Wednesday Afternoon September 14th I am depressed in my room with my wife and her sister watching on. I feel terrible, not so much from being sick, that has already passed, but because Susan’s sister drove in to get me and I am now not going to be going home. I could tell they felt bad also, for me. They didn’t hang out too long, they wanted to beat the traffic home, we said our good byes and then again I was alone. So, with nothing to do and now feeling hungry I ordered dinner.

I ordered roasted pork loin, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad with Italian dressing, Sprite, and ice cream for desert. The dinner was very good; everything but the mashed potatoes but that is unfair to compare them because my wife makes the very best mashed potatoes. After discussing the situation with the nurse she came to the conclusion that she thinks my body can not handle taking two Oxycodone every three hours so for the next dose she would only give me one. I suggested that it might be the antibiotic that was making me feel sick but the nurse didn’t think do.

I guess it was around 6 PM that I got my next pill, I didn’t have much pain and I was feeling fine in the not sick to my stomach way. I called my boys; they were at their grandparents’ house still (my wife’s parents). They were a bit upset that I wasn’t coming home; they thought something really bad was wrong with me. I tried my best to alleviate their fears. The new shift of nurses came in around 7:30, again I really do not remember any of them except for the fact that they were very nice and I didn’t like mine!

It was a little past 9 and I was feeling my knee so I paged the nurses’ station to request more drugs. The nurse came in and delivered another Oxycodone for me. While she was there I had her unhook me from the Ice Man so I could go the bathroom. For some reason I had to go the bathroom a lot, maybe it was all of the fluids I had gotten while I was on the IV, I don’t know, I just know I was an never ending fountain. Since I couldn’t go to the bathroom unless one of the Nurses or CNAs unhooked me from my Ice Man I ended up using the bedpan off and on. Yes it is gross using those things but it was much easier!

A little past 11 I started to feel my knee again. By midnight I needed my pills so I page the nurses station and let them know I’m due for my pills. My nurse comes in and explains to me that I can only take the Oxycodone every three hours for the first 12 hours and since it is past those initial 12 hours I’d have to wait four. Being in pain like I was I tried to rationalize with her. I said that since I’m allowed to take two pills every four hours and I have had only one and since I am not feeling queasy any longer can’t I please have the other one now. She said yes but that would mean I would have to wait four hours from now before I cold have anymore. At this point I didn’t care I just wanted that pill! The Nurse left to get the drug.

When the nurse returned she informed me that the last pill she gave me I was not supposed to receive for four hours and I had it three hours later so I can’t have anything for another hour. WHAT! I’M IN PAIN AND I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER HOUR! It was a very long evening. At 1 AM I got my two Oxycodone. It never caught up with the pain (hence long evening). At 5 AM I got another two Oxycodone.