Well, day 4 of my dad's recovery from heart surgery was improved more than yesterday. Unfortunately he didn't sleep much last night because they gave him some medication that made him hallucinate & he didn't sleep at all. In spite of being very tired, he had several accomplishments today.
First, he had the suction removed from his chest tube. All this time he has been tethered to his bed by a tube that went from a suction port on the wall to his chest tube fluid container (sorry, I don't know what else to call the thing). Since his surgery he had suction pulling fluid from his lungs. He is continuing to have fluid drain from his chest, but just with the assistance of gravity. This enabled him to be able to get out of bed on his own, which was really exciting for him. Because he didn't have that tube stuck to the wall, the nurses allowed him to walk the halls a couple of times today. You probably know what a walker he is, & this encouraged him greatly. He was also taken off of Coumadin, leaving him with fewer IV tubes to tie him up.
The biggest encouragement he had today was all of the visitors who took the time to come & spend some time with him. He still had some problems with his thinking being cloudy, but he really enjoyed the conversation & prayers of those who visited. He's such a people person!
We had a good talk with his night nurse about some things they could try to help him sleep, so that is our primary prayer for the night. We also are praying for clarification on a matter that has been a miscommunication between his surgeons. Dr. Sowden, who performed the pericardial windows procedure, is out of town due to the death of his father (you can pray for the family). Dr. Gray, another surgeon, is rounding for Dr. Sowden in his absence. Dr. Sowden told my sisters, Bob & I some very specific & important things following my dad's surgery. Unfortunately, he didn't chart those things, so Dr. Gray now believes the things Dr. Sowden insisted upon are not necessary. We agree with Dr. Sowden's directives & are trying diligently to get this cleared up before the weekend so that my dad receives the very best care he can get. Please pray that Dr. Gray will show deference to the verbal intentions Dr. Sowden gave us.
Thank you for your prayers & support of our family. It's been a long week for all of us & it's only by God's grace & mercy that we have made it this far. Oh, I forgot to mention that my niece Abbi Bussen has not had an appendectomy as of yet, but it's kind of a day-by-day thing. If she has another appendicitis attack, Kristie has the surgeon's direct phone number & he said he won't hesitate to get her in for surgery. She's still in pain but she is trying to go back to school & work tomorrow morning. Please pray for Abbi's health & for Kristie, Todd & the doctors to have wisdom in caring for her.
First, he had the suction removed from his chest tube. All this time he has been tethered to his bed by a tube that went from a suction port on the wall to his chest tube fluid container (sorry, I don't know what else to call the thing). Since his surgery he had suction pulling fluid from his lungs. He is continuing to have fluid drain from his chest, but just with the assistance of gravity. This enabled him to be able to get out of bed on his own, which was really exciting for him. Because he didn't have that tube stuck to the wall, the nurses allowed him to walk the halls a couple of times today. You probably know what a walker he is, & this encouraged him greatly. He was also taken off of Coumadin, leaving him with fewer IV tubes to tie him up.
The biggest encouragement he had today was all of the visitors who took the time to come & spend some time with him. He still had some problems with his thinking being cloudy, but he really enjoyed the conversation & prayers of those who visited. He's such a people person!
We had a good talk with his night nurse about some things they could try to help him sleep, so that is our primary prayer for the night. We also are praying for clarification on a matter that has been a miscommunication between his surgeons. Dr. Sowden, who performed the pericardial windows procedure, is out of town due to the death of his father (you can pray for the family). Dr. Gray, another surgeon, is rounding for Dr. Sowden in his absence. Dr. Sowden told my sisters, Bob & I some very specific & important things following my dad's surgery. Unfortunately, he didn't chart those things, so Dr. Gray now believes the things Dr. Sowden insisted upon are not necessary. We agree with Dr. Sowden's directives & are trying diligently to get this cleared up before the weekend so that my dad receives the very best care he can get. Please pray that Dr. Gray will show deference to the verbal intentions Dr. Sowden gave us.
Thank you for your prayers & support of our family. It's been a long week for all of us & it's only by God's grace & mercy that we have made it this far. Oh, I forgot to mention that my niece Abbi Bussen has not had an appendectomy as of yet, but it's kind of a day-by-day thing. If she has another appendicitis attack, Kristie has the surgeon's direct phone number & he said he won't hesitate to get her in for surgery. She's still in pain but she is trying to go back to school & work tomorrow morning. Please pray for Abbi's health & for Kristie, Todd & the doctors to have wisdom in caring for her.
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