Surgery Day

08:00 in the morning yesterday, Friday 17th August, the Anaesthetist arrived to take a very detailed medical history. So Hubby asks me to do the talking as he gets a bit wary of repeating his story of all the operations since 2007, his allergies and particular on going medical difficulties. Nearer to 09:00 the plastic surgeon sent his under study in with the consent forms to sign, while he stayed in the office next door. Odd to say the least, OH not impressed.
Just after 09:00  the porters came to take Hubby to theatre. Before he goes we label his left knee as "fragile" to remind the team to take care so his knee does not blow up with swelling.

While he is in theatre, I go do some laundry  and talk briefly with the accommodation manager to obtain a room key just in case I cant manage to  continue looking after Hubby during the night due to his new bed turning regime. Currently live off 5 hours sleep a night, anything less may become too detrimental to my health. 

11:30 meet Hubby back in recovery. He is pale, groggy but awake and surprisingly quite "compos mentis". He has two drains attached to his back wound. syphoning off the blood into two sport drink sized bottles.  They have also given him a huge 1 litre bag of IV Hartman fluid, which worries me some what knowing how his one kidney will eventually over the coming while react to that, over producing urine. So to be on the safe side I give him a catheter to drain off any excess. No reaction yet, only a normal amount. Can be potentially serious not to manage as can result in an Autonomic Dysreflexia attack. Whilst in recovery we see one of the other surgeons giving some feedback to his patient re the success of the operation, Hubby is slightly irked that he is given none.

12:10 we arrive back on the ward. Negotiate straight away re removal of the oxygen, the extra fluids and the 'flotron' boots which are by now causing painful spasms in his leg. We discuss with sister the care regime regarding turning as Hubby has to avoid laying on his back . We try putting him on his left side and he finds it extremely painful , so the plan is amended to 4 hours on right side alternated with an hour on left side. He also negotiates a special position for eating as he cant eat when laid down, his muscles having been weakened by his spinal cord injury means he has to have some of the gravity of sitting up to eat his food. By this time lunch is on the ward, fish and chips. It was horrible, re heated battered fish and the chips well Hubby took a bite and spat it straight out as it exploded in his mouth, being too powdery and dry. I make a dash to the hospital canteen and pay for some fresher looking fare which he managed to eat. They take your benefits away from you because you are supposed to be fed and watered in hospital, what a joke.

15:00 I decide to do another catheter, thank goodness I did, I was right, his kidney has kicked in,  huge amount of urine collected and again at 18:00, 23:30 , you know that physics law of gravity what goes up must come down, well here's a new one 

what goes in must come out....