Surgery and Recovery Begins

In the days leading up to surgery it was so strange to think "here is this girls who is walking, doing normal things like nothing is wrong and in a few days she is going to experience something that is going to take months to recover from". That is not easy as a parent.

The morning of surgery came and we headed to the Surgery Center. It was an outpatient procedure. She could not have anything to eat or drink after midnight and we had to be at the Center at 9:00...she was hungry. I packed a banana and some crackers in case she needed them. We signed in and they took us back to wait for the doctor. The nurses asked questions, made sure they had all the right information and then we waited a bit more for the doctor. I hate waiting! The doctor finally arrived and went over what would take place, asked if we had decided which method to use and said that it was still totally acceptable to completely change our minds at the last minute if we wanted to wait for a different date, etc. He made sure his paperwork was filled out, marked her leg with a "T" and then we waited for the anesthesiologist. He came in, talked to Kaitlynn about what he would do and then a nurse came in a prepped and put in her IV needle. I will say they are all amazing. They addressed Kaitlynn directly, were kind and gentle and her entire experience was so great and positive. They then wheeled her away...the second hardest part of this whole process....seeing your child wheeled away and not being able to go with them.

Then came the waiting....it seemed like forever, but two hours later the doctor came out and said they were done. He had taken pictures during the procedure and went over them with us...If I think it's okay to post those, I will...very interesting. Just not sure on legalities of those things. We waited a bit longer and then went back to recovery to see her. She came out of it great. No nausea at all, though she wasn't as loopy as her little sister was hoping for...actually very mellow. We were in recovery for about an hour and she was ready to go. Kevin left ahead of us and had the pain meds at home waiting.

The first day wasn't too bad because she was still numb (they numb the inside of the leg) and still had the pain meds in her system. She has spent much of the time in the recliner with her leg elevated but has also spent some time on the floor trying to stretch her leg out. Getting range of motion going as soon as possible is important. Sleeping that night was rough...Not so much pain, but strong aching and tightness in her muscles above the knee. She slept in bed and just couldn't get comfortable or sleep well. Not to mention being woken up every 4 hours for pain meds. Patience and a lot of compassion are huge keys from family members. You can't take anything personally. They're tired, hurting, cranky and emotional. It's okay.

The second day was a bit rougher...more aching, tired and exhausted and just downright miserable. Keeping the ice going and the pain meds the first 48-72 hours is important. As much as we hate pain meds/drugs, her body needs to rest and she needs to sleep. Using the natural supplements I think will help immensely  She hasn't been overly hungry, but finally last night and today she is eating more. Thankfully the pain meds have not made her nauseas at all.

Today I guess would be the third day. I don't know. She slept much better last night and napped off and on this morning. She was not much in the mood for talking so it was a quiet morning/day. Thankfully it was just her and I and we just sat and watched cartoons and Hallmark movies. She is still having pain, discomfort. She doesn't really show her pain on the outside so it's hard to read her unless she tells us. We finally took the bandage off today. Some doctors like to wait longer, but we won't be seeing ours until the week after Thanksgiving and they said we could take it off. It looks pretty good. I'll begin to use the oils more around the areas of the sutures and also where it is swollen.

I've decided I'm the compassionate one and Kevin is the motivator to get her moving...she needs that. They can have it in their heads that they are going to push through and work hard, but then they realize how hard that is and it can be hard to push through and do what needs to be done. It's crazy how one day they are moving their leg with ease and the next they can't really lift it on their own.

As a family member...always ask how you can help, what you can do. You may need to help lift their legs, put a recliner up and down, get blankets, water, pain pills, etc. Be patient and be gentle. It's not fun for them. Because she's not nauseas, that's really all I've needed to do for her.

She's had a few friends come visit and that has been great for her...being cooped up is not her cup of tea.

So ends Day Three. I'll let Kevin share the exercises she's doing, etc. Kaitlynn will chime in as she feels better. At this point her feeling is...this sucks! And, well, it does.