Update on my dad

My dad is doing as well as expected and is in great spirits. We were finally able to see him last night around 5:45pm after surgery. You know its not a state you want to see your daddy in but I must say he looked nothing like I had thought he would. His coloring was really great and he wasn't very swollen. When we went back for the 9:00 pm visit he was starting to come around and respond just alittle but still had the breathing tube in. Me and my mom stayed in the hospital hotel last night and was able to keep a check on him all through the night. Mom called the nurse around 11pm and they said it wouldn't be long before they took out the tube. Finally I think around 11:45pm the tube came around and he was able to talk to mom. Dad told her it made him sick when they pulled the tube out because he felt like it was 12ft long but as my dad would say PRAISE THE LORD that part was over with. She checked on him again around 4:30 am and they said he was doing well, resting and was able to swallow a pill. Mom ofcourse was up early this morning hoping to see him before 9am visitation but ofcourse that didn't happen and in fact it was actually 10 am before we got to see him because they had an emergency in the ICU so no one was able to go back. Finally when we saw him it was such a relief. He was able to carry on a conversation and was even able to tell us what today was..FRIDAY!!! Just before we went back they had taken the tubes out of his stomach and he said it was extremely painful. He said he wanted to come off the bed but he figured that would be more painful than this. When we went back for the 11 am visit he was sitting up alittle bit more and we were finally able to see his 10 inch cut down his chest...OUCH!!!! :( We are hoping the 2 chest hairs that my dad has might help cover up the scar...lol Afterwards me and mom went and grab us a bit for lunch in the hospital cafe and then waited again for the 1pm visit. When we got back to the waiting area my sister was finally able to make it for the next visitation. When we went back to see him they had already moved him to the step down unit and he was sitting in a recliner. Ofcourse you could see the pain was alittle more intense at the moment because they had just sat him up and moved him for the first time since the surgery. He has a red heart shape pillow that he holds onto to help with the pressure and pain and I sure will become his favorite piece over the next couple of weeks. I finally left the hospital around 1:45 pm because I couldn't wait to be able to see Kason. He has been staying with his dad since Tuesday night which has been really hard on me...but I knew what needed to be done and I didn't want to leave my mom by herself.

As I sat there and watched my mom have to tell her husband/bestfriend of 36 years good bye before surgery and then when she had to see him for the first time after surgery it was a very painful moment. I have no idea what it feels like to love someone as much as they do each other and I hope one day I will be able to experience the same strong love and have the same type of relationship that my parents have with each other. In this world many of times we take the ones we love for granted and we don't really realize how much we love someone until it could be taken away from us. I know how I felt the day my marriage ended and in away it was like reliving it all over again but in a different way. As I stood there and watched my mom hold his hand after surgery and praise God for keeping his hand on him I couldn't help but think about my life over the last year and half. My Uncle calls them Frick and Frank because you don't see one without the other and I think that's the best way to describe my parents.

Please continue to keep my dad as well as my mom in your prayers. The next couple of days are probably going to be the hardest on him and hopefully within 4 to 5 days he will be able to go back home.

Thanks to everyone who lifted my family up in prayers yesterday.