Dad's surgery

After months of waiting, my dad's open heart surgery is finally scheduled for Monday morning. It's a triple bypass with a valve replacement or repair. They say these operations are practically routine now, but good thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Thank you all.

Among doctors, the only simple surgery is one someone else is performing. Among patients, the only simple surgery is one someone else is undergoing.

Bypass surgery (more properly coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG surgery) actually is "pretty routine", in that it has a high success rate and a relatively low rate of complications. Valve repair and replacement has been done for decades, but it is an open heart surgery, and so shouldn't be taken too lightly.

Best wishes to your father, and your family. May be have a rapid, uncomplicated recovery from a successful surgery.

Best wishs to your father there Sarge.

You have them, of course, Sarge. God bless him and his doctors.

Done and done, Sarge. Keep us posted.

Best wishes and prayers from me as well, Sarge.

Good thoughts comin' your way, Sarge!

Hmm it's so easy to say it's 'routine' when those little statistical blips on the end of that statement are real people who didn't make it. i certainly wish your dad makes it through it, and I hope he makes it though unscathed. All the best.

Best wishes from me as well. And you'll have my prayers :)

As someone who has gone through this twice, both on the same person (strangely my mother; dad is apparently immortal and immune to the ailments of mortal man) I understand exactly what your're going through. Lots of worry, doubt, and the especially wonderful feeling of helplessness; while my mother sat on a table somewhere, i was reduced to "Coffee boy and message minder".

Still, she recovered from this surgery at near record speed, she's back to work and helping my sister with my new nephew! So, long story kinda short, yes the surgery is common, but that does nothing to take away the worry.

but, things WILL get better. And, we're all here for you if you need us.

My fingers are crossed for a sucessful proceedure and a quick and full recovery :)

May the skill of Dr. McCoy be with your dad's surgeons.

Best of luck, Sarge!

Good luck, best wishes

Alex

The surgery seems to have gone well. :)

It was indeed a triple bypass, the valve was repaired, and they did a procedure called ablation to fix his rhythm. He still has lots of recovery and recuperation ahead of him, but I think the worst is over.

Thanks for the support, everyone.

Today, the day after the surgery, Dad was sitting up in a chair, drinking apple juice, and eating ice cream. Sounds like a rapid recovery to me. :)

That sounds great! :D

Good for him! Again, best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

They try to get patients up and moving as quickly after surgery as possible; people seem to recover faster out of bed than in it.

Yeah sarge, that's how mom's last surgery went; I was worried for a while either:

A) mom was one of those 'muties' with a healing factor

or

B) the members of the Syndicate had replaced my mom with a replicant, using her 'heart condition' as a cover, in part of their ongoing conspiracy

but it turns out

C) medical technology has reached a point where something that was nearly always fatal, and then later would take weeks or months or recovery, now takes a couple of days.

Hell, my mom is now the example of 'good employee' at the Care FAcility where she works. "What?!? You have the flu and you can't come in to work?? Well, Pat had a heart attack AND Triple bypass surgery, and she was back within a month and a half? And she STILL puts in more than her share here. Do YOU want to tell HER why your not coming in tonite, because SHE will be filling in for you! OK, see you in an hour!"

Dad went home Friday, along with lots of monitoring equipment to keep track of his blood pressure, oxygen level, ECG, etc. Don't know how long he'll need all that stuff, but I'm glad it's there because he's sure to push himself too hard and try to get back in shape faster than he should.

Good thoughts and prayers for him are always welcome, but I've moved on from worry to thanks that it went well.

Good to hear.

My dad went through a quadruple cabbage (er, CABG) about a year and a half ago, so I really can empathize. It's stressful for all involved, and it'll take a few months to recover, but I will pray that your father's recovery goes just as well as mine's did.

Great to hear it, Sarge! I'll keep him on my prayer list for a while longer. :)

Thanks, guys. You're all some class acts.