Today Dad and I went back to Robert Packer Hospital for the follow-up appointment with the surgeon. Unless something else happens, the rest of his recovery care will be taken care of by a GP.

Dad's shoulder has been hurting him since he got home, and we found out that it was a common problem, caused by the retractor used to hold his ribcage open while the surgeon works. It apparently involves a winch that sits on the patient's left shoulder, which causes what's basically a shoulder strain. That'll heal in time.

His incisions are healing quite nicely. The hole in the leg where they freed up the vein has already scarred. The chest cut has mostly scarred, although there are a few scabbed patches left. The three drainage holes in his abdomen are still scabbed, which is not surprising, as they took a week to close up after he got home. The doc had hoped that they'd close faster, but as they're not draining anymore, all is well.

The right leg (where they took the vein) is still swollen, but not as much as at first. Regular walks will do the most good to reduce that, as well as greater efforts to keep the leg elevated. Dad's been spending most waking hours in an easy chair, which provides some elevation, but we've been advised to stack some pillows or something to get that leg even higher if possible.

His vitals are all very good, with excellent blood pressure, blood oxygenation, and pulse rate. His temperature has been right where it should be, and he's lost a few pounds, probably mostly fluid loss from the fluids he retained following surgery.

The only thing that's still bothering him is his period of paranoia and delusions, the day after surgery. The doc and the nurses have been telling him that it was natural and normal, but my Dad has always been very proud of his rationality, and it's really getting to him that his brain failed him.

Posted by: Boviate at 04:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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