a good deal of pain for the evening and most of the night. Danielle and Mom took shifts being responsible for making sure I stayed on the med schedule, changing ice packs, working on my pillow arrangements and getting me food and drinks through the night and well into the morning. So I made it through the hardest part according to Dr. Ove. He said that I sounded good and that he expected this morning to be the worst time for me.

So I'm over the hard part and have had visits today from Vivian, Ezry, & Jacob and then after sweat equity Dick Cobb, John Burroughs and Jim Nelson came to see me. I can't say enough how much it means to be showered with the care and concern that has been coming my way. I feel totally undeserving of it, but am so appreciative. The spirit definitely is at work in my life and is working through each and every one of these angels that are visiting, writing, feeding and caring for me. I am truly a lucky man.