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The countdown to my operation began.
One day in March 1997 my telephone rang.
It was the hospital in Dortmund notifying me of an available date in April.
For a moment I did not know if I should laugh or cry.
On the one hand I had hoped that Dortmund would call and relieve me from my hip pain, on the other hand I had somehow avoided thinking about the operation.
Now the ball started to roll - day X came closer.
Collecting my own Blood.
The triple pelvic osteotomy is a long procedure with a big loss of blood and
a blood transfusion after the operation is therefore unavoidable.
It would be wise if patients, who are in good health, would collect their own blood prior to the operation.
I contacted the blood bank in Dortmund which gave me the address of a blood bank close to my home.
Within 4 weeks I collected one and a half litres of my own blood, which I
brought with me to the hospital in Dortmund.
Medications
After consulting the doctor, one should minimize any medications prior to an operation; totally off limits are drugs, which contain acetylsalicylic acid.
These drugs are anticoagulants, which can be dangerous during the operation, but probably few people read the leaflets before taking the medication.
Were you aware of this fact?
Prophylaxis against thrombosis
The prophylaxis against thrombosis started the evening before the operation.
I received the first of about 150 shots of Heparin into my abdomen.
I was shown how to inject the Heparin and although it took quite some effort and practice, I was later able to administer the daily shot myself.
Day X
Today was the long awaited day when it finally happened.
The triple pelvic osteotomy on my right hip was carried out.
When I woke up from my anaesthesia, I felt sick, but was without pain.
For 3 days after my operation I received a pain killer via a "Periduralkatheter," a thin plastic tube that was inserted into the lower part of my spine before the operation. After these 3 days the plastic tube was removed.
Hintergrundwissen
Es geht los - Vorbereitungen zur OP
Thrombose
- Was ist das überhaupt?
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Welcome
My hip
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