Post 6: Catching Up, Part 1 of 4
So, the last post was a flashback and I’ll be doing those every now and then. They help me process my experiences before I share them publicly. As someone new to fully telling my story online, I want to do so in a way that’s responsible, authentic, and protective of my mental health. Being chronically ill is hard, and giving myself space to process things matters.
But let’s get current. Here’s Part 1 of 4 to catch you up on what’s happened since my surgery.
April 14th 2025– Surgery Day
This day brought nervousness, hope, anxiety, and a little bit of growth. I was headed into surgery to remove several bone spurs and improve my ankle mobility and pain.
The surgery went well. My amazing surgical team removed multiple bone spurs and a significant amount of cartilaginous overgrowth, basically a rice-crispy-like substance my joint created in response to trauma. It was a two-hour procedure, and I woke up in PACU, groggy but stable.
I was then admitted to a room at Boston Children’s Hospital, where I stayed for a few nights. Huge thanks to my mom and husband for taking turns staying with me. Your support meant everything.
Pain management included a continuous popliteal nerve block, which kept things somewhat tolerable. I was non-weightbearing that first night, but by Post-Op Day 1, I was up in a boot and walking. It hurt. It was hard. But I was walking.
One weird note: I had to push to urinate, and something felt off. I asked the nurse if I had a catheter during surgery (I hadn’t), so I chalked it up to medication side effects. But keep this detail in mind. It becomes important later.
April 17th 2025 – Discharge Day
After a challenging pain spike (shoutout to the incredible pain NP who helped me through it), I was discharged home.
The dogs were thrilled to see me. Hiroshi was extra attached, and Pocky was deeply concerned about my well-being. I spent the next few days healing: nerve block running, ice packs rotating, and couch cuddles on repeat.
All was going relatively smoothly until April 20th.
April 20th – Wound Opening
It was 9:30 PM. Hiroshi sniffed my ankle while I was icing it. Odd. I took a peek.
The top layer of skin near the incision seemed to be separating. As a nurse, I thought, “I’ve got this.” I Instacarted antibacterial soap and Steri-Strips from CVS. Once my husband brought them upstairs, I prepped for some late-night wound care.
But as I moved my ankle, the wound fully opened.
Still determined, I cleaned it, closed it with Steri-Strips, and went to bed. The next morning, the site was red, irritated, and oozing. Off to the ER.
April 21st 2025– First ER Visit
The emergency department team (minus my surgeon, who was on vacation) told me to keep using Steri-Strips. After several hours, I left with no major changes in care.
Shoutout to my friend Kayla for taking care of me and bringing me to the ED. Having someone by your side during moments like that makes all the difference.
April 22nd 2025 – Infection?
The wound still looked bad. Red, oozing, and angry. I called the clinic and was thankfully seen the same day. The verdict: likely infection. The plan: start wound packing to encourage healing from the inside out.
As a nurse and former wound-packing pro (sad badge of honor), I felt hopeful this would do the trick.
April 23rd 2025 – Systemic Symptoms Start
That morning I woke up nauseous, not hungry, and deeply uncomfortable. The wound was worse. Redder and leaking more. But it wasn’t the wound that pushed me to call. It was the nausea. Fun fact: I hate vomiting.
I called my PCP’s office. Given my symptoms, they advised me to head straight to the ER. That advice was spot-on.
April 23rd 2025– Second ER Visit (22 Hours Long)
This visit was a saga.
I was in pain, nauseous, and still struggling to urinate. They gave me meds for pain and nausea, took a urine sample, and did a post-void residual scan. That checks how much urine is left in your bladder after peeing.
Turns out, I had 570 mL left. Way more than normal. Ideally under 100 mL, definitely under 300mL. Over the next couple hours, I tried so hard to void more effectively and got just under 300 mL. I knew what a Foley catheter was and I did not want one.
Meanwhile, because I’m technically an adult in a children’s hospital, the ED team struggled to find a service to admit me. They were trying to get medicine involved for nausea and pain control.
Eventually, the ortho resident came, cleaned and packed the wound, and immobilized my ankle. Turns out the wound had opened all the way to the joint space. Every time I moved my ankle, it reopened. So, back to non-weightbearing and fully immobilized. Just what I wanted. Not.
With no services available to admit me, I was given two choices:
Go home with close follow-up
Seek transfer to an adult hospital
I was exhausted, frustrated, and overwhelmed. So, I went home.
To be continued……..in the next post, hear what happened when I got home and faced a subsequent hospital admission. Then, in two weeks, I’ll share what June has brought—from being in a wedding while managing a Foley catheter to finally starting outpatient PT. The best is yet to come.
