No surgery for dad after all

Well, after looking at the CT again...no surgery for dad. He is being transferred to inpatient rehab at HealthSouth.

Dad's hurt again...hip replacement surgery needed

Dad dad fell off his bike on Satrday afternoon. He was transported to Deaconess Downtown in Evansville, IN and as of now has fractured ribs, pelvis, and hip. He is going to need a hip replacement. We haven't found out yet when, but will probably Tuesday or Wednesday.

I too researched the doctors and hospital web site, but from my hospital work knowledge I know even more. Yes, I have constantly reaffirmed with mom and dad that dad needs an anterior hip replacement, BUT this approach is not just what the doctor is able to perform, but involves a special operating table as well. There are several reasons that anterior is better such as less blood loss, faster recovery, less chance of infection, mobility, less scaring, smaller incisions, and he would not be sitting on the incision - OUCH!

I even made mom watch a video on my iphone that showed the procedure from the posterior and what it all invovles. It's on youtube.com - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DosqbEy8ecY&feature=fvw

I have not been able to get out of anyone at Deaconess if they can even perform the anterior approach or if they have this operating table or if their Gateway campus does. I know St. Mary's and TriState Orthopedics does an anterior approach and does a good job explaining and suggesting the anterior hip. So, time will tell what next steps are.

I will keep you all posted.

Dad's on his way home!!!

My dad is on his way home from the hospital!! Good news.

dad's still in hospital

Dad's still in the hospital. They are having a hard time adjusting his medication. They are being extra careful with him.

dad's doing great

dad's surgery went great today. he was awake for the procedure and talked their ears off. he is back in his room and should be discharged Friday.

today

My plan is to drop off the kids at daycare, work for a few hours, then head to Louisville to be with dad. His surgery will probably be this afternoon sometime.

Wrong phone number...

Mom gave me the wrong phone number....the number to call dad at is..502.540.3705 room 705 David Horne.

ECard

You can click on the link below and send dad a ECard.

http://www.jhsmh.org/ecards/default.aspx

Dad's contact info at Jewish

Dad is at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY Room 705. Nurse's station phone number is 502.587.2510. Remember he doesn't hear too well and talking on the phone can be difficult for him, BUT I bet he would appreciate any calls he gets. He is there alone...mom went home to close on a house. She will be back in the morning before his surgery.

Dad is scheduled for surgery

Well...dad is on his way to the hospital right now. He is being admitted to Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY. I will post his phone number later today if anyone wants to call him.

His medication, blood thinners, will be switched from coumidin to heprin for surgery. He will be monitored today and possible surgery tomorrow or maybe Thursday.

My plan is to drop off the kids at daycare tomorrow morning. Then work a few hours and head to Jewish in Louisville. It's only 100 miles from my work, which takes about 90 minutes to get to. If he dosen't have surgery Wed, then I will stay the night and come home on Thursday after he is out of recovery.

By the way....Aug 23 is when I listed to dad's heart and it took over 2 weeks for him to get into a primary care physician, referred to a cardiologists, get testing and scheduled for surgery. Amazing to me that it takes that long!

First time using Healthgrades

Well, today I used HealthGrades for the first time. Yes, I paid the $12.95 to check out dad's cardiologist. It was worth every penny. Dr. Stidam is (as of right now) performing his pacemaker implant surgery. I found this great info below about it...

The heart has a natural pacemaker called a sinus node, which is made up of special cells that produce electrical impulses. The electrical impulses given off by the sinus node travel down electrical pathways located in the walls of the heart muscle and cause the heart to contract and pump blood. When the electrical impulses flow down the walls of the heart at regular intervals, the heart pumps at a rhythmic pace. When something interferes with the way the electrical impulses are made or the way they move down the pathways in the heart muscle, the body's natural pacemaker does not work properly.

If a patient has a heartbeat that is too fast, too slow, or frequently irregular, blood is not pumped efficiently around the body and the body's cells do not get enough oxygen and nourishment. In this situation, a physician may recommend that an artificial pacemaker be implanted in the body to ensure that the heart beats more regularly.

A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device implanted just under the skin near the collarbone to help the heart beat regularly at an appropriate rate. Pacemakers are about the size of a matchbox and are used to treat heart arrhythmias — irregularities in your heart's natural heart rhythm. Almost everyone's heart skips a beat sometimes, and that is generally considered harmless. Some people, however, will need medication and/or a pacemaker.

A pacemaker usually has two parts: a pulse generator (which includes the battery and several electronic circuits); and a lead(s), (which is attached to the heart wall).
Pacemaker surgery is performed under local anesthesia. It is implanted just near the collarbone. If the pacemaker has only one lead, the lead is placed inside the lower right chamber. If two leads are needed, the second lead is placed in the upper right chamber. The procedure takes about one to two hours. An overnight stay is usually recommended.

New update on dad's heart

Dad went to a doctor's office in Louisville. Had some tests and then when they asked about seening the doctor the nurse said the primary care physician (PCP) had not given a referral to see the doctor just tests.

So, the cardiology office called the PCP. She refused to give him a referral and was upset that he wouldn't go to Jasper for care. Needless to say he is getting a new PCP and then will have to get a referral to a cardiologist. The glorious world of Medicare! I am so glad that I have a PPO and I can go anywhere without a referral.

So, he did find out that he will more than likely need a pacemaker. The doctor didn't see him but the nursed hinted at it. He will probably have to wear a monitor for a few weeks and then go from there.

Update on dad

Well...so here is the scoop thus far. Dad has been having a lot of problems with vertigo this summer and was hospitalized for it and a low heart rate while in Maine. I think all of it is heart related. I listened to his heart on Sunday and it didn't sound right. Irregular heart beat and just sounds wierd (as you can tell I am not clinical by nature). What I am thinking is that he either needs to have his aortic valve, that was replaced in 1994, looked at or a possible pacemaker. We will have to see if my prognosis is right.

The primary care physician referred him to Jasper...but I finally convinced him to go to Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY. They have an excellent repuation. Mom is calling now to get an appointment with a cardiovascular physician to evaulate what is going on.

So, I will keep you all posted.

Memorial Day Weekend 1

What a silly picture Zoe!

This summer my parents will be married 50 years! Congrats to them!