Freakish Planning Person

[cjsmith]

Freakish Planning Person is making more lists! Lists containing lists!
[LJ-CUT TEXT="Notes for myself"]

1. Scheduling person at surgeon's office called to say she can tell me for sure tomorrow.

• Boss notified of delay in schedule resolution
• Boss's boss notified of delay in schedule resolution
• ...

WAIT, strike all that. New voice mail message. I'm on for the 4th!!

• Boss notified of the date
• Boss's boss notified of the date
• rfrench will be notified when I see him or when he reads his e-mail or when he reads this
• joedecker, backup driver (thank you! I may still need you!), will be notified when he sees his IM screen or when he reads this notified
• Parents will be notified as soon as they hear their voice mail
• (new 8:30pm) All square dance commitments notified, as soon as group leaders see their e-mail anyway

2. Fears about the outcome: present. Contingency plans for if this doesn't do much for me: made.

3. PREP: Questions to ask at pre-op appointment

• Does the surgery center provide crutches? Funny shoes?
• If I'll have prescription painkillers, can I get the prescription now so I can fill it while I can still drive and walk?
• Food/water restrictions? Starting when?
• Medication restrictions before surgery? After?
• Anything I shouldn't be wearing when I come in? (No more surprises with metal jewelry!)
• When should my ride be prepared to pick me up from surgery?
• Will I wear the funny shoes 24/7? If so, what are they like? If not, what are the dressings like?
• Is there anything I should buy now to prepare for aftercare (eg bandages)?
• When can I stand up? shower? ride a bicycle? drive a car?
• When's the first post-op follow-up appointment?
• Can I get a videotape of the surgery? Still photos?

4. PREP: Chores

• Set up guest bedroom as recovery room, including water, books, pen-and-paper puzzles, Ethernet cable, read-in-bed back pillow, pillow-desk, and lots of pillows to go under feet DONE (hey, why not pamper myself?)
• Also have lined trash can handy in case anaesthesia doesn't agree with me. DONE
• Also put backpack in room. DONE
• Set up couch as first-afternoon crash spot, including water, books, pen-and-paper puzzles, laptop connected to Ethernet and power, pillows for under feet, land line, cell phone, snacks, painkillers.
• Make a bunch of quick-reheat food for the first few days DONE (purchased frozen food)
• Make chocolate chip cookies as promised to schedule-person DONE
• Get bike functional, in case I can ride it before I am allowed to drive
• Take apart an office chair so I have an under-desk-capable stool at work to elevate my feet a bit
• Make foot MRI icon already
• Create waist-pack of Important Stuff: water bottle, painkillers, cell phone, anything else that should always be on me

5. PREP: Errands

• Buy wedge-shaped pillow for laptop use in bed DONE
• Borrow pillow-desk from wonderful friend DONE
• Borrow table from aelfie
• Buy lots of flavored fizzy water DONE
• Buy beverage container with non-leaking lid (eg thermos) for the time on crutches DONE
• Go to medical supply place and check out real shower seat DONE, sort of (plastic stool will do fine in that big shower)
• Find extra-big shoes to wear while swollen NAH, do this as needed later

6. Last minute:

• Wednesday night: laundry
• Wednesday night: buy bag of ice
• Wednesday night: put laptop downstairs, by couch, connected to net
• Bring backpack to surgery
• Wear WIDE-legged shorts and a skirt to surgery

Anyone reading this: if you've had foot surgery, especially both feet at once, what should I be ready for?

Comments

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

Are you going under a general? If so, you are likely to appreciate having made a number of foods in advance. Specifically, jello will be your friend. I made up three large boxes. I used some extra unflavored gelatin so that I could cut it into cubes from a cake pan. I was very glad to have finger food -- managing dishes and using flatware was beyond me those first two days.

Sherbet was another buddy starting on the second day.

I had no desire for clear soups. I felt nauseated just thinking about warm or hot things.

Lots and lots of ice water. I filled oodles of bottles and put them in the refrigerator before surgery.

Have an empty trashcan lined securely with a plastic bag. Put it in easy reach.

See if someone will stay with you all day when you come home. I am enormously grateful to palecur for performing this service. He spent most of his time working from home and playing video games in another room, but in earshot. You are so not going to want to get out of bed to get your own jello. You're going to be resentful of the restroom, but take it from me, I tried, but palecur can't go for you.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Cold water bottles, EXCELLENT idea. Extra ice to apply to feet, too.

I'm going under something that they call "more than local but not full general". Sadly. I recover GREAT from general -- last time, or maybe time before last, I was out doing yard work the same afternoon -- so I'm not sure what this new concept in anaesthesia will do to me. I'll stock up on anti-nausea foods just in case.

Yeah, if palecur can't go for you I'm pretty sure that from across the bay he can't go for me. Darn!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the anesthesia is similar to the type I had for my vas. I was conscious but extremely loopy, and I never felt a thing during the surgery. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I really really don't want to be conscious. But I need this surgery, so I'll do what I have to do. :-/

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I should also point out that I don't remember a thing from during the surgery, and that was the case right after, too, so it's not just time passing. I have images in my head from lying on the table, but that's about it. It was fine. Toni says I was pretty amusing the way I was trying to talk - lots of nonsense. I remember the nurse answering me, but I have no idea what either of us said or what I was even trying to say.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's gotta be weird. I've never had a medical experience where I was conscious but nothing went into memory. Weeeeeiiiirrd...

Dang, you say I'll need a stenographer? And I bet I won't have one handy! Rats!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Probably too late for me to get a plane ticket out there, huh? ;-) Besides, according to Toni, a stenographer wouldn't have helped - I was mostly unintelligible, I guess.

Toni also said that as she was trying to lead me out of the urologist's office, I stopped at a rack of literature full of all kinds of layperson brochures on various conditions, and started picking up brochures. She had to drag me away. I only vaguely remember that. :-)

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

You forgot the best part - later that evening, you started looking at the literature, and asked me if the nurse had given it to you :-)

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

If it's IV sedation, you won't remember a thing. That's what Dan had for his vas, that's what I've had for my tooth extractions.

And he was just funny :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Maybe I've had something like this before DOO-DEE-DOO-DOO.

(Nah, I had the breathing tube and the heart monitor and all. General.)

[airporter.livejournal.com]

I agree about the IV sedation; I had it for wisdon teeth (though I lack this quality often, perhaps due to the removal). The only thing I vaguely remember is an impression of going for the crotch of the male nurse.

According to the recovery nurses and anesthesiologist, I was QUITE excited. At seventeen, I nearly died - I wasn't even out, so much for those questions in my head.

Nothing to worry about, for you. For that matter, most of the gents I know now might consider it a source of pride...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*chuckle* What an experience for a seventeen-year-old! I presume not out means you weren't out even to yourself? Questions in your head? Yeah, I bet THOSE got answered!

(Funny, my Wisdom Quotient is low these days too -- perhaps it WAS the tooth extraction!)

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Not out means naive, scared of my horribly redneck family, and 'different'. 'Twas kind of hard to remain ignorant of myself after that. I wondered later if all 17 year-olds really are as naive as I was. Ah, well.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

The first crush I ever had was a massive, years-long carry-the-torch for a female teacher of mine. Boys? Feh. Couldn't figure out why my friends were all gaga over boys. I didn't figure out I was bi -- I presumed I must be straight -- for *years* after that.

Yeah, I think a lot of 17-year-olds are pretty naive. Glad we got a chance to get past it. :)

[airporter.livejournal.com]

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