First night blues
It's 2:00 am and I am feeling pretty rough. The lovely RN looking after me says that this is the worst of it.
My operated leg hurts, sure. But the unbearable pain is coming from the arthrisis in my spine. On a normal night at home,I change position allll the time. I get comfy, sleep, pain awakens me, I move again, i sleep a bit more. I rotate onto my front, each side, curl my legs up im different ways ,get up amd move, lie back down.
Anyway, because it's night 1, i am restricted by the catheter, drips, monitors etc. Also I don't think i could stand up. So all i can do is try to NOT lie flat on my back, which is the position they would prefer to be in. My back hurts as much as my leg...different pain but so bad.
I asked the nurse if there was anything else charted that I could take to give the PCA a boost. She told me that I need to be pushing the buton more often. Here's me, thinking that I was already pushing it a lot, turns out i was actually pushing about 3 times an hour, and it will let me have a dose every 5 MINUTES! So don't be me. Use that PCA!
sadly what happens is that i push the button every time it lights up. The fentanyl builds up, I get some relief. Then....I fell asleep. Great except the button pushing stops, and paim wakes me again!
Hope this is useful info for someone out there.
Right now the cannula site hurts, both knees hurt, my hands hurt i am getting a headache and the nerve pain radiating from my lower back is indescribable.
Good news is this is the worst night, according to nurse. She better speak the trutru!
Oh the other good thing is that i am so lucky to have had the anterior incision. I am encouraged by surgeon wiggle around and no worries about dislocation. If i had to lie on my back for 6 weeks- i don't know hoe I would bear that.
My operated leg hurts, sure. But the unbearable pain is coming from the arthrisis in my spine. On a normal night at home,I change position allll the time. I get comfy, sleep, pain awakens me, I move again, i sleep a bit more. I rotate onto my front, each side, curl my legs up im different ways ,get up amd move, lie back down.
Anyway, because it's night 1, i am restricted by the catheter, drips, monitors etc. Also I don't think i could stand up. So all i can do is try to NOT lie flat on my back, which is the position they would prefer to be in. My back hurts as much as my leg...different pain but so bad.
I asked the nurse if there was anything else charted that I could take to give the PCA a boost. She told me that I need to be pushing the buton more often. Here's me, thinking that I was already pushing it a lot, turns out i was actually pushing about 3 times an hour, and it will let me have a dose every 5 MINUTES! So don't be me. Use that PCA!
sadly what happens is that i push the button every time it lights up. The fentanyl builds up, I get some relief. Then....I fell asleep. Great except the button pushing stops, and paim wakes me again!
Hope this is useful info for someone out there.
Right now the cannula site hurts, both knees hurt, my hands hurt i am getting a headache and the nerve pain radiating from my lower back is indescribable.
Good news is this is the worst night, according to nurse. She better speak the trutru!
Oh the other good thing is that i am so lucky to have had the anterior incision. I am encouraged by surgeon wiggle around and no worries about dislocation. If i had to lie on my back for 6 weeks- i don't know hoe I would bear that.
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