Al Roker is excited to be returning home, two days after undergoing hip replacement surgery.
The TODAY weather forecaster posted an upbeat update on Instagram Friday from his room at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York to say he's feeling good after the surgery on his left hip.
"Thank you all for all the good wishes and prayers,'' he says in a video. "It really means a lot. And for those of you thinking about getting a hip (replacement), do it. Do it. You will be so thrilled.
"There's no hip pain right now where I was feeling it. There's some pain coming in the back in my haunches, but otherwise it's all good. See ya soon!"
Al, 65, is also making it home just in time for a special day. His wife, Deborah Roberts, is celebrating her 59th birthday on Friday.
He was looking forward to spending time with her as he gave his update while surrounded by "Hip Hip Hooray" balloons that were given to him by his TODAY family on Thursday.
"A big thank you to my 3rd hour TODAY pals who sent me that, and I'm just about ready to get home,'' he says in the clip. "Deborah is gonna come pick me up a little later this afternoon. Get home, start doing the physical therapy."
Al got back on his feet in no time, posting a video on Instagram late Wednesday showing him being led by a therapist through his first movements just a few hours after surgery.
"I'm in far less pain than I was 48 hours ago," Al told his fellow hosts during a live chat on Thursday. "The best thing is to just get up and move and be able to walk."
He had the surgery done by Dr. David Mayman, an orthopedic surgeon who also performed knee replacement surgery on Al three years ago.
"Everything went great, it was exactly as expected,'' Mayman said on TODAY Thursday. "People (who undergo hip replacement surgery) get back to everything. It just feels like their normal hip."
The average healthy person has to walk with a cane for about two weeks after the procedure, according to Mayman.
Al said Friday that he is shooting for Sept. 30 as the day he returns to TODAY.
"I think I'll be ready,'' he said.
