Thursday:
On Thursday morning my breakfast for a queen turned up; too much for me to handle. I wasn’t that hungry and by the time I had finished picking and grazing through all the best bits, it was basically lunch time. My physio, Jeremy, turned up to get me out of bed, his aim was to get me standing, a milestone in its won right. He decided to push me further and I even managed to take a few steps, then I carried on, out of my room, into the corridor and back to bed. I actually think a snail could have beaten me – no word of a lie, I was so slow – but I didn’t care. These were the first few little steps on my road to recovery.
After the ‘walking’ my pain quickly shot up and things went down hill. They gave me some oramorph for the pain which made me as high as a kite. My cousin, Lauren dropped by to say hello and goodbye, this was her last day before her journey home to New Zealand. Apparently I was talking all sort of rubbish but at least I made a not so good situation amusing. The physio returned to get me up again but all the moving was too much and I was quite sick. A trip to the bathroom was all I could manage. They gave me two forms of anti-sickness drugs, the second made me extremely tired and my day ended at 20:30.
Yesterday was a very good day. I spent my second evening in hospital alone and the nights are by far the worst bit. My anaesthetist made his morning rounds and woke me at 06.55. I have never, nor will ever, be a morning person so trying to answer his questions about pain levels and what drugs I had last night seemed harder than my A-levels. I felt awful, dehydrated, queasy, dizzy and very tired. My parents arrived shortly after which makes everything so much easier, rather than having to buzz for the nurses all the time. My physio popped back round and as he lowered my leg to the ground, I have never felt pain like it. They think it was because I was dehydrated and I had simply reached my pain tolerance for that moment as I had already been up and down to the loo a few times that morning. On composing myself I reached my next milestone, I walked at tortoise speed, so a little faster, to the end of the corridor and made it up and back down three steps.
Lunch time came and after Thursday’s drama with the oramorph, this was the first meal I could happily eat; chicken and chips has never tasted so good! At 2pm, just 48 hours after I was called down for surgery, I had my first shower and hydrotherapy session. The feeling of being able to move freely in the water and put all my weight through my operated leg is such a strange feeling. I loved it!
Dad loves going for wonders around London when I am asleep and yesterday he came back with marmite and a 'gripper'. He's having more fun with the gripper than I am and the marmite is just what I needed for my salt cravings.
After this I was shattered. Everything is so tiring. A few friends have offered to visit me but I have had to cancel a lot of them as I just can’t keep awake for long enough. I was however very lucky to see by best friend, and boyfriend, Tim for an hour or so in the evening. Hospitals can never be a romantic setting but just having someone to sit with and not exchange too many words was just what I needed. By 10pm I was shattered and it was time for bed.
Saturday:
Today didn’t start so smoothly. The pain isn’t too bad now and I am learning to cope with it, but the nausea is the worst. My body appears to be very sensitive to all the medications and my stomach is appealing at every opportunity. Leaning back while eating and drinking is giving me indigestion and the anti-sickness tablets are making me very sleepy. My sister, Thea, joined my parents on their visit today. They arrived at 7am and other than a few intermittent conversations I didn’t fully wake up until 2pm.
Due to some stomach ache in the night and feeling sick (again) my meds got out of sync and everything got a bit complicated. By 2pm everything was sorted again and I had slept through the worst bit. My physio took me for a walk again and, a little later, I got to have another shower. Thea painted my toes nail – thanks Thea - and now I am feeling very good again. My energy levels are back up after managing to graze on some lunch, I am clean with no stomach ache and, I have lovely painted toes nails!
The biggest milestone to date was reached about 4pm when, for the first time, I was able to get myself out, and back into bed without someone holding my bad leg.
Time in hospital is a very bizarre thing and a lot can change in such a short time frame. Right now I am feeling really quite good. Long may it continue!
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