Preparing for Another Surgery (I Hope)

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Friday, August 30, 2013

Bob's second foot surgery was scheduled for August 26, but was canceled by the foot surgeon as the pre-op tests picked up a urinary tract infection. This after the primary care doctor gave the "go ahead" for the surgery. The primary care doctor didn't think a UTI was reason to cancel surgery, but the foot surgeon nixed the whole idea. Bob's been on antibiotics since and I just collected another urine sample for the lab yesterday.

Now, this surgery is scheduled for next week, September 6th. If the urine sample comes out clean...

Trouble is, we won't know if the urine sample is clean until the lab results come back and that takes 72 hours. And we are approaching a weekend and a holiday.

And I'm supposed to take him off warfarin five days in advance. Then start the Lovenox shots again. Which would all start on Sunday.

When I talked to the nurse at the doctor's office about this dilemma, her suggestion was to reschedule the surgery, again.

Which I don't want to do. I want this surgery done and over with. I want Bob "back to normal" and free of pain as soon as possible.

Bob's foot, between surgeries.
Three straight toes, two still curled.

So I talked to the lab tech and he suggested I call his office on Sunday morning, leave a message with the answering service which will contact him, and then he'll call the lab and get the results for me.

Let's pray this all works. Let's pray that sample is "clean". Because I'm at my wit's end.

I can't even begin to explain how trying this blasted foot problem has been.  How stressful the days and nights have been for me. How much pain Bob is in. How every single day, the morning starts off with Bob complaining and crying about that foot and the pain seems to worsen as the day goes on. And I am constantly applying ice or adjusting pillows or giving extra pain meds. How this problem has wrecked all the good things he was accomplishing in therapy. And how weak he's become because of that. How everytime we see a doctor, any doctor, Bob begs and pleads for them to "chop it off" and when they say they cannot chop his foot off, he starts crying, shaking all over and saying "pain, pain, pain" over and over and over. How those scenes bring me to tears. How some days, Bob refuses even to get out of bed because the pain is so great. And this has been going on for months now...

And I am tired. Very tired of it all. And just want the whole thing over with.

I tell you, if we don't get this surgery soon, I'll be the one wielding the axe.... and not to chop off Bob's foot, but aimed toward a certain doctor's neck!

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