Post-Op

Back from my brief stay in Charleston and my father's second, but not last, surgery. The weather started out beautifully, warm and clear, but as soon as surgery day came it became cold and wet (perfect to reflect the mood). With just a couple of "oops" along the way, overall the surgery went well. They were able to repair all three aneurysms and move around his issues with blood flow to his liver, thus avoiding a dialysis machine. He was in a great deal of pain the first night (typical of first day recovery). We did what we could to destress and take our minds off of constantly worrying about him. I feel awful for him. I know he's been going through a tremendous amount, but this time around he's been trying to put on a strong face. We know what he's going through. Thankfully, his recovery (to me at least) is going smoothly. Much faster than I anticipated. He actually moved to PCU the day I was about to leave (it took him almost a week last time vs. 2 days this time) so I knew he was on the right track.

I guess it's just that time in our parent's lives that things start to catch up to them. Great. I've got something to look forward to in my sixties. While in SC a couple of my friend's parents were going through surgeries as well. Carl's mother had some polyps removed and an old friend's (Derek Boyd - whom I haven't seen in years) father was recovering from a bypass, like my pops, just a few rooms down. Wishing them both quick recoveries for their parents.