My Dad has always done what he damn-well pleases. I know
of no one who has ever been able to tell him what to do or how to do it. No one!
As many of you know, my Dad has walked on bad knees for many
years. From his LSU football playing days, to the days of him prowling the
sidelines as a coach, his knees took a beating. Probably the most grueling
times were his years of wearing the zebra-striped shirt on the football fields and basketball courts in the area. Nevertheless, he still does what he wants to
this day!
However, for the past ten days, he has been forced to
listen to the doctors’ orders (and mine). Dad was scheduled to have knee
replacement surgery on his left knee on Wednesday, August 15. Before
pre-admitting, he had to get clearance from a cardiologist (standard procedure
for any 78-year-old human being).
On Friday, August 10, the stress test came back abnormal so
he went in for a heart cath on Tuesday, August 14. Upon completion, the
cardiologist informed me that Dad was 100% blocked in 2 arteries and no less than
70% blocked in most other areas. He would need bypass surgery. We were sent
straight to BSA.
So to fast-forward quickly, here is a brief breakdown of our
past ten days:
- 8/14: Rodeo began. Admitted to hospital.
- 8/15: Met with the surgeon.
- 8/16: I played gatekeeper and did my best to entertain him and keep him from escaping the hospital until surgery.
- 8/17: Surgery at 8:00am. Lasted about 4 hours. Had four bypasses total. No severe heart damage or deterioration found. Placed in CCU.
- 8/18: Was sitting up in a chair within 24 hours of surgery. Watching him get the hiccups was painful for both of us! Dealing with afibrulation (A-Fib for short, a rapid heart rate) which is being controlled by medication.
- 8/19: Still in CCU. Appetite not very good, but was told that was normal. A-Fib had subsided and heartbeat was back in normal rhythm. Good news!
- 8/20: Moved out of CCU to a regular room. Second Go-Round underway!
- 8/21: Pretty good day. Just visited and watched TV and looked like we might be going home on Wednesday.
- 8/22: Doctors not pleased with the return of A-Fib. Not going home today. Not what he wanted to hear. Third Go-Round in progress!
- 8/23: Had been experiencing nausea off and on after surgery. Doctors told him he would have to eat a good lunch and hold it down before he could go home. Ordered a roast beef sandwich and inhaled it! By noon, we were headed north. Rodeo over!
We had to go back to Amarilo to the cardiologist on Friday morning for some blood work related to the A-Fib. I hope they can get that
corrected soon. He is tired and now realizes he had major surgery. I hope he
will just take this a day at a time. If you know my Dad, you know he only knows
one speed… Full!
He is home and happy to be there. He is very tired. We just need him to rest. I had to come back to Canyon Friday night. We had 31 teams scheduled for football equipment checkout on Saturday. It was very hard to leave him. Almost like leaving your kid with the babysitter for the first time. Although it wasn't the circumstances we wanted, we spent 10 days of quality time together. I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity to do so with your parent(s).
He is home and happy to be there. He is very tired. We just need him to rest. I had to come back to Canyon Friday night. We had 31 teams scheduled for football equipment checkout on Saturday. It was very hard to leave him. Almost like leaving your kid with the babysitter for the first time. Although it wasn't the circumstances we wanted, we spent 10 days of quality time together. I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity to do so with your parent(s).
It goes without saying, I am truly grateful. So is Dad. Thanks for all
the prayers, visits, calls, texts, etc. Dumas High School faculty and staff, along with the district administration have been so gracious. Bob & Carol Gadbois, you have been our rock! I even met a few new folks during the process who genuinely care for Dad. You know who you are. Thank you so much.
To my colleagues at Kids, Incorporated, thank you for running the shop. I hope you saved room for me as I get back into a normal routine in the coming days.
I tried to keep all of this off of Facebook for obvious reasons. Please call me with any questions. Let’s allow Dad to rest for a few days. I bet he'll be back at it in no time!
To my colleagues at Kids, Incorporated, thank you for running the shop. I hope you saved room for me as I get back into a normal routine in the coming days.
I tried to keep all of this off of Facebook for obvious reasons. Please call me with any questions. Let’s allow Dad to rest for a few days. I bet he'll be back at it in no time!
God Bless you all. -
JRL
