When we arrived, they took Sam straight to a little office off to the side of the family waiting room. He got registered and banded on both arms, and they took him off. After about an hour they came and got me. It was about 7:30am. I got to say bye, and I love you. He asked, "How do I look?" Which was funny because he was covered in wires and tubes by then! I said, "Like a hospital patient."
The anesthesiologist told me that they had given Sam a Lumbar Block that was similar to the Spinal or Epidural that I got with my C-Section, not in that it goes in your back, but in that it works in a similar fashion. One thing that is interesting, is he still has only a little feeling in the upper part of the right leg, which we are attributing to that Block....at 12am Thursday...
At 7:45am they wheeled him off, I followed. Right as we turned towards the main elevators, Sam's parents stepped off and into the hall. The nurse stopped long enough to let Linda give him a kiss, and he said, "I love you." and fell asleep again.
(He never remembered this moment, until about 2 days later, when he suddenly looked at me and said, "I remember my Mom kissing me.")
They began the surgery at 8:15am.Kim Hay and Ronnie Caswell both came and sat with us, first Kim, then Ronnie.
At 10:15 Dr. Y came out and told us that everything had gone exactly the way it was supposed to. He said that when this was healed, Sam would have better flexibility than he had ever had before. He told us that Sam would be in a lot of pain for the first 3 days, but then it should subside. He said that Sam would be on crutches for 6 weeks, and no impact, or weight bearing karate for 3-4 months, but we were expecting this.
Dr. Y did say that the procedure had taken a lot longer than he expected, since Sam is such a muscular guy.
At 10:40am Sam went into the Recovery Room.
The surgery was from 8:15-10:40am, right about 2 & 1/2 hours! He had expected it to take and hour less!
Sam was in Recovery for 2 hours, and then they've moved us up to the 6th floor. It's a small room, very sparsely decorated, but private, and functional.
He has slept all day today. The few times he tried to eat a tiny bite of food it instantly made him very nauseated, and we had to give him Zofran at one point. So, no food today! Ice only.
He has had: 2 bites of beef pot pie when he first came up- they brought him a tray of solid foods and tried to insist we feed it to him, so Ben Conver helped him take a couple of bites and he almost passed out on us, we told them to forget it- then about an hour later, 2 sips of chicken broth, again very pale and nausea,-this was the Zofran- then much, much later, a tiny bite of jello, and again with the nausea, so we gave up. We did get him to drink an entire can of Ginger Ale though, and like I said, 2 cups full of ice chunks.
We worked hard to do the exercises they've given us, in between his many naps today! He has an exercise with the ankles where you push your foot down like your hitting the gas pedal, and then pull back up again. Also a couple of others, and a breathing exercise where he has to blow all the air in his lungs out and the using a long tube, suck in really hard to get a meter to raise up to (ideally) 4000. We teetered around 3500, but hit 4000 twice.
These all have to been hourly, if you are doing what you are supposed to!
Cindy Lewis, the head Nurse Practitioner that went on the Nicaragua trip with Sam, showed up around 3:00pm and I was so surprised I just walked up and starred at her! She said, "What are you doing here?" I told her Sam had a "PAO hip thing this morning" which is typically all I can remember to call it. She came in and said hi and met his Dad, and said hi to Linda, who she had meet during the Purpose Driven Life Study at Forest Park.
Cindy took me on a full tour of the 6th floor! I finally got Sam's workout shorts that say, "Audubon Joint Center" or something on them- which we've heard a lot about but never gotten- and a little gym bag for him to take down to PT.
I was sooooo relieved to see her. I really felt like a stranger in a strange land here. I never have stayed here before. I've been at Baptist East so many times, but never here. So to see a familiar face, and then to find out that she's in charge of the Joint Therapy wing! Wow!
My Mom and Gannie came to visit at 3:30 and got to meet the head of the Physical Therapy staff, a very peppy lady, who thinks Sam should just use his crutches to, "shove the kids out of his way," and then I took Mom on a mini tour of the wing that Cindy had just showed me.
Later, Sam's Mom and Dad came back to visit, and actually Pop drove me over to the 24 hr Walmart that is nearby to get some cough drops and things.
Then when they had gone, Sam and I stole a few minutes while he was awake to watch a DVD on his computer! We watched "The Happening!"
Well, he's up again, so I better take off. More tomorrow if I can. We start our Joint Camp tomorrow. Here's our schedule: (I am the coach, so I'm enrolled too!)
Physical Therapy Evaluation- 8:15-9:00
Begin Joint Camp- 9:45am
Break for a Catered Lunch for the Group from Masterson's
NAP
More Joint Camp
Dinner
NAP
Uh....then maybe I'll write to you!
PS- When I read this to Sam, he said I needed to add about our great view. I'm telling you, I've never seen a view this pretty in a high class hotel! There is nothing but rolling hills and trees in one direction. Then in the distance there is a cemetary, very pretty.
And Sam's favorite part is the UofL Clock Tower. Honestly, one whole wall of our little room is like a postcard!
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