Tomorrow Is The Day

Well,after 2 years of waiting,praying,and hoping,tomorrow is the day.

My wonderful husband is about to get his life back.

At this time tomorrow morning, he will be in surgery having his knees replaced.

I cannot begin to tell you what this means. Once he is healed,he will be able to walk without pain. He will not need morphine anymore. He will not need crutches at all. He will be able to hike,run,ride a bike,and be back to his active self.

Right now he is cooking French Toast for breakfast. He took over the cooking duties a while ago,because he said that was something he could actually do,since he couldn't do very much anymore. He won't be cooking for awhile,so I better get my cooking skills back to where they were! :)

We will be leaving for our motel in Lebanon around 1-2:00 PM. Once we check in,we are going to go down the road to Hanover,which is the town that Dartmouth College is in.Dartmouth is one of the Ivy League schools here in the States,meaning it's one of the oldest colleges in the country. Rick's distant cousin, Daniel Webster,attended Dartmouth College.He was a famous lawyer and statesman in NH.Once we explore the town,we will get a bite to eat,then head back to the motel.

Rick needs to wash his knees with antibacterial soap,wear clean pajamas,and take Coumadin tonight.(Coumadin is a blood thinner to ward off clots-he will have to take it for four weeks after the surgery).He then has to use the soap again in the morning,and scrub any dirt he might have from under his nails. He also cannot wear any jewelry.

We have to be at the hospital for 5:45 AM.They will give him a pain block that will extend down the front of his legs and the sides.It will be good for 24 hours after surgery. However,there will be no block on the back of knees,so that will be very painful.He will be put out completely. He was going to ask for that,anyway.He was concerned that if they only gave him a spinal,and he was in and out of consciousness,that his PTSD might kick in,and if he was only semi lucid,he wouldn't know where he was or what they were doing to him.He didn't want to have a negative reaction.

There is a computer near the waiting room that gives you updates on the patient. I will be given a PIN number,and when I type it in it will tell me his progress. The surgery is about 2-3 hours long. I will be armed with a Diana Gabaldon book from her Outlander series.One eye will be on the book,the other on the clock!

We are nervous,as anyone would be with surgery,but excited as well. We do know it's going to be a while before Rick will be able to get around without a walker.The hospital will have him up and trying to walk the day after surgery.He will not be allowed to come home until he can get to the bathroom,climb stairs,and be able to walk (with a walker) by himself. We are not sure if he will have to go to a Rehab facility for a few days after or not.That is up to the VA,and I think it all depends on how well he does with his mobility and exercises.

I might not post for a few days,but will send updates as soon as I can.

Have a great day,everyone!