Surviving Foot Surgery at 56. part 2
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
About 5 days before your surgery you will need to have a Covid-19 test done. I had to go to a specified site that was linked to the hospital doing my surgery which meant a one hour drive. There was no set appointment, I was told that they would be testing between 8 am and noon. I didn’t know what to expect as I had never done a Covid test before.
When I arrived there was a line of people standing outside that looped around the building and down the street. I was underdressed for the weather in just a sweatshirt and leggings. I guess I was thinking it would be a drive thru clinic. Nope. The line moved slowly. Almost nobody was social distancing. Everyone was cranky and irritated. There was no place to sit down if you were in pain or tired. If I ever have to do that again, I will bring warmer clothes and something to sit or lean on like my knee scooter or crutch.
Once inside the clinic (2 hours later) I gave my name, picture I.D., my procedure date and insurance info. I waited another 10 minutes, but at least I was inside and warming up. The technician who administered the test was cheerful and thorough. I give her a lot of credit because she has a lot of personalities and time limits to deal with. Not to mention constant exposure to Covid.
I was nervous. The test itself is not as bad as I had imagined. I was asked to tip my head back as she inserted a long very thin brush like tip into my nostril and gave it 4 turns. It was not painful, I did not feel like I was choking. the only sensation was a slight burning as if I had just gotten water up my nose from a swimming pool. The burning stopped before I walked out the door.
I was told to go home and keep myself as isolated as possible until surgery day. No shopping trips, parties or traveling. Makes sense to me. I got my Negative result 2 days later.
YOUR DRIVER
By this time you should have secured someone to drive you there and back. Double check with them and have a back up driver in place just in case. You have waited too long to have anything go wrong at the last minute.
YOUR RETURN HOME TEAM
You should also have your team of helpers in place for your return home from surgery. I cannot stress enough how important this team is. You need someone you can trust to get your meds from the pharmacy. Someone who can help you get into the house when you are still tipsy from anesthesia or pain meds. These special people should understand that you will not be your usual cheerful easygoing self. You will be tired, in pain, irrational, emotional, weak and ready to be done with everything. They need to be super supportive and helpful as you come back to your recovery nest. For me it was my oldest son and my brother.(More about my experience later)
The day before surgery. You will get a call from the surgical center giving you instructions. For example, don’t eat past midnight, don’t drink anything after 4 am. Only clear liquids. They will tell you which meds you should or should not take in the morning and of course, what time to be there. This is a good time to ask any last minute questions.
Now is the time to get your final preparations done. Get your equipment ready to load in the car. (crutches, scooter, walker, pillows for the ride home)
Do a final walk through of your recovery nest area and make sure everything is in place and in easy reach. Leave instructions and notes for caregivers or family that will be fending for themselves in the kitchen. Reminders to feed the pets, get the mail and take out the garbage. All the things you did will now be someone else’s responsibility for a while. Help them get to know your routines, teach them to load and run the dishwasher, washing machine, clean the lint filter of the dryer, turn the lights off and keep the thermostat under 72 degrees. The less you have to worry about the better.
Set your alarm a little bit early for the next morning in case you find something that you forgot to take care of. Try to get a good night’s sleep.
The day of surgery. Take a shower, wear comfy clothes, crocs or easy to put on shoes and get a few breaths of fresh air to clear your head. Do a final check of your items to go with you. Insurance card, photo I.D.,payment if needed, your mask,eye glass case, hairbrush, a drink for the ride home. Try to relax and keep conversation light. You got this!
Arrival. You will probably need to call from the parking lot and let them know you have arrived. They will give you instructions from there about where to walk in. Your ride will most likely be asked to wait in the car or come back for you later.