It started on the morning of September 13. Marie drove me to the hospital (St. John’s here in Tulsa) about 6AM as I was to have my right hip replaced. We were to check in on the 12th floor by 6:30AM. Got checked in and was told to undress and get into a gown. I was then rolled to the operating area on the 3rd floor. Now this was the very same area I was rolled into 17 months earlier when I had my left hip replaced. Again I was put in a wait status. I have no idea how long I was there. I got my IV earlier. I do remember another guy being rolled in and he was as quiet as I was.
Suddenly I was taken thru many many hall ways and finally into an operating room. Now I member everything about this procedure as I was not given a shot before being moved into the operating room. Next I was introduced to the anesthesiologist who would controlling all that really goes on within the operating room. It seemed like a long time as they said the sergeon was not available. Finally Dr Josephson showed up and the anesthesiologist asked if it was OK to use a spinal block. As I had read that this procedure was the less evasive I said it was OK, thinking I’d get my shot and then they would get the spinal. The next thing I remember was that the anesthesiologist said this is going to hurt a bit. Boy was he wrong, it hurt a lot. Then my legs, which were cold, suddenly got real warm and even hot. But there was no pain anywhere. There was a while when I remembered nothing, but this was interrupted with the Surgeon and the anesthesiologist talking. Then the noise of a saw and the feeling and hearing of hammering. This is when I realized I was listening while the surgery was being performed. I think I must have gone into shock or something at this point. I remember hearing “were done”
From this point on it was being moved and then answering every time they asked me if I could feel anything, along with being shot or something being placed in my arm. Finally the feeling returned to my right leg followed by about 30 minutes by my left leg. Then back to my room. At this point I think I went to sleep (or they put me out) as the next think I remember was eating .
Then I remember seeing Marie and eventaully being rolled off to the exercise area. I did have a few problems at this point. My blood sugar levels were in the 300 – 400′s and I was getting ‘LANTUS’ insulin shots along with my medicine (pills). Also it became impossible to pass urine. I was then given a catheter by a hospital “trainee” who looked like “Ivan The Terrible” and who had an spoke with a strange sound, like being from another country. It was like the spinal tap.
This was my procedure until I was released from the hospital on Thursday September 16th.
The rest of the months (September and October) was spent in pain from the catheter and the continual removing and replacements of catheters. As I was on pain pills, I really felt no pain at all from the hip or right leg. I was finally given a test (not a mental test but a procedure relating to my bladder) that must have been planned by “Ivan The Terrible’s Mother”. Lucky for me the next Wednesday the catheter was removed and all was well with my bladder. Now this total experience has made me reject any notion of modesty. Any suggestion that women are gentle humans is false. When they insert or remove a catheter, I really believe they are planning on hurting you.
Still having problems with the sugar levels. It doesn’t pay to be a diabetic.
Also, someone really needs to let you know that operations can cause parts of the body to “go to sleep”. In my case my bladder shut down and a catheter was needed to drain my bladder. My pancreas is also or may be affected. What I was told after the surgery is that sometimes this happens.
