My mother-in-law came through her surgery like a champ; now has a Gor-Tex repair to her aorta as well as a new aortic valve. Well, new to her; its former owner was a pig.
The first couple of nights were loud and filled with pinging machines all night long. (She was hooked up to about eight different gizmos that all "pinged" at slightly different pitches.) But today her condition was downgraded (or is it upgraded?) and we moved to a lower care floor. Three of the five IVs were removed and she has been off all narcotics for 24 hours now. At this point, she only has the heart monitor.
Now that the heavy drugs have stopped she is much more herself, which is wonderful to see. I'll tell you, if you live near Indianapolis, this guy is the doctor to see if you need a valve replaced or an aortic aneurysm repaired. The care my mother-in-law has received at St. Vincent's Ascension Hospital was top-notch!
The best news is, there is a good chance she will be discharged tomorrow. She'll still need help for several weeks, but things are moving in a good direction!
Wow! Talk about medical miracles, this is phenomenal news! We forget sometimes just how far we have progressed. Glad you mom in law's health is improving!
ReplyDeleteIt is remarkable how far medicine has come. In the late 70s a relative was kept in a coma for several days and the hospital stay was a month...in the late 80s the second valve was less than a week...saying my prayers that MIL does well and can slide her legs under the Thanksgiving table with the rest of you :)
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