Four days after surgery

Monday, February 2, 2009
Slept fairly well and had several episodes of deep sleep. The leg brace dictates my positions in bed and I must stay on my back all the time. When it was time for my morning medicine the night nurse showed me how to give myself the blood thinner injection. So I did it and it didn't hurt at all.

My surgeon came by to visit early -- around 7:30 A.M. -- between surgeries. We discussed rehab places and he had two to recommend. I leave the hospital today and I chose to go to the rehab place the doctor liked best.

Mid-morning I had one last P.T. session at the hospital and walked almost all the way back to the room. The bedsore on my heel is a problem when I do some of the therapy exercises. And there's one more complaint, a new one. My gums around where the tooth was extracted last month is very sore and there's even some dry socket pain. It started bothering a couple days ago. I think it has someting to do with the respirator they stuck down my throat during surgery. The knee happily hardly hurts at all.

I was discharged from the hospital at 1:00 P.M. and at 1:30 I was in a wheelchair, strapped into a van on my way to the rehab facility a couple miles away. It was cold and rainy out. The rehab place was nice, clean and well-staffed. Full of old folks who live there all the time and a handful of us recovering patients.

There was a roommate recovering from a hip replacement. He was old, angry at all the staff and ready to leave. He was also quiet and not very talkative. I liked that a lot.

There was a constant stream for staff coming in the room to ask me questions that I am sure were all answered in my medical records. But it gave them a chance to make me feel welcome.

Late afternoon I was wheeled down to the Physical Therapy room. It was well equipped but the staff had me doing exercises that had little to do with helping my knee's range of motion.

Jack visited during diner and my roommate and I went to bed very early.