We left the hospital at about 4:30 and got to Mom and Dad's about 5:00.

When we left, Dad was off the ventilator breathing on his own.  He was given some morphine to ease the discomfort of the surgery.  He could talk with us, but since his throat is very sore, he struggled to get a one word sentence out.  He was groggy.

The nurse suggested that he get some rest and it probably would be best if we went home for the night.  Better to save his energy rather than trying to converse with us.

We called the hospital just before the nurse Leanne went off duty at 7pm.  She said the bleeding in chest area that was being drained by tubes was more than they'd prefer to see, but were controlling it by giving him additional blood units.  Other than that, he was doing very well.

He feels the sensation of not breathing in enough, but that's exactly normal and expected.

Visiting hours for the ICU don't begin until 11am, so we'll head over and see him then.  Mom, Alice, and Paul will taken the "morning" shift.  Carolyn will head over in the "afternoon" shift, and Jerry will take the "night" shift.  We want him to know we're there for him, but not overwhelm him with too much activity.  We're expecting that he'll be fairly alert tomorrow, and possibly sitting up.  They will want him to move around so that he doesn't develop blood clots in his legs, since he's been lying in a bed for most of the week.

Carolyn just called the hospital a few minutes ago for an update.  They said he's doing fine and resting.  The blood from the chest area has subsided a bit.  The nurse said that she wouldn't be surprised if he moved out of the K-ICU tomorrow.

What a day!   It's not every day someone literally holds your beating heart in their hands.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.  They worked.