Sep 14
Yes, I was feeling quite full of myself, thinking I had this surgery thing licked. The universe decided to remind me just who is boss. I was very pleased that there was very little swelling in my knee, but my foot was quite plump. When it started to change colors and get hot to the touch, I knew it was time to call the doctor. He was in the OR all day, but managed to call me between surgeries. We all feared it was blood clot or infection. Sadly, the ER was the best option we could come up with to test for a blood clot. He called ahead to set things up with the ER, but it was still a very long day.
Fortunately, there is no blood clot nor infection. The swelling is just fluid from knee that has decided to settling in my foot. The remedy is to keep my foot elevated above my heart as much as possible. The ER visit turned out to be a good thing. When they unwrapped the surgical dressings, they noticed I was having a reaction to the steri-strips.
WARNING: This part is gross.
I refused to look at the incision. I caught a glimpse of the giant bruises on my shin. That was enough. I pulled the sheet over my head and gave strict instructions that there was to be as little conversation about the icky stuff as possible. I have huge, red blisters under the steri-strips. The doctor tried to gently pull off the steri-strips, which ripped open the blisters. Yeah, that hurt. A lot. They warned me there will lots of "drainage" from the blisters for a few days. Hubski gets to change the dressings because there is no way I am going to look at that mess.
The doctors laughed at me. I am the girl who refuses pain medication less than twenty four after major reconstructive surgery, but I melt into a puddle at the thought of seeing my own incision. I am a visual person. That image would stick with me forever.
So, I will slow down even more. My doctor is very happy with my progress, even with this bit of drama. He reminded me that this a marathon, not a sprint.
