Daddy Update #2

Well, Daddy went in yesterday for a follow-up to his MRI, and it showed two tears in his meniscus.  One was a more serious tear, the other a minor tear.  The PA was going to call the insurance, get everything approved and probably get back to us to start scheduling surgery next week.  Daddy was getting ready to leave and the Doctor walked by (Dr. West at Southwest Orthopedics - if you ever need an orthopedic specialist) and asked what the PA had said, and immediately told his staff to rush Daddy's case (again!) and schedule him for surgery tomorrow (today!).  So Daddy went around the corner to the hospital and got his pre-op stuff done (which is supposed to be done at least 5 days prior).  So, we spent the rest of the day getting things prepped for him to be a little less mobile, getting goat's hooves trimmed, getting water buckets filled, etc.
We stopped to get donuts this morning - my favorite bribe tool to get the munchkin out of bed - and headed to the hospital at 7.  R got to help Daddy get dressed for surgery and then we left.  Some dear friends graciously let R come over and play so she didn't have to sit through yet another doctor's appointment this week.  I got back about 40 minutes before his surgery started, and we had a great laugh about the 'personal climate control' system that they had hooked up for Daddy while we were gone.



Daddy went back for surgery at about 9:30, and he was done by 10:20.  I didn't get to see him until he was out of the recovery room, which took another 30 minutes.  I went back and he was tearing into a package of crackers, exclaiming through mumbled bites on just how good those peanut butter crackers with water were. I guess not eating after 10pm the night before will do that for you.  Then he was telling me how they got him all situated, and as they were adjusting his arm he almost asked the nurse when the surgery was going to start, except she interrupted him with, "Okay, Mr. Packard, your surgery went great!"  He thought it was hysterical that he was knocked out that fast and didn't remember a thing, I found it fairly routine, as that is how he is every night falling asleep.  If I say something more than 30 seconds after his head hits the pillow, I wake him up.
He recovered well and was asking if we could stop for a burger (or two!).  Our friends dropped off R, and we headed out to drop off his prescriptions, and stopped at McD's so R could eat and then play.  We ran a couple more errands and headed home to rest.  It's been a whirlwind this week, but believe it or not, the doctor said he could put full weight on it as much as he felt comfortable, and he'd be up and running by Monday.  He's been limping around without his crutches all day, which just blows my mind since they drilled holes into his knee today!  He's been keeping it up and on ice to prevent swelling, but hasn't had a lot of pain or anything, just some stiffness.  R is happy to have her Daddy back, as he can now pick her up AND carry her short distances.  No rough-housing for a few days, but then he'll be as good as new!
It's amazing that he hurt it less than a week ago, and a process that normally takes a month or more has taken 7 short days.  We are very blessed with great doctors and insurance and friends that have helped us get through this week.
And in 2 weeks, we'll be doing surgery all over again, except mine's been in the process for 9 months :)