Epic Surgery

Well yesterday was a very long hard day.  Dear Hubby had two heart valves replaced.  They were calling me every two hours to update me.  I started off waiting in the hall thinking it would be about four hours.  Finally I moved back to my motel room where I could pace, worry, fret and cry without anyone around to see me.  Six hours into the surgery I was beginning to get nervous but they said things were going fine.

Heart Valve surgery (Photo credit: National Institutes of Health Library)

Eight hours into it we heard an 'ut oh'.  Now things where not working out as it should be.  Ten hours into it they said they were trying hard to make it all work out.  Finally twelve and a half hours of surgery everything was done and working as it should.  Whew!  Dear Hubby and I arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. after a night of very little sleep due to shot nerves.  At 7:30 a.m. I gave him a kiss as he was beginning to drift off from the medication to help him relax.  Surgery started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 9:00 p.m.  I met with the surgeon at 10:00  p.m. and finally rested my eyes back on a very swollen Dear Hubby at 11:30 p.m.  That was a long hard fretful day.

He now has one mechanical valve and one bovine valve.  The mechanical had to be redone three times due to his heart being scarred up so much.  They compare it to the texture of shoe leather!  The good news is that Dear Hubby should never have to do this surgery ever again.  (Reminder, this is his second open heart surgery for valve replacement.)  Today by 1:00 p.m. he was off of the ventilater and able to talk to me.  Strained as his throat is quite sore but still able to talk and understand what is happening around him.

We have been blessed with wonderful prayer support from so many family and friends.  It has been wonderful to know that I can reach out with a touch of a button for a friendly voice to tell me I am not alone.