Part 1

Friday, was D-day. I had my arthroscopy surgery on my knee. I wanted to know all about it ahead of time and read others experiences so I thought this could be helpful to some of you out there if you are going to have this done.

–I was given instructions…No eating or drinking after midnight the night before surgery. This doesn’t make sense to me as some appointments are 9 AM and some in the afternoon, like mine. The afternoon people get gypped. Why not say 8 hours or 10 hours or whatever before your surgery. No water for that many hours was terrible. After reading a lot about these surgeries online, a lot of centers said no water 2 hours before surgery. That would have made it a lot more pleasant. I wonder why the difference in places. I was so thirsty my throat was getting a tickle. I wanted my coffee. Also, no make-up, no nail polish before surgery. No aspirin or nsaids (can cause more bleeding) for 7 days before surgery. My instructions said Tylenol was OK.

–I arrived at the center, filled out forms and waited to be called. I was brought to a room which was just a sectioned off space by curtains all around with a hospital-like bed and a chair for a visitor. My husband was allowed to be with me until they actually wheeled me to surgery.

—Because of a nauseous reaction to anesthesia 30 years ago for a simple bunion surgery (which ended up being a 3-day stay at the hospital because of vomiting,) I was given a pill to help prevent this. It was given with a little water. So apparently I was able to have water before surgery? That doesn’t make sense, either, as the instructions were so strict about making sure you didn’t even swallow any water after brushing your teeth on the morning of your surgery.

–They took my temperature and blood pressure. Both was slightly elevated but I didn’t feel sick and I have white-coat syndrome where my blood pressure always rises when I go to the doctor. My husband has just getting over a cold and I figured maybe I had a low-grade fever because I fought that one off. But my lungs and nose were clear so nothing alarmed anyone.

–I are given one of those hospital gowns with 2 ties in the back, length to the knees. The only thing you can keep on is your panties. You are given little terry-cloth socks to wear which I appreciated as my feet are always cold. No metal jewelry or hair pins etc are allowed. I couldn’t get my wedding ring off so they allowed me to keep it. They taped it. I asked why and it was because if they use a cauterizing tool it could spark through your body from your ring. Though that tool wasn’t being used for mine (I’m pretty sure) but it was policy.

–No one ever has an easy time getting blood work from me or putting in an IV. I was told once I have very small veins. She had to warm my hand with a warm towel to get the vein to come to the surface but eventually I was hooked up with minimum pain. They double checked which knee was being done, then asked me personally to be extra sure and initialed the leg in ink so there couldn’t be a mix up.

–I felt pretty nervous by this time and my knuckles were clenched and the nurse thought I looked a little too nervous. After signing some more release forms and with doctor’s OK she gave me something to relax me. I think it was a form of Valium. About 30 seconds later a wave of contentment came over me. They were running late on the schedule so it was nice to just relax for a time with my husband. I was covered in pre-warmed blankets. It felt so good.

–Then a couple of women came in and said they were taking me the operating room and my husband had to go out into the waiting room. They chit chatted with me on the way down the hall into the operating room. They put on a cuff to my upper arm for an automatic blood -pressure machine. It was pinching me when it inflated. I complained. She said it would self adjust. It inflated the second time and it was really hurting. She said she was going to put me under slightly, not all the way, to make me more comfortable. I had it all planned out what I was going to think about when it was time to go under. I was told by others that they would tell you to think of something pleasant ahead of time. I was going to think of the first time we fly-fished Oil Creek at the “golden hour” of evening just as dark approached and the sulpher hatch had started and the trout were rising. A cool mist was rising on the warm evening, it was one of my husband and my most relaxing memories. But I didn’t hear or see another thing since the nurse said those last words. I was out and my last memory was of the blood-pressure cuff hurting me.

I’ll break this up into parts. Part 2 coming soon.