My Right Hip Bites The Dust

I went in to get a hip replacement and all I got was this lousy scar. Oh wait. I just lied. My bad. I got a whole bunch more. Let the rollercoaster ride begin. 

As the car starts up the steep incline,  I roll into surgery when the anticipation hits.  On that first drop I learn that while in hip replacement surgery, you are twisted and turned like a pretzel.   WHAT THE!!!  This was told to me by my physical therapist who said they have to watch all the surgeries so they know what the patient needs help with. Now if you want to know what that yellow spot is on my scar, I got burned by the drill. Apparently, according to my surgeon I have really strong bones, they had to push really hard on the drill. Lucky me.  

Here is the look of my old hip vs my new. 

The ride continues on. I get to the first curve. I wake up in the morning and the PA is in my room saying I’m not breathing well. Oh goody. What does this mean. He says, we are going to have to transfer you to the medical center. (I had surgery in the orthopedic surgery center). NOOOO. 

In come the local ambulance guys. Yup, another part of the ride. They load me in for the short ride to the hospital. Giving the guy a bad time all the way there. We are cracking jokes with each other.  I’m never mean unless you’ve pushed my final button, which will be in one of my chapters. 

I’m taken right into ICU. What!!!  They do their first assessment, and then allow my husband and daughter in. They have taken an X-ray (or that terrifying photo they take on the rollercoaster), and this is the view of my lung. 

See the left side of this X-ray. That is my actual right lung. All that white area is fluid in my plural cavity. This is a membrane that surrounds your lungs. That white area is full of fluid, known as ASCITES. Pronounced AS-CI-TES. (You will learn a lot of medical terms in this blog). You’re welcome. 

How do they get rid of it. This is the most terrifying part of the ride. They stick you between your ribs, insert a tube, and suck the fluid out. 

This is what they removed from my plural cavity. Doesn’t it look yummy. That was 1400 milliliters which equals almost a half gallon. Just think about carrying that fluid around your chest. No wonder I wasn’t breathing well. 

What is the next ride I go on?  Stay tuned for the next chapter.