It's a Myth....

.....that Cowgirl's don't cry. They do. If they hurt, are sad or overwhelmed. And it'ok to cry. It's ok to be tough, too. But when the pain is this intense, even a real cowgirl is gonna cry.
The surgery was tough. It lasted 2 hours. I was too worried about needles to get the Femoral Nerve Block before surgery started, but when the anesthesia wore off, I begged for it. The pain hit a crescendo that even Morphine, Vicodin and another pain injection, that I can't recall, couldn't control.

The Femoral Injection was a trip. A trip I never want to go on again. The injection of the drug wasn't so bad, it was the 'tickling' of the nerve that about drove me insane. Not my idea of a fun tickle at all. They have to do it, though, so they can be sure the drug is injected right where it will offer the most pain relief, but the very uncomfortable muscle contractions it causes, is insane. They started off at the groin and then bounce all over and down to the knee. It's as if there are rabid mice hopping under your skin.

But it worked, and within minutes, my pain was finally under control. I was able to make it home and into the guestroom bed without too much discomfort. Yeh, I'm not in the tower now. I can't ascend the stairs yet. I only have one window here, with only a view of a courtyard and garage wall. No critters or horse to see. But I'm in too much pain to really care.

The Femoral Nerve Block wore off a couple hours ago. It was shocking how fast the pain climbed to an unmanageable level. I had to call the Dr. "Is this normal?" "I'm at the level where I can't cope" Heck, crutching(new word) to the bathroom was like walking through a torture chamber. Every movement made me gasp in pain.
Returning to bed and propping my leg on pillows didn't even bring relief.

Excruciating is much too mild a word today. Dr. on call says to stop using the Passive Movement Exercise Machine for the rest of the night. The machine is supposed to keep me from getting bloodclots and to help keep my knee from locking up. The machine lifts, lowers and bends my leg repeatedly while I lay there in discomfort. Apparently with Knee Reconstruction, physical therapy starts just hours after surgery.

Dr. on call says to double my dose of Percocets for the next 24 hours, to stay on top of the pain. I could kiss him. Why didn't they just tell me I could do that before surgery? Maybe they don't want to scare their patients with how bad the pain might get?

My buddy Val (Fiona), has been an angel friend to me. She's fed and taken care of my kids, my animals, went shopping and picked up my prescription. She even brought me coke and chocolate. Gotta love her.

Tonight, my muscles are still contracting like crazy, but the second dose of Percocet has taken affect and I can finally focus enough to make an entry in my blog. Some might say, "Geez, just take a break from blogging while you're convalescing" Sure I could, but this is my way of journaling the experience. I'm just keeping it real.

And I know there are many of you who care about me (I don't know why. lol!) and are concerned and would like to know that I'm still alive. So, here I am.
(Thanks for caring, y'all. It means so much to me.)

Just Keeping It Real. Cowgirls Do Cry.


From the guestroom of,