Update on Fred

[Teresa]

Today they had to get Daddy up for awhile and set him in the recliner. This was not one of his "fun days"..  He wasn't thrilled at all about this as you can imagine.
The incision is from the bottom of his throat to under his belly button. ( so that alone is pretty painful) They took out the breathing tube and he is on oxygen , but is having some congestion in his lungs that are a bit concerned with. That..and his urine amount is next to none. They are pumping the fluids to him so they were concerned about this lack of urine ( which should be plentiful) .. They gave him 4 doses of  medicine that should help flush the kidneys. Tomorrow morning will tell.
The pain of having to get up today ( even for a short time) was bad enough that he got extremely nauseous.. but he hung in there.
He was having numbing of his fingers so sitting up for a short time did seem to help that a little bit. He of course has to do the breathing exercise to make the ball move.. and that is next to impossible right now.. with the congestion and the pain of breathing.. but he will get there. It will just take time.

Mama said he can't stay awake for too long. Just falls asleep while you are talking.. ( Wonder if that tells her anything)    LOL   
The doctors finally told her to go home. That there wasn't anything that she could do right now, and they gave Daddy some heavy pain med. and a sleeping pill.. so he was out in la la land.. so she went home late  this afternoon. They will keep him in ICU for a couple more days and then move him to a private room.

They said he is 81 and wasn't a spring chicken anymore, so it will take him longer to heal and to get back on his feet. But he is healthy and full of feisty, so they have high confidence that after these first few days he will do real good.

Every time the staff brings him in ice chips and gives them to him.. they tell him that it is Fillet Mignon..or eggs and sausage and fried potatoes.. so he told mama that he sure was getting some good food in there.. hahahaha The staff really just loves him . Some of them call him GrandPapa..    ( which makes me happy)

Thanks everyone for caring and saying a little prayer at night for him .

Gina.. you are right......he is a magic man... and I love him so very much  too.
Thanks...........

[sixdogsmom]

Glad to hear he is doing well, keeping your mom in my prayers as well, this is very tough on her. 

[Teresa]

Daddy was sitting up today and had cranberry juice and lime jello and coffee for breakfast.. LOL
He wouldn't have drank cranberry juice at home, if someone had a gun to his head.. but he sure slurped it down this morning.
His urine was normal.. the fluid was gone from his lungs.. and heart beat was strong and BP was normal.
He is a bit confused on times and the difference of things he has dreamed the past 2 days and things that are fact.. but his mind will clear up the more he gets off the pain meds. He and my sister are just looney as 2 birds with one head when they take any kind of pain medications. 
He said his chest incision hurt, but not like it did yesterday. and he is starting to boss mom around a bit, so looks like things are on the up and up.. 

[LShortt]

Funny isn't it the difference 24 hours can make!  It's wonderful that things are progressing very positively.  I remember when my dad went through this surgery it's not an easy haul for them physcially and mentally.  Teresa if I could  I'd give your mom a big hug cuz she's gonna need it in the weeks to come.  I'm relieved things are going well.

[patyrn]

We're glad Fred is getting back to his normal self and sounds strong to begin this recovery process.  What a long way the medical world has come concerning heart procedures in the last 40 years!  We wish for each day to be a better one for him as he goes through the steps to being back in the "real world".  Blessings to Jo, too, as she travels back and forth and encourages him through this journey.

KRI

[Jo McDonald]

Good evening to all of our Forum family.  What a day!!!  I arrived at the hospital this morning at a little before 9 and Fred was up in the recliner and was very sleepy.  They have him on pain meds and it is so very noisy in ICU - and the rest is at a very low level.  He wears his hearing device to be in touch with his nurse and the Drs. -- and sort of grumbles that he can hear.  Normally he says" Honey, I can't hear you" and now he is saying he hears too much.     The full scoop now is:  He does still have some fluid in the lungs -- and they set him up and he has to stay up all day until late evening.  He is still on oxygen - and his level is good -- it is 96/98  his BP is good and his heart rate is 90....but twice it has bleeped and was irregular, but they gave his meds for that and  corrected that in a hurry ... He had a one on one nurse and he was wonderful.  Fred praised him highly - to him personally and to me.  They brought him breakfast and he liked it (except -- no salt  and he couldn't understand that..  DUH ) and lunch was nice - salad, turkey ham sandwich on whole wheat - jello - sliced tomato and iced tea  (again no salt - again an upside down smile ) and he ate part of it and slept through the rest.
At 1 PM they gave us the news that they were moving him to a private room.  HOORAY !!  and after all the preparations he was taken upstairs.  He couldn't belive how nice and quiet it was.  They settled him in, and he asked if he could be in the bed instead of the recliner and the answer ( of course) was no -- he has to be up in the recliner in a sitting position ALL DAY and he had physical therapy twice this afternoon and will have it 4 times a day each and every day.  He asked the nurses - therapist - and all that will be attending him to write their names on the black board so he would remember them.  This is from a man that says, "Hell, I don't remember who anyone is --" and he is so grateful and so polite to each and every one.  He Thanks them profusely each and every time they do anything at all for him. 
I can stay with him all day now, and that is so good -- I miss him terribly when I get back home, but he is progressing and I thank the Good Lord and his guardian angles  many, many times a day.
  Bless you all for your prayers and good wishes for him and for me through this time. 
Forum Friends are THE BEST.  THANK YOU ALL !!!
  Jo and Fred 

[Dee Gee]

It is good to hear that Fred is doing good, it is nice that you are down in the warm country where Fred can get out and enjoy the fresh air after he gets to go home.  If you were up here he would have to stay inside out the cold weather that we are having.
Dale & Judy

[Bonnie M.]

Hi, Jo,
I was happy to read your report regarding Fred's progress.  I'm happy, too, that he now is in a private room. 

I think of you both, and I'm keeping you both in my prayers.

Love,
Bonnie

[L Hendricks]

Hang in there - Jo and Fred - Jo, Take care of yourself too while looking after the "magic Man" - wish you a speedy recovery

[Judy Harder]

Praise the Lord

I am so glad that Fred is doing so well............each day is a new day to a recovering heart patient.

You feel like they are beating you up............Phyiscal Therapy, I mean. Have they got Fred walking, yet?

Mom recovered well..........but was not a happy  camper with all the exercising they made her do.......but
the reward was worth it.

Getting to come home and return to doing what she wanted to do made all the recovery pain worth it.

Jo, do take care of yourself............remember you will be Fred's support/caretaker when he is allowed to come home........and you will need all the energy and patience that you can handle.

God bless,
Judy