Slow & Steady Wins the Race

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting an update sooner. You have to realize that I’m on the night shift right now, so my days and nights are a little backwards. I also have to work at some point during the night, so this is really my first chance (at ~3am) to really sit down and write.

Anyways, my dad has been doing really well. To pick up where I left off, he was extubated (i.e. taken off the breathing machine) around 11:30 on Wednesday night, which was right on track with what we were hoping for. We were able to talk with him a little bit last night, although he was very tired and groggy from the anesthesia wearing off and the pain medicine. Despite all of that, when we saw him at 11:45, he even remembered to wish my mom a happy birthday, and he got it in just before midnight. He also had a few funny comments here and there, and that definitely made us all feel a little better about things. My mom debated about staying overnight at the hospital that night, but in the end decided not too because the nurses and respiratory therapists were going to wake him up about every 2 hours to make sure he did his breathing and the rest of his exercises okay. I think this was probably the best decision, even though she didn’t get much more than 4-5 hours of sleep at home. We left the hospital around 12:30, and I thankfully managed to get about 6-7 hours of pretty good sleep. My mom, Denise, Diane, and I got back to the hospital around 9am on Thursday morning. Tammy had stopped by earlier to say hi, and then TJ and Joe came by a little later in the afternoon. My dad certainly had a busy day: he was up in the chair multiple times, and he was up and walking by 11am, less than 24 hours out from surgery! They were also able to take out his right chest tube (drains fluid and blood from his chest cavity), his arterial line (monitors instantaneous blood pressure), the Swan-Ganz catheter (monitors various pressures in the heart), and one of his peripheral IV lines. They also let him eat and drink a little bit today…not much, but something more than ice chips and water. When I talked to my mom later around 10pm, she said that he was pretty worn out from all the activities of the day, so they were getting him tucked in at that point and were going to head home to rest.

Once again, we have much to be thankful for…he is doing great considering the circumstances and he is working really hard too! I will be stopping by to see him in the morning before going home to sleep…here’s to hoping that tomorrow is just as productive and positive!