Hello my Sweet Boys!
Yep, I am writing to both of you. I am sitting at the hospital with Grandpa and he is sleeping, so I don’t know if I will get the chance to write individual letters and I wanted to make sure you got them from me! I know Ryan has been able to read the updates on Facebook, but Chris hasn’t, so I will give the rundown of events. Hopefully it won’t be too tedious for you Ryan.
As you probably know, this has been a horrific week for me. I am very tired, but still going! Wednesday, Gpa was admitted to the hospital to have a heart catheter. I picked him up at 5:30 am since he had to be at the hospital at 6am. That went great with the exception of the extra blockage they weren’t expecting. But it is better to get it all done now than go through this again! The cardiologist said he could not even get his tiny camera through his aortic valve. If he didn’t get it fixed, it would have been fatal! I spent the rest of the day with him at the hospital. Ellen showed up around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Nothing big happened that day. J
Thursday was a hard day! I made it to the hospital before 6 am. I wanted to be able to see him and talk to him before his surgery. It is a good thing because Ellen (aka It) didn’t show up. I went to down pre-op with him. You would have been proud. I was strong and happy for him. It was really hard to give him his hug and kiss goodbye. I did manage with a big smile. When we went in opposite directions, I lost it…not before asking the nurse if it was ok…I did not want Gpa see me break down. She told me that she was so glad that I didn’t break down when I gave him a hug and a kiss or she would have started crying with me! I had the unfortunate privilege of sitting in the waiting room by myself. I think back now on it and it still makes me want to cry. The surgeon and his staff were WONDERFUL! They kept me updated. The hardest update was hearing that he was on the by-pass machine that bypassed his heart. I wish I had someone with me! The Lord works in mysterious ways! Right after that update, the bishop called to ask about Gpa. He couldn’t remember when his surgery was! Talk about knowing that Heavenly Father was aware of me!!! It showed up about the time they said that he was taken off the bypass machine and his heart was beating on its own. Shortly after, It decided she needed to have lunch (low blood sugar don’t you know—NOT) While she was gone, they called me up to the ICU/recovery. I called It and told her I would meet her there—I was not waiting! They explained that everything went well. They did a bypass on the blockage and they replaced his aortic valve with a cow valve (yep, gpa is part cow…MOOO) He said that gpa was a bit “leaky” which is normal for a 2 time heart surgery patient (so he lost a lot of blood).
I was able to go into the ICU/recovery…he still wasn’t awake, but it was comforting to see him. His color was pale, but still looked good. It was hard to see the ventilation tube down his throat still, but as long as it was sustaining his life, I was good with that. Their philosophy here is to let them wake up on their own…it is easier on the system. Because they had a hard time getting the ventilation tube down his throat, they kept it in longer—just in case. He would wake up and then fall back asleep. He seemed very calm. Around 9pm, I decided that I needed to go home to get some sleep. Dad had started getting agitated, so I said a prayer with him…all that pent up tension let go—amazing what talking to Heavenly Father does. I felt as though gma was in the room with us and she was pushing me out, knowing I needed rest. It was comforting to know she was there!
Sometime in the middle of the night, they took out the ventilation tube. He was still pretty out of it. Once again, It showed up around 2pm—lots of support huh? Dad came and picked me up for dinner. It was so nice getting that break. When we returned, I wanted to just make sure everything was fine, and then go home. However, they decided to transfer him to the regular unit’ They started to take him in the bed, but the charge nurse stopped them and said that he had to follow the rules…which meant he had to walk to his room from the ICU. Oh It was fit to be tied. She was spitting mad! I just encouraged dad. He made it to his room like a champ! It’s a good 200 yard walk! I felt like putting on a cheerleading outfit and shouting for joy with him! I felt much better leaving to go home!
I got a call at 7 in the morning on Saturday—I guess I forgot to leave gpa’s charger for his phone…I needed to bring it. It was an EXTREMELY stressful day. The nurse and her tech were fighting and it really bothered gpa…in fact those idiots really let him down! I was so frustrated! Then It shows up at her normal 2 pm and accused me of moving gpa on my own and hurting him..ect…I went off on her. AS I watched gpa, he seemed to be getting worse. He was getting paler and panting and sweating a lot…very different from before. I tried to tell my nurse but she said that she had talked to the Dr and they would not do more blood tests or anything on him. I started feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was VERY wrong! Between the nurses fighting, It being It—I felt that no one was listening. Finally the nurse yelled at me, “What do you want from me?” I told her that I felt something was wrong! I know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to know what is really wrong. I told her that I wanted his blood retested..and to do whatever other tests were necessary to figure out was wrong! The nurse left, the next thing you know, someone came in to do an EKG (electro cardio gram—ultrasound of the heart), then she returned and got some blood. About 30 minutes later, I was informed that they were going to do a blood transfusion…his numbers were real low. Normal is 11.6, his was 7.6. His heart was doing what is called atrial fibrulations—basically the atrium is quivering and not beating in sync with the ventricles. They gave him meds for that. He was pretty out of it though, he kept telling me that he needed to “pick up mom”. I kept telling him that she was taken care of. I have to say, I actually felt compassion for Ellen. She even asked him if he knew who she was—he did! But he still kept telling me that he needed to pick up mom. It was so hard to leave him last night with him being confused! I knew if I didn’t sleep, I would be useless and have NO patience for It!
Well, we lost a whole day—we are starting fresh today! He has already been up to walk, he had a shower, he actually ate some lunch—ok, a whole bowl of beef broth and some fruit which is more than what I have been able to get him to eat. They gave him more meds for his atrial fibrulations and then removed the chest tubes. He is now sleeping.
Here he is walking today
This is gpa the day after surgery
This next picture is disturbing, so I will attach it you may not want to see it. Gpa wanted to see what his scar looked like, it is also about the time I felt something was wrong. It looks bad, but just know, the Lord is really watching out for him!
He told me before surgery that it was NOT his time to go—6 of his grandchildren need him—those 6 are Diana’s 4 and you two boys. He loves you all so much! He feels a strong bond with you! He is fighting and getting stronger for you!
Please don’t think too bad of It. I know she really bothers me and I think she is stupid, but….she loves my dad and my dad loves her. I will continue to pray for strength to deal with her. I am hoping one day I will be able to look at her and not see ALL of her flaws. I may never be close to her, but I want to be able to tolerate her for my dad.
Keep praying for him…he still has a long road ahead!
Always remember who you are! Mind your p’s and q’s. Be strictly obedient. Work as hard as you play and know that I love you beyond measure!!!
Love, Mom
Hello my Sweet Boys!
Yep, I am writing to both of you. I am sitting at the hospital with Grandpa and he is sleeping, so I don’t know if I will get the chance to write individual letters and I wanted to make sure you got them from me! I know Ryan has been able to read the updates on Facebook, but Chris hasn’t, so I will give the rundown of events. Hopefully it won’t be too tedious for you Ryan.
As you probably know, this has been a horrific week for me. I am very tired, but still going! Wednesday, Gpa was admitted to the hospital to have a heart catheter. I picked him up at 5:30 am since he had to be at the hospital at 6am. That went great with the exception of the extra blockage they weren’t expecting. But it is better to get it all done now than go through this again! The cardiologist said he could not even get his tiny camera through his aortic valve. If he didn’t get it fixed, it would have been fatal! I spent the rest of the day with him at the hospital. Ellen showed up around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Nothing big happened that day. J
Thursday was a hard day! I made it to the hospital before 6 am. I wanted to be able to see him and talk to him before his surgery. It is a good thing because Ellen (aka It) didn’t show up. I went to down pre-op with him. You would have been proud. I was strong and happy for him. It was really hard to give him his hug and kiss goodbye. I did manage with a big smile. When we went in opposite directions, I lost it…not before asking the nurse if it was ok…I did not want Gpa see me break down. She told me that she was so glad that I didn’t break down when I gave him a hug and a kiss or she would have started crying with me! I had the unfortunate privilege of sitting in the waiting room by myself. I think back now on it and it still makes me want to cry. The surgeon and his staff were WONDERFUL! They kept me updated. The hardest update was hearing that he was on the by-pass machine that bypassed his heart. I wish I had someone with me! The Lord works in mysterious ways! Right after that update, the bishop called to ask about Gpa. He couldn’t remember when his surgery was! Talk about knowing that Heavenly Father was aware of me!!! It showed up about the time they said that he was taken off the bypass machine and his heart was beating on its own. Shortly after, It decided she needed to have lunch (low blood sugar don’t you know—NOT) While she was gone, they called me up to the ICU/recovery. I called It and told her I would meet her there—I was not waiting! They explained that everything went well. They did a bypass on the blockage and they replaced his aortic valve with a cow valve (yep, gpa is part cow…MOOO) He said that gpa was a bit “leaky” which is normal for a 2 time heart surgery patient (so he lost a lot of blood).
I was able to go into the ICU/recovery…he still wasn’t awake, but it was comforting to see him. His color was pale, but still looked good. It was hard to see the ventilation tube down his throat still, but as long as it was sustaining his life, I was good with that. Their philosophy here is to let them wake up on their own…it is easier on the system. Because they had a hard time getting the ventilation tube down his throat, they kept it in longer—just in case. He would wake up and then fall back asleep. He seemed very calm. Around 9pm, I decided that I needed to go home to get some sleep. Dad had started getting agitated, so I said a prayer with him…all that pent up tension let go—amazing what talking to Heavenly Father does. I felt as though gma was in the room with us and she was pushing me out, knowing I needed rest. It was comforting to know she was there!
Sometime in the middle of the night, they took out the ventilation tube. He was still pretty out of it. Once again, It showed up around 2pm—lots of support huh? Dad came and picked me up for dinner. It was so nice getting that break. When we returned, I wanted to just make sure everything was fine, and then go home. However, they decided to transfer him to the regular unit’ They started to take him in the bed, but the charge nurse stopped them and said that he had to follow the rules…which meant he had to walk to his room from the ICU. Oh It was fit to be tied. She was spitting mad! I just encouraged dad. He made it to his room like a champ! It’s a good 200 yard walk! I felt like putting on a cheerleading outfit and shouting for joy with him! I felt much better leaving to go home!
I got a call at 7 in the morning on Saturday—I guess I forgot to leave gpa’s charger for his phone…I needed to bring it. It was an EXTREMELY stressful day. The nurse and her tech were fighting and it really bothered gpa…in fact those idiots really let him down! I was so frustrated! Then It shows up at her normal 2 pm and accused me of moving gpa on my own and hurting him..ect…I went off on her. AS I watched gpa, he seemed to be getting worse. He was getting paler and panting and sweating a lot…very different from before. I tried to tell my nurse but she said that she had talked to the Dr and they would not do more blood tests or anything on him. I started feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was VERY wrong! Between the nurses fighting, It being It—I felt that no one was listening. Finally the nurse yelled at me, “What do you want from me?” I told her that I felt something was wrong! I know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to know what is really wrong. I told her that I wanted his blood retested..and to do whatever other tests were necessary to figure out was wrong! The nurse left, the next thing you know, someone came in to do an EKG (electro cardio gram—ultrasound of the heart), then she returned and got some blood. About 30 minutes later, I was informed that they were going to do a blood transfusion…his numbers were real low. Normal is 11.6, his was 7.6. His heart was doing what is called atrial fibrulations—basically the atrium is quivering and not beating in sync with the ventricles. They gave him meds for that. He was pretty out of it though, he kept telling me that he needed to “pick up mom”. I kept telling him that she was taken care of. I have to say, I actually felt compassion for Ellen. She even asked him if he knew who she was—he did! But he still kept telling me that he needed to pick up mom. It was so hard to leave him last night with him being confused! I knew if I didn’t sleep, I would be useless and have NO patience for It!
Well, we lost a whole day—we are starting fresh today! He has already been up to walk, he had a shower, he actually ate some lunch—ok, a whole bowl of beef broth and some fruit which is more than what I have been able to get him to eat. They gave him more meds for his atrial fibrulations and then removed the chest tubes. He is now sleeping.
Here he is walking today
This is gpa the day after surgery
This next picture is disturbing, so I will attach it you may not want to see it. Gpa wanted to see what his scar looked like, it is also about the time I felt something was wrong. It looks bad, but just know, the Lord is really watching out for him!
He told me before surgery that it was NOT his time to go—6 of his grandchildren need him—those 6 are Diana’s 4 and you two boys. He loves you all so much! He feels a strong bond with you! He is fighting and getting stronger for you!
Please don’t think too bad of It. I know she really bothers me and I think she is stupid, but….she loves my dad and my dad loves her. I will continue to pray for strength to deal with her. I am hoping one day I will be able to look at her and not see ALL of her flaws. I may never be close to her, but I want to be able to tolerate her for my dad.
Keep praying for him…he still has a long road ahead!
Always remember who you are! Mind your p’s and q’s. Be strictly obedient. Work as hard as you play and know that I love you beyond measure!!!
Love, Mom
Hello my Sweet Boys!
Yep, I am writing to both of you. I am sitting at the hospital with Grandpa and he is sleeping, so I don’t know if I will get the chance to write individual letters and I wanted to make sure you got them from me! I know Ryan has been able to read the updates on Facebook, but Chris hasn’t, so I will give the rundown of events. Hopefully it won’t be too tedious for you Ryan.
As you probably know, this has been a horrific week for me. I am very tired, but still going! Wednesday, Gpa was admitted to the hospital to have a heart catheter. I picked him up at 5:30 am since he had to be at the hospital at 6am. That went great with the exception of the extra blockage they weren’t expecting. But it is better to get it all done now than go through this again! The cardiologist said he could not even get his tiny camera through his aortic valve. If he didn’t get it fixed, it would have been fatal! I spent the rest of the day with him at the hospital. Ellen showed up around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Nothing big happened that day. J
Thursday was a hard day! I made it to the hospital before 6 am. I wanted to be able to see him and talk to him before his surgery. It is a good thing because Ellen (aka It) didn’t show up. I went to down pre-op with him. You would have been proud. I was strong and happy for him. It was really hard to give him his hug and kiss goodbye. I did manage with a big smile. When we went in opposite directions, I lost it…not before asking the nurse if it was ok…I did not want Gpa see me break down. She told me that she was so glad that I didn’t break down when I gave him a hug and a kiss or she would have started crying with me! I had the unfortunate privilege of sitting in the waiting room by myself. I think back now on it and it still makes me want to cry. The surgeon and his staff were WONDERFUL! They kept me updated. The hardest update was hearing that he was on the by-pass machine that bypassed his heart. I wish I had someone with me! The Lord works in mysterious ways! Right after that update, the bishop called to ask about Gpa. He couldn’t remember when his surgery was! Talk about knowing that Heavenly Father was aware of me!!! It showed up about the time they said that he was taken off the bypass machine and his heart was beating on its own. Shortly after, It decided she needed to have lunch (low blood sugar don’t you know—NOT) While she was gone, they called me up to the ICU/recovery. I called It and told her I would meet her there—I was not waiting! They explained that everything went well. They did a bypass on the blockage and they replaced his aortic valve with a cow valve (yep, gpa is part cow…MOOO) He said that gpa was a bit “leaky” which is normal for a 2 time heart surgery patient (so he lost a lot of blood).
I was able to go into the ICU/recovery…he still wasn’t awake, but it was comforting to see him. His color was pale, but still looked good. It was hard to see the ventilation tube down his throat still, but as long as it was sustaining his life, I was good with that. Their philosophy here is to let them wake up on their own…it is easier on the system. Because they had a hard time getting the ventilation tube down his throat, they kept it in longer—just in case. He would wake up and then fall back asleep. He seemed very calm. Around 9pm, I decided that I needed to go home to get some sleep. Dad had started getting agitated, so I said a prayer with him…all that pent up tension let go—amazing what talking to Heavenly Father does. I felt as though gma was in the room with us and she was pushing me out, knowing I needed rest. It was comforting to know she was there!
Sometime in the middle of the night, they took out the ventilation tube. He was still pretty out of it. Once again, It showed up around 2pm—lots of support huh? Dad came and picked me up for dinner. It was so nice getting that break. When we returned, I wanted to just make sure everything was fine, and then go home. However, they decided to transfer him to the regular unit’ They started to take him in the bed, but the charge nurse stopped them and said that he had to follow the rules…which meant he had to walk to his room from the ICU. Oh It was fit to be tied. She was spitting mad! I just encouraged dad. He made it to his room like a champ! It’s a good 200 yard walk! I felt like putting on a cheerleading outfit and shouting for joy with him! I felt much better leaving to go home!
I got a call at 7 in the morning on Saturday—I guess I forgot to leave gpa’s charger for his phone…I needed to bring it. It was an EXTREMELY stressful day. The nurse and her tech were fighting and it really bothered gpa…in fact those idiots really let him down! I was so frustrated! Then It shows up at her normal 2 pm and accused me of moving gpa on my own and hurting him..ect…I went off on her. AS I watched gpa, he seemed to be getting worse. He was getting paler and panting and sweating a lot…very different from before. I tried to tell my nurse but she said that she had talked to the Dr and they would not do more blood tests or anything on him. I started feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was VERY wrong! Between the nurses fighting, It being It—I felt that no one was listening. Finally the nurse yelled at me, “What do you want from me?” I told her that I felt something was wrong! I know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to know what is really wrong. I told her that I wanted his blood retested..and to do whatever other tests were necessary to figure out was wrong! The nurse left, the next thing you know, someone came in to do an EKG (electro cardio gram—ultrasound of the heart), then she returned and got some blood. About 30 minutes later, I was informed that they were going to do a blood transfusion…his numbers were real low. Normal is 11.6, his was 7.6. His heart was doing what is called atrial fibrulations—basically the atrium is quivering and not beating in sync with the ventricles. They gave him meds for that. He was pretty out of it though, he kept telling me that he needed to “pick up mom”. I kept telling him that she was taken care of. I have to say, I actually felt compassion for Ellen. She even asked him if he knew who she was—he did! But he still kept telling me that he needed to pick up mom. It was so hard to leave him last night with him being confused! I knew if I didn’t sleep, I would be useless and have NO patience for It!
Well, we lost a whole day—we are starting fresh today! He has already been up to walk, he had a shower, he actually ate some lunch—ok, a whole bowl of beef broth and some fruit which is more than what I have been able to get him to eat. They gave him more meds for his atrial fibrulations and then removed the chest tubes. He is now sleeping.
Here he is walking today
This is gpa the day after surgery
This next picture is disturbing, so I will attach it you may not want to see it. Gpa wanted to see what his scar looked like, it is also about the time I felt something was wrong. It looks bad, but just know, the Lord is really watching out for him!
He told me before surgery that it was NOT his time to go—6 of his grandchildren need him—those 6 are Diana’s 4 and you two boys. He loves you all so much! He feels a strong bond with you! He is fighting and getting stronger for you!
Please don’t think too bad of It. I know she really bothers me and I think she is stupid, but….she loves my dad and my dad loves her. I will continue to pray for strength to deal with her. I am hoping one day I will be able to look at her and not see ALL of her flaws. I may never be close to her, but I want to be able to tolerate her for my dad.
Keep praying for him…he still has a long road ahead!
Always remember who you are! Mind your p’s and q’s. Be strictly obedient. Work as hard as you play and know that I love you beyond measure!!!
Love, Mom
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