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Bruce had a left total knee replacement performed on March 3, 2021. He was brought home the next day and started having pain in his calf that evening. We went back to Ortho that Friday and an ultrasound was performed. They found a hematoma behind his left knee and we were told this would eventually go away. Bruce had extreme pain in his calf for the next two weeks and after a few Ortho and ER visits an MRI was performed on Tuesday, March 16 where a pocket of fluid was noted in his upper calf. Surgery for incision and drainage was scheduled for Friday, March 19. This surgery did not go as planned. Once he was opened up there was a large amount of blood that could not be controlled and he was transferred by ambulance to Fairview Southdale Hospital where he underwent a 5-hour surgery. They found an artery behind his knee that was causing the bleeding and performed a bypass to control it. After surgery, he had good flow down to his ankle and eventually into the foot as well. The doctor is very pleased with the outcome so far. Bruce is currently in ICU and will undergo another surgery tomorrow (Monday, March 22) to remove damaged muscle in the calf and a wound vac will be placed. The length of stay at Fairview Southdale Hospital will be determined after this surgery. When he is recovered enough to be moved he will go to an inpatient rehab facility for an extended amount of time as his family will not be able to care for him at home.
Thank you all for your texts, calls, Facebook messages, and definitely your prayers. I know Bruce will enjoy reading all of the comments once he is able to. Please keep the prayers coming as he has a very long journey ahead of him.
