Last week I was traveling for the first time in almost 2 months to Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes it was exciting as it sounds - I tried some duck pizza which was actually very good. While I was there I got an update from my Mom saying that my Dad was going into the hospital to get checked out because of tightness in his chest. After his heart attack over 2 years ago he has been very cautious with any symptoms and has tried to watch the things he eats. This visit was a concern to my Mom, brother, and I, but not overly frightening because he had gone in 6 weeks prior and it ended up being severe heartburn. But, like a bomb threat written on a high school bathroom stall, we need to take every "threat" seriously.
I was due to fly out of Lincoln at 5pm on Thursday evening, but as soon as I got out of the hospital I got a voicemail from Mom saying that my dad was going in for a quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Wow! I did not see that coming! I was able to get an earlier flight back to Boston but due to weather it was only 2 hrs earlier. He had been brought into the ICU after his 6 hour surgery and they were trying to stabilize all his vitals. I finally got to see him around midnight that night -he was sedated and only his face was uncovered from blankets. I was warned that he would be swollen from all the IVs but it was shocking to see him like that.
The following day (Friday) my brother and I both got to the hospital around noon to join my mom and Aunt Teresa. I dont remember much of what happened on Friday - or as Dad calls it, "the lost day". We sat in the waiting room all day long as he remained in full sedation. Finally before we left for the evening, we were able to come in and see him. He was barely coming off the sedation and he gave us a tiny smile before he squeezed my hand with the strength of a baby's grip. That was enough to make my day. We all got some dinner and stayed at my aunt and uncles townhouse just a few blocks down the street from Boston Medial Center. They have been so great to us during this time.
Saturday morning we caught some breakfast before visiting hours began. Once we got to the ICU unit and noticed that the "authorized entry only" door had been left open, my mother and aunt started breaking all sorts of HIPAA regulations by going through said doorway and taking pictures from down the hall. After sweet talking the angry nurse, we got to go in and see my dad who was finally sitting up in a chair. He was able to squeeze out some smiles as he was still heavily drugged up and in agonizing pain. One of the first things he told the nurses was "dont mess up my hair", which proved he still had his sense of humor about his mostly bald head. Things have been improving since this point as he was taken out of the ICU yesterday and placed in the step-down unit for further recovery. As of last night he had almost all his tubes taken out besides one IV line (as compared to a resporator tube, cathidor, drainage tubes, and multiple IV lines). He still has swelling in his legs and hands, but his face is back to its normal "is he mad or just quiet?" expression and complexion.
Today is my first day back at my desk in a while. Its been crawling by but once I get out I get to go back and see the progress he's made since last night. Hopefully he'll be able to get home in 2-3 days, at which point he begins his 6-8 week recovery period at home. This has all been such a blur so far, which is one of the reasons I decided write out the quick version here. Please continue to pray for his speedy recovery as well as encouragement during these tough times he has ahead of him. He's been a real champ so far and pray he'll be with us for many years to come.
I was due to fly out of Lincoln at 5pm on Thursday evening, but as soon as I got out of the hospital I got a voicemail from Mom saying that my dad was going in for a quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Wow! I did not see that coming! I was able to get an earlier flight back to Boston but due to weather it was only 2 hrs earlier. He had been brought into the ICU after his 6 hour surgery and they were trying to stabilize all his vitals. I finally got to see him around midnight that night -he was sedated and only his face was uncovered from blankets. I was warned that he would be swollen from all the IVs but it was shocking to see him like that.
The following day (Friday) my brother and I both got to the hospital around noon to join my mom and Aunt Teresa. I dont remember much of what happened on Friday - or as Dad calls it, "the lost day". We sat in the waiting room all day long as he remained in full sedation. Finally before we left for the evening, we were able to come in and see him. He was barely coming off the sedation and he gave us a tiny smile before he squeezed my hand with the strength of a baby's grip. That was enough to make my day. We all got some dinner and stayed at my aunt and uncles townhouse just a few blocks down the street from Boston Medial Center. They have been so great to us during this time.
Saturday morning we caught some breakfast before visiting hours began. Once we got to the ICU unit and noticed that the "authorized entry only" door had been left open, my mother and aunt started breaking all sorts of HIPAA regulations by going through said doorway and taking pictures from down the hall. After sweet talking the angry nurse, we got to go in and see my dad who was finally sitting up in a chair. He was able to squeeze out some smiles as he was still heavily drugged up and in agonizing pain. One of the first things he told the nurses was "dont mess up my hair", which proved he still had his sense of humor about his mostly bald head. Things have been improving since this point as he was taken out of the ICU yesterday and placed in the step-down unit for further recovery. As of last night he had almost all his tubes taken out besides one IV line (as compared to a resporator tube, cathidor, drainage tubes, and multiple IV lines). He still has swelling in his legs and hands, but his face is back to its normal "is he mad or just quiet?" expression and complexion.
Today is my first day back at my desk in a while. Its been crawling by but once I get out I get to go back and see the progress he's made since last night. Hopefully he'll be able to get home in 2-3 days, at which point he begins his 6-8 week recovery period at home. This has all been such a blur so far, which is one of the reasons I decided write out the quick version here. Please continue to pray for his speedy recovery as well as encouragement during these tough times he has ahead of him. He's been a real champ so far and pray he'll be with us for many years to come.
