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