Checking in
Apr. 29th, 2013 08:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xelaAbout this time last night, I was seriously considering whether this might in fact be the single most miserable medical experience I've had. It's not; there are at least three worse. But I certainly set myself up for a miserable time. I'm an engineer and a former sysadmin: Looking at things with an eye toward how they could go bad is a professional necessity, and something I'm generally inclined toward doing. But I totally failed to take that view with regard to this surgery. They told me it was day surgery, and that I'd be able to type by Monday, with some cautions and caveats. And I said to myself Oh, day surtery. Been there, done that, no problem. And, best I can tell, thereupon willfully ignored any warning signs.
At a friend's encouragement (thank you, V!), I spent Friday and Saturday nights at business-suites hotel. I arrived with groceries, And was thus able to spend two days not having to deal with clothing (try pulling your pants up with one arm in a sling), with a comfortable armchair to sleep in (laying down hurt), and a restroom that was both close at hand and unshared. Money I wish I hadn't had to spend, but c'est la vie.
<TMI>Within hours of leaving the hospital, I realized, as I should have done weeks earlier, that not having use of my right hand was going to make personal hygiene a challenge. I remembered the similar situation the first few days after my stroke, when I had little control over any of my limbs. And remembered with gratitude Sandy, the nursing assistant at Youville Hospital who took care of things I simply could not take care of myself with with a patience and gentle kindness that actually managed to put me at ease in the most embarassing imaginable circumstances. At which point I was like damn it, I should have insisted they admit me to the hospital. But then I remembered the other nursing assistant, who dealt with my 3 a.m. toilet troubles with such conspicuous disgust that it left me in tears. And decided I was probably better off having to care for myself. (It also served me well to have memory of that second nursing assistant close to the surface when I was starting to bask in self-pity last night.)</TMI>
I managed to spend last night at home, though laying down was still painful and sleep much interrupted. And managed a half-day's work today — not that they expected me, but I figured, I think correctly, that I would be happier here, with people, restrooms, kitchen, and comfortable chairs all on one floor, than home alone, with stairs to climb (with a bad knee and one arm in a sling) whenever I wanted to go from doing one thing to another.
I'm seriously considering looking for a hotel again tonight. Which I suppose I should do now, if I'm going to.
Let me end with something I sent on zephyr earlier, in case someone here has a useful suggestion:
At a friend's encouragement (thank you, V!), I spent Friday and Saturday nights at business-suites hotel. I arrived with groceries, And was thus able to spend two days not having to deal with clothing (try pulling your pants up with one arm in a sling), with a comfortable armchair to sleep in (laying down hurt), and a restroom that was both close at hand and unshared. Money I wish I hadn't had to spend, but c'est la vie.
<TMI>Within hours of leaving the hospital, I realized, as I should have done weeks earlier, that not having use of my right hand was going to make personal hygiene a challenge. I remembered the similar situation the first few days after my stroke, when I had little control over any of my limbs. And remembered with gratitude Sandy, the nursing assistant at Youville Hospital who took care of things I simply could not take care of myself with with a patience and gentle kindness that actually managed to put me at ease in the most embarassing imaginable circumstances. At which point I was like damn it, I should have insisted they admit me to the hospital. But then I remembered the other nursing assistant, who dealt with my 3 a.m. toilet troubles with such conspicuous disgust that it left me in tears. And decided I was probably better off having to care for myself. (It also served me well to have memory of that second nursing assistant close to the surface when I was starting to bask in self-pity last night.)</TMI>
I managed to spend last night at home, though laying down was still painful and sleep much interrupted. And managed a half-day's work today — not that they expected me, but I figured, I think correctly, that I would be happier here, with people, restrooms, kitchen, and comfortable chairs all on one floor, than home alone, with stairs to climb (with a bad knee and one arm in a sling) whenever I wanted to go from doing one thing to another.
I'm seriously considering looking for a hotel again tonight. Which I suppose I should do now, if I'm going to.
Let me end with something I sent on zephyr earlier, in case someone here has a useful suggestion:
I had rotator-cuff surgery on Friday. I'm cleared for typing, but it's painful and fatiguing. Least pain / most productivity with Kinesis on my lap. Most pain when I then reach for my trackball. Pain much reduced but frustration greatly increased by using a mouse left-handed. (My trackball --- old school logitech trachman marble --- is essentially unusable left-handed.) I'm thinking a third-party trackpad I could somehow impermenantly fasten to my kinesis, under my thumb. Suggestions?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-04-30 02:36 pm (UTC)Day surgery does not mean low impact, just low supervised recovery. My ACL reconstruction was day surgery too.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-01 05:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-13 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-16 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-01 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-04 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-05 02:27 am (UTC)