UPDATE: It was an infection. FUCK.

* * *

My Dad is, right now, under anesthesia and the knife at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, getting his right knee replacement “revised”: if an infection has caused the failure of the joint they’ll have to remove the knee, identify the bacteria, and put in cement and antibiotic spacer to maintain the ligaments and muscle placement during the 4-6 weeks that the spacer – and IV antibiotics – are used to eradicate the infection. If it’s a mechanical failure, they’ll just put in a new knee (and hopefully tell him to cut out the skiing and singles tennis). We’re all in knots waiting for the verdict, not least because it should tell us what will need to be done to fix his left knee once Dad’s recovered from this go-’round:

It’s not how he intended to spend his 70th year, but his heart and brain are healthy, so we’re all grateful for that.

Today’s surgery will take 6-8 hours. Waiting sucks.