Gimpy at Christmas

My grandfather (dad's dad) has always had heart issues. He's had bypasses, chest pains, heart attacks, and I can't even count the times he's had stints put in or heart caths done. Some of my earliest memories involve sitting around the hospital waiting room, begging change for vending machine candy bars and reading in those hard vinyl chairs while we waited the latest news. He's a strong man, a former Marine, and is the type to say he's fine when he's not, or brave through pain when it would crumble most people. Anytime he's had recoveries to wait through, he hasn't been the easiet patient. He wants to get up and work and DO things...he has a servant's heart and would rather help at the church than sit in his recliner as instructed.

Thankfully my grandmother is equally stubborn, so he gets good care =)

Well, my grandfather had a routine heart cath done yesterday morning, but he had complications. I didn't even realize he was having a heart cath done in the first place, that's how common these are to us now...until I received word mid-afternoon that there were issues and he was being transported from one hospital to another that specializes in heart issues.

I couldn't go up, since Little Miss and I were both under the weather ourselves and Hubby was at the fire station, but my dad and sister camped out with my grandma and aunt and cousins, so no one was alone as we waited word. Turns out he had bled pretty badly during the procedure, and they couldn't get it to stop. Not sure still exactly what happened or what tore, but they ended up having to crack him open and go in and do a double bypass. His last bypass I believe was 1989, so it's been twenty years and was in need of a redo. But 20 years of scar tissue made it difficult, and the bypass took a solid 5 hours. We received word his heart was off the pump and beating regularly again around 9:30 p.m., but they were still concerned about the bleeding. He's on blood thinners, and since it was an emergency procedure, they didn't have time to get him off of them before having to do the surgery. They added platelets to try to thicken it, but they couldn't thicken it TOO much because of the stints. Sigh.

So he's in ICU and doing well, and will remain there for 3 days and in the hospital for a week. Hopefully he'll be able to come home in time for Christmas and sit in his designated recliner and let us wait on him as he so deserves.

I appreciate any prayers for my grandfather this holiday season! Thank you! He's the toughest man I know, and so very godly. But I'm not ready for him to go Home-Home yet!!!