Lots of details that I reported about my first surgery, for the run-up and hospital stay, still apply, so I will omit those. I'll focus on what was new... and different.
My surgery on 23 February went well. I made the dumb mistake of choosing a spinal block at the last minute and it was a miserable experience. For me, never again. But if you like writhing like a pithed frog, I recommend it (and keep reading).
My first trauma was that the block did not wear off in anything like the 12-18 hours I was assured was normal. By bedtime of Day One in the hospital (12 hours after surgery), there was no feeling below my knee. Nothing at all. All night long, as the anti-clotting foot-squeezers alternated their caress, it was like "these little piggies have feeling".... "and these little piggies have none." So, no, I did not sleep, at all. By 6 am, still nothing. After 8 am and breakfast, nothing. The anesthesiologist came by, and when he heard, he said "Really!?!? That's not good! We'll get a neurologist in later." Great. Damaged nerve. Severed nerve? Have I traded a sore hip for paralysis?
Fortunately, Chris Ferrante, my surgeon, was comforting and told me to wait just a bit more before we took action. Son of gun, 15 minutes after he left, and about 26 hours after surgery, my little toe wiggled! I was healed! Within an hour, my leg was back. Still, that did not make for gentle first day.
Everything proceeded fairly smoothly after that, but I noticed increasingly that there was an odd clunk or shifting feeling in my operated leg. My doctors thought this was just soft tissue moving, based on my description. I went home on schedule, on the Thursday following the Monday surgery.
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