On coming unscrewed

I woke up early today which was unfortunate as I’d gone to sleep late. However, it was necessary as I had an early appointment with Ortho at the General. Alberto accompanied me in the CIUSSS van. After a few minutes waiting at Ortho, I was rolled off to be X-rayed in my hips and left leg. But first, there was a longish wait in a corridor. Then some radiology guys inexpertly transferred me from the wheelchair to the scanning bed. Afterwards, they reversed the process.

Then it was back to Ortho, another wait at reception before going into an examination room for another long wait. Then a junior Ortho doctor who the Mole thinks is from Saudi Arabia. After examining my pin sites and asking a few questions, he announced he would be removing my hips fixations. There in the examination room. Apparently, it was a matter of unbolting the cross piece and unscrewing the pins going into my pelvis. Without a painkiller or sedative.

The first part was fairly trivial. The second was harder, but only occasionally moderately painful.  The second pin proved harder than the first. The doctor said that one had been put in in Fredericton whereas the previous one had been put in Montreal. This was a bit of a surprise to me as I hadn’t known that Montreal had put in pins. Then again, I was pretty loopy on drugs and trauma in my first weeks in Montreal. (Also, Ortho is terrible at communication.) Afterwards, he spent a long time clean and dressing my lower left leg.

It was about two when I got back into the van. The driver hadn’t quite tied down the wheelchair firmly enough, so there was a disconcerting bit of slack which made the ride something to be endured. It was especially long as we went to Point Saint-Charles to pick up another patient before dropping him at the Verdun Hospital, before heading back to the CH Champlain. 

I was very glad to get back into bed. I let go and cried and cried, hugging Pooh Bear to my chest. There had been so much tension built up that I couldn’t help myself. One the PAs tried to comfort me saying that I’d just passed a milestone. I knew that, but at the same time I had to cry. Better out than in.