Gerald Swindle received some good news as his wound was well enough to be completely closed Monday morning, and his release from the hospital could be Monday afternoon or early Tuesday, his wife, LeAnn, said.
Swindle underwent an arthroscopic procedure early last Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus and ligament in his knee. After several hours at home, his thigh began feeling tight and swollen and he returned to the hospital, where he had to undergo a fasciotomy, a cut to relieve pressure that is left open for a time.
“It has turned into more of an ordeal than it should have been, and we are still in the hospital,” LeAnn said. “He had some complications on Tuesday, and I had to bring him back to the hospital.
“For whatever reason, his leg started to swell in the upper thigh area and it got to a dangerous point as far as pressure. They had to do an emergency surgery on Tuesday night, then they did another surgery (Thursday) to close the leg up.”
This just two weekends after Swindle won his second Toyota Angler of the Year title. During the Bassmaster Elite season, Swindle had to have fluid drained from his ailing knee twice, and he put off surgery until season’s end.
Swindle was the steadiest of anglers in 2016, cashing a check in all nine regular season events and making six Top 12s. He became just the 11th angler to win more than one AOY, his first coming in 2004.
In a Facebook post before the fasciotomy, Swindle was in his usual high spirits despite what faced him.
“7:30 in Birmingham at a doctor’s office after surgery. That aint good,” he said. “Check it out. My leg has had something go down after surgery. It’s as big as a billy goat’s butt and it’s as hard as a rock.”
LeAnn said the scope went great Tuesday morning but his leg grew bigger, tighter and cold to the touch throughout the day until doctors called them back.
“They’re treating him well and taking good care of him,” She said. “We’re just having to let nature take its course, let the swelling go down.”
She said Gerald is pretty tough, but she would be grateful to any prayers sent their way.
“We’re hopeful that by Monday they’ll be a total improvement,” she said.
Progress was apparent when over the weekend Gerald posted several humorous videos, the first pegging nursing’s common practice of stethoscope use. He said they use it to listen through the door, and they don’t come in when a patient is talking, only when they can hear snoring. A second video presented his take on trying to watch football on a “12-inch TV.” “When the quarterback drops back, he goes out of the picture.”
The Swindles cannot wait to be released and get to the comforts of their home, where he could rest and at least work on some tackle.