After walking with a damaged right ankle for about six months, I finally had surgery on 26 January.
What with everything happening in my life – busy work season (one of my clients is the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon), the kids having just started a new school year (including Da Son starting at a brand new school) – I considered moving the surgery until May. But in the end, I found myself booked in at Constantiaberg Mediclinic at 6am last Monday.
It turned out to be a very difficult two days, and I am still struggling with pain management and the frustration of being immobile.
This is what happened…
I had to get up at 4am (but pressed the snooze button until 5), after working until 2am to meet all my deadlines.
Having had to book into the hospital at 6am (and having not had anything to eat since 6pm), I was full of hope that I’d be first on the surgery list. But I waited and waited…
And bravely fought hunger.
Not even the sedative would make me sleep (much to their surprise).
Until they finally told me it was my turn, around lunch time.
The anaesthetist was well known to me.
But this time, he struggled to find a vein. Any vein. Then he told me to
… and surprised me by plunging the needle into my left hand. And proceeded to dig around for a vein.
After a while…
Finally they were able to knock me out. And when I finally woke up – instead of pain-free discomfort, all I felt was…
I spent most of my afternoon and evening in a state of disorientation and pain. Much later, the anaesthetist came to visit.
After a sleepless night, the orthopod came to say hello, and after hearing my sad story, said that it would appear that there was something wrong with the medication used to apply my nerve and ankle blocks. So instead of being pain-free for about 12 hours after waking up, I could feel everything from the get-go.
I declined all offers for a bed pan (I still have SOME dignity), and crutched to the loo myself.
I really just wanted to go home.
And around 2pm on Tuesday, I finally did.
Now I’m home. I’ve stopped taking all pain killers because they don’t work anyway. I’m getting my hard cast next Thursday, but in the mean time am stuck here with #myrightfoot in the air.
