He's alive, ALIVE!!!!
And that ladies and germs is my Dr. Frankenstein impression. :P
Now for the news; Yep, Dad is alive!
You don't have to read this whole post, if you do, then you get a cookie.;) The cuts are for my memory, but open to you of course.
We got there at 10:40, about 10 minutes late, were met by Aunt Honore and Uncle Tom, then we were directed up to the prep room, where we waited for several hours. Sis, Mike and Calysta arrived, and around 12:30, the set time for the surgery, Kassie and Dasia showed up. They got him hooked up on a couple of things, including an IV drip of potassium that burned him like hellfire apparently.. They did what they could to correct that and fast. It wasn't until about 1:30 that they finally wheeled him out. We went along to the junction between the surgery wing and the waiting room and it was then that everyone broke down a bit.
Molly, Mike and Kassie took the girls to Chuckie Cheese, for what I understand was a pretty terrible, at least for them, time because a load of the games weren't working.
I, meanwhile, had lunch in the cafeteria with Honore and Tom. There was actually GOOD food there. And something I'd never seen, double chocolate chocolate chunk rice crispie treats! GOOOD *_* It was about 10 to 2pm
When I got back to the table Uncle Ed and Aunt Katie were there too. We all visited for a bit. And I pulled out one of the books I'd brought along. Dragonfield and Other Stories, it's a book by Jane Yolen and I recommend it to any who like the fantasy genre. The stories are very varied as to their individual genres and are quite good.
Anyway, at about 2:30ish, Uncle Tom went down to check on Dad, a little bit later we went down too. Said he was still waiting. Katie brought Ed home 'cause he had to go somewhere in Green Bay, and I after a bit, decided to walk around a bit. I checked on Dad, still just as an arrival on the computer screen, so I walked around. Feeling a bit peckish still I had a bit more to eat at the Cafeteria. The chocolate cake was rich and gooood. :D
I know it sounds weird I'd get excited over food tasting good, but for me that's a big deal. ;)
When I got back Uncle Tom said that right after I left the nurses called and said that Dad was in surgery, starting at 3:20pm. Almost 3 hours late. The surgery took several hours. I passed the time as well as I could with my book. I've read it all before so it's kind of old stuff to me, though still good. Uncle Bud was there with one of his daughters. Uncle Bud is my Great uncle,(my grandpa's brother) He stunk of his cigars. We chatted a bit and then they took off for a little while to run some errands after we found out Dad's surgery would be at least another hour or so.
Katie came back, with my cousin Lauren in tow this time. Apparently something is going on with her that has her blood pressure in the stratusphere. I mean, in the 200s. She's got some tests this coming week to try to determine what that's all about.
Honore got back from the chapel, we had lots of folks praying for Dad, and I want to say Thank you to any and all of you that kept him in your thoughts too. Thank you.
Uncle Bud and his daughter came back and eventually Mom arrived. Shortly after that, getting on near 5:30 I think, we got the word he was out of surgery and that it had gone well.
The surgeon came in covered in blood.... ok I'm kidding. ;P He came in look pretty damn clean actually, I didn't see or even smell any blood like I'd expected. Unless he changed his scrubs.
Anyway, he gathered us into a little room and told us about the surgery, that Dad does have more scar tissue damage from smoking and emphizema(sp?) than they realized, but that he should be ok. The pathology report will take several days yet to make sure that the cancer didn't spread any.
As it was going to be about another hour until Dad was ready to be moved to the ICU, we all parted ways. I know that Katie had to work, but I don't know where everyone else went. Mom and I went out to find Dad a bathrobe, he'd requested one prior to surgery, and then we got some McDonald's.
By the time we got back he'd not quite yet been moved to ICU. So we waited a bit, then when he was there and we saw him... Well.. It wasn't pretty. Not the tubes hooked up to him or anything, but the blinding pain we could see that he was in. Molly and I both broke down a bit, though I held it together a bit better... Guys are such maskers you know.. Anyway, the girls weren't allowed to go in and see him because Molly and Kassie didn't want them to see Dad like that. Dasia colored a pic for him at Chuckie Cheese's apparently. Which was really sweet of her. :) We stuck it to this sticky board in the room.
Dad was SO out of it. Even though he said "I'm in too much pain to be out of it."
There was this one time when Sis and I were holding his hands that he said, "I don't know who's holding my hands ut thank you." "We are Dad" is what we replied. We both sorta broke down for a moment silently.
Mom came in and Molly was like "Hey Dad, Mom is here" he mumbled something so she said "Say hi to Mom", to which he replied "Hi Mom". *chuckles* After she left to spell Kassie from watching the girls so that she could come in. Dad said something along the lines of "Get her anything she wants" and that he loved her. Which Molly relayed to Mom later. *plays the "Awwww" audio clip* It's like he was back 20 years ago or something. XD
Molly asked Dad if he wanted to see Kassie, "Is she here?" "yes" "Well if she's here then I want to see her." XD
Kassie came in and we talked a bit more, then Dad started dozing off after being given something that helps with muscle inflamation and such. The nurse ordered some morphine, but during the time after he started dozing, it hadn't come up yet. Everyone was getting tired but before we left Molly asked about Dad's factor 8 infusions. They had misinterpretted, (In Dad's and our opinions earlier before the surgery) his hemotologist's orders. They thought it meant that he was to be infused to 100% ONCE a day, but in reality, he was to be maintained at 100%. If they did it once a day, because the half-life of Factor 8 is only 12 hours, he'd be down to 25% which would be dangerously low in his opinion. And he knows his stuff. So we talked with the nurse on call about it and after going over things and checking with the pharmacist's notes and stuff she relayed that they were going to infuse him every 12 hours. Which is what it should be. So relieved Molly and Kassie left. I hung around a bit wanting to wait for the liquid Morphine to arrive. That way I could be sure that he was resting comfortably. Hoping that Mom wouldn't mind I waited. After a bit she came back in, Dad was snoring away quietly. The nurse came up and the Morphine was finally delivered. She brought in some ice chips for him to eat, to see if he could swallow. Mom took one side while I was on the other and we both tried to wake him up.... gently. Usually I try some shock tactics like shouting that he dropped a cigarette, obviously couldn't do that this time with him all tubed up like he was.
Mom started rubbing his head asking him if he was in pain and he said "I'll give you about an hour to cut that out" Which translated means that he was liking it. XD That's an old line I hadn't heard in years.
Anyway, the nurse got him to eat an ice chip, but he was still out of it. mom asked him if he was in pain, to which he replied, "What pain..."
So he was out like a light and out of pain. This being the case we thanked the nurse and left. Mom offerred to let me spend the night at her place since it was so late and I was visibly tired. So we headed over there. I had an ok sleep.
On the way back to the hospital Mom got rear-ended by someone. Turns out her foot just slipped off the brake. As there was no damage Mom didn't report it to the cops, but they did exchange names/numbers.
Mom dropped me off at the hospital and I went up to see Dad. Molly and Mike were already there in ICU and Dad was doing better. Not a pain in the world. Except butt-pain. LOL All those pain meds in his system and his butt was sore from laying on it! XD Sorry but we all found that really amusing. XD
To while away the time, Sis showed me the way to a place called Funset Blvd. It's basically a giant arcade. I blew $5 on playing Gauntlet Legends. I beat the first world and was partway through the 2nd when I ran out of tokens. I ran back to the token machine, but the first two machines wouldn't take my money. The 3rd did and as I got back I heard "2, 1, 0, Game Over". I missed it! If I'd had 1 measly second more I could've gotten my tokens in! D:
Then I basically played a lot of skeeball and other ticket winning games. I saw one guy get the 100,000 point hole in skeelball 3 times in the same game!
I gotta say, the ticket prices for the prizes was highway robbery. I won 195 tickets with about $10. Bought Dad a train whistle and a rubber-band powered balsa wood airplane. For about 105 tickets. I had wanted to get him a little plushie, but I decided it was about time I get back and the smallest were 300 tickets, somehow I found my way back without trouble. When I got there Molly and Mike were already there. They'd gone to do some shopping. They had to leave (even though it was only about 3:30) because they needed to pick Calysta up from daycare by 5pm.
It's a good thing I came back when I did, because it wasn't long after Molly and Mike left that they were ready to move Dad out of the ICU and into a regular room on the 3rd floor.
It's a pretty nice room, not the greatest view, but there's a TV, VCR, and a DVD player.
We talked a bit, then I went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I'd wanted to leave by the time it got dark, but didn't make it out. I was about to leave when who showed up but Mom. So I hung around a bit. They talked, Dad expressed his appreciation for her coming to visit, she said she was glad that he's doing alright. Yano, basic stuff. It went on for awhile. The guy doing the shower called and Dad talked to him. Mom and I joked about how he was in the hospital and still taking care of business. Now I'm doing that because we need more grout and stuff to finish it off before he comes home.
Anyway, Mom and I left at about the same time, she even showed me how to reach Hwy 10, which I missed. ^_^; So we had to find another way to get me to 10, ended up finding a way by taking CB. I called her when I got home, letting her know I was ok. Then called Dad and told him about it, we had a laugh at my missing the turn and all. Called Aunt Katie and Sis so they had Dad's room number and direct phone number.
Talked with Dad Yesterday and found out that he's going to be in the hospital for about a week. :( While I like the privacy it's going to be a dull week without him around.
Today he told me that the doc was checking his chest tube and he pulled on it, which caused it to forcibly suck out either 400ml or 400CCs of fluids. He couldn't recall which measurement it was and I don't know the difference between the two so sorry I can't be more clear on that. Either way, that's a LOT of liquid!
Because he's bleeding still and there's this fluid he'll be there a week so they can make sure things go ok. It's weird, they give him his factor 8 so he's at 100%, like a normal person that it, but then they give him blood thinners to prevent blood clots. While the blood thinners are activated, his factor 8 levels are dropping due to it's 12 hour half-life. So I'm wondering if they aren't using a bit too much blood thinner or something? *shakes head* Just a theory. Dad's also been spacing a bit and he's afraid he might've had a little stroke or something. I've noticed it, but suggested taht maybe it was just the pain meds, epideral and the pain block in his chest causing it and that he should ask the doc about it.
On Saturday I sent up a load of movies and candy with Molly and Mike who were going to visit him. I don't know how much I'll visit him since there's no real point in driving up to just run out of stuff to say. But I do call him every day and I'm taking care of things here for him that normally would be his gig.
To everyone who's kept Dad in their prayers or wished for his recovery, I thank you in the most sincere way I can. Including my friends in other net places I had dozens of people wishing him well.
Thanks guys, especially to the commenters. Hearing words of reassurance are a great medicine for the soul.
Brian
P.S. Please forgive the typos. This is now a 3 day post. It took that long for me to finish it between all that's been going on.
Now for the news; Yep, Dad is alive!
You don't have to read this whole post, if you do, then you get a cookie.;) The cuts are for my memory, but open to you of course.
We got there at 10:40, about 10 minutes late, were met by Aunt Honore and Uncle Tom, then we were directed up to the prep room, where we waited for several hours. Sis, Mike and Calysta arrived, and around 12:30, the set time for the surgery, Kassie and Dasia showed up. They got him hooked up on a couple of things, including an IV drip of potassium that burned him like hellfire apparently.. They did what they could to correct that and fast. It wasn't until about 1:30 that they finally wheeled him out. We went along to the junction between the surgery wing and the waiting room and it was then that everyone broke down a bit.
Molly, Mike and Kassie took the girls to Chuckie Cheese, for what I understand was a pretty terrible, at least for them, time because a load of the games weren't working.
I, meanwhile, had lunch in the cafeteria with Honore and Tom. There was actually GOOD food there. And something I'd never seen, double chocolate chocolate chunk rice crispie treats! GOOOD *_* It was about 10 to 2pm
When I got back to the table Uncle Ed and Aunt Katie were there too. We all visited for a bit. And I pulled out one of the books I'd brought along. Dragonfield and Other Stories, it's a book by Jane Yolen and I recommend it to any who like the fantasy genre. The stories are very varied as to their individual genres and are quite good.
Anyway, at about 2:30ish, Uncle Tom went down to check on Dad, a little bit later we went down too. Said he was still waiting. Katie brought Ed home 'cause he had to go somewhere in Green Bay, and I after a bit, decided to walk around a bit. I checked on Dad, still just as an arrival on the computer screen, so I walked around. Feeling a bit peckish still I had a bit more to eat at the Cafeteria. The chocolate cake was rich and gooood. :D
I know it sounds weird I'd get excited over food tasting good, but for me that's a big deal. ;)
When I got back Uncle Tom said that right after I left the nurses called and said that Dad was in surgery, starting at 3:20pm. Almost 3 hours late. The surgery took several hours. I passed the time as well as I could with my book. I've read it all before so it's kind of old stuff to me, though still good. Uncle Bud was there with one of his daughters. Uncle Bud is my Great uncle,(my grandpa's brother) He stunk of his cigars. We chatted a bit and then they took off for a little while to run some errands after we found out Dad's surgery would be at least another hour or so.
Katie came back, with my cousin Lauren in tow this time. Apparently something is going on with her that has her blood pressure in the stratusphere. I mean, in the 200s. She's got some tests this coming week to try to determine what that's all about.
Honore got back from the chapel, we had lots of folks praying for Dad, and I want to say Thank you to any and all of you that kept him in your thoughts too. Thank you.
Uncle Bud and his daughter came back and eventually Mom arrived. Shortly after that, getting on near 5:30 I think, we got the word he was out of surgery and that it had gone well.
The surgeon came in covered in blood.... ok I'm kidding. ;P He came in look pretty damn clean actually, I didn't see or even smell any blood like I'd expected. Unless he changed his scrubs.
Anyway, he gathered us into a little room and told us about the surgery, that Dad does have more scar tissue damage from smoking and emphizema(sp?) than they realized, but that he should be ok. The pathology report will take several days yet to make sure that the cancer didn't spread any.
As it was going to be about another hour until Dad was ready to be moved to the ICU, we all parted ways. I know that Katie had to work, but I don't know where everyone else went. Mom and I went out to find Dad a bathrobe, he'd requested one prior to surgery, and then we got some McDonald's.
By the time we got back he'd not quite yet been moved to ICU. So we waited a bit, then when he was there and we saw him... Well.. It wasn't pretty. Not the tubes hooked up to him or anything, but the blinding pain we could see that he was in. Molly and I both broke down a bit, though I held it together a bit better... Guys are such maskers you know.. Anyway, the girls weren't allowed to go in and see him because Molly and Kassie didn't want them to see Dad like that. Dasia colored a pic for him at Chuckie Cheese's apparently. Which was really sweet of her. :) We stuck it to this sticky board in the room.
Dad was SO out of it. Even though he said "I'm in too much pain to be out of it."
There was this one time when Sis and I were holding his hands that he said, "I don't know who's holding my hands ut thank you." "We are Dad" is what we replied. We both sorta broke down for a moment silently.
Mom came in and Molly was like "Hey Dad, Mom is here" he mumbled something so she said "Say hi to Mom", to which he replied "Hi Mom". *chuckles* After she left to spell Kassie from watching the girls so that she could come in. Dad said something along the lines of "Get her anything she wants" and that he loved her. Which Molly relayed to Mom later. *plays the "Awwww" audio clip* It's like he was back 20 years ago or something. XD
Molly asked Dad if he wanted to see Kassie, "Is she here?" "yes" "Well if she's here then I want to see her." XD
Kassie came in and we talked a bit more, then Dad started dozing off after being given something that helps with muscle inflamation and such. The nurse ordered some morphine, but during the time after he started dozing, it hadn't come up yet. Everyone was getting tired but before we left Molly asked about Dad's factor 8 infusions. They had misinterpretted, (In Dad's and our opinions earlier before the surgery) his hemotologist's orders. They thought it meant that he was to be infused to 100% ONCE a day, but in reality, he was to be maintained at 100%. If they did it once a day, because the half-life of Factor 8 is only 12 hours, he'd be down to 25% which would be dangerously low in his opinion. And he knows his stuff. So we talked with the nurse on call about it and after going over things and checking with the pharmacist's notes and stuff she relayed that they were going to infuse him every 12 hours. Which is what it should be. So relieved Molly and Kassie left. I hung around a bit wanting to wait for the liquid Morphine to arrive. That way I could be sure that he was resting comfortably. Hoping that Mom wouldn't mind I waited. After a bit she came back in, Dad was snoring away quietly. The nurse came up and the Morphine was finally delivered. She brought in some ice chips for him to eat, to see if he could swallow. Mom took one side while I was on the other and we both tried to wake him up.... gently. Usually I try some shock tactics like shouting that he dropped a cigarette, obviously couldn't do that this time with him all tubed up like he was.
Mom started rubbing his head asking him if he was in pain and he said "I'll give you about an hour to cut that out" Which translated means that he was liking it. XD That's an old line I hadn't heard in years.
Anyway, the nurse got him to eat an ice chip, but he was still out of it. mom asked him if he was in pain, to which he replied, "What pain..."
So he was out like a light and out of pain. This being the case we thanked the nurse and left. Mom offerred to let me spend the night at her place since it was so late and I was visibly tired. So we headed over there. I had an ok sleep.
On the way back to the hospital Mom got rear-ended by someone. Turns out her foot just slipped off the brake. As there was no damage Mom didn't report it to the cops, but they did exchange names/numbers.
Mom dropped me off at the hospital and I went up to see Dad. Molly and Mike were already there in ICU and Dad was doing better. Not a pain in the world. Except butt-pain. LOL All those pain meds in his system and his butt was sore from laying on it! XD Sorry but we all found that really amusing. XD
To while away the time, Sis showed me the way to a place called Funset Blvd. It's basically a giant arcade. I blew $5 on playing Gauntlet Legends. I beat the first world and was partway through the 2nd when I ran out of tokens. I ran back to the token machine, but the first two machines wouldn't take my money. The 3rd did and as I got back I heard "2, 1, 0, Game Over". I missed it! If I'd had 1 measly second more I could've gotten my tokens in! D:
Then I basically played a lot of skeeball and other ticket winning games. I saw one guy get the 100,000 point hole in skeelball 3 times in the same game!
I gotta say, the ticket prices for the prizes was highway robbery. I won 195 tickets with about $10. Bought Dad a train whistle and a rubber-band powered balsa wood airplane. For about 105 tickets. I had wanted to get him a little plushie, but I decided it was about time I get back and the smallest were 300 tickets, somehow I found my way back without trouble. When I got there Molly and Mike were already there. They'd gone to do some shopping. They had to leave (even though it was only about 3:30) because they needed to pick Calysta up from daycare by 5pm.
It's a good thing I came back when I did, because it wasn't long after Molly and Mike left that they were ready to move Dad out of the ICU and into a regular room on the 3rd floor.
It's a pretty nice room, not the greatest view, but there's a TV, VCR, and a DVD player.
We talked a bit, then I went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I'd wanted to leave by the time it got dark, but didn't make it out. I was about to leave when who showed up but Mom. So I hung around a bit. They talked, Dad expressed his appreciation for her coming to visit, she said she was glad that he's doing alright. Yano, basic stuff. It went on for awhile. The guy doing the shower called and Dad talked to him. Mom and I joked about how he was in the hospital and still taking care of business. Now I'm doing that because we need more grout and stuff to finish it off before he comes home.
Anyway, Mom and I left at about the same time, she even showed me how to reach Hwy 10, which I missed. ^_^; So we had to find another way to get me to 10, ended up finding a way by taking CB. I called her when I got home, letting her know I was ok. Then called Dad and told him about it, we had a laugh at my missing the turn and all. Called Aunt Katie and Sis so they had Dad's room number and direct phone number.
Talked with Dad Yesterday and found out that he's going to be in the hospital for about a week. :( While I like the privacy it's going to be a dull week without him around.
Today he told me that the doc was checking his chest tube and he pulled on it, which caused it to forcibly suck out either 400ml or 400CCs of fluids. He couldn't recall which measurement it was and I don't know the difference between the two so sorry I can't be more clear on that. Either way, that's a LOT of liquid!
Because he's bleeding still and there's this fluid he'll be there a week so they can make sure things go ok. It's weird, they give him his factor 8 so he's at 100%, like a normal person that it, but then they give him blood thinners to prevent blood clots. While the blood thinners are activated, his factor 8 levels are dropping due to it's 12 hour half-life. So I'm wondering if they aren't using a bit too much blood thinner or something? *shakes head* Just a theory. Dad's also been spacing a bit and he's afraid he might've had a little stroke or something. I've noticed it, but suggested taht maybe it was just the pain meds, epideral and the pain block in his chest causing it and that he should ask the doc about it.
On Saturday I sent up a load of movies and candy with Molly and Mike who were going to visit him. I don't know how much I'll visit him since there's no real point in driving up to just run out of stuff to say. But I do call him every day and I'm taking care of things here for him that normally would be his gig.
To everyone who's kept Dad in their prayers or wished for his recovery, I thank you in the most sincere way I can. Including my friends in other net places I had dozens of people wishing him well.
Thanks guys, especially to the commenters. Hearing words of reassurance are a great medicine for the soul.
Brian
P.S. Please forgive the typos. This is now a 3 day post. It took that long for me to finish it between all that's been going on.