Knee Operation DONE!!!

After hurting my knee ALMOST a year ago (would've been a year at the end of June) & waiting a grand total of 37 weeks from my referral to actual operation date (I was quoted 18 weeks!) it has been done!!!

I arrived at the hospital at 12pm yesterday afternoon and left about 1045/11am this morning. I got settled on my bed and the anaesthetist came to see me and explained his role and asked if I had any allergies etc...then my surgeon came to see me and I couldn't fault him at all. He queried what I had done to hurt my leg and manipulated my leg/knee cap. He eventually decided that the operation I was booked in for (an arthroscopy, to tidy out any cartilidge floating in my knee cap) would not solve my issue and that I needed to have a ligament reconstructed. Turns out that at some point in my life I actually ruptured a ligament that holds my knee cap in place and that caused the left knee cap to dislocate itself far more easily than the right one. The right one had a natural "stop" to how far it shifted to the side whereas the left one had no "stop" at all and if he kept pushing it would've come out of joint completely...

So I went in expecting one operation and had something entirely different...but I am so glad that they fixed me all at one time rather than having to go in later and have another issue fixed then! So my journey down to theatre was actually quite eventful too, I chose to walk down and at 130pm we went down. The prep team had started doing their individual jobs when a nurse came running in and told them to stop what they were doing, as my operation had changed slightly they needed to do it under x-ray control and nobody was immediately free to come up from x-ray, so off I toddled back up to the ward to wait for a bit. 3pm rolled round and off we wandered to try again...same drill ~ the prep team all doing their own jobs and it felt like I had a million things being done to me all at once! I was soon asleep and at 645pm I woke up...

As soon as I woke up I tried to take my oxygen mask off and I was overly emotional! The nurse asked me if I was sore and I said yes so she gave me some morphine...that was a mistake I think because I felt immediately sick! I was also too hot which didn't help with feeling sick at all...I asked if someone could go up and get my bag so I could have my glasses (being short sighted I had blurry vision obviously and that didn't help with the fact that I was a bit distressed!) so someone went to find my glasses ~ bless them! Then we called my Mum to let her know that I was okay, next thing I knew I was up in the ward and being put on oxygen as when I was sleeping the anaesthetic off I wasn't breathing properly but when I was awake I was ok...I'm nothing but difficult huh???

Then my Mum arrived with a change of clothes and wash bag etc as I wasn't prepared for an over-night stay! It was meant to be day surgery but because of going in late and it being a more complex operation than first thought I had to stay over-night!!! Reason being as I had to see the physio in the morning to fit a leg brace and give me some crutches! All I remember of my Mum being there was being emotional, drained and getting knotted up in all the wires around me...as I was connected to oxygen and a heart rate/oxygen monitor! Mum left me to sleep and I had a fitful nights sleep, when the last drugs round came round (about 1015pm) I got some co-codamol and ibuprofen but because I hadn't eaten anything since 645am I asked for some biscuits...it took me until midnight to eat 4 biscuits as I still felt a bit queasy and I eventually took my painkillers as I didn't want to take them on an empty stomach...

I was woken up at 5am for obs and then 630am all the curtains were open so no more sleep was to be had then! Lol...the nurse who did my obs said I was running a bit of a temperature so she'd get some paracetamol (this never showed up!)...I asked the nurse at about 730am if I could have some painkillers and also to go the toilet but because my leg brace wasn't fitted yet I had to go on a comode (not my best experience if I'm honest!)...then the physio popped his head in and asked if I had my brace/crutches already & I said no because my operation was changed last minute I didn't think anything had been organised! 

Off he toddled to find me a brace and some crutches so in the mean time I had some porridge for breakfast ~ yum. A couple of cuppas and a slice of toast!!! I was quite well looked after if I'm honest...(apart from the lack of paracetamol which was promised to me when they thought I was running a temperature and also lack of ice pack which was meant to be on my knee after surgery but there was no freezer on my ward to freeze the ice pack?!?!)

The physio popped back and got me to walk a short way up the ward and then attempt some stairs...he declared me okay to go home and my Mum was called to come get me at 1030am! What I haven't been told is if I have any stitches that need to come out or when my bandage can come off. All I know is I am not to take my brace off for two weeks and I have to go back to outpatients then! 

I'm in a brace and on crutches for 2 weeks which probably means missing my dance show (July 7th), best mates boyfriends birthday (May 25th) and best mates London trip for his 25th birthday (May 27th)! Ahhh well never mind, I was looking forward to all those things but I can do other things like them in the future I guess ~ my health is most important! I'll still go watch my fellow dancing princesses in the show and probably go see my best mate and her boyfriend at their house party for Josh's birthday...:0) I wont miss out completely I guess!!!

Sorry for the essay! I just felt the need to write my whole experience out! :0)

Thanks for reading if you have done...

xXx