Day 2 in Hospital

Today is Dec 23, and it was kind of quiet, Bob and Laverne came to visit and had lunch with Laura in the Cafeteria. It was otherwise quiet and routine until about 4:30PM, when the hospital bone specialist, Dr Richard Laubaugh, stopped in to visit.(Dr Dew does not have privileges in this hospital).

He said he had looked at the records and stuff, and had talked to Dr Dew, and could do an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the knee. It could possibly be done that night. OK.

We were told to be ready at 7:00, which we were were. Could it be that relief was on the way?

They made me help transfer from the bed to the wheelchair, to another small bed. They parked me in some dingy dark cold area, started an IV drip and left me alone to ponder and wonder.

About 8:15, they came and transferred me to the operating room, another transfer to an operating gurney, three applications of some kind of gas to the face and next thing I knew, I was
having hallucinations while recovering. I thought I was in another place, until finally Lauras' face shows up along with the attending nurse, and now I know where I am.

The surgery ended about 10:30PM and they tell me they flushed my knee with about 11 gallons of water. I awake about 3:00 in the morning, all is quiet, nobody around and actually have a faurly peaceful night.

During the pre op discussions, Dr Laubaugh indicated that, yes I had an infection, and that for 6 weeks after the surgery, I would have to come to the hospital every day to have an antibiotic IV drip administered.