20120516:0600 + Up at the crack of dawn and in to the hospital to see dad. He was a bit drugged up and gave us the detailed plan he had conceived to escape using the lighting rod cables. We kissed him goodbye, they wheeled him out and we headed to the waiting room. Mom and I worked while Lori chatted with a friend that came up.0800 We received the update call that everything was going as planned.
0900 We received the call that things were well ahead of schedule and they would be finishing up soon.
1019 Dr. Brown in and gave us a quick update that everything went well, very easy and as planned. They only had to do a single bypass and he should be good to go home this weekend. I sent out a blast email with the message:
Dad is out of surgery
ALL GOOD!
1115 We got to go in and see dad. He was asleep with tons of stuff hooked up to him. The nurse described everything to us and everything looks good! She mentioned it may be another hour or six before he wakes up and that visiting is now VERY RESTRICTED, even for immediate family, only 5 min/hr and only immediate family... With nothing else we could do L&I headed back to the Farm. We stopped at Stewart's Rootbeer stand for lunch and ate in the car with the tray hanging off the window. We got to the Farm and checked the fences and I sent out an important email for work.
1252 We checked in with mom before we headed back home and she reported that he is awake and responding to commands from the nurses, but still on the vent: it would probably be 7pmishbefore he was off the vent.
1400 We arrived home and settled a bit. J home from school and GmaB went home. I fell asleep but was up for J's opening of his bday presents. Then JG&I went out back to throw the football. D got home and we all headed back to his game where we had to work the concession stand.1425 Dad was taken off the vent.
1830 Mom called and said dad was off the vent at 1425, well ahead of schedule and that he was in a lot of pain but everything else was good. He even gave her instructions to go home and take the dog for a walk.
After D's game we took J to Panda Express for a bday dinner and then picked up doughnuts for tomorrows bfast. Home around 10pm we got the boys to bed and collapsed.
FEAR - I didn't originally have this in this post, it is a late addition... I was sitting here playing solitaire tonight and was think over the last week; all the events, the emotions and the fear. When sitting in the waiting room while dad was in surgery I occupied myself with a presentation I had to have done for work, but every nerve was tense and anxious. Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, or when people walked in to get a cup of coffee, or the phone rang, all I could think was 'Oh God, are they coming in to deliver bad news?'. I was scared that I would never see my dad again...
This was one of the scariest days of my life...
...But it turned out to be one of the best.
