October 30, 2011

Mom and Dad were over for dinner tonight and Dad is doing great.  He has some stiffness in his hip and thigh area, but no pain.  He is walking really well...using a walker, but doing really well with it.  He was up and down the steps in front of my house and in and out of his chair several times while they were here.  He is skinny after his week-long all-liquid diet, but he looks good.

He told me that he drove himself to Walgreens yesterday.  I'm not sure that is on his list of approved activities, but I'm not sure that bothers him!

Home!

They finally released Dad on Friday night.  He is home and very happy to be there.  He is feeling good and has been trying to rest and recuperate.  He was even out and about yesterday to do some shopping, so things are definitely looking good.  He will continue to let his hip heal and is hopefully done with hospital visits for awhile.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

I wish that I could have updated yesterday with something like "Good news! Dad's home!" and in fact I was expecting to be able to do just that.  But I can't, because he's not. 

They kept him yesterday and over night and now the word is that he MAY be able to go home today.  He is feeling good and the distended bowel problem seems to be "fixed."  They are still working on getting his coumadin level exactly right.  He is on a full regular diet now, but he has lost a lot of weight in the last week.  (It's not exactly the best weight loss plan in the world.)  He has seen a physical therapist daily and has continued to walk around to keep the healing progress on his hip moving forward.

I have my fingers crossed that the next update really will include the words "Dad's home!"

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Today Dad was able to eat his first meal of regular food (as opposed to the liquid diet) since last Wednesday.  He says it was the best meal he has ever had, and if he is saying that about hospital food you know it's been bad!  He is still hopeful that he will get to escape from his involuntary confinement tomorrow.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The word of the day is "progress"! 


Things are looking good, but the doctors have decided to make him stay in the hospital a little bit longer to make sure everything is okay.  Dad refers to it as being "held captive."  His transverse bowel is still distended, but the rest of the bowel is where it is supposed to be.  He continues to be on a liquid diet and the doctors have told him he will probably have to remain in the hospital until at least Wednesday. 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Dad is still in the hospital and they are still keeping an eye on the distended bowel. He is on a full liquid diet, but he thinks the doctor may approve a regular diet starting today. Once he is able to handle that (i.e. to poop regularly), Dad is hopeful that they will finally send him home. He is feeling good for the most part, and is more annoyed at having to remain in the hospital than anything else.

His hip is good...he has some swelling around the area which is to be expected and a little pain, but it feels good in general. A physical therapist has been in to see him while he is the hospital and he continues to walk often in order to keep the healing process moving forward.

Welcome!

Welcome friends and family of Ben! I know that there are many of you wondering what is going on with his hip replacement surgery and the resulting complications and recovery and that it is difficult for him to get information out to everyone in a timely and efficient way. While I have been trying to update the process on Facebook, I also know that there are many of you who don't use Facebook. This blog will hopefully be an easier way for you to stay up-to-date on his progress. I will try to post a daily update of his progress. Feel free to comment...I'm sure he will be reading this when he can!

Dad is still in the hospital and still has a distended bowel--apparently it has not corrected itself as they hoped. He had another x-ray today...no results yet. He may be in the hospital for another couple of days. He has continued to walk around a bit and a physical therapist was in to see him today.

Dad is now on a liquid diet and has been walking around the hospital. They are still waiting to talk to the doctor about his coumadin level, but he has pooped twice. I suggested that we get him a reward chart so he can get stars when he poops like the kids used to get. He is very excited that so many people are concerned about his bathroom habits!

Dad is feeling much better this morning, and the distension seems to have lessened. The transfusion lowered the coumadin levels in his blood and now they have to get the balance right for him. He is waiting for the doctor to make the final decision, but he is hoping to go home today. Keep your fingers crossed!

He finally got a diagnosis...he has a distended bowel (caused at least in part by the pain medication he was on). They are watching it overnight and hoping it corrects itself. Will keep you posted....

Much to his frustration, Dad is back in the hospital. He is having some stomach and bowel issues as a result of the medication for his hip. They are trying to pinpoint the problem. He just had an x-ray and is getting an antibiotic now. After that he's going to have a partial blood transfusion in order for them to get him some medicine quickly and efficiently. His hip is fine and he's in good spirits, just tired of being in the hospital.

Dad's "flying" around the house with his walker and still feeling good.

We're at the hospital to break Dad out tonight. He is very happy to be getting outta here!

He's doing well. His hip is a little sore but he's not in pain. He's on a modified diet right now, but should be able to eat normally soon.

A PT will be at his house tomorrow to help him relearn to walk. Next up--a tee time!

Dad was in some pain throughout the night, but is feeling better this morning. His hip still hurts but it's not terrible pain. They had him up walking with a walker already this morning, and the therapist told him he was fast. Some things never change.

Dad said he ordered the draw bias hip model. It's supposed to help with his golf swing. There's obviously a golf theme going on here...

We're with Dad in his room now. He's doing great and in good spirits. He says he's ready to golf. Of course.

Dad's out of surgery and it all went well. He's got his new bionic hip (ball and socket) and they will have him in therapy by tomorrow. He's in recovery now and we will be able to see him in about 1 1/2 hours. I'll update again then!

Dad went into surgery at 1:10. They say it will take about two hours to install the bionic parts.