The point that I want to make today is about recovery. No matter how much preparation is done for a surgery, things are never quite what you expect. I researched this procedure in greater depth than I did my final year uni exams, but there were still a few surprises. The first as I already mentioned was how tired I've been. In other surgeries I have had the pain has been worse, but after I recovered from the initial anaesthetic I wasn't tired, which normally meant that as I slept all day, and was then awake all night.
Second was the boots I had to wear. I was aware that they would make me wear compression socks as this is general practice for all admitted patients almost anywhere these days. However, I didn't expect the sequential compression boots I was wearing. These boots systematically filled up with air, a bit like a blood pressure cuff, in order to promote circulation and prevent blood clots. To start with they felt quite nice, like a gentle leg massage, but as time went by they began to itch and my legs got hot and sweaty inside them. Had I known about them I might have been able to prepare. Maybe use some powder or cream, or wrap a towel around my legs inside the boots.
A more worrying problem I had was with my speech. I knew that the stimulator could effect speech, but I thought that that only happened when it was turned on. However, in post-op I noticed that my speech was slower and slurred some what. This could have been a side-effect of the drugs and only short term, but I feel that there was more to it than that, and the side effects were still felt over a day later. Everyone tells me that they could not notice it, and I believe that as time has gone by and the swelling has gone down it has got better. But the fact that it was unexpected is rather disconcerting.
Finally, my last unexpected surprise was the size of the cut. When researching the procedure I found pictures of scars that were only an inch long on either side, so you could understand that I was a little distressed when I saw the wound with over 30 staples. I does not really bother me, but I would much have preferred to know before the procedure so I knew what to expect. The doctors had always played down the size of the incisions and coupled with my own research had led to misinform me. This brings me on to a much larger topic, but I will handle that later. The general rule is however, as with many things in life, it will never be quite what you expect.
Well, apologies once again. I said at the start it was Monday, and although I started writing it on Monday it is now Tuesday evening (apology exemption for US readers, who should still get this on Monday) but the days go by quickly when you sleep 16 hours a day. Next time I'll simply give an update on how I am. Until then, stay well:)
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