He was scheduled for a 9:30am procedure. Mom texted me at 10am and said they were still waiting. Dr. Green came in at that time and let her know that they were going to use an impeller device (tiny heart pump) but the insurance wouldn't cover the use of it. He said they would do the best they could without it. If they found it really necessary to use the impeller, they would work something out on the cost.
He was taken to surgery at 11:30am. At 2:54pm, mom got a call from surgery saying that they were still working on him. They said, "He is sound asleep and snoring!" There was quite a chuckle out of that. He came out of surgery at 3:21pm and was sent back to the cath lab room for recovery.
Mom called me after surgery and said that they were able to remove the entire blockage and another that had formed above that one then placed two stents. The 100% blockage was reportedly over an inch long! And, they did not have to use the impeller device.
I headed over after work and just before I arrived, Dad was taken for a CT scan because of a large hematoma in the groin area. Mom said that there is another issue that needs to be addressed but she doesn't know what it is. Dr. Green was discussing it with Dr. Lindsay and Mom only overheard that part. Dad was also complaining of pain in his hip area so they were checking that out as well.
We knew it was going to be an overnight stay, but he was still in the cath lab at this point, and we weren't sure when he would be moved to a regular room. He began complaining of severe dry mouth and wanted something to drink to help. They still had not let him have anything to eat or drink at this point because of the issue with the hematoma. He had not had anything to eat or drink since midnight and it was after 7pm at this point. He asked for some Biotene to help with the dry mouth and Mom went to the hospital pharmacy to see if they had any.
Around 7:20pm, the nurses noted that the hematoma was getting larger and they needed to put additional pressure on it. He already had 20 pounds of sandbags on his groin area! The doctor that came in to do this was a large, tall, former military woman. She put her fist in Dad's groin area and used her full body weight to apply pressure. I've never seen Dad in the amount of pain he was in last night. As she applied pressure, Dad's blood pressure started to plummet. While a nurse started pushing bolus IV fluids to help bring it back up, I watched it drop to 74/42. Suddenly, there were 5 more nurses in the room putting gloves on. They flattened the bed to its lowest position and stood by in case he coded. They were calm, efficient, and ready for whatever they needed to do. Thanks to the bolus IV, his pressure began to stabilize and those 5 nurses went back to their other duties.
I'm very thankful Mom wasn't in the room when this occurred. I think it would have shaken her quite a bit. Just after the nurses left the room, Mom came back from the pharmacy without the Biotene - the pharmacy had already closed for the night. I asked her to step outside with me and updated her on what happened. I left at 7:30pm to go get some Biotene from another pharmacy and was back 15 minutes later. When I got back, Dad was asleep again, so we just set it aside until he woke up. My sister-in-law, Chasity, joined us at that point and we chatted for a bit while we waited.
When Dad woke up again, I handed him the Biotene. You should have seen the look of extreme relief on his face when I handed it to him. Then, the frustration because it hadn't been primed yet since it was brand new. I didn't even think to prime it ahead of time. Next, the relief and pleasure when it finally sprayed in his mouth. I had to laugh because it was quite comical to see.
A nurse came in to check on him about 8:15pm, her hands were cold, and Dad was telling her that her cold hands felt great so she needed to keep them on his hip for a while. Dad is NOT tolerant of cold. At. All. He's usually bundled under covers. So, they took his temp and he did have a fever.
Around 8:30pm, Dad began complaining of severe back pain. He's always had issues with his back and had surgery back in the 70s, when back surgery wasn't as advanced as it is nowadays. Lying on his back for an extended period of time is quite painful for him. Dad also has a very high tolerance for pain so for him to complain that something is hurting, we know it's bad. He had been flat on his back since 11:30am. At this point, he still had 20 pounds of sand on his groin and had been instructed not to move his legs at all. He also wasn't allowed to even lift his head off the pillow. He was begging us to let him turn on his side for just two minutes. We couldn't let him. It was heartbreaking to see him like that. I went out to talk to the nurse about getting him some pain relief for the back pain. She got an order called in for pain reliever for his back and some Tylenol for the fever.
Chas and I left about 9:30pm. Mom and Dad were still in the cath lab. Mom had just found out that it would be another 3 - 4 hours before he was moved to a room and he still was not allowed to move. She texted me at 12:48am with his room number.
This morning, I asked Mom for an update after I got to work. Her reply was, "His fever broke. The hematoma is getting smaller. He was able to eat most of his breakfast. Anxious to get out of bed and go home. Just waiting for the doctor to come see him. I will ask about the new problem. Maybe the doctor will tell us something."
At 10:45am this morning, she texted that the Nurse Practitioner said he should be able to go home. Dr. Lindsay is making rounds and as soon as he confirms that Dad can go home, Dad will be on his feet and dressed. Then, they'll still have to stick around for the paperwork to be completed. She's ordered lunch for both of them already, so she's anticipating that it won't be before lunch.
I asked if the NP said anything about the "other issue." She said no, but the RN that went over everything said it was another small blockage and that it's something that can be treated like the other 40% blockage with medication for now.
He's in CT right now getting another scan to make sure the hematoma is responding as it should. Once they get the results of the CT, the final decision will be made about whether he goes home today.
On the melanoma front - all is still going great. He's still responding well to treatment and there's still no sign of the melanoma in his body.
Continued prayers and well wishes are appreciated.
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We still miss Caleb every moment of every day. He is always in our hearts, always in our thoughts, and is loved today, tomorrow, in ALL ways to infinity and beyond.
Angel
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