I never had the chance of publishing this as the last 5 months have been very busy.
So today I thought I would make it "part of my record" by publishing it unfinished as it is.
It has been about 2/(now 5) months since I posted last, let me tell you a saga!
As you know I was thinking of a move to be near my daughter Lisa as the MD's diagnosed severe degenerative arthritis in my lumbar spine. I felt it was maybe time I needed to be near my daughter as I do not know the results/impact of the surgery on my life. So on 9/30 I flew to Tampa, apt listings in hand to begin my search. Got off plane, did a quick chore to put me on Lisa's
family plan with T mobile, arrived at her home after dark, got out of the car and literally crashed into her driveway which happens to be cement. darn it.
Immediately I knew it would not be good at all. My right leg above the knee felt like dead wood.
911 arrived, into ambulance for painful ride to Brandon Regional about 10 minutes away.
X-ray revealed "Break in femur in four places including the ball joint"
Shot of morphine knocked me out, catheter in with no food or water for 24 hours until next afternoon.
"Sorry, no surgery today" We will try for Saturday morning.
Okay, more pain meds by the IV bagful, ambien, traction for overnight. (If you are on Face Book befriend me and you can see me before and after surgery)
Sat morning, up early surgery successful. After I am in my room, MD PA comes in, "It was a very complicated and challenging surgery" I said, "Say What?" "Whatever happened to the words "routine and boring?" He smiled. I found out later I did not have the best surgeon in the group however I trust that God will take care of any surgeon mistakes. He keeps saying during my check in visits, I have had two, "I could have wired a piece of the break but it doesn't heal well, more complicated." I just think he wanted to hurry to the golf course or some other activity on a Sat in FL.
So by Tuesday I was out of the hospital and into rehab about 10 minutes from my daughter's home. The RN's were very nice and looking out for my care. However the MD would not permit me pain meds for the ambulance transfer, a real, real painful ride with no meds until the next day! Needless to say I got very little sleep that night.
So It has been six weeks of rehabbing with PT and OT each day at first. I now have 1.5 hours of PT each day with a session on the weekend also. I have been keeping a journal most days with my "fights with the management " of the rehab center. Remember I was on the other side of the bed for 7 years as a hospice chaplain, so I have been intimately in and around health care systems for 7 years including overseeing my own mother's hospice care.
Trials and tribulations include
1. I have not yet figured out a way to get pain meds, once a day, prior to PT which I have at 9 AM every day since I arrived. Some of the LPN's who oversee pain meds are really good, others are just not awake at that hour of the morning I guess. So I have created a sign, "Ask for percacet at 7:30 AM with applesauce" and hung it on my closet door directly opposite the bed.
2. I cannot receive communion because I am in PT when the ministers do their rounds. Now I am talking mega parish where my children attend about 10 minutes away. This is the failure of the RCC to institute the reforms of Vatican II where all are called to be ministers and FL is filled with retired RC's. I am so glad I am out of the institutional RCC via attempting to live the reforms that need to come about.
3. Today I bit a piece of candy broke a tooth. Upside the tooth has a root canal which buys me time till I get discharged I hope. I will have Lisa give me the name of her dentist.
February 27:
I have moved into my new duplex at Sun City Center about 20 miles South of Lisa in Brandon. I will go to the MD's on March 17th to see what the folks at the Spinal Institute connected to USF and Tampa General say about surgery, etc.
Address:
1904 Canterbury Lane Unit 21
Sun City Center 33573
813 938 5750 (home)
Katyrcwp@gmail.com
You can also befriend me on Facebook under Katy Zatsick
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment