My husband is the most incredible man in the world. I will repeat some of the basic stuff for everyone. I sent a shout out yesterday on the blog and on Facebook to let everyone know we were home from the hospital and that Bill is doing fantastic. Could not have asked more from my cowboy. After the angiogram on Tuesday it is mostly a blur. Dr. Odhav , Bill’s cardio guru sent for a heart surgeon to talk to us, Dr. Olsson. We could not have been more pleased with our team. We as a team decided that the surgery was urgent enough to be done ASAP. So we agreed on the next morning. After much hoop-la we got everything arranged and set up for the next morning (Wed.). At 7:30 AM Bill was wheeled into surgery for either a triple or quad bypass. (Turned out to be triple thanks to some wizardry of the doctor). Dr. Olsson performed the a 5 1/2 hr. surgery. Head nurse Marcia came out every hour to inform me what was going on. Around 1:30 Dr Olsson came out to let me know that Bill sailed through the procedure with no problems. He did not need any blood and that he will be out of recovery and in ICU in a few hours. My daughter Lani met Dr. Olsson while bringing me something to eat and had the OK to go with me to ICU to see Bill. No one else was allowed in. Let me tell you the first look at your loved one with that respiratory tube shoved down their throat is not pretty. But he was breathing on his own so he got rid of that quickly. Did I say I had the most incredible husband? The doctors could not believe how well and how fast he was recovering. On the second day in ICU Dr. Olsson said he was already a day ahead of schedule. Each day proved to be more remarkable than the proceeding one. He walked 200ft. the second day. I was floored. So we are now experts in several facets of medicine. Man, I thought cancer was a real trip….this my friends is nuts!
Anyway we got home and we thank God everyday for our wonderful doctors, nurses and hospital staff that never ceased to amaze us with their kindness and effeciency. And thank you to our friends and family who were so understanding in not bugging us during this time. We asked for our time together and you gave it to us. Thank you to Lani and sis-in-law Libby for Magoo sitting. Those two took care of dad, dogs, horses, mail, papers, house cleaning and all that goes with a hospital stay. And last but not least, to neighbors Ernie and Bernie for being nice enough to mow our property for us.
There were several memorable moments. The ICU ward does at times sound like the maternity ward. The sounds of moans and groans are creepy. Bill’s were included. Lani, the ICU nurse and I were laughing so hard while poor Bill was in la-la land. The noises that came out of that man were undescribable. We had a match for every sound we heard! Then there’s the great little hospital gowns. After the tenth time I had to pull Bill’s out of his butt crack I decided I needed to invent a new hospital gown. Some times it hard to tell what’s imaginary and what is real. I was walking to the gift shop to get a few things and as I approached the elevators on the 6TH floor, the fire alarm goes off. All the security doors shut. Announcements were to not use the elevators but the stairs. Hello….you shut the doors…there are no stairs. I freaked out. Waving with a Kleenex through the huge glass windows down to security desk to let him know I was stuck …and I see what? The guard drinking a coke and looking at his monitor. Must have been a big fire ….right? Anyway turns out it was a firedrill. I plan on calling the hospital about their techniques of performing a drill. Some old person would have had a stroke! I used to think that my idea of camping was black and white TV or staying at the Holiday Inn. Just changed my mind…..it’s a hospital stay. Ugh!!!
I feel like a big rock in a stream. Water keeps rushing by. It slaps away at your inner self. Sometimes it rushes by slapping you harder and harder. Other times it ripples by, very slowly, feeling so good. But the water is there no matter what. As long as the creek doesn’t dry up I feel secure. Such is life.
I will be putting progress reports on the blog this week to let you know how Bill is doing. I have cancelled my speaking engagement for tomorrow night. But I will make it up to the book club that I was supposed to speak to. As much as I hated to cancel, I not only can Bill not be left alone but neither can dad. Lani and I are running double duty. We are doing what has to be done with dad, all of Bill’s chores, and plus our normal stuff that we do. But we have a system and all is going well.
So keep the prayers coming. I have my monthly port cleaning on Thursday. But other than that no plans. Our anniversary is June 20TH. We had planned to go to Vegas. That is now on the back burner for a few months.
Hugs! Ride,Baby,Ride!
Leilani
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