So Far, So Good

Hey guys, I just got home from the hospital and I'm happy to report that so far, so good. The surgery went well and when I left my dad was in the ICU in stable condition. But since I promised an update I will make this a quick post so that I can go and crash with my hubby on the couch for some much needed quiet time together.

OK, so after being told that my Dad was going to be taken into Pre-Op by 6:00am, my brother and I got to the hospital bright and early this morning at about 5:30am. Luckily his surgeon had a meeting that ran a bit over schedule so we got to spend some time together before his surgery ~ my Mom, my Dad, my brother and I. And it was awesome! The only thing that would have made this morning absolutely perfect was if my older brother Hector would have been here with us. We missed you, Hector!


But as you can see in the above picture, the mood in the room was definitely a light and celebratory one. We got to talk a lot and laugh a lot and spend a pretty special time together. Of course we were a bit nervous and apprehensive (you know how "well" I handle uncertainty), but our focus was more on happy and funny things. You know, things like making fun of him when he got shaved from head to toe. And laughing at some of our past hospital experiences. And talking about all the things we expect he will do once he comes out with a much improved heart. Finally, when the time came we huddled, said our prayers and off he went.

The medical team he had was amazing and Nurse Pam (God bless this woman!) did a fantastic job of updating us on his progress every hour on the hour. As it turns out they only performed one single bypass. But they were able to perform it off-pump and they used his own vein for the procedure, which was great news. Unfortunately, once they were actually in the heart, they discovered that the other artery was way too calcified/hard and therefore decided to let it be instead of risking any complications due to the extent of his other medical conditions.

My mom and I had a chance to see him twice after the surgery was over and he was transported to ICU. I gotta tell ya, seeing him with all those tubes and wires everywhere turned out to be a somewhat shocking to me for some reason. He was still pretty loopy from the anesthesia and in some pain, as I had expected, but unable to speak due to the breathing tube in his throat, which I believe they were hoping to remove later tonight. He was however responsive and in stable condition. They've assured us that we will see much improvement tomorrow morning. And honestly, I cannot wait.

God willing tomorrow my Dad will start moving around and hopefully feel much better than he has in a long time. Well, I'm sure we'll be relying on extensive painkillers for a while, but you get where I'm going.

Finally, I cannot end this post without saying thank you so much for all of your calls and e-mails and prayers and well wishes. Have I told you how unbelievably blessed I am to have all of you in my life? Seriously, have I? Well,... I am! You are all amazing!

So there you have it! I will let you know some more about his progress tomorrow. But right now I have a nice comfy couch yelling my name, and oh how I hate to disappoint!