firemedic1’s AchillesBlog

Pre-Op

My Pre-Op was scheduled for 2 days after I found out my results.  It was pretty uneventful and mostly just the surgeon explaining the procedure and what to expect afterwards.  I came loaded with questions since it’s been 2 full weeks since my injury and all I’ve done is read about ATR everything!  The doc was very patient with me and my list…literally a list that I wrote and brought with me.  It was nice to have all my questions answered and I was able to leave with a good feeling about the upcoming procedure.  In fact, I was very excited that my recovery now had a direction and I was on my road to getting back to life as I once knew it.  One thing of note that my surgeon told me before I left.  She said that I would be asked on the day of my surgery if I wanted a nerve block.  She told me to tell them no.  She said it is one of the least painful procedures they do and it’s not necessary.  She stated that it was a short procedure, that I’d be intubated with an LMA and, to my pleasure, would not be needing a urinary catheter.  My surgery was scheduled for the following Monday (pre-op was Fri).

Surgery Day

This day could not have come soon enough!  I was almost giddy to have this surgery done and couldn’t sleep the night before because I was excited.   That morning, I helped my wife and kids get ready for work and daycare and waited for my mom to come and get me.  My surgery was scheduled for 12 noon and was instructed to arrive at 1030.  My mom gave me a ride to the hospital and waited with me until it was time to start the operation.  I had a knee walker delivered to the hospital for me to use once I was done.  The surgeon came in again and marked the correct leg that was to be operated on and the anesthetist came an let me know what to expect.  A nurse started an IV and after a little waiting it was time to go.  I walked into the OR under my own power and jumped up onto the bed.  The room was very cold.  There were people milling about and I wasn’t worried or concerned.  The CNA placed an O2 mask on my face and was talking to me until…I….uhh…..

Ok, time to wake up….wait..what…done?  Huh…that seemed quick.  Yep, done.  Upon waking up, I felt groggy but not bad.  It took me awhile to become fully coherent.  My wife had arrived to take me home and she told me that the Dr had called her and said everything went well.  She said that she stitched my AT little tight so that I had the best chance for regaining as much strength as possible and to lessen the chance of healing long once things got stretched out.  I hung out for a little while and then they said I was good to go.  I didn’t feel any pain but that was normal due to the anesthetic and I no longer had a lower leg.  It had been replaced with a big splint (no cast) that I was told couldn’t get wet and that I had to keep on until my first post op.  Boo…  Oh well, time to go home.

Discharged

Discharge was easy and I was able to use my knee walker immediately.  My wife drove me to the pharmacy and we picked up my meds.  I was given Norco.  Prior to my surgery, I picked up some potassium to combat cramping, vitamins because I’d probably not be eating much and stool softener because opioid induced constipation is a very real thing! haha.

The rest of the day wasn’t bad.  I laid on the couch with my foot elevated and relaxed as best I could.  My mom brought my son over to say hey but took him to her house for the night.  I needed some piece and quiet and my boy has more energy than 10 puppies.  haha.  Everything was simple and up to this point I’ve had no pain. I really wish that I had more to report after the procedure but it really was uneventful.  We’ll see how tomorrow goes….

This entry was posted on Monday, June 20th, 2016 at 10:58 and is filed under In the beginning.... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.