Today was the big blood test. It isn’t something I would normally worry about, but I failed the blood test I took before my right knee replacement. Yes, it is possible to fail a blood test! My creatinine levels were high so my GP would not sign off on the surgery. Disappointment didn’t even come close to describing how I felt. I found out on a Friday that I was not approved for surgery on Monday. I cried all weekend but was mostly angry that she could veto the surgery without consulting with me first. Doing some research, I found that your values can be high if you are dehydrated. I’m not a water drinker, so I am chronically dehydrated. While trying to find a vein for the blood test, the nurse even commented on the fact that I was dehydrated. So I was none too happy to have my surgery canceled! Especially when I found that it would mean a six-week delay before I could get rescheduled.
This time I ‘studied’ for the blood test. I started loading up on water yesterday. I continued this morning while I was bowling. Dehydration was not going to get me again! I felt good about the blood test, but I am still nervous that something will delay my surgery {and nervous that something won’t!}. In the long term, my youngest daughter (L) is getting married in October, and I want to walk pain-free, down that aisle, to my seat. In the near term, my roommate (M) has travel plans for early April and I need to be able to walk to the barn to take care of the horses. And I have a 45th high school reunion at the end of April. That is another event for which I want to be able to walk somewhat normally!
This appointment was far more than ‘just’ a blood test. We went through a detailed {and I mean detailed!} list of my medications. We discussed which medications it was ok to take the morning of surgery. We discussed the seven showers I had to take with Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) in the three days leading up to surgery (two showers a day with one shower on the morning of surgery). We discussed ensuring all piercings are removed and which lotions are compatible with CHG. Other topics for discussion included what to bring to the hospital, drinking Gatorade before leaving for the hospital, what the surgeon would do the morning of the surgery, and what the anesthesiologist would do the morning of surgery…there was just so much to know. The nurse was very thorough – she had pages of information to go over and she checked off each topic as we discussed it! Even though I went through this once before, I was a very attentive patient! I wanted to know as much as I could going into this surgery.
As I get used to the idea of my surgery being on February 26, I am convinced it is the better day. March 4 is my birthday and who wants surgery on their birthday?! But having surgery on February 26 gives me an extra week to heal enough to be able to feed horses at the beginning of April. It gives me an extra week to be ready for my reunion. I hate missing that extra week of bowling, I hate missing work, but I am happy that I can start healing a week earlier than I expected. My knee has gotten progressively worse. It has a tendancy to give out on me at unexpected times (I actually fell at work when it didn’t cooperate with me standing up!). I’ve had to give up Pickleball due to the pain in that knee. I probably should have quit bowling as well but I hated to be a total invalid! February 26 just feels right and as long as I get good news from this blood test, I am less than a week from surgery!……
I Was Just Saying 