So here I sit at the Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa. Oddly enough, when we pulled into the plaza this morning we realized this is the same surgery center that performed by little brother's emergency talus bone reconstruction after his motorcycle accident in July. This gives me a very optimistic outlook on Kevin's operation, because they did such a great job with Adam and his injury was far more severe than Kevin's.
I have always been a worry wart. Last night I couldn't fall asleep until almost 2 am, and then woke up around 5 unable to fall asleep again. Kevin was sleeping and snoring next to me around 10:30 pm, obviously unfazed by his impending operation. I lied in bed, with a million worries running through my mind. I knew I should have taken a melatonin but I upped my dosage from 5 to 10 mg, and have felt groggy the last couple times I took it. I didn't want to risk feeling foggy or sluggish today.
As I waited with him in the pre-op area, he seemed totally at ease with going into surgery. Acting as if it's a simple walk in the park and could care less. How I wish I was able to brush my worries off my shoulder like he can.
The surgeon, Dr. Grant Garlick, came out a moment ago and told me the surgery went very well and he is going into recovery any moment. Ah...I can breath a sigh of relief. I knew there was practically no chance of complications, but I still worry when someone I love is being put under anesthesia and going under a knife. He said he took part of his hamstring and put it in place of his non-existent ACL. He removed a bone spur on his knee, and cleaned up some cartilage to try to help with his arthritis. So happy!
I can't wait until he wakes up and I can take him home. Now for the contraptions! A physical therapist came to the house yesterday and brought a couple machines he will have to use over the next week to keep range of motion in his knee and stop his legs from forming blood clots. Hopefully, he will not be in too much pain or bed ridden. We shall see.
After watching Adam go through emergency surgery after his wreck July 12, I have had my fill of surgery and recoveries for a while. Unfortunately, I need back surgery very soon. After nursing Adam, and now Kevin back to health, at least I know I will not be short on caregivers. This is comforting. I guess I owe Kevin for saving my life in December and taking such excellent care of me in the hospital and the weeks following at home while I recovered, very slowly.
All in all, wonderful news. I can't wait until he is fully healed and can resume his normal activities. I told him I am going to try to schedule my operation/s in the beginning of November or December and we can heal together. Once fully operational again, I would like us to participate in an adventure race together. Long distance running has always held a special place in my heart. With the condition of my back, I haven't been able to run more than 2 1/2 miles in years. I can't wait!
