Quite an interesting read. You did extremely well with overseeing the nurse's activities. I've learned an enormous lesson not to query nurses, or even doctors, whenever I have reservations about their actions or procedures based on my limited knowledge. I may not be a medical person, but I read a lot.
Just curious, what led to the initial condition requiring surgery? Was it an accident or something else?
Doctors want their patients to heal. I don't doubt that. However, they treat many, and we are one. They get distracted, they get busy, they make generalizations, they make mistakes. We don't know much, but as you say, we can read and we can question. We have to.
He needed the surgery because there was a very large tumor growing on his tibia. It was his second operation to address this issue. Previously, it seemed the tumor had been removed, from a different area, but it grew back even larger. The decision was that the whole section of the tibia had to come out. As the doctor said, "That tumor is gone".
Good riddance :))
I lost my dad due to a doctor's mistake. An IV injection that should be introduced slowly was rushed; he passed out and passed on in the absence of standby oxygen. I almost lost my wife when she had a cervical tear after giving birth, but the nurses cleaned her without noticing. She almost bled to death and only a quick attention and blood transfusion saved her.
Horrible.
I remember the episode with your wife. You described how dangerous childbearing could be for a woman.
There are many many instances of medical errors. Actually a major cause of death--which is why everyone who is sick needs a champion, someone to look out for them.
I don't want to add to the list of horrors, but one of my brother was killed by an attendant.
My brother was disabled. His care instructions were clear: nothing by mouth, because he couldn't chew or swallow. An attendant took his temperature with an oral thermometer. My brother choked to death.
Horror stories. We can never be too careful.