HI!!
Little background info I am having surgery on both my lower legs for what has been termed "Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome". This lead to poor flexability in my legs, added with a loss of muscle stregth at different periods. Please try to hold of your laughter...so basically the muscles in my lower leg got to big for the compartments that house them. The doctor went into my legs and cut away some of the fascia that encases my muscles so they can fully expand the way they need to.
After a night of dancing like it was my job It was off to Saranac Lake to have surgery performed by our team doctor Dr.Byrne!!! This is one of those moments where I know I need to get the surgery but not necessarily excited to have it. It was not the actual fact that I had to be cut open but more so the thought of not being able to walk and run on my power for a while, let alone not being able to really lift for 8 WEEKS! WE ARE TALKING 8 WEEKS HERE PEOPLE!!! I have NEVER gone 1 week without stepping in a weight room and doing something! So this whole 8 week thing is definitely going to be a little different for me to say the least!
In order to make the trip to the hospital easy or more annoying...............lol, two of my older sisters Ulanka and Tina drove me to the Hospital. Well actually Tina drove and Ulanka sat in the back trying to figure out where in the boonies she was!! LOL Sorry Ulanka.....and she had a GPS UNIT! lol Guess getting lost runs in our family....well that is unless you talk to pops!! but he would not admit to it anyway, and I digress! Oh and for those who every wonder why I do not use the the semi-colon and the colon in my writing much at all it because nothing about me says Semi and come on the word colon speaks for its self and....its my email! SO HA!!! HA! HA! HA! THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! (giving full credit to the writers of 300....P.S I have no money to sue me for) But, I do admit it was cool having my sisters in the hospital with me! Save the Awwwwwwwwww's people "Seriously"
I checked in to the hospital on Monday 02, 2009at 8:30 am to receive the instructions of where I need to go for 10:40 am scheduled surgery. My sisters and I walked down to the surgery waiting room, shortly a nurse comes in and walks us down to one of those curtained off rooms with a hospital bed and a few chairs in it. Evidently the nurse assumed that one of my sister's was my wife or girlfriend because she offered them to stay in the room while I changed into my hospital garments....umm yeah my sisters let her know it was not that type of party!
After I changed out of my street clothes my sisters and the nurse all reentered the room. The nurse begins to tell me about options for anesthesia that are available to me. The first option was for me to be awake and administered an epidural that would numb me from the chest down, they would also place screen in front of my waist so I can not see the actual surgery. Second, was to be completely knocked out and a tube placed down my throat so I can breathe. YOU know what I am thinking....TUBE down MY throat? I can just see it now.... some med school student shoving a tube down my throat Screaming Out DOCTOR!!! I Need Some Help I Think The Tube Is Stuck On His Lungs AGAIN!! Naw Miss Nurse I will pass on that option. LOL The final option, was to be given a lesser form of sedation that would allow me to breathe without any assistance, and administered the epidural that would numb me from the waist down. I actually wanted the first option of being awake through the surgery, in talking with the nurse this was not an option since I was having both legs done. In the end I chose the third option.
The nurse continued to question me about my health history and etc. She asked if I had any other questions, which I really did not have since I had been talking to Dr. Bryne and my trainers all week. My nurse made the fatal error of thinking just because I.... did not have any questions that here job of answering was done! Poor Poor Nurse Do You NOT SEE MY SISTERS OVER IN THE CORNER JUST ITCHING TO ASK YOU EVERYTHING FROM HERE TO THERE!!! LOL I have to admit I was just waiting for my sisters to strike cause I knew they would! Now just for the record, NONE of my sister are soft by any means (One was in the Marines, One in the Army, One a school teacher you would not want to cross, and One who is currently a Chief in the Navy!) and they WISH....(They Have Dreams About People Getting Out Of Line Just To Give Them A Reason to Do Something) someone would try to get something over on their little brother! lol It was like watching a tag team wrestling match! My sister Ulanka (Navy) would ask a question and before the nurse could answer Tina (Army) would add a little bit and vice versa!!! It was brilliant, they even made the nurse go find a form that enabled family members to call in and ask intimate questions about my surgery and status. The nurse did not even know that such a form existed....How Great is That!!! I was Like What! Mmmmhhmmmm that's right I brought some SOLDIERS up in here with me today!! "SHOCK AND AWE BABE" "SHOCK AND AWE"!!! I guess God figured that I needed a little more humor in my life because after my sisters got done shinning the flash light in the nurses eyes, here comes the anesthesiologist! Yup Round 2 Babe! Actually, this guy was ready for the questions and was pretty happy to answer making it slightly less amusing but my sisters hit him up with questions anyway. The anesthesiologist repeated my different options about the surgery with a little more detail about the Anastasia I would be receiving. After he left Doctor Byrne came in marked on my legs information regarding the surgery answered a couple of questions, then reluctantly took my sister's camera so pictures could be taken of the procedure. These pictures can be viewed at www.jessebeckom3.com on my "Media" page. The Minster of the North Country Ministries Pastor Derek Spain was also at the hospital with me before the surgery to keep me company and to say a prayer for me before I went in to play with Edward Scissor Hands! LoL I also thought that was pretty cool!
Once Doc left the anesthesiologist came back administered the anesthesia, then wheeled me into the operating room. Once in the operating room he asked me to move over to the operating table, had me sit up so they can administer the epidural and that is all I remember until I woke up! The Kid was OUT COLD!
Being that I have a sets of three stitches in each of my legs now I can only assume that while I was sleeping Doc did what he needed to do! The funny thing about waking up after surgery is that your vision is not really as clear as it should be. Personally for me I felt like I was in a dream sequence of some sort, I mean things are happening around me that I have no control over. I hear nurses talking to me and can barely make them out. I asked for water and a nurse rubbed some weird water filled sponge across my lips....Yeah exactly! I thought I was going crazy so I asked for water again! Sure enough she hit me the sponge! lol My throat is dry as the Gobi Desert and this nurse keeps hitting me the sponge! What is this all about. All I am thinking is you are so lucky I can not move my arms right now cause I would throw that sponge across the room so fast....it would make her head spin, and she would break her neck trying to get me a glass of water! Now to add to my feeling of craziness, someone thought it was a good ideal to have two nurses named Patty helping me as I come back to consciousness. So me being the brilliant person I am I asked these two women their names about five different times a piece, wondering why is the name the same but I SWEAR THIS WOMAN FACE IS CHANGING EVERY TIME I ASK HER WHAT HER NAME IS. Keep in mind I half way awake and the other half of me is playing in the field of dreams with Papa Smurf and He-Man! I do not know whats going on except in that in this new land I am all the water has turned into sponges, every woman has the same name!! lol
The nurses rolled me back to my room where I slowly start to phase back into reality. By this time my sister Tina and her family are on there way back home and my sister Ulanka was on her way back to the hospital. Ulanka had already made plans to stay in town till Thursday just in-case I needed anything after surgery! Pretty cool once again! At 4:30pm my mind finally decides to fully come back to this plane of existence, with my appetite bringing up the rear! I see one of the nurses in my room and I ask her can I have some food? She says to me" you just got out of surgery you should get some rest!" EXCUSE ME!? Does She Not Know I Have Not Eaten Since Last Night! I inform her that I have had plenty of sleep and I need some food because I have not eating anything since 12am the previous night! She complies and ends up grabbing me a turkey club from the Hospital Cafeteria. About two hours later I get a text message from my friend Julie letting me know that her and some of the other girls on the team are coming to visit me. Being that Julie knows my strict diet she asks.............SO, what do you want from McDonald's? YES!!! THANK YOU JULZ!! I would like two cheeseburgers, fries and a drink please! They show up with my McDonald's a pound bag of M&M's, and a bag of Gummie Worms!!!!! I am GOOD real GOOD right now! It was sweet that they came to hospital and chilled with me for a bit.
After they left one of the nurses came by and asked me if I had gone to the bathroom yet (bathroom being that little portable plastic container that they give men)? I told he no I have not yet gone. She tells me "You have until 11:30pm to go" Say what? What do you mean I have until 11:30.....I am like what happens at 11:30? She tells me that if I have not gone by then they would have give me a decatheter! Decatahwho? You fixin Coffee or something!? Naw Miss Nurse The Kid is not playing that game!!!! I grabbed that little bottle so quick like I Neo in the Matrix, Said a couple of Prayers and Said SELF!!! Oh God SELF LETS GET IT DONE SO I DO NOT HAVE TO FIGHT ANYONE IN HERE!!! cause they trying to decaffeinate me! LOL Soon as the nurse came back in the room I pointed to the bottle and was like there you go...enjoy! Save you inquisition tactics for someone else lady!
Doctor Byrne came by the next day to check on my status. I have not had a chance to mention it but Dr.Byrne is a funny dude who loves surgery!!! He tells me the surgery went well and that I my recovery should go good. This is the same man that last week when I was in the training room with one of the trainers Josh told Josh that he should come watch the surgery its going to be bloody! I say its going to be what then he tells me oh I mean its going to be cool! "WHAT" hold Doc!..you can not go from bloody to cool in one breath and expect me to believe the latter! Then he says in 12wks you will be back lifting and running! WHAT Did You Just Say DOC, 12wks!? You Told Me 8wks before I had the surgery! Then he said 8wks before I am able to lift and run and about 12wks before I am back at full strength! Ok Doc that's a little bit better! I told him to stop playing with me! He just laughed then says that Mike said he did not feel really better for 6 months!! I did not pay him any attention this time! I was suppose to be in the hospital for one night but he decided to keep me in another night to make sure I stay off my feet completely a little longer.
On Wednesday morning Dr.Byrne came in changed my badinage's and released me from the hospital. My sister Ulanka and Pastor Derek were both there to help me back to the OTC (Olympic Training Center). Both of them had actually visited me ever-day I was in the hospital! The nurse actually asked me would I prefer to get wheeled out or walk out? I said walk out before she could even finish her question. Thank God I am able to use crutches instead of being restricted to a wheel chair!
This is the first time in my life I have ever had to use crutches. Needless to say learning how to walk on these things around the OTC is definitely interesting. Some of the athletes from other sports who did not know I was having surgery thought I was playing around and could not believe that I was actually on crutches! I have never really been hurt so it was something new for them as well as myself. It is a humbling experience but it is not permanent and I know that GOD has given me the mental capacity, determination, and support I need to come back soon and better than ever.
I will continue to update you all on my progress as I get back to form but until then have a great week and Thank You For Your Support This Season!!!!
God Bless,
Jesse B
www.jessebeckom3.com
www.jessebeckom.blogspot.com
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