Thursday, January 29
I am coming to in the recovery room and most of all I am thirsty. And my throat is scratchy from the breathing tube. The nurse says I can have some ice chips in a few minutes. Right now apparently the worry is that I will get an upset stomach if I eat or drink anything. It's a little after 10:00 A.M.
Soon I get a cup of ice chips to eat with a spoon. When I didn't throw up they bring me another cup of ice.
The anesthesiologist visited and said it all went well. Then I saw the surgeon and he said the knee replacement went fine but there was a ligament attached to a bone spur that had to be repaired. I'll be in a cast for a few days then I'll need to wear a brace for a while.
They kept me in the recovery room longer than planned. My room wasn't ready yet in the hip and knee joint wing. Just before noon they took me to my room, very nice, a suite of two private rooms sharing a bathroom.
Once I am settled in my bed I am awake enough to count all the tubes and catheters connected to me. I have an IV for fluids, another for antibiotics, two small hoses connecting the nerve blocker, a drain at the wound, a catheter for urine, a connector for taking blood and a morphine pump. I also have an automatic blood pressure cuff and a red L.E.D. taped to a finger to check my oxygen level. The L.E.D. is on all the time and glows in a very E.T. way.
The room is bright and cheery, on the ground floor with a view of a busy courtyard. My nurse asked if I wanted a special meal for lunch. I told her I didn't need anything special and ten minutes later I got a very nice lunch -- pot roast, veggies and dessert. And endless Cokes all afternoon. And I can press the painkiller pump whenever I need to. Or even want to.
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