PBW: Cast Iron.

Photo Blog Wednesday



FawnDoo said it best, and I need to remind my old man about the guy who would bash open a finger or burn his skin and keep working on a car without noticing his injuries. Thank God he made it through his surgery on Tuesday, which didn't take place until 6 PM, especially rough considering he hadn't been able to eat or drink since midnight prior. He wolfed down a turkey sandwich and some juice as soon as he was able, and all of his vitals were great, especially his temperature. Despite not having a fever, he was shaking and cold, but that hopefully was just a combination of the ice pack on his shoulder and a side effect of the anesthesia. After a while, he half dozed in his chair and occasionally said things that didn't make sense, like something about “the lettuce getting away”.

So, the good news is that a 78-year-old man with a heart condition survived surgery and had his infected limb drained. In his impatience, he's concerned that the operation didn't do anything, despite how many times we and the doctor explained that this wasn't a cure, only a necessary step for the antibiotics to more effectively knock the infection out of his system. He has a rough few days ahead of him, especially once the feeling comes back in his arm and the pain from the incision kicks in. The bad news, which wasn't exactly news, is that the doctor confirmed that he has absolutely no rotator cuff. Previous MRIs and the fact that he couldn't lift his arm over his head already suggested this. As far as the infection spreading to the bone, we won't know for sure until the biopsy results come back, but the doc did think the bone seemed a little soft. If there is infection, he'll need to go back in and pack the bone with antibiotic beads after removing any necrotic tissue.

We're past the first hurdle, and this is the point where all my car analogies start to break down. When my dad fixed a car, it was fixed. This procedure isn't the instant solution to the problem that he's looking for, and unlike a car a person needs time to heal. I'll find any analogy I can to keep him thinking positive, and get him back on the road.