POST OP day 1

Warning for the queezy:  get that waste basket, some of the pics may get you queezy fo sheezy!

CPM machine sans the leg.

my BFF for the next 2 weeks:  CPM machine, started at 45 degrees the night of surgery

DAY 1 post op:

woke up at 6am and reached for the gauze that i had stuffed up where the blood was dripping from.  a little dried blood.  phew.  so my mom woke up and i told her what happened.  she was nervous too but she went ahead and cooked breakfast while i kept my leg up in the CPM machine. mom made me a simple breakfast of oatmeal and a hardboiled egg.  i was surprised to have an appetite.  I was already receiving texts from possible visitors for the day.  started my CPM later that morning, this time at 55 degrees.  Sarah was my first visitor.  She brought horchata (my favorite drink) along with yummy muffins.  I decided to take off the brace once she got there bc she could help assess.  the whole ace bandage was bloody!  so we kept my leg open like that to air out the ace bandage (it was also moist from the cold therapy wrap).

that's from the dried up drainage that freaked me out

the design from inside the cold therapy wrap made a bloody design on my ace bandage. eww.

Sarah got me to hold my leg up, eww.

i took my first norco to see what it would do bc i was beginning to get feeling back in my left thigh.  under all the bulky dressing i tried to flex my knee as well as my hamstring.  sarah stayed for a couple of hours, then sheana came to visit.  sarah received a nice filipino lunch from my mom (arroz caldo, egg rolls, donuts, and pansit).  my Auntie Rose came and hung with my mom, but brought some beautiful flowers and some healthy snacks.  when sheana got in, we chatted and she got a filipino meal as well!  She brought some chocolate and a new friend, coconut!

the last visitor of the night was lis, who got her filipino dinner from diony!  Lis brought some yummy samosas and other indian goodies.  Now my mom is OBSESSED with samosas and was willing to give her 2 empanada or 3 lumpia for one samosa.  anyhoo, it was great having company over!

Lis quickly made friends with Coconut on my CPM machine

Coconut wanted to join in on some CPM fun

Sarah saying adios to Coconut

i still felt guilty and helpless asking for things i need or to get this or that, i'm so used to doing everything on my own!  i felt esp. uncomfortable asking my mom for things because i want her to take it easy after all the health issues she's been through in the last couple of months.  this is the last thing she needs. i had completed my day of CPM-ing at 55 degrees.  my dad's flight from florida was to arrive late that night, so i was left alone for about an hour.  it honestly felt like the first time i was left alone in nursery 4 (micropreemie room) when i was off of orientation.  my NICU friends would understand that.  the frustrating part was that i was due for my antibiotic, but the med container was nowhere to be found!  i was even video chatting with Vince, he witnessed my struggles to find it, including laying on the ground, feeling under all perimeters of my bed, moving blankets, tossing pillows...nothing.  i was especially concerned bc of my possible draining wound and chance of infection.  Vince told me to calm down and wait til the rents got home.  i said bye to him and tried to fall asleep.  A couple minutes later my parents walked in the door and came straight to check on me.  Gus (my dad) had the most worried and concerned look on his face as he saw me in my CPM all strapped up, my left leg covered from hip to ankle in crazy medical equipment.  i asked them to look for my antibiotics on the floor.  a couple seconds later my dad goes, "what's this?"  he picks up my meds by the window where i could've sworn i checked 3 times!  i was so thankful.  plus it was great to see my dad bc he only comes home once in a while.  i fell back asleep only to wake up around 5am in pain and needing to use the bathroom.  i know my cooler needed to be reloaded with ice so i decided to fill up an ice bag that was given to me in recovery.  there was no way for me to be quiet as I crutched into the kitchen to use the ice dispenser.  Of course, my parents woke up to the dispenser.  i crutched my way back to bed after filling up the ice bag.  Once in bed I was in so much pain that i started to cry.  we decided to refill my cold therapy cooler, so my dad wheeled it out (I placed the cooler on a chair with wheels so nobody has to pick it up) to do that.

cold therapy, requires A LOT of ice and water

i was still in tears but wanted to save my pain meds for my PT session that would be 4 hours later.  Once the cold therapy was applied, I was able to sleep a couple hours more.  But that was by far the most pain i had experienced post op.

My black "whiteboard" that Sarah created.  Love it or AIDET, gotta be on top of things!