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Post Operative
I checked into the hospital on the morning of Weds, December 19th, one day before the operation. The check-in process was very efficient and I had my room setup by the early afternoon.

I selected a private room rather than the 4-bed shared-room option. While this option was more expensive, (about 400 Sing dollar/night as opposed to 300), I wanted to splurge in terms of comfort since I figured that I would be greatly uncomfortable for quite some time.

I also brought my LCD projetor, a set of speakers, my laptop, a wide assortment of DVD's, my orthopeadic pillows, and a couple of books by Neil Gaiman. Oh yes, and most importantly, I brought a button down shirt (not a T-Shirt) that was big enough to be wrapped around my neck brace and very loose fitting shorts that would not rub against the hip wound for the return home.

The room also had a mini-fridge, so I stocked up on some comfort food (mostly chicken porridge as it was almost liquid and would be edible in the first couple of days).

I cannot say enough how glad I am that I did these things.

While the hospital food was not bad per se, it was so much better to have my own food. And while the HBO selection was ok, I had so much more flexibility with my own stuff.

Having my own "things" around me just made me "feel" better and more in control.

Of course, while the hospital wanted me to check in early, they did not actually need me for anything until the next day, so I had one other little pre-operation treat. My mom, who is in Singapore for two weeks during the recovery phase, and I caught the first showing of Lord of the Rings and then had a late diner.

I finally checked in for good at about 9PM. They wanted me back before 10PM so that they could make sure that I did not take any food as I would be under anasthesia the next day and having food in the stomache would be dangerous.

That night I slept very poorly. The night was just one nightmare after another. I finally gave up trying to sleep at 5AM and waited until my mom and Hsien were to arrive (at 6:30AM).

At 7 on the dot the nurses wrapped me up and wheeled me out of the ward and down to the operating thater. I had quite a bit of anxiety on the way down but the nurses kept talking to me, I think to keep me calm.

I arrived in the pre-op room and stayed there for another 40 minutes while the surgrgeon's staff prepared the room. During this time, the nurses kept talking to me and checking all my details (like my name, ID Number, and operation) again and again. I think they were just going through the normal precaution processeses...but it was nice that they did not let me lie there alone for 40 minutes.

After awhile they were finally ready and I was wheeled into the operating theater. The room itself was extremely cold and had a Star Trek look to it. It was very bright and there were no corners on any of the walls. There were also lots of high tech looking machines...

They fed me oxgen and I think I must have passed out pretty quickly. That was good because I was not keen to be awake when they inserted the breathing tubes and such. Anyway, the next thing I knew, I woke up in the recovery room. The first thing I did was to wriggle my toes. Everything seemed okay so I went back to sleep.

Eventualy the nurses rolled me back to my room where Hsien and my mom were waiting. Altough I still had the IV drip tube, and this bottle-thing hanging out of my neck to catch extra blood, the other tubes had been removed and I was actually comfortable enough, though I was fairly doped up. I don't remember most of the rest of the day. I think I slept through a lot of it.

I began to wake up after visiting hours were over. The pain in the hip was was definitely there, but it was a lot less annoying than I had thought it would be. The pain in the neck was also there, but my brace was pretty tight and I think the pain was more like sore muscles than what I would have imagined.

The next day things were much better, and much worse. On the one hand, I found that I could walk to the bathroom by myself (even though the nurses did not know). On the other hand it was really difficult to lie down on my back which was the only way I could lie down. When I lied down for more than 10 minutes it became very hard to breathe and I got severe chest pains.

They ran me through a lot of tests to see if I was having a heart attack or if I had deep veign thrombosis where I got blood clots in my feet that moved up to my heart and lungs. I also had to wear these really tight socks that apparently stopped the flow of clots.

All the tests went well. Well, I mean in terms of diagnosis. The CT Scan that I took turned out pretty poorly from a people perspective. I don't think anyone had informed the staff what surgery I had just done so they did two really annoying things. First, they grabbed my by the hip (right on my bruise) to transfer me from the bed to the table and second, when placing me on the CT Scan table, they allowed my neck to fall backwards without support which caused great pain for several hours that day.

But in terms of my heart condition, the tests were positive. In the end, I found that I could reduce the pain by sitting in a chair and putting my head down on the table in front of me with a pillow. This posture has remained important throughout the recovery process as it is one of the few ways I can sleep. In the end, the doctors just decided that it was post-operative trauma and that it would pass.

I got some pain killers and did not sleep much that night.

By the next morning, Saturday, things looked really positive. The doctor was happy with my progress and decided that I could return home that day (4 days early). I was walking quite well, had no signs of infection, and though I had not slept much, I was in good condition. He also said that infections are more likely in the hospital than at home, so home would actually be safer.

Having decided to go home, I spent some time with the physio therapist learning how to navigate stairs with a cane they gave me. I also practiced walking and getting in and out of bed.

In retrospect, it is really good that I spent some time getting back into shape before the surgery (though not as much time as I would have liked). In fact, I think the reason that I could walk on the first day was because my legs and hips were actually quite strong before the operation. For example, I could easily squat and stand on one leg.

Further, basic things, like sitting up, were incredibly difficult even though I had prepared. The strategies that the physio gave me to do things like getting up out of bed while supporting my head turned out to be quite a challenge and much of my soreness, I believe, is due to the unexpected use of my triceps all day long, rather than the operation itself.

I think that the doctors should have definitely warned me about the need to prepare and strengthen the right muscles for the post-op recover period.

It was really nice to get back home, though also a bit frightening. The thing about the hospital was that I knew I had a trained professional right outside the door. So even if it were a yucky place to be, at least I had the security. The drive home also made me nervous. Even though Hsien drove fine, I just worried that she may have to stop suddenly and then that would be it. The seatbelt never felt so inadequate.

In fact, I would say that anxiety is the number one stress of the post-op period. There are so many things to worry about and once you are out of the hospital it becomes less convenient to rung the nurse call button.

But with only a few real scares (waking up at night in pain after having moved wrong or snored or who knows what), I am getting more and more comfortable at home.

The doctor said that I will have to wear the neck brace for 4-6 weeks. However, after 2 weeks, I don't have to wear it all the time....just when I am tired in the afternoon, when driving, and when sleeping. The bone itself should be fused enough by the end of week 2, to generally support my head.

As I said, I am already walking with the help of a cane and could probably soon go without the cane provided that I don't do anything strenuous. My hip is a multicolored rainbow of bruise and it feels the way it would after playing a Sunday basketball game after having not played for several weeks. However, these are just sore spots and I believe they will be gone next week.

The good news is that next Thursday, the surgical wounds should have closed and I can take the bandages off. There were no stitches required, so I just have to remove the dressing and surgical tape. So next weekend I won't have to be so concerned about infection.

The real problem is sleep.

At the moment it is so painful to sleep in any position that my best bet is to sit at the dining room chair until I am utterly exhausted and then just pass out for an hour or 45 minutes with my head on the table....then I wake up again and stare into space for a couple more hours until I am exhausted again.

Even on Weds, 6 days after the operation, I am still averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night.

What sucks is that while awake I am too tired to read or work or even to concentrate on TV. So, with the exception of a second or third wind that I seem to be getting in the afternoon, it is just mostly zombie time. Any way, while I might be okay to do stuff in 4 weeks, I am pretty sure I won't be in top form.