Update on Grandma's Heart Surgery

Well, we are two days post surgery now and things are going supposedly "as expected" in the experts opinions. However, our family is astounded! We did not expect such quick progress. She has already been moved out of ICU which, if complications were present, she would have had to stay longer in. Her breathing tube was removed the first day, 16 hours after it was inserted! This is amazing news (a lady we spoke to before surgery said her mother had hers in for 5 days post surgery and to expect it in longer than 1 day) and we know that the prayers lifted up on her behalf are the reason. Thank you all for praying! We hope to report good things in the next few days.

She is responding well to us and is communicating with less disorientation than was expected. She is still on Morphine unfortunately but they are already beginning to convert it to another pain killer that will not affect her mentally as much. That will be nice. This should begin to happen today. Now that she is out of ICU, the visiting hours are different. We can spend more than 5 minutes every hour with her and now we can see her without restrictions from noon to 8:00 in the evening. This will help us get some rest ourselves. The first two days were really hard for two of the three sisters being at the hospital for 20 hours straight and the same two of us not sleeping at all the night before. I finally got a night's sleep last night so I believe I will be functioning better from this point on. God has been so faithful to us through this. It's hard to see other families that didn't have such a great outcome. It reminds us that we can only trust in God alone, not man (even top notch surgeons). We believe it was His hand that performed the surgery and His hand that will continue the healing.

At this point, she will need to begin to get out of bed and move around to eliminate the chance of pneumonia setting into her lungs. They will begin to get her moving today and this will be the most challenging of the recovery for her since she is struggling with nausea and pain. We appreciate your continued prayers on this. We have left her favorite instant foods next to her bed and I believe this will help her eat. She really does not like hospital food. It's hard to believe nutrition is in some of these instant foods but I suppose it is better than eating nothing. :)

The family has been working together and taking shifts which has been extremely helpful. Adrian, Garrett and Megan have been wonderful support and have served Grandma through fixing things, making meals, and cleaning her home while she is in the hospital. I know it's been a blessing to her. She said the day before surgery that she felt spoiled since she didn't have to do anything around the house herself. I am sure that our presence during the week prior to the surgery helped her strength to get through it. It is apparent that things have been supernaturally orchestrated and our effort has been minimal in our own strength. This is totally different than in the past surgeries. Thank you for all your support and prayers. It is so wonderful to know others are thinking of us. My mom has dozens of friends who called the week before and wished her well, as well as many others who have kept in contact through the surgery (of course through the family members). This is all so encouraging. If all continues as it has, (they say these next few days will feel like a roller coaster - first up, then down) she may be released by Sunday or Monday.

Adrian and Garrett will be returning to Oakhurst this weekend sometime. They are not sure of the day but it will depend on what is needed here in Burbank. If my mom is released by Sunday, they may stay for that but if she will be in the hospital passed that day, they may just come home by Sunday. We miss our family in Oakhurst and we are all looking forward to coming home. This week will help us determine how long Megan and I will need to be assisting my mom during home recovery. We will update this blog when that is becoming more clear. Our guess is at least a week after her release but it could be more like two. She will not be able to drive for 4-6 weeks but my older sister is available for occasional transportation to doctor's appointments and other needs. We will be here to cook and clean for her as well as monitor her progress as long as that is needed.

Well, as usual, we miss the mountains but have been so distracted down here, we hadn't had much time to think about it until now. There's sure a LOT of noise around here. Planes overhead every 5 minutes and cars buzzing down the street and neighbors taking out trash cans, construction on the road in front of her home... etc. We do miss the tranquil atmosphere of our Oakhurst neighborhood. It's good to be reminded of the things we have escaped though.

Well, this update has been long enough. I sat down and said to myself that a quick update would be better than nothing and now it's turned into a novel! Thank you for your patience in reading through my ramblings! Many blessings to all of you!

~Maureen