Going into surgery’s nerve-racking, recovering is mixed with up’s and down’s

IMAGE / Mrs. Melissa Robinson
I was extremely nervous before going into surgery.

If you haven’t been following my story, I fell off a skateboard, fractured and dislocated my ankle, and have been waiting for surgery.

And that day finally arrived.

I had surgery Saturday, May 13. When I went to the hospital it was early. We got there around 6 a.m. and my surgery was scheduled at 7:30 a.m.

I went to pediatrics first since I am only 16. Here I got changed into an extremely fashionable hospital gown (note the sarcasm).

Healthcare workers asked me a bunch of questions, like my height and allergies. They also gave me an IV, giving me fluids.

From here I went to Pre-Op.

A bunch of nurses, an anesthesiologist, and the surgeon all came in and introduced themselves.

One of the nurses began cutting off my splint as she explained what was going to happen in surgery. But as she jostled my ankle, I didn’t really hear much of what she was saying.

IMAGE / Mrs. Melissa Robinson
My mood was pretty down after surgery with all of the pain I was feeling.

With my ankle hurting and everyone surrounding me, I got pretty overwhelmed and couldn’t help but cry.

Once in the operating room, the doctors and nurses were all being very nice and silly to make me smile, and they continued to tell me I had nothing to worry about. Once they put the anesthesia mask on me, the next thing I remembered was waking up thirsty and in pain.

I was given a lot of pain medication and my family was brought in to see me.

In all, the surgery took about two hours and the recovery at the hospital took about four. After that, I went home and spent the majority of the day sleeping.

The next day was Mother’s Day. My family usually goes to Cracker Barrel for breakfast because it’s Gram’s favorite, but my family didn’t think that was such a good idea.

I took my medicine and told them I felt fine. We went to have breakfast at Brian’s restaurant, instead, since it was closer.

IMAGE / Jenna Robinson
My leg was orange from the iodine that was used during surgery.
IMAGE / Ashley Harroun
Grams (l to r), me, and Mom taking our annual Mother’s Day picture together.

Then, with me still feeling all right, we shopped for a while and tried out my new wheelchair. It was a lot of fun and much easier to get around in than using crutches, especially since I’ve been getting a lot of bruises from my crutches.

When I got home, I tried going up the stairs to get inside and fell, luckily not on my bad side. So yes, I overdid it, and boy did I pay for it.

My meals include pills, pills, and more pills, which then makes me feel pretty sick to my stomach.

Some days are better than others. One day I might feel fine and want to get out, and another day I might be feeling a lot of pain and not want to get out of bed or eat.

It’s hard because I want to keep up with my normal life: my school work, my social life, and my music.

But it’s just a little too hard right now.

Luckily, I have amazing friends and family that are helping me keep up.

I have another splint on that I will have for two weeks until the stitches heal. Afterward, I have to have a permanent cast put on for a few more weeks.

It’s going to be difficult, but I’m getting there, and I am so thankful for everyone helping me through this.

Jenna Robinson is an editor for The Eclipse. She is writing a series that  follows her path from the ER to recovery. This is Part 3. Stay tuned.