Made it to Orlando. It has been a long day. I’ve gotten to see dad two times today for 30 minutes each time. He’s still in CVICU.

He’s also spewed out some pretty nasty words, which has been hard to take. The doctors and nurses say that is a “normal” thing for heart patients to do. Still, it’s hard to deal with.

I miss my “family” back home…

Dad finally got out of the balloon angioplasty surgery last night at around 10. The doctors were unable to complete the procedure from what I have gathered. Once they got in there, the blockage was so bad they wanted to do a bypass instead. Due to how late at night it was, they didn’t do the bypass then. Instead, they wheeled him back to his room and discussed the procedure with him.

My father is now denying consent and refusing to have the bypass! Stubborn jackass.

Instead, he wants to attempt some alternative method he read about in a magazine at some point in time that involves pressurized pants. WTF?!? I’m trying to find out more information about it.

From what I have been able to gather from my mom and siblings, one artery is completely blocked and another is about 98%. I wish the surgeons would have just been able to have done the bypass when they had him under the first time.

I’m trying to decide if I should go home to see dad “one last time”…

UPDATE (11:20 am):
Talked with my brother, and they have managed to convince my father to go through with the operation. They will operate sometime today. I talked to dad after that, and he sounded, well, like he thought he wasn’t going to make it. He said for me not to bother coming down.

I’m heading to Florida…

UPDATE (12:53 pm):
No word yet on when dad will go into surgery.

I’ve found a flight from here (XNA) to Orlando that leaves at 7 am tomorrow. I’ll be on board. It’s a minimum 17 hour drive from here to there. So even if I left now, I would still get there around the same time the flight lands.

Thank you to all who have emailed your thoughts and concerns. I appreciate it.

UPDATE (2:51 pm):
Rodney (one of my brothers) just called. My dad has been in surgery for a little over an hour. No idea though how long it will take….

Can you see the disconnect?

UPDATE (6:25 pm):
Dad just got out of surgery. 6 hours. Quadruple-bypass. They just wheeled him into ICU. They will let mom in to see him in another hour.

My mom called me today on my cell phone while I was at work (immediately I thought “not good news”) and told me my father had a heart attack. Then she said she had to go and hung up. That was it. No “He’s alive”, “He’s in the hospital”, “He’s dead”, nothing.

I finally managed to contact one of my siblings who filled me in on what was going on. My father went to the doctor yesterday complaining about pains in his left arm pit. After running a series of tests they transported him to the hospital where they determined he had had a mild heart attack. He was kept overnight. Today at 2 PM they will be doing an angioplasty and something else (I don’t remember what it was) on him, then keeping him overnight tonight to see how he is.

My mom finally called back and told me the same.

I will be staying put in Arkansas for the moment. But if things go South for my father, I will be heading to Florida.

And I need to explain to my mom how NOT to leave someone on a ledge like that. I know she is going through a lot, but still.

UPDATE (5:10 pm):
Dad still hasn’t gone into surgery yet. Mom wasn’t sure what the holdup is, but they are waiting for the surgeon at the moment.

UPDATE (8:31 pm):
Dad is finally in surgery. He went in at 8 pm. Mom said she’d call me when he’s out.