Pre-Op
Pre-op usually involves arriving early, changing into a gown, shaving my leg, starting the IV, and waiting. The moment I look forward to is when I’m wheeled to the operating room and receive the initial anesthesia. That’s when my anxiety fades, and the procedure begins.
This surgery differed slightly because I was getting a nerve block. I don’t know or recall what the nerve block involved, but instead of getting the one “good” shot, I got part of one while they were doing the nerve block. The anesthesiologist withheld just enough “good” so that I could climb from the bed to the operating table, and I was out. With the surgery complete, attention shifted to my experience in post-op recovery.
Post-Op & Recovery
I don’t recall this being an issue before, but in two of my surgeries this year, I received a dose of Dilaudid right before they decided to wake me up. For me, Dilaudid’s effect is that it puts me on the verge of nausea and makes my head and eyelids feel extremely heavy, as if they weigh 100 lbs. While this is happening, the staff tells me to keep my eyes open, but it’s difficult due to the medication’s sedative properties. I’m quite sensitive to most meds, so these effects may not occur for everyone. Personally, this dose of Dilaudid is always the worst part of recovery for me because of how sick and drowsy it makes me feel. For what it’s worth, basic morphine provides pain relief for me without these negative side effects of intense drowsiness and nausea. After managing that immediate recovery room hurdle, my focus turned to the knee brace.
Post Op & Knee Brace
While I was sleeping, a Breg T-Scope full leg brace was put on, secured with four adjustable straps. My top strap was very tight, and the recovery nurse was not familiar with the brace, making it difficult to adjust.
This is the second time I’ve awoken to a post-op brace/bandaging put on too tight. Each time, unncessary pressure was placed on the incision area, causing quite a bit of unnecessary pain. The nurses are not mind-readers, so if you find yourself in a similar situation, make sure to speak up and work with them on a solution. You will have enough pain to deal with in the coming months, you don’t want to start your first hours in agony.
I’m not sure what the process is for fitting a brace while you’re under, but don’t assume your brace is fitted perfectly. The manufacturer likely has videos/instructions on how to fit the brace, which I recommend doing. After all, you won’t have much else to do for the next few days. With the brace sorted, the next challenge was managing sleep and medication.
Sleeping & Medication Routine
I usually draw a laugh when I say this, but a wedge pillow is one of the best purchases I made. It’s great for elevating your legs while sleeping, as back support while sitting up, and for for whatever uses you can think of. We bought ours at Costco before I had hernia surgery, and it’s come in handy quite a bit.
I had to take my meds: antibiotic, toradol, and hydrocodone every 6 hours, which meant waking up at least once in the middle of the night. I had my pills already placed in a cup so I didn’t have to fumble for them at midnight. Ritz peanut butter crackers somehow became the default pre-pill snack, so I would wake up, eat my crackers, take my pills, and go back to sleep. Through this process, I was able to keep my pain well managed.
Pain Level
Overall, pain was easily managed the first day and we were pretty well prepared for handling our new normal.
