I have to admit, for my first overnight hospitalization, it wasn't that bad. I was actually glad I was there because I knew that I wouldn't have been able to control the pain if I was at home (that's a scary feeling!)
In pre-op on Tuesday morning Dr. Bothwell said that he would try to get a nice room for me since I was "one of them" (health care professional courtesy)--and he did! I was on the transplant floor; which was legitimate because I did have an meniscus transplant. It remined of the hospital where Matt and I met, Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado. I called it "Prissy Parker" or "Parker Palace".
We were comfortable there and appreciate the good care we received.
There were only a couple of incidences that were unacceptable; like taking an hour to get me in the computer system and get my pain meds to me and another nurse said that she wouldn't refill my morphine PCA because I needed to be on oral medications (yeah, thanks, I'm working on that!) I never thought that I would be a high maintenance patient or be tagged as a "drug seeker" but I'm sure that those nurses thought I was. What happened to, pain is what the patient says it is?" Didn't they learn that in nursing school! I just had my knee cut open, bone drilled with 3 screws, a bone trough made in my tibia and the periosteum of my tibia separated and sewn to my femoral condyle--and I have some dead guys achilles tendon and meniscus in my knee! Don't I deserve a little understanding and compassion?
Well, I ended up receiving over 90 mg of morphine between IV boluses (catch-up) and the PCA. My saving grace was my second night nurse who suggested that I try IV Toradol. The effects weren't immediate, but I slept well the second night and only pushed the PCA a few times. She continued to give me Toradol every 6 hours and I was able to completely stop the morphine! The next morning I was ready to go home!
So here I am, finally resting in my Home Sweet Home!
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