Sorry I have not been around

If anybody was worried, I am sorry.  Between going back to work and having both of my Elderly Parents needing major surgery soon, I barely have a candle left to burn.  My Father goes in on the 16th for a heart valve replacement.  Ordinarily this would be a quick in and out with a catheter, but because of a birth defect, they need to crack his chest.  Mom has a "triple A", an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm that is almost big enough to operate on.

Because my Father gave up driving two years ago and my mother is not allowed to drive due to the Aneurysm,  I am the sole driver for two households.   Leaves me with little time to catch my breath as my life is almost on complete hold and either spent at work, at home, on the road, or in a hospital Emergency room.

That sounds tough.  Good that you can help them.  I hope that both of their conditions improve with their surgeries.

Totally understandable why you wouldn't be around as much.  Hope both of them have successful operations and come back stronger than before.

I can offer some insight to your fathers situation. My dad had this same thing done back in 1992. We sent him over to the Cleveland Clinic for the surgery. The guy that did it had also worked on the Shah of Iran so we figured he would be in good hands.  They repaired one valve and put a titanium valve in between the chambers on the left side IIRC.  The damage was from him having rheumatic fever as a kid.

He can plan on a month of recovery for every hour on the heart machine. I think my dad had about 6 months before he was allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.  When he starts walking he has to remember that however far he walks, that is only halfway. My dad had days where he would be found at the end of the driveway trying to muster up the endurance to make it back to the front door. We're talking a 50yd walk each way.

His valve clicks. You can here it from a few feet away if it is quiet in the room. He jokes that he got used to it quickly but it scared the E36 M3 out of him when he didn't hear it the first few times.  The valve just doesn't slam shut very hard when you are laying on the couch doing nothing.

After recovery he felt better than he had in decades.  He had a ton more energy and endurance he hadn't had since his 20's. He is 88 now, still going strong physically.

The best gift for him will be a fuzzy sheep skin cover for his seat belt shoulder harness when you are taking him somewhere. To this day the belt irritates my dad along the scar.

In reply to mad_machine (Forum Supporter) :

You are a good man. We are here any time you want /need to vent. 

My dad had both those things done 2-3 years ago - a valve replacement and bypass, and prior to that he had an aortic aneurysm that needed addressing. It's stressful watching it all go on, but we're blessed with the medical skill around these days. God bless you and your family.

Thanks for checking in and, yeah, family is important.