Double Knee Replacement Surgery Day

On the day of surgery, I arrived at 10:30AM, and without an "Advil" or pain reliever for over a week, and nothing in my belly, I was ready for surgery. It starts off in a way you might expect. You check in at the counter and soon are placed in a room to change into a surgical gown, hair in a bonnet, and all valuables placed in a bag to be placed in your room.

You have your blood pressure, temperature and heart rate checked and off you're zoomed into the surgery staging area. For me, I had a reaction to the antibiotic they were giving me thru the IV which resulted in my having my head start to feel like it needed to be scratched. Soon I was scratching my head, my back and feeling really uncomfortable. The nurse was called and soon I was receiving Benadryl via IV which quickly relaxed my itching and my mind. I had this terrible thought that maybe I wasn't going to be able to have surgery, since I had this reaction, but that was not the case. The anesthesiologist came in and soon I was kneeling on a chair massage chair and off to "la-la-land" My surgery started around 2:00pm. the last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist wearing a dog printed surgical cap asking me if I felt relaxed like I was at a party. My parting words were .... "not yet" and then I was out.

I remember waking up on the way to the recovery room and seeing the doctor but soon I found myself trying to wake up in another location. I saw the clock and it was 4:50pm, then 5:30pm the 6:10pm. I was thirsty but really didn't feel any pain.

For this type of surgery, they not only perform a nerve block, but they inject pain reliever into the bone that last up to 48 hours post surgery. When I finally made it up to my room, I felt pretty good. I was awake and really didn't have any pain. The most uncomfortable part was the IV in my arm.

I remember the nurses coming in and taking my vitals. They asked me to move my ankles- point and flex. I could easily pull my toes back on my right leg, but my left toes weren't moving apart and it was difficult to pull my big toe back on my left side. The nurse assured me that my toes were fine. She took off my surgical sock and revealed the stickiness of my toes stuck together by the surgical solutions. My toes were free. However, my big toe was still lagging compared to my right foot.

Soon, I would be standing up walking with a walker by 7:00pm and thinking I wanted to order a pizza and glass of wine. Then they gave me some pain medications, and I was ready for some clear broth, jello and apple juice. Overall, I was really feeling pretty good. I had two drains: one on each knee draining blood and such, an icing machine wrapped around each knee, and lots of bandages covering the incisions.

SURGERY RECAP:

1. The staging prior to surgery takes time. Plan on bringing an iPad, something to listen to that you can give to your caregiver (friend who comes with you), or game. You will have time.

2. I did not have any pain after surgery.

3. You will be up and walking after surgery that same day.