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Friday, October 2, 2009

About 5 months ago my grandfather had a stint put into one of his heart valves. Over the last few months he has been having more pain and shortness of breath. At the point in time (since his last stint) the doctor told him he would need a heart bypass surgery.

My grandfather is very set in his ways and sometimes even stubborn. He refused the bypass at that time because he didn't want to put any of the family members out. Especially my handicap grandmother. He takes care of her like the queen she is and he was scared that no one would be able to help out as much as he did. All kinds of excuses came up...who is going to cut the yard...who is going to pay the bills...and so on.

Yesterday he had a heart doctor appointment again and they immediately wanted to do another heart catheterization on him based on what they saw in his ultrasound. Upon completion of the heart cath. the doctor came in and told him and the family that he not only needed a triple bypass surgery but he also needed to have his main artery valve replaced. Over the years it has calcified and has irreversible damage that cannot be changed without the replacement.

I have been in the waiting room with my family since 9am this morning and they are still working on him (they started the surgery at around 11am.) 5 hours in we have only gotten 1 update. They have completed the bypass surgery without complications and are now working on replacing his valve!

My grandfather was the father that I never had. Not only did he raise his 3 own children but he played a huge role in raising me.

I knew that this was something that would come along at some point in his life and it is a very scary time for him,me, and my family! We know that he will come out just fine but also understand that the next 2 months will be a hard recovery on him.

I almost feel as if he waited for me to move down to have it done. Knowing that I am here to help take care of him and my grandmother. Either way I am glad that I am able to be here for support and for any other reason that my family needs me to be.

Because I am the only one in the family that technically doesn't work (to have to be at a job at a specific time and leave at a specific time) I will be able to help out a lot which makes the family less stressed about the situation.

I will be able to take over and help out most of the day while my daughter is at work and my other family members will take turns helping out while I am not there!

God works in mysterious ways...wouldn't you say? Even though my husband was laid off and we have to give up many of the luxuries in life, he has given them back to us in a different (better) way. A new job for my husband (when so many have been out of work for a long time), a roof over our heads (while so many are finding themselves homeless), food in our mouths (while so many are going hungry) and being close to family (while some live so far from family as we did) are just a few of the things that we have gained. All worth the while and I would trade them for the world!

Please say a prayer for the safekeeping of my grandfather as he completes his surgery and for a full recovery afterwards!

I will be away from the computer for the most part over the next few weeks but this should only affect my response time to the emails and comments. Everything else should be just fine!

6 comments:

Reagan said...

I will say a prayer for you and your family!!!

Crystal said...

I'll say a prayer for y'all too. It's always difficult to see a family member go through things like this. I can tell that you are such a blessing to your family, and it's wonderful that you will be there to help them. I spent a lot of time taking care of my grandmother when she was home-bound, it was a lot of work, but I cherish the time we spent together as I cared for her. Things will work out fine for your grandfather, let us know how he's doing when you can. God bless you!

Anonymous said...

I had triple bypass, something I didn't expect and the surgery happened sooner than I was ready. I now feel better than before and I'm glad I had it. Recovery takes some time, but with physical therapy, your grandfather will be better than ever. Go for walks with him. Walking is the best exercise he can do and it will keep him healthy longer. Help him eat heart healthy meals with lots of veggies and fruit and little, very lean meat. You are lucky, and your grandfather is lucky that the doctors made him get the surgery.

Georgia Coupon Fan said...

My dad was in a similar situation and is now fine. It takes a long, long time to recover from the surgery, but it has kept him around for years now.
Praying for you and your grandfather,
Sherryl

Savings With Sadie said...

Thinking of you and your family. Will stay in touch. You all are in my prayers.

Gabrielle said...

Sending prayers and positive thoughts your way.

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