After an unbelievable day, Dad was finally taken in for surgery @ 6:30 PM -- a mere 12 1/2 hours after being taken in for pre-op.
After getting no news for three hours, I called the ICU desk to find out what was happening and when we would learn more -- the good news was that the surgery team had requested ICU space... meaning that the surgery was going well and they expected to release him to ICU "soon".
Digression: "We're close" = 10 minutes to 6 hours; "soon" = 30 - 60 minutes; "a little bit" = 30 minutes at least; and "call back in 30 minutes, we'll know more" = "I don't know, I won't be asking, and don't call back for at least an hour"...
We're called back to meet with Dr. Lowrie and informed that the procedure went well -- and that rather than replacing the mitral valve, they were able to split it properly and it's functioning normally now. A single bypass on one artery and everything is fine.
After the elation, emotional release and another 45 minutes to get him situated in ICU, we left the hospital for the night... tomorrow is another day.
Hasta!
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