that Dad will be discharged tomorrow.
We think he's been feelin the post-op blues (I know how that goes..yuck) and he's been in a lot of pain. And on top of that, he's been experiencing a lot of dizziness so we're a little afraid that it may be too early.
Anyway, supposedly he's doing great. Thank you again for all your love. We know we have a long road of healing ahead of us. Its wonderful to know we have such great friends. And a huge thanks to our big, kind, strong friends who picked up Dad's bed for us all the way up in SLC and then set it up! There's NO way we would have been able to figure that out, so you saved us bigtime. Thanks to their families too =)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
movin on up!
Dad was moved out of the CVICU to the "normal" floor. He's doing great. They had him walk a couple times today. He may be coming home this weekend!
His kidneys are doing alright, we're happy he won't need dialasys. The only thing he's really dealing with right now, besides the pain, is dizziness. He's been really dizzy. He thought it was the pain meds, but now we're thinking its not. Could be the anesthesia?
Anyway, thanks for checking in. Everyone's prayers have helped so much.
His kidneys are doing alright, we're happy he won't need dialasys. The only thing he's really dealing with right now, besides the pain, is dizziness. He's been really dizzy. He thought it was the pain meds, but now we're thinking its not. Could be the anesthesia?
Anyway, thanks for checking in. Everyone's prayers have helped so much.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thank goodness..
Dad doesn't remember yesterday.
I couldn't stand that he was going through that much pain.
Today, I got to visit around noon. By then, he had already sat in a chair and taken a few bites of food. He look great! He's still hurting, but not to the point of hallucination.
I gotta hand it to him, he's TOUGH. He has a really high tolerance for pain (he's lived with it for years) so he has been rejecting most of his pain meds. The pain meds make him dizzy and sleepy, which most people like so they can rest, but he wants to push through his rehabilitation and physical therapy as quickly as he can. He got up and marched in place for a long time without getting tired, and was cracking jokes the whole time.
The best moment.. the physical rehab therapist guy (or as Ana and I call him, Dr McHottie-pants lol) asked Dad if he had been in the army (so he could have him march in place) so Dad responded, "Yes! I was in the Japanese Military." Completely serious. Ana and I were DYING. He bought it, of course, and kept complimenting Dad saying things like, "You MUST have been in the military cuz you're doing so great!" He then of course asked Dad if he was really from Japan, so Dad finally gave it up and told him that he was from the Philippines. Then he started speaking Tagalog to my Dad (obviously, he served his mission in the Phils). And instead of my Dad just playing along, he starts saying with his tone,
"Oh here we go.. heeeere we go. Here's another one. Here's ANOTHER one.. who is gonna ask us to invite him over for our food.."
We were rolling on the floor. Dad just kept on marching. Just dishing out sarcastic jokes left and right to all the nurses in the vicinity. Its kinda true, though, we have run into a surprisingly large number of people who served their missions in the Philippines. Makes it hard to talk smack in Tagalog, you never know who'll understand- haha!
So, needless to say, Dad is in great spirits. He's such a fighter, tough as nails, and SUPER motivated to get back into the swing of life. Such an inspiration. I think if it were me, I'd just ask for extra pain pills and veg-out in bed.
Tomorrow, we should hear if his kidneys are doing alright. We pray he won't need to undergo dialasys. And soon, the one chest tube that's hurting him the most will come out. I think once that tube comes out, he'll be running up and down the halls teasing people.
I couldn't stand that he was going through that much pain.
Today, I got to visit around noon. By then, he had already sat in a chair and taken a few bites of food. He look great! He's still hurting, but not to the point of hallucination.
I gotta hand it to him, he's TOUGH. He has a really high tolerance for pain (he's lived with it for years) so he has been rejecting most of his pain meds. The pain meds make him dizzy and sleepy, which most people like so they can rest, but he wants to push through his rehabilitation and physical therapy as quickly as he can. He got up and marched in place for a long time without getting tired, and was cracking jokes the whole time.
The best moment.. the physical rehab therapist guy (or as Ana and I call him, Dr McHottie-pants lol) asked Dad if he had been in the army (so he could have him march in place) so Dad responded, "Yes! I was in the Japanese Military." Completely serious. Ana and I were DYING. He bought it, of course, and kept complimenting Dad saying things like, "You MUST have been in the military cuz you're doing so great!" He then of course asked Dad if he was really from Japan, so Dad finally gave it up and told him that he was from the Philippines. Then he started speaking Tagalog to my Dad (obviously, he served his mission in the Phils). And instead of my Dad just playing along, he starts saying with his tone,
"Oh here we go.. heeeere we go. Here's another one. Here's ANOTHER one.. who is gonna ask us to invite him over for our food.."
We were rolling on the floor. Dad just kept on marching. Just dishing out sarcastic jokes left and right to all the nurses in the vicinity. Its kinda true, though, we have run into a surprisingly large number of people who served their missions in the Philippines. Makes it hard to talk smack in Tagalog, you never know who'll understand- haha!
So, needless to say, Dad is in great spirits. He's such a fighter, tough as nails, and SUPER motivated to get back into the swing of life. Such an inspiration. I think if it were me, I'd just ask for extra pain pills and veg-out in bed.
Tomorrow, we should hear if his kidneys are doing alright. We pray he won't need to undergo dialasys. And soon, the one chest tube that's hurting him the most will come out. I think once that tube comes out, he'll be running up and down the halls teasing people.
Monday, October 12, 2009
4:30(ish)pm
Dad started opening his eyes again, waving his hand. The doc came and did a few tests to see if he's ready to be extubated. He surely was..
I opted to watch them do it..
I really hope he doesn't remember today.
He immediately started breathing on his own, but he clearly was in agonizing pain. I cannot imagine the pain he is experiencing. They said with every breath comes pain.
It was SO HARD to see him like this. But I felt stronger than I've ever been, so THANK YOU for your prayers. WE thank you for your prayers. Our family has truly felt the tender mercies that root from your kind prayers.
I am so inspired by my Dad. He's a lot stronger and tougher than we give him credit for. He's really fighting. He's fighting through the pain, and fighting for his life. And he's already cracking jokes between the moans and groans. So we are happy.
He's doing great so far, the big thing now is to watch that his kidneys don't fail over the next few days so he won't need dialasys. They are hoping to get him sitting later this evening or early morning, and possibly walking the halls tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks again to everyone who has sent their love, to our great friends who helped watch the grandkids, and for the many prayers that have helped our family through this trial.
We'll keep ya posted!
-Lea
I opted to watch them do it..
I really hope he doesn't remember today.
He immediately started breathing on his own, but he clearly was in agonizing pain. I cannot imagine the pain he is experiencing. They said with every breath comes pain.
It was SO HARD to see him like this. But I felt stronger than I've ever been, so THANK YOU for your prayers. WE thank you for your prayers. Our family has truly felt the tender mercies that root from your kind prayers.
I am so inspired by my Dad. He's a lot stronger and tougher than we give him credit for. He's really fighting. He's fighting through the pain, and fighting for his life. And he's already cracking jokes between the moans and groans. So we are happy.
He's doing great so far, the big thing now is to watch that his kidneys don't fail over the next few days so he won't need dialasys. They are hoping to get him sitting later this evening or early morning, and possibly walking the halls tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks again to everyone who has sent their love, to our great friends who helped watch the grandkids, and for the many prayers that have helped our family through this trial.
We'll keep ya posted!
-Lea
2:35pm
kinda funny.. we were eating lunch, waiting for the pager to go off, and every little sound mom heard (soda machine, cash register, etc) she thought was the pager. finally, beep-beep-beep-beep-beep. her eyes became big and wide, and she just stared blankly and asked, "what's that noise?"
=) oh, mom.
anyway, we made our way to the CVICU. We were nervous cuz we knew Dad wouldn't look too hot, but we were pleasantly surprised at how great he looked! He was hardly puffy, and he was just sleeping. Still intubated.
We knew Dad's #1 fear (even over dying) was to wake up in a panic, with the breathing tube down his throat. So we were nervous.
At that point, we just stood there and waited. Once he was awake enough to lift his head and take a breath on his own, they could take out the tube. Its kinda a double-edged sword. You want him to breathe on his own, but you don't want him coherent enough to realize he has tubes down his throat.
He woke up a couple times, shook his head in response, even grabbed mom's hand, but then he'd fall back asleep and relied on the machine to breathe for him. When he'd get closer to being awake and breathing on his own, he'd be in too much pain and required meds which would make him sleep. So it was a tricky balancing act for the doctor & nurse.
By the way, the staff is incredible. So thorough and patient.
=) oh, mom.
anyway, we made our way to the CVICU. We were nervous cuz we knew Dad wouldn't look too hot, but we were pleasantly surprised at how great he looked! He was hardly puffy, and he was just sleeping. Still intubated.
We knew Dad's #1 fear (even over dying) was to wake up in a panic, with the breathing tube down his throat. So we were nervous.
At that point, we just stood there and waited. Once he was awake enough to lift his head and take a breath on his own, they could take out the tube. Its kinda a double-edged sword. You want him to breathe on his own, but you don't want him coherent enough to realize he has tubes down his throat.
He woke up a couple times, shook his head in response, even grabbed mom's hand, but then he'd fall back asleep and relied on the machine to breathe for him. When he'd get closer to being awake and breathing on his own, he'd be in too much pain and required meds which would make him sleep. So it was a tricky balancing act for the doctor & nurse.
By the way, the staff is incredible. So thorough and patient.
12:25pm
He's off the bypass machine.
GREAT NEWS.
One of Dad's biggest fears, of course, is that his heart won't start again.
We just got filled in with some of the things to expect in the next couple hours and couple months.
Dad's #1 fear is the breathing tube.. We pray he won't remember when they take it out. Honestly, it sounds horrific.. the fact that they wait until he's awake to take it out.
Anyway, we're now waiting to hear from the Doc.
GREAT NEWS.
One of Dad's biggest fears, of course, is that his heart won't start again.
We just got filled in with some of the things to expect in the next couple hours and couple months.
Dad's #1 fear is the breathing tube.. We pray he won't remember when they take it out. Honestly, it sounds horrific.. the fact that they wait until he's awake to take it out.
Anyway, we're now waiting to hear from the Doc.
10:25am
he's on the bypass machine.
so far, so good.
its so CRAZY to me that they can do that..
right now, they're working on Dad's heart while he's his body is hooked up to a machine. Weird.
i marvel at modern medicine.
so far, so good.
its so CRAZY to me that they can do that..
right now, they're working on Dad's heart while he's his body is hooked up to a machine. Weird.
i marvel at modern medicine.
The waiting game..
9:26am- just waiting. Mama, Ana, and Eric got here at about 5am on zero sleep. I followed at about 8am after dropping off the X man to our dear, brave friends in the ward/neighborhood (thank you so much!). I talked to Dad this morning before he went in. He sounded like he was in good spirits, very happy and confident. He asked about Xander and then told me not to worry cuz he's gonna make it. And then he told me he loved me and hung up..lol That's a good sign. If he were really nervous, he would've started saying his goodbyes.
The nurse came about a half hour ago to report that he was sedated and they were going to start the general anesthesia within the hour. They'll come back with an update once they start the actual surgery.
-Lea
The nurse came about a half hour ago to report that he was sedated and they were going to start the general anesthesia within the hour. They'll come back with an update once they start the actual surgery.
-Lea
The Sedona & Xander Show
Sedona & Xander started their very own web show.. this is episode 4, dedicated to Papa. They miss Papa very much and want him to come home from the hospital right away.
(all graphics are controlled by Sedona)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
things are lookin up!
Xander SO happy to see Papa!We thank you for your prayers, we truly have felt the comfort and love.
We are happy that our Dad has made the decision to go through with the surgery on Monday morning. Quadruple or Quintuple Bypass Surgery.
We had a great visit yesterday, Dad seems to be in much better spirits. He's back to cracking jokes. He was moved from the ICU to the "normal" level (I don't know what its called).
We just got back from another wonderful visit. He made arrangements to be brought downstairs to the lobby so he could have a short visit with the grandkids.
So tomorrow is the big day. We're nervous but hopeful. The doctors and nurses said they think he'll do very well. He goes in at about 7am, so me and Xander won't be able to see him before hand. He insists I stay home with the baby instead of coming so early in the morning, so that's what I'll do. I don't really agree, but I'll abide by his wishes.
Hopefully we'll have some good news around noon tomorrow.
-Lea
We are happy that our Dad has made the decision to go through with the surgery on Monday morning. Quadruple or Quintuple Bypass Surgery.
We had a great visit yesterday, Dad seems to be in much better spirits. He's back to cracking jokes. He was moved from the ICU to the "normal" level (I don't know what its called).
We just got back from another wonderful visit. He made arrangements to be brought downstairs to the lobby so he could have a short visit with the grandkids.
So tomorrow is the big day. We're nervous but hopeful. The doctors and nurses said they think he'll do very well. He goes in at about 7am, so me and Xander won't be able to see him before hand. He insists I stay home with the baby instead of coming so early in the morning, so that's what I'll do. I don't really agree, but I'll abide by his wishes.
Hopefully we'll have some good news around noon tomorrow.
-Lea
Xander clinging onto his PapaSaturday, October 10, 2009
The Rundown..
Dad has been complaining about chest pain for a couple weeks now (not to mention, he's become increasingly weaker than usual). Last week he went to instacare to get things checked out. They didn't find anything there, so they sent him to the ER. Nothing was found at the ER so he was sent to a cardiologist, a physical therapist, and a bunch of other specialists. He received a call back with an appointment for a angiogram that would take place Monday (yesterday).
An angiogram is pretty amazing (I marvel at modern medicine). Its an imaging technique used to visualize the inside of the blood vessels. They enter the artery at the groin and travel up to the heart. We were worried because this was the procedure to determine wether he needed angioplasty right at that moment (what we were expecting), just meds to clear little blockage (we hoped but doubted), or if he'd need bypass surgery.
We learned that his kidneys are working at 50% and will only continue to get worse. But even worse, he has 4-5 major arteries that are blocked 80-90%. He needs quadruple or quintuple bypass surgery immediately, but they are waiting until Monday so they can take a few preventative measures like pump him with meds that will help protect his kidneys.
The docs are nervous that his kidneys will fail, if not now, eventually. Obviously, any one of us would give ours.
The thing that the docs are shocked with is the fact that he has 4-5 major bloackages.. that is EXCRUCIATING. Even one can be excruciating. Our dad has been living with so much pain for so long that it didn't bother him as much. AND his diabetes has created so much nerve damage.
Our feelings: we are now praying hard that Dad will go through with the open-heart surgery. He is really scared (can you blame him?) so he is actually considering NOT having the surgery. If he doesn't have it, he could have a major heart-attack at any given moment that he most likely won't survive (the docs say). Dad is saying, "well, I could die in 2 weeks at home or die on Monday on the table."
So we hope you'll include our dad in your thoughts and prayers. We pray he'll make the right decision. We pray he'll be comforted and protected.
An angiogram is pretty amazing (I marvel at modern medicine). Its an imaging technique used to visualize the inside of the blood vessels. They enter the artery at the groin and travel up to the heart. We were worried because this was the procedure to determine wether he needed angioplasty right at that moment (what we were expecting), just meds to clear little blockage (we hoped but doubted), or if he'd need bypass surgery.
We learned that his kidneys are working at 50% and will only continue to get worse. But even worse, he has 4-5 major arteries that are blocked 80-90%. He needs quadruple or quintuple bypass surgery immediately, but they are waiting until Monday so they can take a few preventative measures like pump him with meds that will help protect his kidneys.
The docs are nervous that his kidneys will fail, if not now, eventually. Obviously, any one of us would give ours.
The thing that the docs are shocked with is the fact that he has 4-5 major bloackages.. that is EXCRUCIATING. Even one can be excruciating. Our dad has been living with so much pain for so long that it didn't bother him as much. AND his diabetes has created so much nerve damage.
Our feelings: we are now praying hard that Dad will go through with the open-heart surgery. He is really scared (can you blame him?) so he is actually considering NOT having the surgery. If he doesn't have it, he could have a major heart-attack at any given moment that he most likely won't survive (the docs say). Dad is saying, "well, I could die in 2 weeks at home or die on Monday on the table."
So we hope you'll include our dad in your thoughts and prayers. We pray he'll make the right decision. We pray he'll be comforted and protected.
Welcome..
I've decided to start this blog as a way to give updates about our dad (instead of writing a 3 page status update on Facebook).
We appreciate your love and support, especially your prayers.
-Lea
We appreciate your love and support, especially your prayers.
-Lea
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