Knee Surgery

(Disclaimer: I'm writing this post with Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen) coursing through my veins..so, if I don't make sense, that is why.)

Well, I did it. I went through with the knee surgery, even though I had talked myself in and out of it multiple times.

Austin and I traveled (with Grayson) to Provo yesterday morning, did a little early morning shopping at Costco, then went to the hospital for surgery. I waited, and waited, and waited for my turn for surgery. I was just about to walk out (not really) when I finally found out it was my turn.

I was very anxious about getting the surgery done. Not only because of the pain I would suffer as a consequence, and the fear of not waking up from anesthesia, but because I didn't want it to affect my nursing relationship with Grayson. I have heard of women losing their milk after surgery, and I would be devastated if that happened.

I know it's not the end of the world to feed a baby formula, but in my mind I was thinking that if Grayson happens to be my last child and I couldn't feed him from the breast like my other children, and it was because of a choice I made, I would have a hard time forgiving myself. Turns out that it is a non-issue so far. I got an anesthesiologist that believes it is okay to nurse directly after surgery. He says that once a patient is awake and alert enough to hold the baby to nurse, the medication in the bloodstream is low enough that the amount in the milk is insignificant. Just to be safe, I did pump and dump each side once, though. We are doing great...so that is happy news!

Back to the surgery, after waiting for forever, I was taken to the 'holding' area where I discussed my anesthesia options with Dr. Patterson and was told what to expect by my surgeon, Dr. Jackson. Dr. Patterson decided to do general anesthesia, and a block (one time femoral shot that lasts up to 12-18 hours---this was nice for the ride home). They wheeled me in to the surgical room, had me move onto a different table, and the next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery room, then being wheeled back into a resting room where Austin and Grayson were waiting for me.

The doctor said my ACL was 'trashed' and they did a reconstruction. He used a hamstring muscle tendon from the same leg to reconstruct. He also cleaned up my painful meniscus tear. Recovery is going to be a long, painful haul, but it will all be worth it in the end so that I can resume my healthy way of life. I can't wait to get on my new road bike (purchased when I was 8 months pregnant) and do some riding. In fact, we bought a trainer so we can ride indoors this winter.

I'm supposed to start physical therapy Wednesday, and have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Jackson Monday.

The funniest part of the day was when I wrote the word "YES" in capitalized, red pen on my left knee, indicating the correct knee to operate on. Dr. Nelson and Dr. Jackson also signed their names on my knee signifying they knew the correct knee to cut. Austin and I wondered how they handled that to avoid operating on the wrong limb. We got a good chuckle out of it. I also got a good laugh this morning when I realized I had told the nurse in the recovery room that I had a dream about Polly Pockets and I wondered if I was snoring. He he.