Dad's Having Surgery Tomorrow [Archive]

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 10:11 AM

Tomorrow is the day, the dreaded knee replacement surgery for my dad. Actually he should have had this done YEARS ago. I guess it took something monumental like his daughter getting married to make him take care of this.

He's pretty scared about the whole thing. The biggest obstacle is going to be the fact that his "good" leg has a prosthesis. He was in Vietnam and stepped on a landmine when he was 20 and lost his leg from the knee down. Now you'd never be able to tell by looking at him.
When he stepped on the landmine the other leg was broken in 17 places and has caused the need for the knee replacement. He's been walking bone on bone in that knee for years. That's a stubborn Marine for ya!

Anyway, we're hoping for a sucessful surgery and a speedy recovery.
Thanks for reading! :)

ger

01-15-2007, 10:37 AM

My prayers are with your Dad. I think he will be amazed at how quickly he will feel soooo much better. He will (hopefully) be kicking himself for not having done it sooner!!

Kacie_bride

01-15-2007, 10:43 AM

I'll be thinking and praying for your dad!!!! Good luck to him!

Jenn060306

01-15-2007, 11:23 AM

We will be thinking of your dad! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

WebLady

01-15-2007, 11:31 AM

Thinking and praying for your dad for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!

I've known two people who had this surgery, both elderly people, and they healed just fine. The recovery does seem to take some time though and both people I know had to walk with assitance for a while after. One with a cane and the other actually still used a walker, but it hasn't been quite a year since her surgery and she is 75.

hummingbird521

01-15-2007, 11:45 AM

thoughts and prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

BriansBride07

01-15-2007, 11:56 AM

I will hope for your dad to have a speedy recovery. I also knew a women who had a fake leg and then on the other leg had a knee replacement she was 73 when she had the surgory. She healed great and does not need the aid of a cane or a walker at all anymore.

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 01:02 PM

Thanks everyone! :)

I also knew a women who had a fake leg and then on the other leg had a knee replacement she was 73 when she had the surgory. She healed great and does not need the aid of a cane or a walker at all anymore.

That's good to know, I think that is what scares him most- losing his "good" leg for a while and learning how to walk again...
He's only 59 if someone who's older can do it then so can dad!

septemberbride06

01-15-2007, 01:10 PM

My dad had this surgery two years ago. he is now on full disability and cannot work, and he also developed Neuropothy (sp?) from the surgery, but he is still very thankful that the surgery went well.
He also said the hardest part is the first couple of weeks, but he too had to use a cane to walk around. Now he uses a permanent foot brace.
Good Luck! You'll be in my prayers!

ladymelissa

01-15-2007, 01:18 PM

I will keep your dad in my thoughts.

BriansBride07

01-15-2007, 03:59 PM

Thanks everyone! :)

That's good to know, I think that is what scares him most- losing his "good" leg for a while and learning how to walk again...
He's only 59 if someone who's older can do it then so can dad!

Yes that is understandable, she was a tough old bat lol and as you have said before your dad was a marine i'm sure he is tough as well, it is a long recovery is all but i'm sure he can do it.

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 04:04 PM

Yes that is understandable, she was a tough old bat lol and as you have said before your dad was a marine i'm sure he is tough as well, it is a long recovery is all but i'm sure he can do it.

He's gonna be a big pain the whole time too! I feel bad for my mom! He is already insisting that the day he comes home he is going upstairs and BY HIMSELF.
Mom wanted to get him a hospital bed or have Mike and my sisters BF move a bed downstairs in the living room for him but he wanted absolutely no part of it. He's stubborn that's for sure.

BriansBride07

01-15-2007, 04:06 PM

He's gonna be a big pain the whole time too! I feel bad for my mom! He is already insisting that the day he comes home he is going upstairs and BY HIMSELF.
Mom wanted to get him a hospital bed or have Mike and my sisters BF move a bed downstairs in the living room for him but he wanted absolutely no part of it. He's stubborn that's for sure.

LOL your poor mom I agree, I would tell him what he wants to hear but at the same time keep that hospital bed near by. He will soon find out that walking up stairs will be out of the question. He surely will be in alot of pain for a while.

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 04:09 PM

LOL your poor mom I agree, I would tell him what he wants to hear but at the same time keep that hospital bed near by. He will soon find out that walking up stairs will be out of the question. He surely will be in alot of pain for a while.

I think that's what they're gonna do. He may think he's going upstairs but he might change his mind...
Mike was originally going to take the day off the day he comes home to help mom get him upstairs. Dad said NO WAY!!!
Mike told my mom that if they need help to call him, he's still going to work though.

StaceyMc

01-15-2007, 04:19 PM

I'll be sending good vibes to your dad tomorrow!

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 04:23 PM

I'll be sending good vibes to your dad tomorrow!
Thanks! :)

BriansBride07

01-15-2007, 04:23 PM

I think that's what they're gonna do. He may think he's going upstairs but he might change his mind...
Mike was originally going to take the day off the day he comes home to help mom get him upstairs. Dad said NO WAY!!!
Mike told my mom that if they need help to call him, he's still going to work though.

That was sweet of Mike to offer.

mlm063007

01-15-2007, 06:43 PM

I'll be sending good thoughts & prayers your dad's way!!!

Good Luck!!

SaralovesMike

01-15-2007, 07:17 PM

I'll be sending good thoughts & prayers your dad's way!!!

Good Luck!!

Thanks Meredith! :)

nic1124

01-15-2007, 07:35 PM

Hope everything goes well :bunny:

NicksBride

01-16-2007, 04:50 PM

oh my thoughts are with your family, hope your dad is doing OK!

SaralovesMike

01-17-2007, 08:45 AM

The surgery went VERY well. He was in pretty good spirits yesterday, which was suprising. We thought he'd be out all afternoon, he wasn't. I left the hospital last night about 6 and he was starting to get more uncomfortable- the epidural they gave him had worn off and the pain was starting to kick in.
Today and tomorrow should be the worst 2 days, pain-wise. They should have him up and walking around this afternoon. I'm going there tonight after work to see him and hear all about it.

NicksBride

01-17-2007, 08:52 AM

Oh glad to hear your dad made it out OK. :) Hope the next two days go by fast for him and everyone and he can head home soon.!!

Jopet

01-17-2007, 09:00 AM

Glad it all went well :). I hope he isn't in too much pain over the next couple of days.

hummingbird521

01-17-2007, 12:08 PM

Glad to know it went well Sara. I hope he is not in to much pain the next couple of days.

septemberbride06

01-17-2007, 01:27 PM

I'm glad everything turned out alright. I'm sure they will have him feeling alot better with all the pain pills, but I will keep all of your family in my prayers.:p

ladymelissa

01-17-2007, 01:29 PM

I am glad it went well and I wish him a speedy recovery!

SaralovesMike

01-18-2007, 11:30 PM

Yesterday he had a pretty tough day and today wasn't much better.

He's taken a lot of meds over the years for phantom pains (prosthetic leg) and even more from the pain from his knee pre-surgery. Anyway, for this reason he has built up a tolerance to his pain meds. They put him back on oxygen yesterday and have been keeping an eye on that as well as his heart. Pretty scary that he can be in so much pain, try to take so much medication and nothing helps but it makes him have other side effects.
Today they took him off the pump (pain control) and gave him vallium that should hopefully just relax him.

The good news, he started physical therapy and from what he says it seems to be going well. It just kicks his butt! He should be coming home on Saturday hopefully.

ladymelissa

01-18-2007, 11:35 PM

SaralovesMike

01-18-2007, 11:38 PM

Oh, that is terrible. I am so sorry he has to go through so much pain. I hope they can either find something that works or he heals fast and the pain naturally goes away. He continues to be in my thoughts.

Thanks, I appreciate that!!

It just takes time, hopefully with every day he will feel a little better. They say it takes a long time. Not only that but this particular surgery is probably one of the most painful. That's why people that need both knees replaced have them both done at the same time- the pain's so bad they won't go thru it a 2nd time.
Thankfully he only has to have this one done.

NicksBride

01-19-2007, 07:54 AM

Oh dear, that is just not fun. I am hoping for a speedy recovery, it sounds like he is handling it like a champ though, it will be nice to have him home. You are all in my thoughts!