Blog 16 Tuesday 19 July 2011

I woke up with loads of pipes protruding from my body 6 in total and equipment buzzing and beeping. I couldn't feel much at this time and very confused "Is it over" I asked I was soon to find out the operation was over but really it had only just started with the drugs and pain.....morphine to suck on I am soon to find out how painful the drain tubes are sticking out of each side of my ribs and the incisions on my back !!! Photos to follow !!!!!!

Wendy

Jonathan (John's eldest son) and Victoria  (Jonathan's fiance) arrived at about 10.00 and sat with me while we waited for news. At about 11.00 they came and told us that John was out of surgery and in recovery. However they couldn't tell us anything else. At about 12.45 he was wheeled up to high dependency ward to be hooked up to all sorts of monitors. At 13.10 we got into see him.

He was lying in bed, pain written on his face, a drain protruding out either side of him draining this reddish fluid from him. He had ECG pads stuck to his chest, pulse monitor on his finger and a drip into his arm. He was very hoarse from the pipes that had been down his throat. Oh and I nearly forgot, the ever important morphine pump. He had had 20ml of morphine during surgery and since coming around a further 11ml at that time. Flying high comes to mind. They also attached a bottle of liquid paracetamol to his drip.

I had a quick look at his surgery notes. On one side he had three 2cm incisions and the other side 2 x 2cm and 1 x4 cm incisions. The letterbox incision on his right side of his back was about 6cm.

The drains protruding from his body filters blood from between his lungs under his sternum.....ouch, and that is where John kept rubbing because of the pain.

However it wasn't long when he started feeling a bit more comfortable.

I left at the same time as Jonathan and went and picked up Hope. She was very strong and very glad to see her dad. She had made him some cards and paintings and when he managed to get his chicken mayo sandwich down, she helped him with his crisps.

I did not get a chance to see the surgeon as Hope was getting bored so we left at about 6.30, and when a text came through from one of her friends mum's offering to look after her tomorrow. She asked her dad if he would think her very mean that she did not come tomorrow, but just sitting there was boring!

That made him laugh....ouch! Anyway we left soon after that and on the way home, Hope got her McDonald's!!