Surgical Report - Too Much Information?

The knee replacement was on the right leg

Dear Readers, 

Thank you for your prayer support for Beloved's surgery on Wednesday.  It all went very well and before the afternoon was over, true to predictions, he was putting his weight on the new knee as he traversed from the bed to a nearby recliner.  I was amazed.  The Lord has been so generous with His mercies and grace.

Beloved has yet to 'cry like a girl' and his attitude has been excellent.  The surgeon found me in the waiting room to report all went well with no surprises. Isn't that what we all want to hear?!

In the picture above you can see his legs, the impaired (or I should say REPAIRED) one resting on a rolled up towel under his ankle.  On his left leg he's wearing the white surgical stockings they issue to help reduce  blood clots.  They slipped one onto his left leg before surgery, and then tied the one for his right leg onto his left ankle for safekeeping until the bandage is removed.  How clever is that?  

While he had hoped for general anesthesia, a spinal block was used instead.  But it worked out well and I think his mind cleared up from the fogginess of surgery much more quickly since he was deadened from the waist down instead of from the brain down!

No, this is not Fruit Punch...

You may have heard how some hospitals require their patients to donate blood ahead of time in case they need a transfusion after their surgery.  Our hospital is doing that differently.  They drain off the blood from the surgical site, run it through a filter, and then recycle it immediately back into the patient via their IV.  This is done for the remainder of the day.  It's an interesting sight with deep red-filled tubes coming out and going back in... recycling!!

The toughest thing he had to face on that day after surgery was the confrontation of a light supper with morphine.  The two aren't "friends", so to speak.  A short time followed with a pale face, profuse sweating, and holding a bucket close by;  but nothing was lost and good feelings returned.  By the time I left him for the night, he was tired but feeling pretty good. 

We expect physical therapy to continue today with some trips into the hallway with the help of a walker.  Speaking of special equipment, I forgot to take a picture of the 'throne room', specially outfitted for knee replacement patients.  I'll post than another time.

As I report about this surgical event I will do my best to tell it like it is, even some of the  earthy parts.  My purpose in doing this is not sensationalism but rather to be informative for those who need to know what a joint replacement entails.  With that said, my blog continues to be a safe place in our world of questionable Internet articles.