The Surgery

As you can tell, I finally got a new date. I was to go into hospital on the 01st of April 2019. Typical, I thaught. April fools day. Says it all really! The couple of months leading up to this date were really hard. Things took a steady decline, and I was in more pain than I could handle. So when the date finally came, it was such a relief. The plan was to go in to hospital on the 01st and have my amputation on the 04th. My surgeon wanted to get me in early so that they could get my pain under control before the surgery.

So I sat in hospital and waited, and waited, and waited, then got dressed for my block in my leg that was going to relieve my pain, but this was cancelled. So I waited some more, and before I knew it, it was the night before my amputation, and still no block. Well this was a bit disappointing. My surgeon was equally dissapointed. The pain doctor diddnt book me in for the block, like she was supposed to, so I had to be put on the emergency list. But there was always bigger emergencies than my block (which I understood).

The night before surgery was absolutely fine. I thought that I wouldnt sleep. But I had my usual amount of a few hours around pain killers. I was 1st on the list, so my wife came to the hospital first thing. We sat and waited, and waited, and waited, and then all of a sudden a friend arrived who I used to work with in theatre. She had come to take me. It was so strange. Almost all of the staff were ones who I used to work with. From the lady who collected me, the scrub nurse, my surgeon, and my anaesthetist. I was in the anaesthetic room for a while. I was really nervous about the block, but it was fine. I diddnt feel much at all. Once that was done I dont remember much. Normally I remembered the bit just before I went to sleep, but this time I diddnt. I remember waking up though.

I woke up in recovery in what I can describe as absolute agony, but with itchy toes too! (Strange considering they were no longer there). The block had worked on half of my leg, but not the other half. I was told this may happen. (I should know by now, that if there is a complication, I will probably get it!). The recovery nurse was also one of my old nursing friends. She was great. The anaesthetist came strate away and put up a morphine pump. This helped a bit, but not much. It made me sleepy. But id been living on a high dose of morphine for years leading up to this, so it was not very effective. I spent what felt like, forever in more pain than I thought possable. The doctors and anaesthetist coming in and out of my bed space. They eventually took me back to the anaesthetic room, and did another block. But this still diddnt help. I was still in alot of pain. My wife took a picture of me when I was quite bad. (As you can see below. Not my best look!). That night was just awful. Doctors were coming in as my blood pressure was really low and my heart rate high. This was mainly because of the pain and morphine. Alot of that day was spent in pain. I eventually saw a lovely anaesthetist who decided to do an epidural.

Before the surgery I was given the option of a block or epidural. I opted for a block as I felt that the risks of epidural were too high for me, with the fact that I seemed to get complications with every surgery. But after spending over 24 hours in writhing agony, I quickly changed my mind. I just wanted the pain to go. So back to the anaesthetic room I went.

I felt the pain ease after a few minutes. I was so much happier. I still had pain, but not as much. So, this is how I spent the next 5 days. Which is the maximum amount of time that an epidural can stay in. The doctors had to keep topping up the epidural as I was still in alot of pain. But it was gradually easing. Then the day arrived for my epidural to come out. I was warned that one of the side effects was something called an epidural headaiche. I diddnt think much of it at the time, but of course, in true Lexi fashion, 12 hours after the epidural was removed my head was killing. It was unbearable. Id had migranes before, but this was far worse. I kept vomiting every time I moved. No pain medication helped. So again, I was a conundrum. Nurses and doctors kept trying their best to help, but nothing did. It did takethe focus off my leg though.

So I spent over 24 house writhing in agony, again! Then eventually a nurse put up IV paracetamol, and I was given an anti sickness injection, and The pain went. We will never know if it was this combination, or it was just time for it to end, but end it did. Oh my goodness, I was so happy. The next morning, the physio came and got me out of bed and I wheeled myself in the wheelchair they had given me, to the cafe amd back. I thaught Id go for a coffee. But then disabled life showed me my 1st limitation. I couldnt reach the bloomin cups! So I settled for a 7up. The sense of achievement was just amazing. I was mobile again, and really happy.