Day of Surgery

My surgery was scheduled for noon at OSU East, and we were supposed to get there two hours early for check in. Kevin and I got there at 10, and my parents met us there shortly after. We figured we might need two cars depending on how I'd have to sit on the way home. We checked in, and they gave my parents and Kevin my "tracking number" (and a free coffee!). They have a big TV screen in the waiting area and in the cafeteria with each patient's number, and it changes from registration to pre-op to surgery, post-op, recovery, and finally discharged. 

  OSU East (Picture taken from OSU's website)

The longer we sat there, the more nervous I became. Around 11:30am, the receptionist came over and asked if we had been seen by the nurse yet. We hadn't, so he went to figure out what was going on. All of the pre-op beds were full, so I just had to wait in waiting room until one opened up. That was actually fine with me because I had more time with Kevin and my parents! Around 12:15pm, the nurse finally came to get me. My parents and Kevin couldn't come with me at this point, so we said our goodbyes and then they went to get lunch and enjoy the beautiful weather in the courtyard while they waited.

I went to pre-op and did a million things to get me ready for surgery, one of which was the seemingly easy task of peeing in a cup. I had already gone to the bathroom about ten times since we arrived at the hospital due to nerves and I didn't think I had anything left, but when the nurse said she'd flush my bladder if I wasn't able to go in the cup I somehow managed to go a little because that sounded horrific. 

ID band, allergies, and being a fall risk. I also got a party hat (as the nurses call it), bright red socks, and a lovely hospital gown.

The nurses were all incredibly friendly, the anesthesiologist was awesome (he also confirmed that redheads actually do need more anesthesia), and the PA was great. They were very good at keeping me calm and answering any questions I had. The surgeon came in and initialed my knee to make sure he'd operate on the correct one, and I eventually left for the operating room a little after 2pm. I was trying to thank the nurses for being so kind but couldn't get the words out as I quickly dozed off.  I (thankfully) don't remember anything after that until waking up in the recovery room. 

Kevin and my parents came in and saw me around 4:30pm. I was totally coherent and awake, which was much different from my previous experiences with anesthesia. I didn't feel too nauseous either, which was awesome. I am telling you, the anesthesiologist was fantastic! He said they use these monitors on your forehead to measure your brainwaves during surgery to see how asleep you are in order to adjust the amount of anesthesia they give you, and he gave me a few extra anti-nausea medications.

I was in quite a bit of pain and had a massive brace on, but I was SO excited to see Kevin and my parents and to be out of surgery. I also found out some AWESOME news right after surgery; The part that they operated on was further back in my femur than they expected, and it ended up being in a non-weight bearing part of my bone. This means I can weight-bear as tolerated and that I only need to use crutches for a day to a week instead of six weeks!! I still need to wear the massive brace for six weeks, but I'll gladly take that over non-weight bearing for six weeks.

They ended up using a bone void plug made out of cadaver bone instead of synthetic material. He said that they are ground up and made into a matrix that my healthy bone will mesh with. Eventually the cadaver bone will be totally dissolved and my healthy bone will completely replace it. Here is a picture the surgeon drew and showed my parents and Kevin of what they did in surgery:

The bottom picture is removing all the dead bone. The top is removing a little bit of the healthy bone in order for it to mesh with the cadaver bone and ensure a snug fit while putting the bone plug in.

Once we got back home, I got all settled in the reclining chair on one couch, and Kevin settled into the other recliner. He was more exhausted than me and passed out right away. It was quite a long day of waiting (10am-4:30pm, and we finally got home around 6:30pm. Thanks for coming, Kevin!). Hayes and Erin came to visit, too! It was nice to have some friends to talk to to distract me from focusing on my knee. It hurt pretty badly once the meds from the hospital wore off. I ended up staying up until about 3am trying to get comfortable and waiting for the pain to ease up a little since the painkillers that were prescribed weren't really kicking in.  

Nap time.

Giant ice pack with the brace opened up.

My super tan (iodine) leg!

Luckily, we have a guest bedroom with a bathroom downstairs. My mom stayed downstairs with me for the night to make sure I could make it around okay. She is awesome! Kevin and everyone in my family have been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout this whole process, and I am so thankful for all of them.