Recovery Begins

Safety Tip

Plan ahead for harsher weather

Have your car winterized before the winter storm season sets in. Keeping your car in good condition decreases your chance of being stranded in cold weather. (And as you high-mileage enthusiasts already know, it also increases the life of your vehicle.) Have your mechanic check your battery, fluids, ignition system, thermostat, lights, exhaust system, heater, and brakes. This is also a great time to have the oil changed. In your trunk, be sure to have a first aid kit, thermal blanket, a working flashlight, a shovel and sand. As always, buckle up before heading out to enjoy all the fall has to offer. Be safe!

Recovery Begins

I woke up in a dark room trying to understand where I was and why.  It seemed as if I had awakened from a long night’s sleep. I felt no pain and had completely forgotten about the surgery. I looked around and saw other beds and noticed people walking around in the dim light of the room. Someone walked up to my bed and noticing that I was awake started to disconnect me from lines attached to equipment nearby equipment. Before I knew it, I was being rolled out of the recovery area. The person rolling my bed didn’t speak to me but I heard the conversations and activity of others centered on several patients being attended to as I was moved out of the area.

The trip through the hospital helped me regain my awareness and I realized that the surgery was over. I began to wonder if it had been successful.  Going into the surgery I was never clear on the extent of my injuries. I knew that I had broken the right hip and it was extremely painful. My feeling was that the injury was bad but just how bad I wasn’t sure. I looked for the doctor whom I spoke with earlier.  I was eager to learn how things had gone and what the next steps were. The trip across the hospital brought me back to my room where I found my wife waiting. As we talked I could see the concern in her eyes as she tried to access my situation. She explained that although the estimation of the doctor before surgery was that the operation would last two or three hours, the reality was that the surgery had taken nearly six hours and there had been no interim reports or communication from the OR during the event. I was surprised, but I reassured her that I felt fine.

I spent the remainder of the day sleeping and trying to gain some sense of my overall health physical health.  In my room the medication was setup to automatically be administered through an IV line. The nurses made frequent visits to the room checking my vital signs and monitoring the operation of the equipment I was connected to.  I noticed that the traction device was no longer hooked up to my leg, but I had zero ability to move any parts of my lower right extremities.  I found there two drainage tubes plunged into the side of my right thigh and connected to collapsible discs containers that lay next to me on the bed.  Overall, I felt pretty good and I hoped that the worst was now over.

Later that evening Dr. Stewart arrived to check my status. He asked how I felt and explained that the surgery had required much more time than anticipated but everything had gone well and he did not foresee any complications. He generally explained the treatment and what needed to take place immediately as well as the length of the healing and recovery process.  He asked if I had any questions about anything at that point. I told him how much I appreciated what he had done and asked about my future mobility. I explained that my favorite sport was running and wondered what his predictions were for the long term.  His response was vague. I am not sure how he phrased the answer but it came out positive but with no guarantees.  We shook hand and he was off. 

Next week: The Long Road to Recovery