Just call me Half-Awake Hobbles

Right now the knees not really hurting, but I do have that spacey feeling when you're not quite awake. I got home after ten pm last night and was up at 3:30 this morning to be at the hospital by 5:45 so that I could be Dr. Williams first patient of the day at 8:00 am.

No epidural this time, just a little something in my IV and I began to wake up in the OR as they were wrapping my knee and remember looking at my anesthesiologist and asking if we were done - no loud music in the operating room this time. Just after 9 (Regis and his guest host were still doing their opening banter on the tv over my bed) I was wheeled into recovery and offered a mediocre tuna sandwich and a ginger ale. By 10 am I had gotten out of bed and peed and they were ready to send me to "Phase 2" recovery and send me home.

I never even got to see Dr. Williams after my surgery, though Melissa came and told me everything went smoothly and gave me some post-op care rules. Nor, did I ever get my screws! (May that be the worst part of this operation!)

Mitch picked me up and took me to the pharmacy for my pain and anti-inflammatory prescriptions before dropping me off at home. Where I immediately collapsed on the couch with an ice pack and made a few phone calls and getting some time with one of the cats. When I found myself in some pain and waking from a doze in a position bound to give me one heck of a neck cramp, I took my crutch and hobbled to bed and passed out for two hours. Which brings us to now and this fuzzy headed feeling.

As for post-op rules - one crutch and light weight bearing for the next 24 hours at which point I can remove the bandages wrapping my full knee and just band-aid the surgery scar. I have to keep it dry for the next 10 days (so it's back to plastic wrap in the shower!) but should be able to move the knee normally. Though we did discuss I may have re-plan my Saturday as my currently scheduled photo shoot may have me on my feet too much.

Right now I'm just going to drink some juice and go back to bed. Melissa is supposed to call tomorrow to check on me, we will leave it until then.

Blood work

Yes, it's been awhile. My life has been more about bringing in a paycheck then obsessing on my knee. Though I have been getting a bit of pain lately. I have decided it is my knee preparing to lose the screws.

I am happy to report that procedure is scheduled for a week from tomorrow (if I finish and post this by midnight). I went to the hospital today for my blood work - an hour on the subway each way so they could spend less then a minute drawing 2 vials of blood. I figured it was still better then last time when my primary sent the blood to a lab that doesn't take my insurance and so we had to rush labs the morning of my surgery.

I also had to do a bit of scrambling today when the person who was originally scheduled to pick me up at the hospital had to cancel. Fortunately, I was able to find a new person. It seems ridiculous that I have to have someone at all, it's not like I'm having them move into my apartment to take care of me. Especially since this is supposed to be such an easy procedure. I asked if I could just have someone meet me downstairs at the hospital entrance, but no, Melissa insists they have to come up to the Recovery Room. Again, if all they are doing is driving me home what is the point? I can almost guarantee that whoever comes to pick me up next Wednesday is not the person I would call for help if there is a post-surgical complication!

Maybe that should be my new career - hiring myself out to people who need someone to get them out of the hospital so they can go home and be sick in peace!

In all seriousness, I just want to know that this final part will be easy and that it will mark a turning point in getting my life and my career back on track! I have been somewhat forced by the surgery into a stagnation that I neither wanted, nor was really prepared for. The thought of having to pause my life for another nine months to have the other knee done scares the crud out of me.

I want nothing more then to jump on a plane with my camera bag and just go! I have tried for some projects closer to home, but have been having funding and permission problems. I don't know maybe my life just makes more sense when I'm looking through a camera lens - or maybe it's almost midnight and I just need to go to bed!