Well, a new month begins and I, for one, am glad that September is over. I have spent a large chunk of the month "deep in the heart" of Florida but there haven't been any beautiful beaches or umbrella drinks.
I came down at the beginning of the month to take my Dad to have a procedure that involves two of my least favorite surgical terms - cardiac and groin. In other words, he had an angiogram. This procedure involves threading a line into your heart through an artery in your groin in order to take lewd pictures of your heart's innards. While he came through that procedure with minimal complications, the results of the test were a need to have his aortic valve replaced and a double bypass. We scheduled that surgery for the 20th.
I came back for the open heart surgery starting on the 19th and it has been quite a haul since then. He made it through the surgery extraordinarily well from a physical perspective. No complications and surprisingly, he hasn't taken a single painkiller! Unfortunately, he has had a very, very difficult time with the mental effects of the anesthesia. I can't even begin to describe what it's been like other than to say that it's been all dementia all the time. Sometimes the dark side and sometimes the daydreamy kind but seldom any reality. Thankfully, he is starting to come out of it and today was a really good day for connecting perception and reality. I am actually incredibly excited that things are finally turning for better. We're not in a normal place yet ( in many different ways) but at least we can see it from here.
As with everyone who goes through open heart surgery, I know that the recovery is long and I'm sure it will be for him. But, it sure is good to have him back to a place where we can at least talk. He'll be able to walk again and dress and do all those other things we all take for granted as he gains his strength. It may take some time, but I am confident he will get there. If the dementia continues to improve, as it now looks like it will, he may well make a "full" recovery.
I know many of you have gone through this with family members or, in some cases, personally. And as far as I can tell, you are no more demented now than you were before the surgery! So I can now say that I feel your pain and I congratulate you on the mountain you have climbed!
As for me, I am greatly looking forward to (eventually) leaving this flat, humid, unforgiving panhandle and returning to my sweet, oak-shaded hilltop where I can ponder the wonders of Man and Nature.
Wishing you all an October full of beautiful foliage, apple cider and pumpkin pies...BB
2 comments:
Brian
You are amazing. With your own serious medical issues, you should be proud of your involvement in the care of your father. I know you did alot more than just sit at his bedside. Taking a loved one through this must have been heartbreaking. I am sure when he was going through all those dementia episodes and when he was lucid, he was comforted in knowing that he was not alone. He needed to depend on you to make choices for him. Brian you are the most caring person I know. Love, Mom
Many people have many different reactions to anesthesia and your Dad was one of the unlucky ones to have an incapacitating one. He was very lucky that you could be there with him.
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