And she's back!

Hola Amigos,

Did you miss me? Don't tell me. Just let me imagine that you did.

I was out for the last week for arthroscopic surgery. As luck would have it, there was indeed a tear in my meniscus. Sorry, I don't know if it's the lateral or medial, all I know is it hurts.

Surgery was OK. I wouldn't want to do it again, if that tells you anything. First off, due to the snowstorm the previous Wednesday, they had several extra surgeries crammed in that day (since dr. so and so is only there on Wednesdays, etc.). So I got there, got prepped, and sat for an hour and a half. I don't normally get uptight, but I was ready the minute I checked in, so that extra hour and a half just gave me time to get scared. So they finally wheel me into the operating room, which is just hellish. First of all, I hate being wheeled somewhere. Second of all, the room is huge, bright, noisy and freezing. Then there's all these people around. WTF were like 10 people doing in this room? And no, I'm not exaggerating. Then you have to move and shimmy to get on the table right. Then they're poking you and moving this and untying that and sticking this here. Then they strap on the mask and you have to breathe in really deeply, and my doctor was there poking around my knee and I had this horrible feeling that he was going to start working before I was alseep. Amigos, that's a terrible thought to have running through your mind.

Thankfully as I was thinking that very thing I was out. Didn't even see it coming. The next thing I know I'm coming out of anesthetic, and the people in the room were now somehow about 90 times more obnoxious than they were when I was wheeled in. My leg was tightly wrapped from foot to thigh, my knee felt like it was on fire, and they were hollering and removing tubes and poking me and giving me a pep talk and congratulating me on the good cough I had. I was under full anesthetic so my throat was sore, my mouth was drier than it's ever been, and my lips were puckered up like an asshole. Bless their hearts, I know they were taking very good care of me. But coming out of anesthetic is like entering fresh hell. How I wish it could be in a warm, dark room with soothing words, and a glass of cold water you can drink immediately.

So they get me into recovery and give me a glass of ice water, and then I start coughing and burping and all I can taste is the horrible anesthetic. Then I had to choke down some soda crackers so I could take the percoset on something other than an empty stomach. Then things starting looking up. :) The percoset was a Godsend for me, and took the edge off the pain. And from that point it's just been a matter of me resting and healing.

I'm feeling not too shabby today. I made a big mistake and walked in from the parking structure though. Not smart. But I'll get public safety to take me back when I leave this afternoon.

My doctor prescribed blood thinners for me for this week. Subcutaneous blood thinners. I have the deepest respect for anyone who has to inject themselves on a regular basis (heroin addicts and meth heads excluded). It didn't really hurt or anything. Maybe some stinging directly after injecting, and since it's a blood thinner there are bruises around the injection site that are a bit sore. But it is just unsavory. And this wasn't a small amount of blood thinner either. I'd say the vial was about the size of my pinky finger. The first day, even the second day was fine. But by the third or fourth day I was starting to dread it, and today it was all I could do to do it. Like I said, it wasn't particularly painful, but that doesn't mean it's fun.

Speaking of my doctor, and I don't know if you followed the link above to his bio (it's not necessary, I just thought it was funny) the picture does not do him justice, he's actually much better looking in person. Anyway, I just chuckled at the last sentence where it says he enjoys spending time with his wife. Not that I don't believe him, I just have this image of a woman bitching at him "You'd better put something about me in there." Or, maybe it just means he thinks highly of himself and if left to his own devices the sentence would actually read "...I enjoy spending time with my wife, just in case any of you ladies out there thought I was single. No dice." :) Anyway, it just made me laugh. He's actually a very nice guy and I don't mean to poke fun at him, it's just the way my mind works.

So here I am back in the real world. I have to say that being stuck at home wasn't so horrible. My dogs were so sweet, such good healers (their favorite thing is to make a Leslie sandwich while in bed). And I had lots of my favorite foods around (soup, cereal, popcorn), plenty to read (like Pride and Prejudice), plenty to watch (like Pride and Prejudice). And it was just nice to sit still and watch the world go by. And to not feel guilty about it. I was supposed to sit still and watch the world go by. There is a bit of a let down after something like this. But one can't make a living recovering from surgery, you know?