My Dad 02/28/24

@porwest Awesome, I'm glad everything seems to be on the up and up. Is he still doing well and getting better and better?

Flipping me the bird was definitely a good sign. lol. He's handling it very well and although he is in a lot of pain, he knows this is part of the deal in order to keep on living. I am very proud of him.

@moffittjc He got to home on Monday the 4th and his only complaint was that they didn't give him much to work with on the way they prescribed his pain meds, so he has a bit more pain. But I think being in his creature comforts will help with the healing process.

I hope so too and that they can give him a bit more pain meds so long as his breathing stays normal. I can't imagine the pain from a surgery like that.

@porwest Your poor Dad must be in a lot of pain right now.

@LadyDuck He is. But he's also surprisingly accepting of it. His stance seems to be, "This is what I have to go through to live." I give him a lot of credit for that. I even think it gives me a new level of respect for him. He's determined to get through this and get back to living. I am really proud of him.

@porwest my family has a weird sense of humor too and would consider being flipped off a sign of love hope your dad is feeling a wee bit better today.

It definitely is a sure sign of love, especially in terms of our conjoined sense of humor. lol. As for looking like my dad, everyone says that. lol

It will be. But he is being a real trooper about it. He knows this is part of the deal if he wants to live. I am really proud of him.

@porwest that is great. Hid determination will his recovery. Since I have been through it I am always so proud of somebody who goes through it and has that fight. He is now a fellow member of the zipper club.

@Happy2BeMe The zipper club, hey? lol. I will tell him that. He should get a kick out of it.

So far as I know he will be in the hospital for about a week before he can go home. I guess it all depends on how things go in the next few days how the doctor's decide what's best. But there are some definite good signs and hoping he's a little better today. But I understand if he's still quite a bit under the weather considering it's such an invasive surgery and he went through a lot.

@porwest The thing is he will be under the weather when he gets home too. Anymore it's kind of like a production line process, get them in, do the surgery, get them up and around and a bit better, send them home. When my dad had open heart surgery back in 1967 the process was a LOT different. His surgery was done at the Sacramento Medical Center. He was opened from just below the neck down to his belly button. His rib cage was cut open and so on. The surgery took almost 8 hours and when we finally got to see him for a few minutes all he could say was he had a headache in both his heads. We left and the doctor and nurses all told us to go back to our motel and get some rest and come back later the next morning. When he was finally able to be moved they sent him back to Vandenburg AFB just outside of Santa Maria CA. (Dad was retired military) We didn't get to take him home for about 6 weeks. He had a lot of pain but they wouldn't give him any strong pain medications. They only let him have Tylenol regular strength. That's the only pain medication he took his entire life. He wasn't allowed aspirin because he was on blood thinners. That is all he used through the rest of his life, except for his blood thinners that the doctor prescribed. Take good care of your dad and give him plenty of love and support. When he can handle it, give him plenty of hugs and some extras from me.

@BearArtistLady Thank you very much and I do appreciate your thoughts. Dad seems to be doing well so far. I will post another update soon.

Yeah, as he put it, they opened him up like a can of tuna. lol. He's really taking this well despite the pain, and he knows full well the pain is part of the deal to live longer and improve the quality of his life. I am very proud of him.

@porwest It's really overwhelming to think about having such a surgery. Good description, a can of tuna! He sounds like a corker! Let's hope it all improves his quality of life, and gives him many more good years.

Happy to update. Thanks for the well wishes. Much appreciated.

I think they are saying he will likely be in the hospital for at least 7-8 days. He's really handling it well despite a lot of pain. But he knows the pain is what he has to endure in order to get on with a new life. I really admire him for the strength and toughness he is showing.

I am hearing he might go home today (March 3rd) but not for sure on that.

From a few years ago but thank you. He is and I can't be happier about that despite the pain he is having to deal with, but of course he knows that with the pain comes progress.

Thank you. I am hoping he will look and feel a wee bit better today, but then again, how good can one feel a day after such a major surgery?

Thank you very much. I really appreciate that. My dad is being a real trooper with this.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Yeah, both my dad and I were a bit younger and a bit thinner as well. lol