OT:Dad has new knees!

So after 5 1/2 hours in surgery my dad now has two new knees and is resting recovering in the hospital.  I was with my mom and younger sister all day while we did our best to kill time and keep my momfrom worrying too much about my dad.  Luckily they were able to give him just a spinal and then a sedative rather than put him under general anesthesia which was good and helped all of us to breathe a little easier, it also helped that we all knew the nurse anesthetist and one of the surgical nurses in the OR.  I am going up Friday right after work this weekend to help my mom with my dad as the plan right now is for him to come home on Friday afternoon, however his surgeon said that if he is not ready, he will not push him to leave too early, which was also a relief for all of us.  So, that means I will n ot be able to join you for your Friday fun day.  It was very nice the pastor from my parents sister church was there with us the majority of the time and he actually is looking at WLS and so I shared some of my knowledge and my experiences with him.  I must admit I am amazed at how tired I am after a day of waiting. 

Nicole,

Glad to hear that your dad pulled through surgery well.  I will pray for his speedy recovery.  It sounds like with all of its ups and downs, your family does a good job of being there for one another.

Nicole,

I'm so glad it all went well....I know how nervous you were about it.....That's great that they didn't have to put him out......

Praying for a speedy recovery for him......

Kelly

Hi Nicole.....I am glad all went well for your dad. That is great news!!
I am sure you are happy about the outcome too. I am sure you are exhausted. That waiting in hospital rooms can really wear you down.

I am also glad he hasn't totally discounted the WLS. Keep mentoring him...he will do it and be so glad he did!!

Have a great day...hugs....connie d

I hope puts alot of miles on them! 

Good news, Nicole!  I'm sure your mom and sister were glad to have you there.

My mom had her left knee replaced - twice.  Lesson to be learned from her experience?  NAG YOUR DAD TO DO HIS EXERCISES RELIGIOUSLY once they get him into PT!!!  My mom did not do hers as she was instructed, and ended up messing things up so bad she had to have the knee replacement re-done 2 years later!  So I nagged her like she'd never been nagged before. 

Question about that ride in your avatar... I'm assuming it cost extra?  Mind telling me how much?  I may have to consider it... 

Darla~Yes he will be doing lots of exercise and PT mostly because he wants to be able to go hunting this fall, so he plans of being very good at doing his exercises.  My mom is also looking at getting a treadmill for them to use. 

The Rip Cord does cost extra and the price varies depending on how many people go.  I believe the cost breakdown is this: $17 for 3 people $20 for 2 people and $24 for 1 person.  I would have to say it was totally worth it and I would do it again!  I hope you have a great time on Friday!

oh Nicole that is great news!!  I"m happy to hear it!!

And with home nurses like you, he'll recover in no time!  Remember to take time for yourself too hun...  it's all too easy to lose yourself caring for others.

*hugs*

I am 60 yrs old and had both knees replaced May 07, Dr. Malawka from St. Cloud Orthopedics did my surgery, awesome surgeon.  I live alone so they kept me in the hospital for 1 wk. , then went home alone, just needed someone to drive me around for two weeks.  Really pushed myself and was not using even a cane by the end of two weeks except when I went out for walks.  Went back to work fulltime in 4 wks.  They had me go to PT for 4 wks, twice a wk and was able to get full range on both knees, much better then what the surgeon originally expected due to how bad my knees were before surgery.  The worst thing you can do for your Dad is to wait on him.  He needs to do his exercises even when it hurts, no shortcuts.  He also needs to be up moving around every hour to avoid bloodclots.  Hope he has the same success as I did, really gives back your life.