Thank goodness. So great to hear:)

That is great, and I will pray for his speedy and smooth recovery.

Many wishes for an easy recovery-- and a good night's sleep for you!!

Praise God! Thanks for letting us know.

Glad to hear things went well. Wishing a speedy recovery.

That is wonderful news.
Godspeed.

Great news!!! Hope you are able to get some rest tonight. Prayers for a speedy recovery.

tina

I'm so glad you reported in. Best wishes for a smooth and easy recovery for both of you.

So glad the surgery went well ! I used to work in Cardiac and know well how much depends on a good attitude. You have that in spades !! Good Luck and may the rest of the recovery be uneventful. c

YAY! Hoping it is smooth sailing from here.
Beth P.

Great news. I hope you will sleep well tonight knowing he's getting such good care. Thanks for checking in.

Great news, you must be so relieved ! best of luck for an excellent and swift recovery.

Wonderful to hear...thanks so much for keeping us updated. I'm sure his recovery will go as well....it's amazing to me how a good surgeon doing a good job has such a huge impact on the speed of the patient's recovery. Sending you comfort, courage, strength and healing your way.

Wonderful news. All the best for a speedy recovery for your DH and rest for you!

What a relief! Healing thoughts for your husband.

Great news, NH! Keep the updates coming. I'm keeping you both in my prayers for a good and speedl recovery.
Lynn

Thank you all for the well wishes! DH is doing amazingly well. When I arrived this morning they had him sitting in a chair. He's had some lunch and is now resting. The plan is for him to get moved out of ICU at 3 pm. Many of the tubes have been removed. He even looked at his iPhone for a moment.

I'm sure we will see big steps everyday until he is discharged, hopefully on Monday. Thanks again for your concern!

They get them moving quickly. Less complications. Glad he is doing well.

What wonderful news!

So refreshing to read happy news and positive thinking after major surgery. Hope your husband's recovery stays speed bump free. good luck!

Thinkin' of you two!!
Good luck from Fargo, ND!

Faron

Glad to hear he is recovering well! I worked in a critical care unit in a previous job and patients and their families were always amazed at how quickly they were expected to be up and about after surgery. Sounds like he is in good hands!

Make sure you are taking care of yourself and getting enough rest. He comes home with you next week, so take advantage of having all the helping hands while you can.

Friday Update: DH had a tough night. Went into afib, which they finally got under control at 5 am. Also discovered he had a partially collapsed lung. Now has a tube into lung. He's rather out of it, but they plan to get him up walking in a few minutes. I'm trying to keep a brave face. It's just difficult seeing him in pain.

Those oddball things that happen are scary, that's for sure. He's is the best hands possible so I don't have any advice for him.

My advice for you: don't forget to breathe. Stop holding your breath in worry, I just know you're doing that. Take deep, calming breaths. Ground yourself, with a talisman of some kind. A bible, your wedding ring, a pix of loved ones in a carefree time, something you can literally touch or hold that will remind you to be calm and breathe.

Be strong and brave but don't be afraid to ask for support from someone nearby. You're entitled to experience your own feelings and fears, don't ignore them because then they will overwhelm you at the wrong time.

Hang in there. Breathe.

Thinking of you, nhbaskets.

I'll be back at MGH on Monday morning. Is there anything I can bring to you that will make your time there a little easier? When my DH was in the hospital, I kept going home to get things but we lived close by. If there is anything I can get for you, just say the word. It's an awful feeling watching our loved ones go through things like this.

I wish I could stay down there long enough to invite you to lunch but my DH has to make it back for work after my appointment. I never met anyone "from online" before but this forum is so different than any other one I posted on before.

Keeping you and your DH in my prayers.

Hang in there NH- Our thoughts and prayers are with you...He is in the best place on the planet! Hugs all around from all of us.

The road to recovery can be a bumpy one. Stay strong. It is hard to see someone you love in pain. But let them know you can carry the strength for them when they are too tired to muster. Hang tough, kiddo!

NHBaskets, I'll be thinking of you and DH. hhireno had the best advice, just breathe!

Beth P.

Hhireno--thank you so much for your words of wisdom. At the beginning of DHs surgery, someone brought me his wedding ring. I was so thrilled that they were able to get it off without cutting it. Have been wearing it ever since and it certainly provides me with comfort.

Emerald--I went home to NH last evening after spending three nights in a hotel. It was so good to sleep in my own bed with our dog curled up next to me. At this point I'm planning on traveling back and forth each day. Still not clear when DH will be getting out.

Another rough night for him. He went into afib with a HR around 160. His surgeon now has him on a drug to help with this with the chances they will need to bring him back to ICU and do a controlled shock to get his heart back in sync. I was pleased to find him this morning in good spirits. One of the tubes has been taken out and we're hoping the tube to his lung will also be removed today. I can tell he is much more alert today.

Thank you all for the kind words.

Sending more positive thoughts your way.

Sending positive thoughts to you both and extra strength to you and your DH. Hang in there and try and get as much rest as you can. It sounds like he is holding his own. c

Warm positive thoughts and prayers.

Continued positive thoughts and prayers for you both.

Nhbaskets,
I saw your post on another thread and it made me wonder - how are you and your husband doing? Hope the recovery is going as expected and the new build is on track.

Hhireno--thanks for asking about DH. Almost seems like a lifetime ago that he had his surgery. So much has happened since March 5. DH is doing very well. He was discharged on March 11 and came home. I had taken so much time off from work during the previous two weeks that I ended up going into work the next day, leaving him home with our dog. Those first three days were extremely difficult not being home with him. I'm sorry I had to make that choice, but we made it through without any issues. When he was discharged they had him on an antibiotic for an infection at an IV site. Not a pretty sight. They only prescribed 5 days worth and it was not any better so I brought him to our local ER where they prescribed meds for another 5 days at twice the dosage. That did the trick. A week after being home he sneezed without his pillow and pulled a muscle in his chest, which caused him more pain than his chest incision. Thank goodness it was on his right side because he would have thought it was his heart giving him the pain. Only now that pain has finally gone away.

We were scheduled to see the surgeon last Tuesday, however, received a call the previous day rescheduling to this Tuesday. Unfortunately I have a huge conference I'm running on Wednesday so cannot go with him. My DB has offered to drive him down, which I'm thankful for. Otherwise, he would have taken the bus, since he's not allowed to drive yet. Hopefully the surgeon will give him the green light on Tuesday and our lives will start getting back to something close to normal.

We are scheduled to close on our current house and our new build home on May 15. Packing hasn't begun, but I've given myself until this Thursday and will start in earnest then. The past 3+ months have gone by so quickly. I can't believe we are leaving our home of the past 20 years and on to a new adventure. Just holding my breath that we make it to the other side.