2/2

The next day, after running a round of tests, the hospital re-bandaged my surgical wound and wrapped up my left leg in ACE bandages, then discharged me. I got home Friday.

Saturday, I noticed more leakage.

AAUGH.

I called the Home Health On-Call nurse and reported it. They're sending out someone to deal with it later this morning.

I'm getting very tired of this, but there's nothing I can do about it. Please, wish me all the luck you can. I really need it right now.

#cosomedical

This is stupid.

Just 2 days after I got out of the hospital last time for my knee surgery, my bandages and vacuum drain incision site started leaking. I showed the leaks to my home health nurse, who relayed the info to my surgeon, who told me to get my ass back into the hospital ER ASAFP. The ER admitted me for overnight observation.

Sigh.

1/2

#cosomedical

I'm finally out of the hospital. Got released yesterday evening. I've still got a vacuum drain sewn into my left leg, pulling fluids out of the hematoma zone, and my lower left leg is badly swollen. They've got me on a turbo-diuretic (Bumex) at the maximum dosage to try and get my body to process that out. Only problem with that is I can't make it to the bathroom in time. 😱

I've got to see my surgeon next week to get the drain removed.

#cosomedical

I'm on potassium supplements for the umpteenth time since I got admitted to the hospital. My reading this morning was 3.4, which is a couple of tenths low. They keep wanting to give me potassium pills, but have you ever seen the size of those things? They'd choke a horse! No, I take potassium powder, dissolved in orange juice. Still tastes like crap, but it's better than horse pills.

#cosomedical

I'm glad I'm in good hands,, most of the time here. This place has a good nursing staff. For the most part, they listen to a patient's side of things, and at least in this 60-year-old codger's case, they see his logic and let him win. 😜

I'm getting closer to getting out of here, but the pain problem has to be solved first. Once we get past that, I can be sent home.

#cosomedical

The time of trying to find a way home from the hospital is upon me, and unfortunately it involves a lot of experimentation, it would seem. They want to get me off the supplemental IV Dilaudid ASAP, and are trying Tramadol as the first substitute. I took it over an hour ago and just rambled around the room, and I'm now in level 9 pain. Experiment Fail, bring back the Dilaudid, I say. I'm now arguing my case for this with the nurses. Urgh.

#cosomedical

Last night was kind of rough. Didn't sleep well, thanks to all of the pain from the drain shoved into my left thigh. Once I finally coordinated an attack plan with the day shift nurses and got the first full round of Dilaudid and morning meds on board, things kind of settled down. I'm running on a more even keel now. I've just had a steady physical therapy session without having to stop for a pain break. Here's hoping the rest of the day goes that way.

#cosomedical

2/2

I'm on 2mg Dilaudid IV every 4 hours plus a very complex oral distribution of 45mg Dilaudid pills per day (translation: a crapload total of Dilaudid) to try and beat down the unbearable pains from the knee, my shoulder, my ankles, my back, my neck, my *other* knee, and so on...sigh. I'm not even sure prayer can fix things now.

#cosomedical

UPDATE:

I'm still in the hospital. Have been since April 30th. The surgery that was supposed to remove my hematoma from my left artificial knee didn't happen until May 7th. I now have a very painful vacuum drain poking out of my thigh and pulling blood + fluids out of the space left behind by my doctor. It burns and stings like a mofo.

1/2

#cosomedical

I'm going to start up a CoSo Call in about a minute here. Please stand by from a call from my hospital room.

#CoSoCall
#cosomedical

2/2

We motored back to my room, where they re-wrapped my leg (for a second time - it came unwrapped during an earlier walk as well, but it didn't bleed).

The doctors are planning to keep me here until Monday, possibly even Tuesday if they need to reopen my knee and operate on the hematoma. All I know is that they keep extending my time here while reducing the frequency of my Dilaudid doses. Come on, folks, that's not fair. Extend the IV pain meds, too!

#cosomedical

Well...ahem.

My revision surgery on my left artificial knee didn't go exactly as planned Tuesday. It's now Saturday, May 4th, and I'm still in the damned hospital, thanks to what they think is a hematoma in the joint. They got the idea a couple of days ago when it open and started bleeding during a Physical Therapy walk. Not just a blood drop down my leg, mind you - it formed a puddle beneath my calf. Needless to say, the Physical Therapy walk came to a screeching halt.

1/2

#cosomedical

Met my orthopedic surgeon about getting my torn right shoulder's rotator cuff operated on. He said I was good to go, but I expressed fears about not being able to get out of chairs/up from toilets since I wouldn't be able to push off with my right arm. That, and a few other right-arm-related concerns as well. He concluded that I probably shouldn't have the surgery after all. Oh, great.

Instead, I'm getting steroids injected in the joint. We'll see if it works. Give it a week.

#cosomedical

Some good medical news for a change. The edema / swelling in my legs is apparently under control enough just with wearing compression stockings that I no longer need to go to regular checkup appointments with my Wound Care doctor. He cleared me at today's appointment - told me I only had to come back "as needed." Good news indeed. Now I can concentrate on getting a pre-op appointment for my torn right shoulder rotator cuff.

#cosomedical

Saw a nurse practitioner at the cardiologist's office today. I told her about the palpitations I've been having that have been draining my energy. She put me on a two-week remote heart monitor and prescribed a low-dose beta blocker. I've already had to trigger the heart monitor several times since this afternoon. The beta blocker prescription will probably be ready tomorrow.

#cosomedical

I have done what no man willingly wants to do. I have requested an appointment to discuss getting a colonoscopy done.

[shudder]

I've been told by my hematologist that I need a colonoscopy to rule out my colon as a source of my chronic anemia. So, at my last appointment, she told me to contact a gastroenterologist and arrange to get one done. I've just used their web interface to request such an appointment.

I am not looking forward to this. Sigh. 😭

#cosomedical

BTW, CoSo, I had my optometrist appointment yesterday. Turns out I've got cataracts, which are worse in my left eye - they can't correct it down past 20/25. In 5 or 6 years, I'll probably need cataract surgery, the doctor said.

My prescription for both eyes changed drastically. Getting new lenses and, thanks to a couple of faceplant falls, new frames. Cost: $225 after insurance. It was over $1000 before insurance! Geez.

#cosomedical

Morning, Coso! 👓

For the first time in many years, I'm going to get new glasses today. Having an eye exam first - will probably wind up needing trifocals, if what my old eye doctor said is true. After that, I get to go through the sheer and utter joy (note the sarcasm) of shopping for new frames with my wife. I need something lightweight and flexible, but she's as close to a miser as you can get without being one. Wish I could get Flexon again, but can't.

#cosomedical

Urgh. My health is doing a little bit better as far as my swollen legs go, but now I've got doctors telling me I look "pale."

I saw my primary care physician yesterday and got the same "pale" treatment from him. I asked him what was up with that. He said it's probably due to the one underlying condition that hasn't been treated during all of this mess: my chronic anemia.

I've got a hematologist appointment this week to find out what my next step will be.

#cosomedical

Just had a bit of a scare. I'd been feeling "off" for a while, and things got bad enough for me to haul out the blood pressure cuff. The surprise result? 88/43. Thought I was going back to the hospital again. Fortunately, my BP was up to 106/55 a few minutes later. No ER for me, thank goodness.

#cosomedical