An Early Morning Faint?

The first night at home after surgery can be really rough. Especially for the caretaker (AKA my mom). Every so often you have to change machines, or you have to get the patient up to go to the bathroom, or the patient is due for another pain killer, or they just can't sleep because it isn't the most comfortable when your leg is so sore and so large because of swelling.

Some of the machines and props that are used throughout the night include, the CPM machine which has to be used 4-6 hours the first few days after post-op and then can be decreased to 1-2 hours a day. Shae also has to use the game ready ice machine, which includes a hip wrap, which wraps around the hip, and then ice cold water gets pumped throughout the wrap. There are also calf pumps which have to be used. These are smaller wraps which wrap around Shae's calf muscles, and they pump air throughout the wrap every so often in order to prevent her from getting any blood clots. Finally, Shae also has to use a barell and boots in order to prevent her leg from rotating out. After hip surgery, you cannot let your leg rotate externally until about week 2-3.

So, after changing machines and finally getting comfortable. Shae did make it through the night relatively well until she had to go to the restroom early this morning. Shae was doing well walking to the bathroom, until she all of a sudden went white as a ghost and fainted. The therapists say that the younger hip patients, struggle with all the meds and the anesthetic, and so that could be one of the reasons why it happened to Shae. Then on her way back to bed, it happened again and my mom and dad had to carry her back to bed. All in all, she is okay now and was able to sleep the rest of the night.