Greetings and salutations to all Steemian friends!
I have been away recuperating from hip replacement surgery. The experience has filled me with a sense of awe at the miracle of medical advancements.
Image from https://www.thecenteroregon.com/total-hip-replacement/
Being a government hospital the experience was a bit like a conveyor belt but ran with a precision that can only be admired. I went through for yet another assessment but this time was asked: "Did you bring your pajamas?"
There was little or no time to waste and my friends and family, who were on standby in case this happened, moved into action. Within an hour, all my supplies were in my bedside locker and I was being "prepped" for early surgery in the morning.
When one goes through the pain of compromised hip joints for as long as I had, there was no fear - just excitement.
I was wheeled out at 6.30am in the morning and my bed parked next to 5 others waiting for a theatre to be ready.
This is a training hospital and so all the staff and surgeons were young. At first I was a bit sceptical but, one I had spoken to the young, pretty anaesthetist, I was ready to go.
In the theatre, the procedure was explained to me. I was to be given an "epidural" (an epidural anaesthetic, used mainly in childbirth that leaves no sensation below the waist) and a general anesthetic. The explanation made a whole lot of sense to me. The epidural seems to fool the body that no trauma was taking place and recovery would be enhanced.
I had a minute or two to experience the associated sensation of lower body paralysis and remember watching the needle enter the in in my arm. "See you later" I remember the anaesthetist saying and that was it.
I awoke in the high-care unit with a syringe around my neck that I was to squeeze if I had any pain. This was morphine and I must admit, I enjoyed it! Thankfully the syringe prevents over-dosing.
A day later, I was back in my ward and had to start walking almost immediately.
It surprised me how painless te new hip was.
A week later, I was back home and have been recovering daily.
To anyone out there considering this procedure, I will repeat what they ALL say: "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
Go for it! You won't regret it.
A word to the squeamish. Don't watch the video below.....But otherwise, it is extremely interesting.
I will be submitting another caricature soon... Missed you all!
Video courtesy of YouTube - WARNING - Graphic surgical procedure
Hey - this is my first comment on Steemit. (Why does the spell check object to the word Steemit? Anyway...) I had my first hip surgery in September 2017 and I have to admit I was more apprehensive than you seem to have been. I had never had major surgery before. I can't imagine having it at a training hospital. My surgery took place at UPenn. Now that I have healed I am really happy with the results. Compared to how I walked before (like Quasimoto) I am fantastic. However now what used to be the good leg (the left leg) is annoying me and I need to go back and get it done again. I guess in retrospect the healing and rehab process was the most annoying thing about the surgery as there is quite a bit of swelling in the upper thigh and some aching as a result, but it's really not all that bad and just takes patience until you can go back to "normal". I got better pretty quickly and by the 4th week I even did a hike of about a mile and a quarter. I still haven't scheduled my next surgery as my left leg honestly wasn't bothering me until just this week, maybe because I have been riding a stationary bike which has aggravated the arthritis in that leg. I'm pretty sure however that it probably will eventually trouble me more and I will not be able to wait to get it done but so far I'm not there yet. Thanks for the article.
My left leg, too, is very painful and cannot wait for the call to have it done. The pain must be very bad because I recollect waking up and feeling NO pain in the operated leg.
Now that the operated leg is as good as new, I look forward to a speedier recovery on the left leg
That is nice to know that you have recovered fully. And you are right, advancements in medical technology has really made our lives much better! Imagine the pain and agony people had to go through in such situations before!
Yes I cannot wait for the other hip to be done in March next year
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STOPPossibly the most educational post I have encountered.
Thank you.
Did you get squeamish?