Surgery Successful!

Julie's hip replacement surgery yesterday was very successful. Julie, Ashley and I got to Sentara Hospital in Williamsburg at 8 AM, and she went into surgery about 10. Dr. McCarthy, her surgeon, came out at 12:45 and told us that everything was fine. He said that her hip had many spurs and was in very rough shape, so that it definitely needed to be replaced and that she was awake and talking in recovery.

About 2 PM Julie was wheeled into her room (#436). She was awake and talking, though still pretty groggy from the anaesthesia. Of course, she felt the need to "entertain," and kept apologizing for not being as perky as usual. As the afternoon went on she alternately slept and talked until we left about 6. At that point she was pretty tired and really needed some time alone to rest.

If the scenario this time is anything like her last hip replacement in Feb. she will probably undergo some physical therapy today, which involves getting her out of bed and to a chair and doing some stretching exercises. It is difficult and painful, but amazing that she is able to use her new hip after only 24 hours. By Thursday she should be taking short walks, and we're hoping that she will be released from the hospital to go home on Friday.

Ashley and I are staying with my mom and dad in Williamsburg. They have been very welcoming and have been taking care of our dog, Kiki, while we're at the hospital. Sister Beth also came down from Warrenton, and we will all go to see Julie today.

So everything is going very well. I'll keep you posted.

New Look for the Blog

I've given the blog a new look to make it easier to read and navigate. There is an added column on the left, summaries of posts and comments, a search function, and some color changes. It's not quite done yet, but I'm getting there. Hope you like it. Any suggestions would be welcome.

New Cure For Cancer???

I found this article on the internet this morning. Apparently, this research is being written up in the journal of The American Cancer Society and looks very promising. It seems to represent a completely new approach.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21568150/