The home health care nurse came and removed those nasty staples just before noon today. I am a happy camper! I think it's probably a sign of progress that they were bothering me so much. Certainly for the first several days after the surgery, staples were the last thing on my mind. I hope that makes sense.
Shortly after that visit, the Physical Therapist came by for session #3. We did the various exercises, again reviewed the range of motion restrictions, and practiced getting in and out of the car for upcoming doctor visits or lab tests. Unfortunately, the practice was getting in and out of the passenger seat. I think it'll be a while before I'm driving again!
This is a great place to introduce another of those things to think about heading into any surgery like this: Paperwork. There's been a ton of it. I was able to manage all the paperwork, forms, and pre-op testing, etc., required before surgery - but since then I've needed help. And by "help" I mean "someone else to do it." I would suggest anyone facing this procedure plan that same way... manage your paperwork yourself before the operation, but have a paperwork buddy lined up for afterward. Between follow-up blood tests (to adjust meds to prevent clotting), physical therapy, insurance co-pays, prescription refills, home nurse visits, discharge paperwork, and other things I'm sure I'm leaving out, you really need someone to act as your case manager for a few weeks beginning immediately after surgery. Fortunately, Hettie is super-organized. Because she's a school teacher and we scheduled my procedure for the beginning of summer vacation, she's also very available. And she's good at this stuff. Between my pain, the pain medicine, and just my overall ability to make much sense of anything these days, there's no way I could keep everything straight. I'm sure I'm making syntax errors in this blog. Spell check and find some things, but I'm sure some mistakes are slipping through. That's OK for a narrative online - not OK for managing your anti-clotting medication.
Write down everything... even what time you take your medicine, take your temperature, have a physical therapy appointment, whatever. When someone calls with a lab result and instructions for adjusting your meds, write it down immediately - even before they get off the phone. This isn't stuff you want to get wrong. At best, it can cost you money; at worst, it can cost your well-being.
Who's going to be your case-manager? Trust me, you'll need one!
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