Still breathing :)

Well, I'm up and awake and trying to stay that way. As long as I don't let the pain meds wear off, it only hurts when I move my leg.

I'm waiting for a callback from the orthopedist, to get a full description of exactly what he did yesterday. As of right now, I don't know if he was able to repair the meniscus damage, if he had to remove the damaged cartilage, or if he had to scrape smooth the back of the patella (kneecap).

I have to say, I don't know what med they used prior to giving the anesthesia, but BOY did it ever work. At one point in the pre-op waiting area -- and I mean REALLY pre-op, as in the last stage before heading into the OR -- they told me I'd have to be shifted from the gurney I was on, to a different one that was narrower that they'd use for the surgery. I thought to myself that it would possibly prove to be quite a production number to make that transfer, as I already had an IV in my hand and the tube seemed to be curled in every direction on the map.

Then they gave the pre-op "cocktail" that was designed to relax the patient prior to surgery. I'm not even sure I noticed when they administered the dose, though I knew it was imminent.

Next thing I knew, I was hearing, "Donna? You can wake up. They're done." I LITERALLY have absolutely zero recollection of anything that happened between thinking that the transfer to the new gurney would be a chore, and finding out that the surgery was over.

Hey, that's definitely my kind of medical procedure. :) Give me those "have no idea it even happened 'till it's over" treatments any day of the week!

For pain, I'm on ibuprofen 3x/day plus Percocet, which I was told can be either 3x/day or 4x/day, depending on the pain level. Tell you what -- I'm going to MAKE it be 3x/day unless the pain turns out to be unbearable, because it will be easier to keep track of what med I'm taking when. I'm a little on the punchy side at the moment (go ahead, say it: "worse than usual"), and the shorter I can keep my list of things to keep track of, the better I'll be.

So far we've only had one "collision of crutch with feline" episode. Stanley walked right into the crutch as I was trying to maneuver my way to the kitchen sink. Then he mewed at me, poor wee guy. :( I'm sure I didn't hurt him, except for maybe hurting his little stripey feelings that I didn't avoid the collision. I'll have to dote on him extra when I'm safely seated and off the crutches. I'm sure all will be promptly forgiven once he gets a good dose of pettin'. Short Attention Spans are Good. :)

It shouldn't take the Kitty Committee long to grasp that they need to be out of my way when I'm in motion and on crutches. Their feline predecessors had to learn this the hard way, too; the only time I ever came close to having bad luck from black cats crossing my path was when Melody and Harmony wanted to help their limping Meowmy navigate the stairs. It took a few explanations that their attempts to do figure-eights around my ankles and the crutches was a hazard, but they eventually figured it out. I think the current Pair of Cats will develop a knack for crutch-avoidance before long, too.

OK, I'm going to proofread this to make sure that I'm not writing utter gibberish, and then I'll post it. My body wants to go back to sleep, but my brain knows I should spend some time awake before I let myself conk back out.