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.

Post Surgery

Jayden is doing great. After one week of getting tubes we no longer have to give him any breathing treatments, no ear drops, no antibiotics.....we are just on Singular. Yipppeee!!!

Tubes

Jayden got his tubes this morning. He is doing great! They were a little worried with this constant congestion and brochiolitis, but he is doing fine.

The week of firsts

First surgery for tubes 2/15/07

First hair cut 2/17/01\7
First Birthday 2/18/07
First baby doll