Anders took me to the Ortho Center in Malmö on Friday morning. I had to be there at 10:30 am and he couldn’t stay so he dropped me off and went home to work on the MG and wait for my call to come be picked up. I checked in, paid (SEK 150!), and was sent up to the prep waiting room but didn’t wait at all (then). The nurse checked my name, gave me a cup of pills and a glass of water (pain medication and anti-nausea meds) and then handed me a pile of clothing and took me to the locker room to change. Operation robe and over-robe, long stockings and blue plastic booties and I was dressed, drugged, and ready. Only to be handed off to another waiting room. Where I sat and sat and sat.
Another man joined me after about 20 minutes and we sat together, scrolling through our phones and ignoring each other. I went to the bathroom and battled to keep my eyes open. After more than an hour had passed, during which I was getting more and more aggravated, I finally went back out to the reception desk and asked why I was still waiting. “Oh!” said one of the nurses, who jumped up to check a board, “You’re not scheduled until 1:30.”
WHAT THE HELL. Why was I told to be there at 10:30 then?? Their answer was that you are told to come early so that if there is a cancellation in the schedule, they can get you in earlier. I was so hungry (since you are not allowed to eat anything the morning of an operation) and tired at this point, and now I was angry as well. They promised that I’d be called soon. After another 10 minutes or so, more nurses came and got me. The anesthesiologist that I had met in March was there as well as a couple of other nurses and they put me up on a bed in a tiny prep room and asked me all the same questions the previous nurses had asked:
What’s your identification number?
Have you eaten anything? No.
Have you showered? Yes.
Are you allergic to any medications? No, but I am allergic to the adhesive in some commercial medical plasters.
Have you gone to the bathroom? Yes.
Which knee is being operated on today? My left one.
They gave me a plastic covering for my hair, and more anti-nausea tablets, and stuck a shunt in the back of my right hand, which hurt quite a lot (it still hurts, actually, 3 days later). The doctor came in and talked to me, and marked an arrow on my left leg. The nurses talked to me some more but I don’t really remember what was said because I was so out of it by then. Then they walked me or wheeled me, I honestly can’t remember, into the operating room. They put my arms on rests to either side, which felt very weird being stretched out, and talked to me some more, and asked me the same questions again, and then put a mask over my nose and mouth which was oxygen.
And then I opened my eyes in a different room, with different nurses, and after a little while of grogginess, I was alert enough to eat a very thin open-faced sandwich with a swipe of butter and a couple of extremely-thinly-sliced cucumbers, and an oatmeal cookie. Did I want coffee? No. Did I want tea? No. Mineral water? No. Just water please. My doctor came in and told me everything had gone well and what he had done, and I asked him if it was all written down in my journal because I wasn’t going to remember anything he was telling me, and he said yes, and also gave me printed copies of the operation results. And after a little while more of less grogginess, during which several nurses and doctors came in to say Happy Easter, we’re out of here, see you on Tuesday to each other, I was told I could call Anders to come pick me up, so I did and then they took me back to the reception area and gave me the locker key and let me get dressed and half an hour later, Anders was there and we left.
I could walk just fine, if a little slowly. Anders had the crutches with him but I didn’t need them. We stopped at Max and I had a mini burger and fries, and then the pharmacy to pick up my painkillers and anti-inflammatories and then home. I took painkillers and went to bed. I got up to go to the bathroom a couple of times, but basically slept until 9:30 pm, at which point my knee was really hurting and I needed the crutches. More pain meds and back to bed. Woke up at 6 am but was back asleep again an hour and a half later.
Yesterday and today I haven’t needed the crutches, but just barely. I’m hobbling very slowly and both my knees hurt. and I can’t bend the left one much at all. The compression bandage on my left leg is awful, it just rolls down and then pinches and if it’s not just right my ankle and foot swell up. I can’t get the bandage on my knee wet so I have to wrap my knee in plastic-wrap and then use packing tape to keep it tight so I can shower. But it works. I am very doubtful about going to the office on Tuesday however, even with tomorrow being a holiday, too. Thank goodness it’s a long weekend.
I finally got to see both kids, though not together. Martin and Theo came on Friday evening, after Martin got off work at 4:30. It was so nice to see them! I don’t know if they felt the same later, though, since I sent them up to the attic to look for moving boxes, packing paper, and bubble wrap (they’re moving in a month). Once they were up there, I had the bright idea to have Martin tell me what was in the attic so I could write an inventory and once he started telling me things, I was appalled that some of it was in the attic at all, and had them bring a bazillion things down, because WHY WERE WE KEEPING THEM. Ancient suitcases that I thought we’d long ago gotten rid of, boxes of old stereo parts, empty boxes that were dusty and moldy, old speakers, old lamps, so much stuff. Anders made a lovely Easter spread for dinner though and they both got Easter candy, so hope that made up for it.
Yesterday Karin and Anders were at Ingvar’s house fetching all the furniture that was going to Martin, Karin, and Sofia plus a couple of things for us. So I finally got to see Karin yesterday as well, and and we had mys and a movie and then she spent the night so we had extra time this morning on top of it. Ingvar’s house sold while I was in the US, and it has to be emptied by May 2 so there isn’t much time left. They also brought several paintings and figurines home that I am going to try and sell. One of the antique dealers was there with Anders and Maria a few weeks ago and took only 3 small things, which was a huge disappointment. He was kind of a jerk, though. Anders will be taking a day this coming week to take the rest of the furniture and stuff to the dump (they have a used furniture container for things in decent shape). I now have a huge pile of things both from us and Ingvar to go to charity, and a big pile of stuff here that also needs to go to the dump.
Now to get my US taxes done and then go put my leg up again.
Mood: sore
Music: Yola—Faraway Look