Ray's Recovery

Ray, my father, had his first of two hip surgeries on Monday, 5 May. I drove him to Hackensack Hospital at 0500, got there in time and he went in to surgery at 0720, or so. It took just under two hours for them to do the replacement! I could not believe it. It is staggering and amazing to me that such a huge surgery like that can only take a bit under two hours. They shaved the bone down, reshaped it and added a titanium part and a porcelain part, and got him all back together in that time. This is not a minor surgery.

And yet, it seems too good to be true. The next day, the hospital staff had him up and walking around - ten feet out from the bed, ten feet back, sit in the chair for a bit and then back to bed. He was totally drained and exhausted after that, and he was happy to get back in bed. He was in some pain but at that time, he was on a morphine drip. (We have mostly found that my parents are not appropriately reactive to morphine. It works well with me, but not them.)

The day after he was up and walking even farther, and no longer on morphine. He was then on two percocets every four hours. He was definitely effected by them. I was afraid that his tolerance to pain medication was way too high because he has been popping hydrocodone for the last three years for his hips. But the percocet was working and making him sound a little drunk to boot!

He was transported from Hackensack Hospital to Lakeview Subacute treatment center in Wayne on Thursday; they had told him he would move to Lakeview at 1200 and he went at 1230, which is an amazingly timely thing in the world of transports. (My lieutenant, whom I love dearly, does transport dispatch at St. Clares and tells me of the different issues that pop up on a regular basis.) Ray said that the ride was not bad at all! That's great. Ambulances are not known for their smooth rides...

We went to visit Ray on Thursday and again yesterday. He is making huge strides forward and is really working hard on the physical therapy to get released from there as soon as possible. I want that, too. He has extra incentive with the huge issue of the food there. It is an issue everywhere. Ray said he doesn't want to return there in November or December when he has to go in for the second surgery, but I suggested that now that he knows the system there, he should return there - he knows his way around the menu and guess what... you can fuck up scrambled eggs! Who knew? I wouldn't have guessed.

But Ray is up and walking, getting dressed (except for his socks) and gets around well. I'm delighted. Sometimes Ma is unhappy with his progress but I'm not - he had major reconstructive surgery just one week ago and he is up and mobile and it is amazing!

We helped by bringing Ollie over to see him and bringing other food that does have salt. He has mastered the stupid menu and made it clear that a no-sodium diet is not an option. Good for him. The thing that upsets him is that Susan, the Director there, told him that the food is excellent. I hate when people lie about stuff. Especially stuff like that. It's a bad policy to lie about something as major as that.