The Funny Farm

My DADDY IS BACK IN THE HOSPITAL!! I can't believe my sweet Daddy has endured so much, and been such a trooper, and now, after a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, has returned to the hospital. He started bleeding from his chest incision and bubbling air - weird, I know, but that is how both of my parents have described how it all started. The heart specialist got him right in for an appointment where they opened his healing incision completely with a surgical knife (or something of the sorts) right there in the office! How sanitary! He said it was so painful! I can only imagine. They poked around with swabs and agreed that he had pulled his wires holding his chest together loose by coughing - thanks to a booger of a cold he has been fighting for two weeks. So they went straight back to the hospital and he is to have surgery on Friday at 12:30 pm. This time a plastic surgeon will open him, rewire, look for any infection, do a muscle flap procedure to secure the area, and possibly use a plate and screw system (don't know what all of that entails).

I looked at the opening on his chest yesterday as they were changing the dressings and it looked like he had lost a recent sword fight! Really, it looked just awful (UNDERSTATEMENT!) and I could NOT believe my eyes! His chest had been doing so great and healing so well! His leg still looks bad and the plastic surgeon says he will probably repair his leg wound also (according to how everything goes). Daddy is excited about that because that would free him from the wound vac (maybe). One nurse told us that he could end up with the vac attached to his chest too. ARGH!

We are just praying that Daddy will remain strong, and have a will to fight with all his might. He keeps saying, "You know, there is only so much shock a body can take. I'll be 71 in March and I just don't know about all of this!" He really doesn't have any choice, but to trust the doctors and pray that they will handle and care for him the way they would want their own parents taken care of. We are all stunned and heartbroken to hear that all of the healing has to be undone and started from scratch - pretty much. If he handles the surgery well and all goes as planned he will return to his regular room. If it doesn't go as planned he will be back in CVICU again. He is going to have a ventilator again and more chest tubes and who knows what else. He has a rough road ahead of him.

Yesterday he and I walked around the floor of the hospital together while Mother went back to their house to get all of their "stuff" and medicines. He said that it was the best he had felt since his surgery. Bless his heart! I could just have broken down in tears right then and there, but I swallowed hard and put on my strong face (only to cry all the way home, about five times already today and now!). I am having a hard time keeping myself together because I am so scared for him! He has always been my "partner, best friend and that's what" (something he always says to me!). Please keep him especially in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow, and in the weeks to follow as he faces another long recovery period.