Dads Story

He had been complaining of some chest pain for a while and last week it got worse.  He thought maybe it was just heartburn or left over congestion from a cold he just got over.  Around 9 Sunday night he decided to go to the ER, so mom took him.  They thought they were just going to give him a flu shot or something and send him home.  When they got there they said he either had a heart attack or an irregular heart beat so they kept him over night to run tests and monitor him.  Mom needed some things brought to her the next morning so I thought on my way to work Id drop it off, when I got there I found out that I had just missed the doctor.  The doctor had said that tests confirmed he had a heart attack and the machines were saying he was having another one right then, so I was there for 5 minutes before he got moved to ICU.  He stayed in ICU until around 6 Monday night, then they moved him to Methodist in the Med Center Downtown.  The doctor had said that he was 95% sure that dad had blockage on the right side, they would do a few more tests and insert a stint on Tuesday. 

The doctor at Methodist apparently told my parents while we were out of the room at some point that he didn’t think dad had any blockage.  So we were all confused.  Around 7 on Tuesday morning they came in and got him to take him to have the stint put in. Before they put the stint in they run a dye through the heart to make sure they are certain he needs it.  An hour later the doctor pulled us all into the room and showed us my dads heart.  He has 3 main arteries that are pretty bad.  The spots that were messed up were about a 1/4th of the size they were supposed to be, probably even smaller than that.  The doctor said he would have put a stint into the original problem spot and one other spot, however, there was another major artery that kind of also was at a fork in the road, the doctor said it cannot be fixed with a balloon or a stint because if they accidentally puncture the artery just before the fork in the road he would die instantly.  So, a triple bypass was the best way to go.  He also has some smaller veins in the heart that show disease but the doctor wasnt concerned about those because they werent vital.

The surgeon who is supposed to be doing this bypass is out of town until sometime today, so he was corresponding with us through some other surgeons who are his assistants.  They said the surgery was set for 8 am Thursday morning unless something happened overnight Tuesday night and they needed to do the surgery on Wednesday.

But, then yesterday evening they did another sonogram on his neck and found out he has problems with the artery on the left side of his neck, when the doctor came in I asked what that meant what they were going to do.  He said they would correspond with the surgeon and we would probably hear something this morning.  So we are all clueless about that. 

Then…..dad started to get a fever, chills and a headache, which means he probably has an infection of some sort.  Possibly because of the incision for the stint/dye process.  Who knows.  They are doing some tests to find out what that’s all about and we should know something today.  If he does have an infection that could postpone his surgery, they cant operate if he is sick.

So, we are all kinda just here….just not sure what to do with ourselves, what to think, how to feel.  Everyone is worried sick but no one wants to upset the others so everyone is putting on a smiling face.  Its just so crazy.  He’s only 51 so its not like hes that old.  His dad went through the same thing, probably around the same age as my dad.  One of the surgeons that will be working on dad studied under the doctor that did my grandfathers surgery, so that’s kinda cool.  My grandfather was like the 3rd person or something that that team of doctors did a bypass on.

Anyways, Im here at work today, dunno how long, going to try to stay until 4 but we shall see.  I need to get some time on the clock so I can make some money this pay period, even if its not much.  I obviously wont be here tomorrow, unless they postpone the surgery. 

Wanna know the strange part of it all.  I have to pass my parents house to go home, actually drive through their yard, usually I don’t stop and if I do its just for 5 minutes.  On Saturday, I dunno what happened, dad was home alone, I was coming back from shopping, so I stopped, for like an hour…….just to hang out with him.  I guess I knew without knowing…..its strange how that stuff happens.  I also felt the need to hang out with him on Sunday, so my parents and Stephen and I went out to breakfast then spent the day fishing.  So….I’m at least glad I hung out with him this weekend.  It could have been my last chance.  I cried Sunday night, couldn’t fall asleep because I was upset, worried they were going to call and say he died but I haven’t really been able to cry since.  I get misty eyed but that’s about it.  I feel like I could break down at any moment though.

So, that’s about it……..thats the status as of right now.  We are waiting, that’s all we’ve been doing…..waiting.

 

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