Dan's got a brand new hip!

The day finally came for Dan's hip replacement on Thursday. Dan was super excited, enough to scrub himself with chlorhexidine and stick medicine up his nose for a week in preparation. We came into the hospital at about 0530 since he needed platelets (the clotting part of your blood) before going to the OR. A couple minor ordering snafus later, the orders finally got placed for the transfusion and the surgeon said, "run it fast!" Turns out that wasn't a fantastic plan as it resulted in a minor transfusion reaction. Thankfully, things got done in time and Dan was taken to the OR at 0910 with a fat lip and no worries.

(So, I realized that after 3 days in the hospital, I have only been updating people on Facebook. Oops. I'll recap the last few days by just copying over my status updates. Hey, work smarter not harder!)

6/28/12 1220:
Surgery is done and went well. He bled quite a bit more than the surgeon was expecting, but he has low platelets...so, not entirely unexpected. He will not be getting prophylactic blood thinners, that's for sure! The surgeon tried to test out the hip and said it's firm and hard to dislocate. Good! The doc said that Dan is awake and in recovery. He may even be up and walking around by this afternoon. We'll meet him up in his room in about an hour or so! Keep praying for no complications (blood clots, infection, etc.)!

6/28/12 1421:
Dan's back in his room still trying to get his pain under control. Munching on ice chips and chatting with us. Not quite as happy as normal, but that'll change when he eats!

6/28/12 2200:

Dan got a real dinner. I went home and got a real shower and a real nap. We watched some Cheers ("Norm!"). Dan got some Vicodin. Sleepy time before he runs a marathon tomorrow with PT!

6/29/12 1300:

First Physical Therapy session went well after almost passing out. After laying down for a couple minutes, he got right back up and walked on his new hip a little. PT will be back this afternoon to hopefully walk with him a little further. Dan is very antsy to get moving already!

6/29/12 1730:

Second PT and first OT (occupational therapy) done for the day. Both therapists said he is doing very well and better than they normally see. Dan feels good, only needs Vicodin for pain and is eating a lot. As a side note, his blood counts are a little low, but oncologist said we can hold off on transfusions for today. His immune system is a little battered and bruised from all the chemo, so it's taking a while to catch up. Prayers for no infections, no bleeding and no blood clots would be appreciated. Thanks for keeping Dan in your thoughts and prayers!

6/30/12 1025: (most recent)

Alright, so the fevers are still sticking around. Low but persistent and pesky. Labs have all been drawn, chest x-ray, etc. On-call surgeon said that it could just be post-op inflammation, but if that's the case, the fevers should be subsiding by today.
Dan is cleared by physical therapy to go home whenever the other docs give the go ahead. They say he's doing great! Walking a lot further than expected.
Blood counts still low (WBC 2.2, Hgb 8.6). Oncologist will hopefully order Dan a little blood to boost his energy and defenses...at least that's what I'm hoping. I'm sure his nurse will not be thrilled!
Case manager came in to start prepping for discharge, so when we do get everybody signing off we'll get outta here lickity-split!
Dan's favorite part of the day: wearing shorts and a t-shirt instead of his typical "evening gown".

So, that's it for right now. Dan is attempting to let the Vicodin help him take a nap and take care of his temp. We're frustrated that every time he has surgery (he challenges me on this, but trust me, it's every time), he ends up with a fever and/or infection. His incision looks good per the surgeon, his catheter is out and he's walking a lot...hopefully, those things will chase away infection. However, it will also be very frustrating for Dan (and me) if he is completely cleared to go but his body can't figure out to stop having fevers just because it's angry at being beaten up.

Please pray that we are here the shortest amount of time that is safe for Dan. Also, that the MDs have wisdom regarding when a fever is just a fever and when it indicates something else. Prayers for energy for both of us would be good, too!