Hi guys, haven't posted in a while and haven't been reading Pelican either. Been busy at my new job but liking it (I like the paycheck the most) and in my now limited free time have been working on some fun outside projects so haven't been here. Also been exploring the OC on hikes:
Max_911S_fahrer's photosets on Flickr My boss is also taking the engineering dept. to the Pomona drag races on this Saturday (qualifying). My first drag race, so should be fun.
The reason I post tonight is because I almost lost my father this Saturday afternoon. It all came on so fast that I did not have time for the adrenaline to subside enough to feel emotional until around midnight Saturday/Sunday.
To summarize, I got a message from my parents' neighbor that my dad was taken in an ambulance to the hospital and so I called the ER and talked to him. He said he felt weak and had a sudden pain in his chest while just checking email so he called 911. He seemed relatively normal but they had yet to do tests. I got a call about an hour later that said he needed surgury, now, and they needed me or my mom there. I was 80 miles away so I tried to call my mom but she works for the illogical, totalitarian regime known as CVS and was already on probation for not doing some stupid procedure the way they want it done to maximize profit so she could not have a cell phone at work. She is a floating pharmacist so I did not know which store she was at but tried a couple and they were closed. I tried here cell and nothing so left a message, she wasn't at home so I left a message there too and then left full speed for Thousand Oaks, thinking maybe it was a heart attack. Just as I parked at the hospital my mom calls and said he just went in for surgury. She had been driving to church, got a call and ignored it, then was early and waiting so looked at the call and it was my dad so she rushed the mile or so over to the hospital.
It was at that point (8pm by now) that I was informed he had had an aortic aneurysm, meaning the main artery out of his heart had ruptured and he was bleeding interally. The survival rate without surgury is about 10% apparently. Some people never feel anything, they just get weak and black out. If that had happened to my dad he would be dead for sure because no one else was there. Sometimes a heart valve tears as well which adds a whole other layer of complexity and danger. Sometimes the veins going to the brain get cut as well and there is permanent brain damage. In my dad's case it appears to have been the most survivable case. But we were told that the survival rate from the surgury is only 50%. According to the doctor it is the hardest procedure a cardiaologist will ever do. They need to cool the patient down to a few degrees above freezing and basically stop his heart while they repair the vein, then bring him out of suspended animation.
That night the weight of the events hit me and even now it will come back and make me a bit weak knowing that he could have been gone, just like that. My last conversation with him would have been cut short with no I love you, and my last goodbye was a week ago and just a normal one. The last time I saw him would have been him waving goodbye as I left for orange county after we had driven the 911 that day and had a good time.
By the grace of the powers that be, he survived the procedure. But when they initially brought him out of sedation he started flailing around and trying to rip all the tubes out. It took 7 people and some drugs to knock him back out. It was only around 9am when we were finally able to see him, sleeping. He did wake up a couple times during the day for about 15 minutes at a time. When he first opened his eyes and almost immediately looked at me, he suddenly had a peaceful expression spread like a wave over him and I felt tears of joy well up inside me. He could hear and understand us, recognized us, and could respond by moving hands/feet and nodding his head. As I type this I am overcome with emotion.
The second time he seemed to be in pretty good spirits considering. We were able to explain where he was and a bit about what happened and that calmed him down. I felt good enough to go to work tomorrow and my mom will check on him before and after work. They are going to try to take some tubes out tomorrow and get him to stand. When we first saw him they had him on 100% oxygen which of course is not a good sign. His lungs had some blood/fluid in them. But by the time we left he was down to 60% so he is improving rapidly.
He is only 61 and had no prior heart problems, though his father had a stroke. He had high blood pressure, likes junk food, smokes, and likes beer. A few weeks ago he was complaining about bad heartburn that wouldn't go away and it appears that may have been the warning sign. So let this be a lesson that you might avoid open heart surgury.
I will be taking it easy in the future when my dad and I go for drives now, but will be savoring every moment with him.
