Medical Miracles

One of our friends nearly died this week. Her mother, a nurse, did not expect her to survive her surgery at Stanford after a part of her intestines died. Sounds similar to something my grandmother and one of my uncles died from. But she pulled through. Techniques for this surgery may be getting better. She still has a blood clot in her lung.

She came home today (a painful trip) and looks pretty good, considering. We are so happy for her and for her family, especially her husband and her kids

We had some anxious times as David's dad recovered from
open heart surgery earlier this year. His recovery was a really long haul, and they say it will be a year before he's fully back to normal. He's doing much better now, and got through out-patient knee surgery pretty well recently. Interesting descriptions of open heart surgery and other medical miracles here.

Up and Walking

David's Dad is not up and running yet, but he walked a few steps yesterday and more today. He had pudding yesterday and today, and real food for lunch.

This has been a slow recovery, but I guess it's not unprecedented. We have heard about friends who have been disoriented and who have had complications in recovery from open heart surgery. We are grateful that he is doing so much better.

Saturday, Dad was talking, but not so you could understand him, until his wife and I started to talk about his little Boston Terrier Prissy. He repeated her name. A few minutes later, after I had left so David could come into the room, he said to David, "I can talk again. Lordy, Lordy, Lordy." This reminded David of his grandmother. But coherent language was still mixed with mumbling. Among the coherent things Dad said was, "I love all of my kids".

Sunday, Dad was disoriented and kept trying to disconnect medical equipment. But last night, he started asking questions about various family members. He said he wanted to go with his wife to Medford, Oregon. He wanted me to take his sister-in-law Helen in a separate car. He instructed David to start moving him toward the South (toward home) at 9:00. His plans will have to wait a few days.

He looked much better, and we are looking forward to his return home.

A big smile

David's Mom went to visit his Dad today. He said to the nurse, "My wife here" and started to grin. This time, his wife's presence was a comfort instead of a trigger for agitation. He's still on heavy medication, can't talk much yet and he floats in and out. But we're all feeling much better about his progress. We'll go to visit when we're a little more confident that we won't spread a respiratory infection in the ICU. Interesting how much easier it is to get things done when you aren't as preoccupied with the health of someone you love.

Wednesday update: The medical team got Dad out of bed and into a chair for the first time since the surgery. Mom says he looks better, but he is still very tired.

The waiting may be almost over. Gratitude in order.

We just heard that David's Dad is awake and responding, with no breathing tube, after 10 days in which he was kept in a coma-like state most of the time. After prior complications like swelling in his throat, we were grateful to hear about the success tonight. We are also grateful for the ICU nurses and doctors.

The medical team had first tried to remove the tube for the ventilator while he was awake, then while he was asleep, This time, the medical team switched to a different tube which was not hooked to the ventilator, to allow him to start breathing on his own. He had previously become agitated and combative when he heard the voices of family members, so we were asked to stay away while they woke him up this time. He may have been reacting to difficulty breathing. We believe that we may get to see him tomorrow.

The music I linked when this wait began led to other videos suitable for a time of reflection. Here's another of those beautiful Respeghi "ancient airs and dances" and a piece by Gluck that my Mom plays on the cello. Sometimes I accompany her. I think it must be the "minuet" from Dance of the Blessed Spirits. And what do you know: here's an old recording of Rachmaninov playing another part of Gluck's work. My Dad once heard Rachmaninov in concert at the Salt Lake Tabernacle (renowned for its acoustics, but with uncomfortable seats). Rachmaninov's performance was very theatrical. He entered dramatically in a flowing cape. During one piece, a train could be heard from a few blocks away. Rachmaninov lifted his hands from the keyboard and waited for the train, then signaled the conductor to begin the piece again.

Each video seems to lead to another interesting one. I learned to play la fille aux cheveux de lin on the piano. Mrs. Hayes, my piano teacher, went to a great deal of trouble to track down the music. The sheet music came from France and the paper was very fragile. Here the piece is arranged for violin and piano, with some pretty amazing double stops at the end by Jascha Heifetz.

Beautiful music for a day of waiting

My father-in-law's open heart surgery is today. The surgery is expected to take six hours. He has had a blessing and is confident that whatever happens will be according to God's plan.

Here's some light and joyful music from a time when open-heart surgery was not possible, and when people were presented with frequent reminders of the fragility of life - even young life.

Update: The surgery went well - about 6 1/2 hours. David stayed at the hospital with his Mom and brother until the surgery was completed. We returned with his Mom in the evening, but the timing was not very good. Dad was agitated and when he heard his wife's voice. When a patient is just coming out of anesthesia in ICU and has a breathing tube, it is apparently sometimes preferable for him not to be presented with the possibility of trying to communicate with loved ones. It's time when he needs rest.

The nurse says Dad should be able to communicate tomorrow.

Cautionary quotes

From The Anchoress, in reference to socialized medicine, but much more widely applicable:

"American presidents may peacefully surrender their power, but bureaucrats never do."



Related quote from the comments, attribution fuzzy:

"If you think health care is expensive now, just wait til it's free."


Especially if you consider both health costs and fiscal costs. Socialized medicine in many countries is now degrading due to the accumulated weight of years of bureaucracy, among other things. Some countries, such as the UK and Canada, seem to do especially poorly now with chronic medical conditions. There is a lottery in one Canadian town for appointments to see the General Practitioner.

Good comments on the linked posts.