Days Following Surgery

The day after surgery, as they were trying to help me out of bed to remove my catheter, I felt a searing pain in my left leg.  It literally took me down.  It was like a lightning bolt that started at my hip and went to my knee.  At that point, I realized that besides the searing pain – I had absolutely no feeling in my left thigh.  When I asked the surgeons, they all seemed to be baffled by it.  Physical Therapy was called.  They helped me stand and got me a walker.  The whole effort seemed pointless to me. 

They ended up keeping me an extra day because I was having a hard time shaking the anesthesia and the ongoing issue with my leg.  At the time, I didn’t want to stay an extra night, but in the long run – it was definitely for the best. 

The car ride wasn’t very much fun.  I wedged the kidney pillow between me and the seatbelt, then held my breath all the way home.  It was about a 30 minute drive and completely unnerving. 

My dad was released from the hospital later that same day.  They were sleeping at another family member’s house, then coming to my house during the days.  My dad and I spent a lot of time side-by-side on the couch taking turns napping. 

The next several days all sort of run into each other.  Lots of sleeping, very little eating and conversations that I don’t have a lot of recollection about.  I learned that narcotics are not something I like to be on.  I can say, however, that the sleep was probably the best sleep I’ve had in years. 

I had purchased a belly band to help with my abdominal pressure.  For the first couple of days, there was too much swelling and the pressure was too much for me.  By the end of the first week, I was able to manage it for short periods of time.  I used it because by the end of the day, it literally felt like my guts were falling out. 

During this time, we had lots of visitors and lots of great people bringing us meals.  I’m not really sure what we would have done without the kindness of those around us.