13/02/06 - out of bed

I hope no-one's getting bored with my ramblings - I'm getting to feel like a bit of an old gossip myself!

Anyway, day 5 post-op, and she's finally got rid of the chest drain. (Finally got rid of the horrible hospital gown and into a decent nightie, too.) They let her keep the "happy button" for today, though. The IV needle in her right hand clogged up this morning, like the one in her left did last week (keep pressing the button - why's the pain not going away?) and the lack of analgesia meant her pain levels went up a bit. They wanted her calm for removing the chest drain and her first time out of bed, so she got to keep it, with a new IV in her left elbow (more holes than best Leerdammer, this girl). On to Voltarol tomorrow.

She was in a chair for about 3 hours today - quite a long spell for first time, so she was a bit tired when I saw her this evening. She says it felt odd - she looked straight down and was looking between her knees rather than at the right one!

Other encouraging news - the registrar says some loss of sensation in the legs post-op is normal and should be temporary, so the patches should come back to life. He also said he anticipates her being discharged about 2 weeks post-op, so that's the middle of next week, for those who are planning visits.

One of the nurses asked what a "scoliogram" was tonight, so we got her x-rays out. Well, it was like "film night" ("movie night" for the US readers) - nurses appearing from everywhere wanting a look. I think they get lots of knees and hips, but these spine jobs are weird and interesting. What brought up the subject? She's getting excited about tomorrow - she gets her post-op scoliogram done. Bad news - the standing up bit (groan); good news - can't wait to see the films! (How straight will it be? How many screws?)

That's enough for tonight - it's 10:45, I've only just had my tea, and I'm as knackered as she is. I have a good healthy glass of red wine here, though - to help me sleep, honest!

Ta-ta (or as they say in Cardiff "ta-ra, now")
"Hubby".