Sunday, March 12, 2023

A Hickup in Recovery?

Since Hick was released for normal activity at his surgeon's appointment on Thursday, he has been galivanting around the greater Backroads area like his old self. I'm afraid it's too much too soon.

He spent Friday morning at his SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2), then had lunch at the Senior Center, then took a nap in A-Cad in The Pony's driveway, a pee break in The Pony's house (making sure to leave no evidence), and sat around until 5:00 talking to his cronies at a local business. He was tired and in a 3/10 pain, then went to bed at 7:30.

Saturday, Hick again went to his SUS2. He came home at 1:30 and made himself a bologna sandwich. As I was leaving for town around 3:30, he was napping in the recliner under an afghan. I asked if he was sick, and he said no, that he was cold. When I returned, I made him take his temperature, since his head felt warm to my cold, cold hand.

It was 99.2. That is not a high fever. That would not even get him sent home from school. Still, I don't like the thought of post-op Hick having any fever. Though my best old ex-teaching buddy Mabel said she ran a degree of fever for several weeks after her knee replacement surgery. Hick said they took his temp at his surgeon's appointment, but he didn't remember what it was, and they didn't say anything to him.

I suppose it's possible that this is a normal response as the body repairs itself. Maybe he had a little fever all along, and just got a chill while out and about in the 42-degree weather with sleet and rain. Or maybe he's coming down with a cold, his immunity being lowered by his course of steroids.

We will continue to monitor Hick's temperature for a few days. Meaning I will command that he shove a thermometer into his pie-hole. There's an urgent care 10 minutes away. Hick's own NP only works on Tuesdays, but somebody else in the practice might see him. And I'm sure his surgeon would work him in if he thinks a fever is a problem.

4 comments:

  1. I knew he would do too much too soon and I'm sorry to hear is temp is up even a little. He needs to remember he has just had majr surgery and take things easy for a month or two. He also needs to remember he is no longer a sprightly young man, things take longer to get over at his age.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today is the 2-week anniversary of Hick's surgery. The surgeon said it would be a 4-6 week recovery. So yes, I think he is rushing his activity. He needs to ease into it. Still, I am amazed that he's getting around so well already.

      Delete
  2. School used to call me to come pick up Adrienne, she has a fever of 99. I did it a couple of times and she was not sick, just wanted to liven up my day. Finally I told the school "nurse" that I wasn't coming to get her, to tell her that 99 is NOT a fever for her, as her temp was always 99 unless she was sick. 99 would be a fever for me, since my normal temp is 97. I would be concerned like you, though, because of the recovery process and all the variables you mentioned. Can't hurt to keep track of his temp.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our school policy required a full degree of fever or more, before a kid (or teacher!) could be sent home.

      Hick took his temp again today, and it was 98.5. So I guess he's over whatever was causing the elevation. He DID say that his buddy who drove him to the surgeon on Thursday said he wasn't really feeling well that day, and thinks he has caught a bug that's going around. So maybe that's what Hick was fighting off.

      Delete