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Cut Off This Foot Which Offended Me
Tuesday, 24 November 2015 15:44I've been surfacing on Facebook the last few days, so sorry for the lack of blogging.
2½ years with the heel wound and because of compressed nerves and no feeling, I was never on pain meds. Fortunately now that I am on pain meds they work, but auto correct on the Kindle Fire HD has been a nightmare.
Once we got the MRI result, the heel bone all lit up with infection, we knew the war was lost. No food or water after midnight Saturday -- I had two turkey sandwiches with mayo and mustard at 11:30 -- I was scheduled to be third with my surgeon. First procedure went short, the second long, so they came to get me at 3pm. No, this bed was assembled in the room, you can't use it for transport. Gurney at three-thirty. I had signed the consent form the other day. They were going to leave it so I could think about it, but as I've said, this has been on the table from the start. We were both surprisingly all right with this. But I realized overhearing from across the way at OR Prep 29, we needed to sign off on the anesthesiologist.
OR1. Stryker power tools. The anesthesiologist suggested I might now want to look over there -- nope, I was fascinated.
The actual amputation surgery took about four hours. The edema made it a wet mess, but my surgeon was pleased with the result. I'd worried about whether there'd be enough good skin to make a below the knee flap -- they ended up doing a "fishmouth" procedure.
Back in room by 8:30pm. Now I had pain. Norco and morphine to start. We're off the IV morphine now, and have added a nerve drug to deal with the phantom pains. It's 4pm. Time to call in for another Norco. It's interesting that they're more worried about the dose of Tylenol in these pills than the oxycontin. Don't want to burn out the liver and kidneys.
You never know the schedule around here. I figured I'd move back to my home at the Fuller fifth floor subacute rehab facility Tuesday or Wednesday. I assumed Wednesday, and it looks like I am right. The Kiwi brace should be fitted in the morning, move in the afternoon.
The bandage is secure and not leaking. I am off all antibiotics. Funny, I had tolerated IV vancomycin for six weeks last summer, but in the last nine days I've been through six IV sets in both arms. The sixth hasn't been used for anything. The others got inflamed, stopped working or leaked. What the hell?
Oh wait, the previous vanco runs were through a PIC line. I guess vancomycin is really hard on regular IVs. (Although jamming Vancouver through an IV isn't recommended either. grin)
Anyway, I am in good shape. Need to learn how to walk with one leg. Go home. Months from now I will be fitted for a prosthetic. Hopefully I will end up with more mobility than before.
See you from rehab...
Dr. Phil
2½ years with the heel wound and because of compressed nerves and no feeling, I was never on pain meds. Fortunately now that I am on pain meds they work, but auto correct on the Kindle Fire HD has been a nightmare.
Once we got the MRI result, the heel bone all lit up with infection, we knew the war was lost. No food or water after midnight Saturday -- I had two turkey sandwiches with mayo and mustard at 11:30 -- I was scheduled to be third with my surgeon. First procedure went short, the second long, so they came to get me at 3pm. No, this bed was assembled in the room, you can't use it for transport. Gurney at three-thirty. I had signed the consent form the other day. They were going to leave it so I could think about it, but as I've said, this has been on the table from the start. We were both surprisingly all right with this. But I realized overhearing from across the way at OR Prep 29, we needed to sign off on the anesthesiologist.
OR1. Stryker power tools. The anesthesiologist suggested I might now want to look over there -- nope, I was fascinated.
The actual amputation surgery took about four hours. The edema made it a wet mess, but my surgeon was pleased with the result. I'd worried about whether there'd be enough good skin to make a below the knee flap -- they ended up doing a "fishmouth" procedure.
Back in room by 8:30pm. Now I had pain. Norco and morphine to start. We're off the IV morphine now, and have added a nerve drug to deal with the phantom pains. It's 4pm. Time to call in for another Norco. It's interesting that they're more worried about the dose of Tylenol in these pills than the oxycontin. Don't want to burn out the liver and kidneys.
You never know the schedule around here. I figured I'd move back to my home at the Fuller fifth floor subacute rehab facility Tuesday or Wednesday. I assumed Wednesday, and it looks like I am right. The Kiwi brace should be fitted in the morning, move in the afternoon.
The bandage is secure and not leaking. I am off all antibiotics. Funny, I had tolerated IV vancomycin for six weeks last summer, but in the last nine days I've been through six IV sets in both arms. The sixth hasn't been used for anything. The others got inflamed, stopped working or leaked. What the hell?
Oh wait, the previous vanco runs were through a PIC line. I guess vancomycin is really hard on regular IVs. (Although jamming Vancouver through an IV isn't recommended either. grin)
Anyway, I am in good shape. Need to learn how to walk with one leg. Go home. Months from now I will be fitted for a prosthetic. Hopefully I will end up with more mobility than before.
See you from rehab...
Dr. Phil
