Surgery sucks, recovery sucks and crutches definitely suck!

So most of you know that I've had problems with my knees for the last couple of decades and after going to specialist after specialist they still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me!

So a couple of weeks ago, I went to my Dr and she referred me to another specialist. He quickly scheduled me for an MRI and then decided surgery was the only option to get rid of the "plica" in each knee. Who knows, it's all medical mumbo jumbo to me!

The process was so fast because it was all through private medical. So on Monday 8th, I woke up at 5:45 in order to make it to the hospital for 7am. I got checked in, slipped into one of the ever so trendy hospital gowns that they give you as well as these fabulous stockings which apparently stop blood clots and I waited.

The consultant and anaesthetist came up separately to go through what each of their roles entailed and exactly what would be happening. I did find it very funny that the consultant put an arrow on my left leg - just so that they operated on the correct leg!

So eventually they wheel me down to the operating room. I asked the anaesthetist if I could have gas to make me pass out and then they could do their things with the needles as I have a stupid phobia of needles and was already freaked enough! So I inhaled the gas and out I went...

I woke up in recovery and they asked if I was in pain. Of course I was in pain!! So they gave me a healthy dose of morphine which apparently I don't react well to. They wheel me back up to my room and I was feeling super sick so they gave me a shot of something else to get me over the nausea - so I was really high!!

At some point I remember having a bowl of soup and a cup of tea and then there was some random kid running around screaming but the rest of it was a blur. I had to wander around on crutches with the physio and go up and down stairs before they would let me go - always fun when all I want to do is be sick. Apparently the shot that was supposed to suppress nausea didn't work.

My marvellous friend Mandy and her boyfriend Jag came and picked me up from the hospital and drove me home. To be honest, I don't remember much after leaving the hospital...not the journey home, not the rest of the evening, nothing. All I know is that when I woke up the next morning, there was an empty tub of Ben & Jerry's cookies 'n cream - apparently I was hungry?!

I was told that I'd be able to walk the next day but the nurses made me phone my boss after the operation to tell him that I wouldn't be in the next day. Good call - I could barely get out of bed let alone get into a suit, get up to town and work all day!

Wednesday, I tried to go to work. It took me ages to get there and after a couple of hours of being very uncomfortable - I headed back home! I took the rest of the week off as there was no way I was going to be alright working in those cramped conditions being a cripple!

But I think the weirdest part has been not drinking for a whole week! Clearly I don't do well on all of these drugs but have needed the odd painkiller or two and am NOT going to mix them with booze. It's like a side efect of surgery has been a detox - no complaints here!

So it's been nice not to work for a week but at the same time, I'm so freakin' bored - I can't wait to go back to work! The couch is boring me!