On March 13, 2008, the phone rang. A call that would change our lives! It was Neal's cardiologist, and he was only supposed to call "if there is a problem." He told me he'd lost Neal's cell phone number and needed to call him. Amazingly I recalled the number since my mind was flying in a million different directions. I gave Neal about 15 minutes before I called him. In the meantime, I: 1) Prayed; 2) Shot an email off to my friend Perri to start praying; and 3) Went down to my Mom's to make the phone call to Neal. (I knew I would need her support and I didn't want the kids to overhear my conversation.)

Neal answered the phone and tried to ignore my questioning. I said "Listen, the doctor called here first so I know something's up, and I have to take the kids to piano and I will not be able to function if I'm worrying the entire time." He gave up. He told me that he was going to finish up at work and come home and tell me in person, but since I called he told me what the doctor said. Neal had an aneurysm in his aorta. His aorta was double the size it was supposed to be. The doctor said it was only a matter of time before it could rupture and then he would most likely die. He also said that while they were in there, they should go ahead and replace his bicuspid aortic valve (a defect he'd had since birth). When Neal told me all of this, I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. I literally doubled over and could barely catch my breath. I knew something was up, but I didn't think about it being that serious! Thankfully I was at my Mom's and she was there to support me.

The next three hours or so seemed like an eternity. About 5 minutes after I got off the phone with Neal, the surgeon's office called to set up a consultation (good thing Neal told me what was going on!). Then I went upstairs and called Perri to tell her the news. I could barely get the words out, it just didn't seem real. Then I had to take the kids to piano and act "normal." My answer to acting "normal" was to turn the stereo up high in the car (which they love) and play Toby Mac. Of course that's more normal for Daddy...not Mommy. Beth said she knew something was up.

We went to piano and not long after we returned Neal came home. We sat the kids down in the living room and told them what was going on. We cried, laughed (because we always laugh with Neal!) and prayed together. That evening we went and told Neal's parents. I'm sure that was difficult to hear about your son, but they handled it so well. I made a few phone calls that night and got the word out so that people could be praying.

After seeing the surgeon a week later, surgery was scheduled for April 9th. One year ago today!

We were so blessed during those weeks before the surgery. The outpouring of love and concern was incredible! One of the most special times was the following Sunday after we found out about the surgery. Our Adult Bible Fellowship class (ABF) spent the entire class time listening to Neal's story and then praying one by one for Neal and our entire family. It was extremely moving and comforting.

One year ago today....right now....11:14 am...Neal was in surgery. They came out at 8:10 am and told us they had started. They came out at 10:10 and told us he was on the heart/lung machine. We had family and friends around us all day...supporting us and praying with us. Those who couldn't come were praying at home and calling and emailing me throughout the day. I've never felt so cared for in my entire life! (Thank you friends!)

Neal's surgery lasted about 8 hours, and he came through with flying colors. The first few days after surgery were a bit scary...the bottom chamber of his heart didn't start back up and they put an external pacemaker on him. After 3 days had gone by and it still didn't start on its' own, the doctor thought it wasn't going to happen. I started calling and emailing people to pray for his heart to start beating on its' own. The next morning when Dr. M checked his heart I was standing there watching his face...and praying. I knew the moment when *he* knew Neal's heart was beating. His mouth dropped open and he said "well I'll be .... It's working!" And a big smile spread across his face and I just started crying.

Neal did end up having to get a pacemaker two days after he was discharged from the hospital, but it's to keep his heart in rhythm...not to keep it beating. It's kind of like a nice insurance policy! :o)

Today Neal is healthy! He feels better than he ever has. He has more energy. He can work out longer and harder...walk longer on the treadmill, lift more weights, etc.

I'm just so thankful that God allowed us to find out about his condition before it was too late. But I'm also thankful that no matter what had happened Neal was ready. He was ready to meet God if he had not made it. We're very glad (obviously) that he did make it, but he truly was ready either way.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name!" Psalm 100:4

I am thankful for

so many things!

Tonight we had a Thanksgiving service at church. We were given a time where we could stand up and give a testimony or tell what we are thankful for. I wanted to stand up so badly, but every time I started to do so I'd feel the tears start to come. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to be understood through my tears, so I didn't say anything. :o( So, I will say what I wanted to say here:

I am thankful for my husband and for modern medical technology! For anyone that doesn't know, my husband Neal was diagnosed in March with an aneurysm in his aorta. His only real option was to have his aorta replaced. If he let it go he would be a walking time bomb, and his aorta could have ruptured at any time.

(Miracle #1 was that they found the aorta!)

On April 8th Neal entered the hospital and had a catherization. Other than the aorta and his defective aortic valve, his heart was very healthy. No blockages (Miracle #2).

On April 9th at around 5:30 in the morning, they wheeled my beloved off to surgery. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. We had enjoyed a wonderful time of prayer together around 3:00 in the morning. He told me that although he wanted to live, that he was also okay with dying. He was sure of his salvation through Jesus Christ, and everything would be okay.

The waiting room rapidly filled with my family and friends. It was a wonderful testimony to Neal that so many people came out to support him! There were even more people who were supporting us through prayer that could not be at the hospital. We are so thankful to all of them!

The next 8 days were an emotional roller coaster. His heart didn't start back on its' own, so he had to have an external pacemaker. The bottom of his heart wasn't working at all. I prayed and asked others to join me in prayer that his bottom half of his heart would start working. The doctor didn't give us much hope on Saturday. He was very discouraged. On Sunday morning Neal's heart was beating on its' own! Praise God! The top and bottom were not "communicating" but his heart could beat without the pacemaker. They took it off on Monday. He was discharged Tuesday. We had a couple of days at home and went back on Thursday for them to check his heart beat and see if the top and bottom were communicating yet. Not long after we arrived at the doctor's office his heart rate dropped into the 30's and they could not get a blood pressure. (Another Miracle -- it happened at the doctor's office). I immediately took Neal to the hospital and he received a pacemaker the next day. (Thank you, God, for modern medical technology!)

Friday night we returned home and that was the start of his real recovery. He spent two months at home before he went back to work. It was another miracle how God provided for our financial needs during that time!

Today Neal is healthier than he has been in years. He is stronger and working out more and more. His color is good, and he feels good. I am so thankful to God for giving Neal good medical attention, good friends, and a new lease on life!

I love him more than I can say, and if I could have said anything tonight at church, I would have at least said "Thank you, God, for my husband!"

This Weeks' Update

Another busy week around here! I was home Monday, but worked Tuesday and Wednesday. Home today (except for piano and errands) and I'll be working tomorrow. I really enjoy helping out at the Registrar's office. It's so busy right now, and it's an exciting place to be right before a presidential election!

Neal and I hadn't had any time together lately, so last night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants -- Moe's. They have awesome Mexican food, but we especially love their salsa! It might even be better than ours. ;o)

While we were there we saw a friend we hadn't seen in a while and I found out he's still keeping up with my blog (Hi Scott!). I couldn't figure out at first how he knew about my blog, but then he reminded me that he started reading it when Neal went through his surgery. Duh! I forgot about that!

That also reminded me that I haven't given an update on Neal for a while. I don't even think about it very often anymore. He is doing SO well! Every once in a while I see his scars and say "hey, you had heart surgery." He just says "yes, I did" and grins at me. We do continue to praise God for healing Neal and bringing his condition to our attention! I would hate to think what we may be going through right now if He hadn't seen fit to do so! Thank you, Lord!

Anyway, Neal and I had a really nice time last night eating and talking. After dinner we ran over to Sams to get milk, and then to Old Navy to look for some birthday and Christmas presents for Ben. We bought him some items he needed and I hope they fit!

Today Ben went to piano, but Beth didn't go in because she has a cough and didn't want to spread her germs around. Afterward we went to Goodwill and Beth found one shirt, and Ben found some clothes! Yaah! It's so hard to find clothes for him. He hates to shop, so that doesn't help!

It's been a good day!

Celebrate!!

Thursday night we had a Celebration supper! Neal took his last dose of Coumadin (blood thinner) on Wednesday, and he wanted all the greens he could get! Fortunately there are lots of good veggies in our garden right now, so celebrate we did!

We had Ribeye steak, grilled asparagus and snow peas, steamed broccoli, and spinach-strawberry salad! (the asparagus, peas, broccoli, spinach and strawberries are from our garden!)


Here's a group picture. From the look on Neal's face, I interpret him to be thinking, "Why did you have to start a blog??? Can I have a meal without pictures?!" LOL


Strawberry Shortcake!


Neal has one more week at home before he goes back to work part-time. I believe he's ready health-wise, but I am going to miss him terribly! I guess that's a good thing...

His BP is coming down! Yaah! This morning the top number was only 129...bottom is still a little high, but the doctor was more concerned with the top.

For those of you who have just recently started coming to my blog, my husband Neal had open heart surgery on April 9th. He had to have his ascending aorta replaced due to it being enlarged, and while they were in there they replaced his defective aortic valve. We feel very blessed that his aneurysm was caught before it ruptured! Two days after he was discharged from the hospital, his BP and pulse dropped dangerously low, and they had to put in a pacemaker. He's doing well now, and is getting stronger every day!

Monday

God continues to bless us!

Neal had more energy today, and his color is looking better. He had an appointment this afternoon to check his blood. It is still too thick, so we'll continue working on that. His pulse was 88 and his BP was 120/70! Looking good!

We ran a few errands while we were out and Neal sat in the car and made a few phone calls. I hear he was pretty skeptical on what kind of movies we would pick out at the library, (right, Don?) but we ended up getting several old John Wayne movies. The kids weren't so happy, but Neal had a big grin on his face!

Our friends, the Toals, brought us dinner tonight and it was delicious! It was so nice to be able to sit down to a meal that I hadn't prepared. What a treat!!!

Now I guess I'll go see what John Wayne is up to!

Sunday

Another good day. :o) A very RESTFUL day!!! We all stayed home the entire day. For church we watched Jonathan Falwell on The Old Time Gospel Hour (if that's what it is still called), and by the way I think he is doing an excellent job. I really enjoy hearing him preach. Then we turned off the TV and shared what the Lord had taught each of us through the past couple of weeks. It was neat hearing the kids insights. Then we read some scriptures and prayed together.

This afternoon we watched "Hondo." An old John Wayne movie. Neal dozed off and on throughout it, but watched most of it. I took a nap after it went off, and Neal tried to but wasn't successful. That's probably a good thing so that he'll sleep better tonight.

Last night I got asparagus out of our garden! Yaah! I steamed it tonight and we ate it with some chicken salad that Neal's sister Janet made for us. Yum! We all love steamed asparagus, so that was a big hit. Unfortunately asparagus is one of the foods that thickens the blood, so Neal had that in place of his spinach today. We'll go tomorrow sometime to have his blood tested. Hopefully we're doing a good job.

That's about it...a very uneventful day. Hallelujah! ;o)

Saturday

Okay, so it didn't turn out to be quite the day of rest we had planned. :o) Neal slept fitfully last night. Hopefully tonight will be more restful for him. I ended up taking a nap mid morning, and then went to the library and Blockbuster...got a few movies for us to watch. I think we'll watch August Rush tonight.

Neal's Dad, my Mom, Ben and I worked in the garden today. Well, I didn't work too much in the garden, but I mowed grass. I actually pushed mowed about an hour or so. I'm tired this evening, but it feels good. I needed some exercise.

It was difficult for Neal to sit by and watch us work. It's going to be a long three months for him!

Beth had Teens Involved at church today (a competition through Word of Life). She entered a gospel tract and one a trophy. She had a good day.

Now I'm going to get Neal and I some yogurt and we're going to watch a movie. Tomorrow we really are going to have a day of rest!!!

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes again! :o)

Home...Once Again

We finally made it home tonight around 9:00. Neal is feeling fantastic with his new pacemaker. He can't get over the difference in his breathing. After the surgery/before the pacemaker he had to concentrate to breathe and talk at the same time or to breathe and eat. That's why he was having difficulty with visitors because it was so difficult to breathe and talk to them. Poor guy! He came back from surgery around 10:00 and ate two cups of pudding, but didn't want a full breakfast. At lunch he ate everything on his plate except the bread, and he ate it quickly! We couldn't believe it. He didn't have to stop and take several breaths in between each bite.

He did have quite a bit of pain this afternoon, but they finally got it under control. Now he's kicked back in his recliner (again) and just finished taking all his meds. We're going to go to sleep and all we're going to do tomorrow is shower, eat, and rest! Yaah! We are worn out!

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. Neal came home to about 10 cards in the mail today, so that was a nice gift to him. :o)

Have a great weekend...I'm pretty sure we will!

Pacemaker

Neal is now the proud owner of a brand new pacemaker! :o)

Last night was a little emotional and scary, but throughout the night we regained peace and Neal's heart rate climbed until it was at 62 this morning. He woke up around 3:00 and (thankfully) let me sleep until 5:30. Then he woke me up and we read and prayed together. They took him down around 7:30. The doctor that did the procedure was extremely nice and spent time talking with us about what he was going to do, and afterward about what he did. They used the latest model of pacemaker. This pacemaker only "paces" when Neal's heart needs it to. In other words, when his heart can't keep up on its' own, the pacemaker will kick in. When his heart is doing fine, it will be on standby. I like that idea.

EKG came in about 20 minutes ago and tested him and the pacemaker was hard at work, so they were able to capture it while it was pacing.

Neal is having some pain in his left arm from the surgery. He won't be able to lift his left arm above his head for a couple of days and will have lifting precautions, but I don't know that they will be any different than the lifting precautions he's already under. He will be able to get out of bed around 2:00 this afternoon, and should get to go home this evening!

I'll keep you updated on his progress!

Back In the Hospital

Neal's back in the hospital tonight.

I took him to the doctor's office this afternoon for his scheduled EKG. After lunch he began feeling really tired and out of breath. He could barely make it to the car when we left. At the doctor's office I got him a wheelchair because he had zero energy. I took him back for his Protime check (to check the thickness of his blood since he's on Coumadin). At that time they took his pulse and BP. His pulse was 56 (I am supposed to call the doctor if it falls below 57) and his BP was 98/50. His protime count was 1.2 and it was supposed to be between 2.5 and 3.5, so that meant his blood was too thick. Less than 10 minutes later we were at Dr. M's office. They took his BP and pulse. I don't remember his BP, but his pulse was 39! She thought the machine might have read it wrong, so she read it with something else and again it was 39. After that everything was a blur of activity. The doctor said we needed to do the pacemaker and that they would admit him to the hospital right away. I drove him to the hospital (less than one mile) and took him through admissions. They had him in his new room within 15 minutes.

His pacemaker surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning...probably about 7:00. It should only take about an hour or so, and then they'll bring him back to his room. They'll either discharge him tomorrow evening or Saturday morning depending on how he does.

Again we can only praise God for His timing. If his pulse had dropped like this at home I would have been scared to death. Thankfully we were in the doctor's office and close to the hospital! Isn't the Lord good?!!!

I'll be spending the night with Neal and the kids are with my Mom. Please pray for their peace of mind, and please pray for Neal's peace of mind. It's very difficult for him to be laying there in bed feeling his heart beat so slowly. They have equipment right beside his bed if he crashes, but I don't know if that is a comfort to him or not. His heart rate is still only 39. While you're at it, I wouldn't mind having some peace of mind, as well! :o)

Thank you all for keeping up with my blog and praying for us. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how everything goes!

Kicking Back

Neal had a great night's sleep!

It was kind of funny last night. We were told not to let him nap past 4:00 in the afternoon so that he could sleep through the night. I woke him up at 4:00 and he stayed awake a little while, then he kept dozing off. I place my hand on his arm and he'd rouse and grin a little and before long he'd be snoozing away again. Every Tuesday night we watch "Biggest Loser." Last night was the season finale. Neal was trying his best to stay awake, but I would have to wake him up just about every time someone weighed in. "Dan's weighing now, Neal." He'd open his eyes and watch. Then, "Mark's weighing in." LOL I asked him this morning if he could remember who won, and he did. I guess he was awake for the most important parts. Another funny thing was when he wanted to get his watch out of his overnight bag. He had Beth get his bag for him and she set it on the couch next to him. He would unzip it a little bit and then fall asleep. Then wake up and unzip it a little more and then fall asleep. The kids thought that was hilarious.

Neal slept until about 9:30 or so this morning. I woke him up at 4:30 to give him some pain medication. I didn't want his pain to get out of control during the night. Other than that, he slept like a baby. He tried to take a nap this afternoon, but wasn't sleepy enough. He was just exhausted after the hospital stay.

Tomorrow afternoon we go to see Dr. M. He'll do an EKG and let us know if the top and bottom of Neal's heart are communicating with each other yet. I'm not sure how long he'll let Neal go without them "talking to each other" before he'll put in a pacemaker, but our prayer is that everything will be fine tomorrow!

Now that I'm home and I have my Bible close by I want to type out those verses that Mike gave to us...here they are:

Romans 5:1-5 (New Living Translation)

Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (2) Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.
(3) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. (4) And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. (5) And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

I love these verses, and I pray that they bless you as well!

Pictures

I wore mine and Neal's wedding bands while he was in the hospital. He put his back on tonight.


Neal and I last night


Neal used his heart pillow to protect his chest on the ride home from the hospital.


The pets were very glad to see "Grandpa" home. We had to hold Suzi back so she wouldn't jump on his chest!


What we looked like after 8 days in the hospital!

Home Again, Home Again

Jiggity Jig! :o)

They released Neal from the hospital around 12:30 or 1:00 today. Now we are home trying to adjust to to things here. I'm afraid Neal thinks I moved the bathroom while he was gone...much further away than it was before. It seems that way anyhow.

It's going to take some time, but he does seem to be improving all the time. He's glad to be away from hospital food. I baked him some tilapia tonight and made a fresh spinach salad. Tomorrow I'll probably start on some of my frozen meals, and then next week some friends from church will bring us some meals.

I'll write more tomorrow, but right now I want to go sit next to my husband on the couch!

Good Night!

End of Day Five

He's going home tomorrow! Wahoo!!!

They will be removing the pacemaker tomorrow. The top of the heart and the bottom of the heart are not communicating but they are both working. We'll give it a little time and see if they start talking to each other. ;o) If not, then the doctor will want to put in a permanent pacemaker. We're fine with this. It's not the same as before when the bottom of his heart wouldn't function at all without it. Now it's not life and death, but more of quality of function. We're very thankful for the prayers for his heart to start beating. It worked! Now we'll pray that the two parts will start working together. As I understand this is not too uncommon.

Another blessing we had is that he was never transferred to a regular floor. We liked him having such good care on the ICU unit. I went up to the floor where he was supposed to go and saw that a lot of people had contact precautions posted on their doors. I was not excited about him being in close contact with so many infections and such. Thank you, Lord!

Our first week or two at home will be a healing time for Neal and our family. This has been pretty difficult on the kids, and we're going to take this time to restore our family. After a week or two, then we'll start accepting some visits and phone calls. In the meantime, I'll continue to blog updates every day or two and keep you all posted. It has been wonderful having this outlet, and source of communication!

Thank you all for every prayer and good wish you have sent our way! We love you!!!

Neal's friend Mike mentioned Romans 5:1-5 to us. Neal and I read them in his room earlier and they were wonderful, comforting verses. I don't have my Bible with me or I'd type them out, but if you get a chance read them. God's Word is such a source of comfort! Thanks, Mike!

Day Five of Recovery

Neal moves to a regular floor today! We're seeing some progress with the pacemaker, but will know more later. Neal's blood pressure stayed high last night, so we're working on getting that down. Other than that, he's doing really well!

I spoke with Mike Branham's mom this morning. The 4-wheeler fell back on his face and crushed most of the bones in his face and he broke 5 bones in his back (no paralysis!). He also has no brain swelling! They will do surgery on his face tomorrow. They will make an incision from ear to ear over the top of his head and pull everything down to work on the bones of his face. They're main focus, apparently, are his eyes and eye sockets. They are concerned that he will be blind or may not be able to move his eyes from side to side. Since we're moving to another floor, I don't know if I'll continue to hear updates or not, but please keep praying for this young man.

Neal and I started studying Adonai this morning...The Lord of lords!

Day Four, Final Update

Great day!

Off of oxygen for good it seems! Yaah! No more IVs. He only has in his drain tubes and a line in his neck (which he can't WAIT to come out!).

Blood pressure went up again this evening, so he continues with BP medicine. He's fine with that.

We find out about the pacemaker in the morning. Keep praying!

He walked four times today. This was the first day he walked without holding onto a wheelchair or something. The nurse walked by his side, but he was unassisted!

I had some great visits with friends in the waiting room today. Everyone has been so sweet and understanding about not visiting Neal. Our Pastor came by again today. (our church has 8 pastors so our head pastor doesn't do all the visiting) This was his second visit with Neal and I missed both of them! I'm with Neal about 22 out of 24 hours a day, and I missed both of our pastor's visits! I'm sure he didn't think anything of it, but it bothered me!

I guess that's all. Neal will probably move out of ICU tomorrow, and then we're (Neal and I) hoping he'll get to go home Tuesday or Wednesday.

I know it's become cliche, but..."God is good...ALL the time!"

Psalm 62:5-8

Day Four of Recovery

Good things are happening! I can't tell all of it yet (per doctor's suggestion), but let's just say he's doing MUCH better! Hopefully I'll be able to tell you something definate tomorrow.

This morning he had respiratory treatments, a bath, and went for a walk. Oh, and by the way, he walked with NO oxygen!!! And he still doesn't have his oxygen on!!! God is doing great things this morning. My prayer last night and this morning for Neal was that he would see vast improvement today, and let me tell you, that prayer's already been answered!

Well, most of you are at church right now, so you'll see this later. Please keep praying for the same things as yesterday. We'll be working on keeping his blood pressure down today.

Thanks for praying!

I have one more prayer request. I'm sitting here with a family right now who brought in Mike Branham. He's 21 year old and wrecked his 4-wheeler. He's not doing good. I don't know the extent of his injuries, but I do know he's on a ventilator. There's lots of family here right now and they're upset. I told them you all would pray for him.

Day 3 Final Update

Neal was moved to CICU (Coronary Intensive Care Unit) today. He's still in ICU because of his heart not getting its' rhythm on its' own. The doctor is giving until Monday before he makes a decision about a permanent pacemaker. Please pray for God's will to be done! Thanks!

Progress: His body is strengthening, he's more mobile, and he's more coherent.

Setbacks: Still on oxygen, BP is rising again, and although this is minor his nose is very irritated due to the oxygen. He started having nose bleeds this afternoon, so they put him back on the oxygen cup (covers his mouth with an opening at top).

He really is doing better, but today was kinda discouraging.

I just remembered something though. I needed to find him a pillow and the nurse said it was difficult to find pillows on this unit. Then she came back with three of them! Neal lifted his mask and said to me: "Another one of God's blessings!"

Thank you for praying!

Day Three of Recovery

Neal had a great night! We both slept really well. My good friend Jackie suggested I take some Tylenol PM or something to help me sleep through the hospital noises. I looked through Neal's toiletry bag from home and he had some Advil PM. Great stuff! ;o) I had only had a combined total of 12 hours of sleep for Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. Last night I had about 8! There were several times when I had to get up and help with something or that I was awakened, but I always went right back to sleep. Same with Neal. It was a good restful night.

Right now he's waiting on his walk, on x-rays, and on a visit from the surgeon. We're just going to kick back today and relax.

Gary Lawhorne called with some verses for us to read this morning. I wrote them down in Neal's room, but I think they were Psalm 59:16-17. He read them over the phone and they are good ones. Look 'em up! :o)

Have a great day!

End of Day 2 Update

Neal is tired! I guess that's to be expected, but he's really tired. He walked twice today and they want him to walk again. I think he's going to turn down that offer. ;o) He just cannot keep his eyes open, and he's having some discomfort.

Yesterday we asked for no visitors and we didn't extend that on to today. Now we realize that was a mistake. As much as we love visiting with everyone, Neal just cannot handle the visits right now. He had over 10 visitors today and it was just too much for him. (If you were one of the visitors, please DO NOT feel bad. He loved seeing you, but now knows that his body can't handle it right now.) We'll let everyone know when he's up for visitors again. In my class this morning, they suggested waiting until he had been home a couple of weeks. After today I can see why, but we'll wait and see how he feels. If anyone wants to stop by the hospital and visit with me, I can always come out to the waiting room if I'm back there with him. Thanks for understanding!

Well, I guess that's about it for today. He never did get a room in CCU, so he'll spend another night in CVRU. I'll be with him. :o)

Good night!