I got home before 2 p.m. and had lots of stuff to read while Margaret went to get prescriptions filled for coumadin and hydroco/APAP.
I guess I mentioned befire that the lady who taught the "pre-admission education class" had to have exaggerated; no hospital treats people that well. Well, I was wrong. I've never been in a hospital, even as a visitor, like the
Medical Center of Lewisville. I went to surgery Monday about 11 a.m., woke up in recovery looking at a great big digital clock with big red letters
"1300". By 2:30 p.m., they had the CPM (constant passive motion) machine hooked up, set to bend the knee 50 degrees. And about 3 p.m., they took me to my room. Incidentally, they put me in the bed I'd stay in while I was in the operating room so no moving from stretcher to bed. The CPM machine stayed on for 15 hours, except for 15 minutes Monday afternoon that they had me sit up on the edge of the bed.
During the night, they gradually increased the amount of knee bend 5 or 10 degrees at a time and told me they'd only do as much as I felt I could comfortably tolerate. They seemed a bit surprised when we went all the way to the maximum 90 degrees, but it never hurt. They took it off during the day, put it back on at night around 6 p.m. each night, started it off at 50 degrees, but showed me how to start and stop it and change the limits. I just promptly went to 90 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday night and left it there. It never hurt.
I guess they did make one small error in forgetting to take my order for Tuesday's breakfast and lunch. so for breakfast they brought orange juice, coffee, a pint of 2% milk, oatmeal, a biscuit, scrambled egg, bacon, margarine, sugar, salt & pepper, and mixed fruit jelly. For lunch it was a slice of ham with a full slice of pineapple on it and a marachino cherry, macaroni & cheese, steamed spinach, a big dinner roll with margarine, iced tea, and apple pie. They did ask me what I wanted for the other meals, but I told them I didn't care if they just surprised me.
They had also told me if I wanted anything special to just ask. Incidentally, today we had a "graduation luncheon" in the physical therapy room (5 of us who were getting out and our spouses), so we had a big slice of roast beef with gravy, potatoes, english peas, little cocktail onions, dinner roll, mixed green salad with choice of dressing, chocolate cake, and cookies. Now I'm a big eater, but I couldn't eat everything they brought even though it was good.
The nurses work 12 hours shifts; 7 to 7. Just before shift change, the oncoming and outgoing nurses both come to your room for the outgoing nurse to brief the one coming on, so you can participate in the briefing. Both the primary nurse and the assistant carry in house "phones"; just pick up the phone in the room and dial 4 digits and you talk directly to the nurse or assistant. The numbers are on a board on the wall in your room.
The physical therapist came twice a day, the occupational therapist once a day, the Orthopedic Care Coordinator (lady who taught that class) comes once or twice a day.
It just ain't like most hospitals! One of the guys who was also leaving today had one knee replaced in February and the other one this week by the same doctor.
Oh, I asked my doctor what brand of hardware they use and it's
Zimmer. He said they've never had a problem or recall.
There may be places as good or better, but if so I don't know where they are. They had a walker delvered to me this morning, and both a home health care physical therapist and a nurse are supposed to come visit tomorrow; 2 weeks of home physical therapy, and then outpatient therapy at the hospital
If I think I need it.
