Surgery went well

For those following and not knowing...

Robert's dad had back surgery yesterday (10/30). We knew about it for a while, but just weren't sure how it was going to go. As of last night, he came out of the surgery well, and is still in the hospital. He's supposed to come home Sunday, (11/2).

It started with numerous back problems over the years, but it finally resulted in him having some of his vertebrae (lumbar) fused together. He had a degenerating disk and a bulging disk, which were pressing on some nerves causing problems thoughout his legs. To go with that, they discovered that he also had a pin hole in the spinal column, that was leaking spinal fluid. This could have come from many of the previous treatments, or just from the damage from the disk. Nobody knows. For now, everything is fixed. We just hope it stays that way.

From the surgeon, they placed metal rods horizontally through his vertebrae, then two (one on either side of the spinal column) vertical rods intersecting to clamp everything in place. In theory, this will help keep the disks from moving around, free up the pinched nerve, and get him back on his feet, again. The coolest thing is that he gets a note from the hospital explaining the occurance of him tripping a metal detectors at airports or courthouses. It's all titanium, but "just in case". Take that TSA!

The downside is that he will be in a brace for a good while (approx 3mo), will have a weight limit to lift, and currently is confined to laying down. He cannot rise more that 30* above the horizon. Try eating something while laying down....it's tough.

For those that said prayers for him, thank you. For those wishing to see him, let us know and we'll direct you to him. Again, thank you everyone.