He's Back

Had surgery (total hip replacement) on Monday, and am home three days later, coming along far better and faster than I'd thought I would have. In my case, walking the day after with crutches, regular diet that evening; my discharge wasn't a forced early one. Visiting nurse and physical therapy in home the day after discharge. Couldn't have been more pleased with hospital care (New England Baptist) or surgeon (Dr. Jim Bono). Helps to have good insurance, and an orthopedist for a friend who knows who does the job right. My excellent experience should be the rule. It can be done right, and should be. Always.

One thing they don't talk about much is sleep cycle disruption. Between pain, opiate pain meds, sleep interrupted for vital signs, lab work, various professional (MD, PA, NP,RN, LPN, LICSW, PT, OT, dietitian) and other necessary care, you don't sleep well while you're in the brig, and when you get home, you don't sleep when you used to. If you're on opiate pain meds and come off them a week later, you get withdrawal symptoms even if you, as an opiate-naive person pre-op, don't interpret them that way. And one mug of decaf coffee, even when you're on a regular diet--just a wee bit of withdrawal there, too.

I used to send everyone home with a week's worth of a mild, entirely safe and non-addicting sleep med, chloral hydrate, non-renewable, and encourage them to take it at night whether they felt they needed it or not. Worked sometimes if not all the time, but never had the problems of addiction, withdrawal, tolerance and ad-fueled unrealistic patient expectations you get with the benzodiazepines. The problem should be looked at in more detail. Or I should fly to China, where I'd fit right in without lag...