Prayers needed

[StaggerLee]

I'd appreciate any prayers you all could throw my way. My dad had neck surgery on Thursday to repair some nerve damage, and he suffered two heart attacks coming out of surgery. He's fighting for his life right now, and is making some great progress. He's paralyzed from the middle of the chest down (he was paralyzed from neck down on Friday).

He's on a ventilator, a heart pump, medicine to keep blood pressure normal and just about everything else they can do to keep him going. He's a fighter, always has been, and I'm hopeful that he'll pull through, but he's got a really, really long road to recovery.

Prayers have definitely been helping. And the more the better.

If this is in the wrong thread, please move it.

 

[TowelWaver]

Prayers your and your dad's way for as full a recovery as possible.

 

[shockey]

Prayers here for your merriest Christmas/happiest new year ever!!

(hate nothing more than deaths around important holidays.)

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Good luck to your dad.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Prayers to your dad. Hope it all turns out well.

 

[murphyc]

Prayers being sent, Stagger. Let us know any updates.

 

[Vombatus]

Prayers and peace be with you and your dad.

 

[doctorx]

Prayers sent.

 

[StaggerLee]

Thanks all! He's doing a little bit better every day and we're so thankful for it. Today they took his ventilator out of his mouth and performed a tracheotomy. He's still on the ventilator through the trach, but he's breathing on his own also. They'll eventually take the ventilator out.

His blood pressure and heart rate has been pretty steady for a couple of days now, which is a very good sign. Nurse told me today they have steadily lowered his medicine to control his BP and his BP has remained pretty steady, which is a good sign that his heart is hopefully regaining some strength it lost.

Next big step will be removing him from his heart pump. That will tell us how strong his heart is and if he can make it without a pump. Not sure when that will happen, but I'm hopeful that when it happens his heart will be ready to take over.

Paralysis is still there from the chest down, but that right now is way on the backburner. I'll wheel him around the rest of his life if I have to. When/if the heart pump is removed and he remains stable, he'll hopefully leave ICU and head down to spinal cord team. We've been told they have one of the top spinal cord teams in the country assessing him every day and ready to take over in his rehab when his heart is strong enough.

Everything that's happened thus far is something to be thankful. We lost him twice and they brought him back and it was really scary for a 24-hour period there. Now, he's back to his witty self, even though he's not able to talk yet. He's flirting with nurses, making mean eyes at the ones that are rough with him and tries to take advantage of their kindness.

Today was the first day he actually had the TV on in his room. It may seem like a little thing, but I'm happy he's watching TV, because it gives him something else to focus on besides the wires and machines all around him.

Thanks again for all the prayers. They are definitely working.

 

[Vombatus]

Continued best wishes and prayers, Stagger.

 

[Dyno]

Glad things are looking up.

 

[Matt1735]

Stay strong Stagger! We're pulling for him!

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Prayers sent... Hang in there man...