Surgery is over! YAY!

Dr. Graber reported to me that all went very well. No complications. Pleural area all cleaned up. Lung inflated and functioning.

Tony was given a bit of happy juice in his IV at 2:15pm and they wheeled him into the operating room. At 7pm I was finally told he was out of surgery, out of recovery, and being cleaned up in CCU, where I could go see him after 8pm. After making several calls to tell folks surgery was over, I went back with Dr. Graber to see my sweetheart.

Poor dear was in a great amount of pain... which is to be expected. I think they had his left arm bound over his head for hours.... something I don't think I've ever seen him do. So, his shoulder is quite painful, along with the FOUR chest tubes in his side. It took a bit of doing, but with the help of our friend Doloris (Delotid) and some Toradol, they eventually took the edge off the excruciating pain, and he seemed a bit more relaxed. I suspect the next couple of days are going to be quite uncomfortable, but hopefully they'll stay on top of the pain for him.

The good news is although he's in CCU, he's no longer intibated and was able to speak. He sends his love to all who have been praying for him, and as I was leaving the last word he said..., "KBO-KBO".... then he nodded off again. They're thinking if all goes well through the night, he may be sent back up to his room on the 9th floor tomorrow.

Thank you all for standing side by side with us, through our frustrations, my rantings and ravings, and continuing to keep our Tony in your prayers. A very special thank you to:

• Irene, whose been a constant source of strength, friendship, love and care;
• Britt for... well, simply being Britt.... a Yorkshire soul mate to our Tony, devoted friend and source of sanity;
• Matthew for taking such wonderful care of our Tony, spiritually and otherwise;
• ALL the nurses and staff on 9West who continually go above and beyond the call of duty, out of their care for our Tony;
• Dr. Graber and his team for doing such a fantastic job surgically, getting Tony back on the road to recovery;
• the entire Oncology/Hematology clan who care so very much for Tony and have assisted in more ways then we probably know;
• Mark, Philip, Abbey, Megan who have continually lifted Tony's spirits with their phone calls of love and well wishes;
• Anne and Al in NC who have been just a phone call away, and sending constant reminders of their love and care;
• Mom and Dad for making sure I take care of myself, and keeping in constant contact with us;
• ALL who have been praying for Tony's health, wellness and recovery, those who have taken the time to visit and send messages or cards, and those who have brought Tony communion or annointed him;
• and most especially our Dr. Craig who has on more occasions then he'll ever admit, allowed me to bend his ear, tug on his sleeves, yank on his white coat, and pester him incessantly, all for the good of the cause.

Time to sleep.