If any readers wish to know more about “Vern’s surgery and hospital stay”, these various emails will give an idea of how everything went.
8-5-08
Hey sibs,
It turns out that Dad’s inner workings are not working that well, so the doctor has scheduled him for a quadruple (that’s right, 4) by-pass surgery tomorrow morning. Here are some details, which I’m probably getting wrong:
* He needs to be at the hospital by 9:00AM.
* Surgery starts around noon (I could definitely be wrong on this)
* Surgery lasts around 4 hours
* He then moves to the ICU for about a day.
* As he gets better, stronger, faster, he moves to less intensive units.
* He’ll be in the hospital for several days, maybe a week, maybe longer, maybe shorter.
Doctors are really good at this type of surgery, so the risk of anything serious going wrong (i.e death) is quite low — something like 1%. Also to keep in mind, following the surgery he’ll be getting more blood and oxygen, which will increase his energy level, help his recovery rate, and generally better his overall physical condition. He’ll be a new man!
Both mom and dad will be home tonight (around 4:00PM Mountain Time). You should call to give Dad a pep talk and Mom a calm talk.
Kristen and I will be taking turns with mom at the hospital. You can call either of us or mom to find out how things are going. Also, following the surgery, we’ll call (or email) everyone with periodic progress reports.
Later,
-David
Vern was taken into surgery at 11:45 a.m. Kristen and I had bben with him until then. He had lots of nurses fussing over him for 2 1/2 hours before surgery. They were all very nice and funny and were still able to put in IV lines and shave his chest and legs. Kristen and I then went and found the waiting room, then got a bite to eat and then waited. She left at 1:30 and David arrived about 3:30 and we waited. At 4:15 the Doctor came out to say everything went well and that he should be in the ICU by 5 p.m. I think we saw him at 5:15 – he was sleeping (sedated). Around 7 we went to dinner and for a walk. Got back to his room and he was still not waking up so we waited. David did the post of 8-6-08 at the hospital at 10 pm. I think we left sometime after 11 pm.
8-6-08
Hey everyone,
We’re getting ready to go in and see Dad one more time before heading home and to bed. We hung around for a little longer than expected tonight because Dad was bleeding more than usual, but the problem seems to have fixed itself–blood pressure has stabilized so nothing to be concerned with. Ahhh…
He’s still not really awake and not too alert, but they also said that’s fairly normal for a guy as old and as handsome as Dad. And now that we think about it, he was pretty much out of it for a full two days following his last operation. So, again, we’re not too worried.
Mom will come back to the hospital tomorrow morning (10-ish) and I’ll follow her early afternoon. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach either of us on our cell phones. They have to be turned off while in the Critical Care unit, but we’ll check messages frequently.
Good night.
-David
8-7-08
Good morning.
Two good things this morning:
1. Kristen and Kai saw a fox on our deck this morning. It just sat there for about ten minutes before Kai’s happy shrieking scared it off. Totally cool.
2. Mom called the hospital this morning for an early update on Dad, and all is going really well. They pulled the breathing tube out at around 2AM, which was sooner than we thought it would happen. He is doing so well that they’re thinking he’ll move up to the fourth floor (whatever that means) later today.
More later,
-David
August 7, 2008
Hey Everyone,
I just got back from the hospital. Here’s the update.
* Dad is doing fine.
* He’s more responsive and talkative. He told me he is not mad at mom.
* He’s very sleepy — dozes in and out, mostly out.
* Seems not to want to take pain medication, but he’s in pain, so we encourage him to take it when offered. He gives in. This is good.
* He’s still on the Critical Care floor because there were no beds on the next floor. This is super good. The critical care staff seems to be very high quality.
* Blood sugar was a bit low (or high?) so they gave him an insulin shot. This is also normal following a traumatic event (such as opening your chest cavity).
* Mom is doing well.
* Kristen is pretty.
* Kai bumped his head.
* I’m way cool to the maximum.
More updates tomorrow.
-David
August 7, 2008
Hey Everyone,
Just hanging with Dadio in his new room on the 4th floor.
Here’s his room information:
Unit: PCU (Don’t know what the P stands for. I’ll find out. Predatory? Popular?) Nurse to patient ratio is now 1:3. They seem much more hands off here.
Room 4-707
Overall he’s doing very well, but we can’t seem to get him to eat anything. He says it tastes bad. He’s right, but he still needs food for recovery. Hopefully he’ll eat better tomorrow.
All of his vitals are good:
* oxygen at or around 90%
* heart beat at something normal
* blood pressure at something else normal (130-something / 70-ish?)
* blood sugar = fine
Fun fact:
* When I got here dad admitted to me that he just failed his math test. This may be the first math test that he has ever failed. I think the question was something like “what is 18 + 8?” Dad said he missed the answer by one, but the occupational therapist said it was good enough. Dad has already started studying for the next text. (This is just the drugs fogging his brain a bit–nothing to worry about. Dad thought it was funny.)
Kristen will be staying the night in Dad’s room tonight. We’ll probably do this until he seems a little sharper and can advocate for himself. That might take a few days.
That’s all for now.
-David
August 9, 2008
Hey everyone,
Not much to report. Dad didn’t really eat this morning–this could become a problem. Mom will be at the hospital for lunch and dinner, so she’ll probably get him to eat better–otherwise, dad might get “clobbered.”
Today’s agenda:
1. Physical therapy. It’s important that they get him moving. Most heart patients are up and walking by now, but with Dad’s recent mobility issues this will take longer.
2. Shower.
3. Probably move to and from chair.
And that’s it. Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s sure to wear him out.
-David
P.S. Here are a few photos of Dad from last night. We didn’t get any pics with all of the tubes in his mouth and neck. Dang it.
August 10, 2008
Hey Everyone,
Here’s a quick Dad report.
* He’s doing fine.
* They pulled out his catheter last night and then gave him an 8:00PM deadline to pee. He missed that deadline, but his bladder was not yet full (according to the high-tech bladder scanner), so they told him to drink a lot of water and they would check again in two hours. If he didn’t pee, then they would have to put the catheter back in–and this would be crappy. So, I forced dad to drink an entire cup of water. Then we started to drink another cup when his stomach decided not to cooperate. With zero warning he started vomiting up the water. He sprayed the room, but luckily missed my laptop. They gave him something to calm his stomach. We both took a nap.
* We woke up at around midnight and dad decided to pee. He did. We celebrated.
* Dad seems to have stopped taking pain meds. I think he prefers the pain to the grogginess. Not sure if this is a good idea or bad idea.
* He is eating a little better, but he really needs coaching to get anything down. After the vomit episode, I probably won’t push him that hard when he says ‘no more.’
Everything really is going well. Mobility is certainly an issue, but the staff know, so there is no risk of falling. The bigger risk is probably not getting up enough to get his legs back working. Kristen is at the hospital this morning. Mom will go for the afternoon/evening visit.
More later,
-David
August 10, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to send another update. Vern is very alert today- crystal clear! The nurses had him walking with the walker. He made it about 10 feet out of the room, sat down for a break, and then walked back. This was an exciting success and the farthest he has walked since the surgery.
We are still trying to get him to eat
anything - there is nothing that is appetizing right now. But today he seemed much more in character – especially when he smiled and told me that while David and Claudia could force him to eat he did not have to listen to me
. He did finally drink a strawberry Ensure shake (and told me that it made him nervous because Grandpa Joe had one just before leaving the hospital and then threw up all over the car). He also showed a slight grin both times I caught him lying to the nurse (about doing his breathing exercises & about ordering lunch). It feels like a big improvement that he is now clear enough to tell the nurses what they want to hear! (And it’s also good for us to be there to give the nurses the full story).
Although he may claim he does not want to talk on the phone he always seems to perk up after someone calls – so I would highly encourage lots of phone calls to his room to keep spirits high.
Take care,
Kristen
August 11, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Hey everyone,
Super quick update tonight because I’m sleepy.
* Dad is doing well except for eating–although the doctors and nurses don’t seem overly concerned about it. Maybe we’re too sensitive. Maybe they are bad nurses and doctors. Who can tell? Seriously, who knows?
* Mobility is getting better. At this point, his movement (or lack thereof) is what is keeping him in the hospital. If he could walk and move freely, they would likely discharge him tomorrow. This was quicker than we expected. This is mostly good news because it means that he is super stable. The only down side is that if he is discharged without being able to walk, then what do we do with him? Leave him in the car until he can walk? Nursing care facility for a week or so? (Nobody likes the nursing care option. I haven’t asked about the car option.) If he were only a little stronger, then I think we could get him up to the house and could take care of him here. But how can you get stronger if you don’t eat anything? (This question is rhetorical. Don’t even think about answering it!)
* He hasn’t yet “moved his bowels” (if you know what I mean). This might be another gating factor for discharge. But then again, if you don’t eat, you have nothing to “move.”
* He is now (grudgingly) accepting phone calls in his room. He does seem to perk up when he gets a call.
That’s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and jogging regularly. Also watch your salt.
-David
August 11, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Hey everyone,
Super quick update tonight because I’m sleepy.
* Dad is doing well except for eating–although the doctors and nurses don’t seem overly concerned about it. Maybe we’re too sensitive. Maybe they are bad nurses and doctors. Who can tell? Seriously, who knows?
* Mobility is getting better. At this point, his movement (or lack thereof) is what is keeping him in the hospital. If he could walk and move freely, they would likely discharge him tomorrow. This was quicker than we expected. This is mostly good news because it means that he is super stable. The only down side is that if he is discharged without being able to walk, then what do we do with him? Leave him in the car until he can walk? Nursing care facility for a week or so? (Nobody likes the nursing care option. I haven’t asked about the car option.) If he were only a little stronger, then I think we could get him up to the house and could take care of him here. But how can you get stronger if you don’t eat anything? (This question is rhetorical. Don’t even think about answering it!)
* He hasn’t yet “moved his bowels” (if you know what I mean). This might be another gating factor for discharge. But then again, if you don’t eat, you have nothing to “move.”
* He is now (grudgingly) accepting phone calls in his room. He does seem to perk up when he gets a call.
That’s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and jogging regularly. Also watch your salt.
-David
There was no email posting on August 12…. at least not one that was sent to me.
August 13, 2008
Hey Everyone,
Dad has been discharged from the hospital. With a little bit of muscle (yes, I’m enormously powerful) we got him up the steps into the house. He is now resting in his beloved rocking armchair/recliner.
Mom is busy calling for a more robust oxygen system (right now he’s pulling around a small tank) and then I think she’s darting off to pick up some prescriptions for dad.
Good times!
-David
And that was the end of the hospital stuff and the beginning of the “recovery” at home!!!!!