For those of you that have mistakenly read these pages in the past know that Ravings posts, which I do a couple of times per year, are a collection of random thoughts and opinions that make very little sense and carry absolutely no socially redeeming value. I try hard to do that.
Also, for those of you that religiously follow my silliness on Facebook and Twitter will know most of this. For that lone individual that niether follows me on either and reads these pages, welcome.
My hip replacement surgery was 10 days ago and as I start into week 2 of my post operative care, several things are worth stating.
One, I have been totally pleased with Lynchburg General Hospital, their services and the way I was treated. Having come from a family that has had major issues with healthcare over the years, Lynchburg General was a surprise. From the pre-surgical joint camp, thru my three days there, I didn't have a single complaint. Plus, I was superimpressed with their food service. I had a menu in my room, called in my order--with no limitations--and it was delivered to my room in less than an hour. With the exception of one sandwich the evening of surgery which was a little dry, all of my meals were equal to what I would expect at any restaurant in town.
My surgery lasted two hours, and following another couple of hours in recovery, I was taken to a private room and was on my feet by mid-afternoon. My only real complaint was that they didn't give you a chance to sleep as someone was in my room hourly for the next 24 hours. Lab work was done around 4AM which I found odd, but that's the way they do it. My surgeon, Dr. Caprise, visited around 6AM and I had a big breakfast ordered each day and delivered by 7. Of course, every time I had to go, I had to ring for assistance which came within a minute from my hitting the call button.
On surgery day, they had me on oxycodone and morphine so I was flying high. I got then to drop the morphine by early evening as it made me too loopy.
Both days, I spent two sessions in the therapy room, a continuation of the joint camp going thru all of the exercises, care of the new hip, getting in and out of bed, and the car, etc. By the time I left at noon on Saturday, I was ready to get home and start my own therapy and recovery program.
I have also been extremely impressed with the Orthopaedic Center of Central Virginia where Dr Caprise and a couple dozen other surgeons do their thing. They have taken patient care to a level I didn't know existed which includes on-line services, phone services and nursing help available 24/7. Not only could I get someone on the phone instantly, I got responses back from my doctor within minutes. I'm used to waiting hours for answers from doctors.
I developed an allergy to oxycodone during my second day home. I started itching like crazy, my foot was swollen to almost double its size, and the right side of my body looked like I'd had sex and lots of it in a field of poisin ivy. First, I was sent straight to the hospital for tests to make sure I hadn't developed blood clots. Then, my meds were adjusted and played with to get me back to comfortable without using the percs. Within 12 hours, I was back to normal, and back to my therapy. We've found that Tramadol with an extra boost of Tylenol when needed works fine and I can function at a reasonable level.
In week 2, I'm doing my full menu of exercises twice a day, plus walking 500 feet. That increases each week for the next couple of months. Wednesday, I get the staples out and still have a target of mid-March getting back to normal and back to work.
I'll keep posts coming every so often especially if there are any major changes. And, for those of you that are following my silliness, I really appreciate your thoughts and comments. Keep it up.
