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Gnusgal

Gnusgal

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
2,038
Location
Texas
I know I can count on all of you to start the prayer chain.

My dad called me last night telling me that his best friend, Hank, had undergone brain surgery yesterday due to blood in his brain from falling. Apparently he is on coumadin (I don't know why, but I'm sure it is heart related), and he had been having a terrible headache, so he finally drove himself to the ER. When his brother met him there he asked the doctor if he had mentioned that he had fallen earlier in the week. When the doctor heard that he immediately did a CAT scan and saw the blood. They transferred him to another hospital to have the surgery, and were told he had about a 10% chance of surviving the surgery (at least, that's what my dad says, though he doesn't always remember things correctly). He made it through the surgery, but we have no idea how things will turn out after this. The surgeon said he got 90% of the blood out. The remaining blood had clotted and was stuck to tissue and he felt that removing it might cause more damage than leaving it. Now it's just a matter of waiting until he wakes up to see how things turn out...

Please pray that Hank gets through this without long term effects. I grew up with him in my life and don't want him to have to live out the rest of his life with major complications. He and my dad used to take my brother, me, and our friends camping in the summer and we had a great time. He is a part of my childhood and a wonderful person. I just can't believe that this has happened...

Thank you in advance for your prayers. When I heard the news I knew that the only thing I could do was pray, and adding your voices will make me feel even better.
 
Niki,

I am already praying for your friend. It is a good sign that he made it through the surgery.

Please keep us posted on how things are going.
 
You Have Mine Nikki!!

You Have Mine Nikki!!

Tons and Tons of prayers coming your way for you and your father and your father's friend Hank. Sending you a bunch of {{{{{{ Hugs }}}}} Harrybaby :D :D :D
 
I just got off the phone with my dad. There has been no change today. Hank still hasn't awakened after his surgery. They've done another CAT scan and it does look like they've managed to stop the bleeding, but now it's just a matter of waiting for him to wake up. Then we find out if the surgery did any damage to anything. Lord, I can't stand all this waiting! I've been thinking about Hank all day long and periodically send up a prayer or two. Thank you all for helping me send word up to the Big Guy. I'll let you know if I hear anything more...
 
I just read this thread and I will pray too. Your friend probably has requested and prayed for you many times in your life since I'm sure the love you feel for him goes both ways. Please keep us updated. I'm sending you lots of love since I know you are hurting right now.
 
Niki:
I'm praying for your dad's friend.

In mid-June, a Philadelphia man in his 50s had a brain aneurysm and required surgery. He has a St. Jude valve, aortic, has had CABG too. (Several in his family have had AVR, seems like he told me due to BAV.)
Doctors operated, gave him a 10% chance of survival. Couple of weeks ago he was moved to a rehab facility and is determined to pick up the pieces. He's a very outgoing, upbeat person.

Even though doctors say 10%, those odds can be beat.

I'm praying that your dad's friend can beat the odds, too.
 
bvdr said:
Your friend probably has requested and prayed for you many times in your life since I'm sure the love you feel for him goes both ways.
Click to expand...

Yes, Betty, he has prayed for me on many occasions. Every time I was in the hospital down in Houston, he came to visit. While I don't often spend time thinking about him, I know that he has always been there. It breaks my heart thinking of him going through this so unexpectedly. The worst was hearing my dad say "If he's still alive next weekend, we're going to go visit." I just hate thinking that my dad may loose his best friend. They've been friends as long as I can remember!

Again, thank you all for your prayers. I haven't heard anything new, but will let you know when I do.
 
We are sending our prayers, Niki - I am sure you feel them. God will always help..



This reminds all coumadin users that when you hurt your head, you MUST have it seen to.
 
Talked to my dad tonight. His updates are severely lacking. For one thing, I tell him I want him to call me as soon as he hears anything and then I have to call HIM, and then all I get is "Nothing has changed..." Of course, I understand that he can't change that aspect, but when I ask him questions like "Is he still sedated, or just not waking up?" he has no idea. He did find out today that Hank is still on the respirator and also that he "moved his head" today. That is all the progress that has been made (as far as my dad knows anyway). When I complain about his lack of information and that he's not asking the right questions he says it's because the people he's talking to don't know the answers, but I'm not so sure... I know my dad... :rolleyes:

Anyway, keep those prayers coming! Hank still has a far distance to go before he's out of the woods. Thanks again for your support.
 
Niki, sounds like dad doesn't want to push and perhaps that's his way. Maybe those who inform him really don't know. We are still sending prayers for him. Time goes slowly and we cannot rush it, no matter how much we want to. Hang in.......
 
Niki,
I am praying for your friend right now. I hope he does improve and that you can find out as soon as there is any change. He sounds like a wonderful family friend.
 
Niki.............

Niki.............

saying prayers and hoping that there has been more progress made. Will look for that update. Many hugs. Janet
 
I talked to dad last night. Sorry I didn't post, but it was already past my bedtime. When he talked to Hank's girlfriend she said there had been "no change" but the more he talked to her, the more he found out. Apparently when they were suctioning the vent he did swallow some (which dad sees as a good sign), and they've lowered his sedation, and dad THINKS he's breathing on his own even though they are leaving the vent in "just in case." Dad also talked to Hank's brother, who doesn't appear to be too hopeful right now. I'm hoping it's just worry and not that he knows something Dad just isn't understanding. It's so hard getting this information 3rd and 4th hand. It's like playing the telephone game. You never know how much of it is totally accurate. Especially when you're playing with MY dad... :rolleyes:

Anyway, I also got news of another friend of our family last night. I don't know if I've posted about him in the past or not. His name is Patrick and he has been like a little brother to me my entire life. He's 25 years old and has a brain tumor. He first had it removed four or five years ago, but it grew back and he had to have surgery again only a year and a half later. Here we are again facing another surgery. A year ago the tests had shown it was growing back, and now it has doubled in size. He is going to be going in for surgery in Sept. or Oct. to have it removed once more. The only problem is, they can never get it ALL because it is sitting right on top of his memory receptors. The last surgery ended up messing up his short term memory so severely that he is now on disability, plus he now has seizures and has to pay to have someone stay with him during the day. The doctor says he will not risk causing more damage by removing all of the tumor. It may be that they'll just have to go in every 2 years to cut it out again as it grows too large. :( It's just devistating. Why do these sorts of things have to happen?

Anyway, Patrick and I have teased over the last few years that we're in "competition" over surgeries. It seemed like I would go in for OH, then he'd have a brain surgery, then I'd go in for OH, then he'd go in for brain surgery. I guess it's his turn again, since I had all that "fun" in January, even though it wasn't actual open heart. ;) I'm going to try giving him a call tonight and see how he's doing (I got all this news from my mom).

Thanks for all of your prayers!
 
Niki,

We are praying for your Dad's friend Hank and will add Patrick to the list. We can question God's will but we may never understand it. I'm just thankful that He is there for all of us to lean on.

May God Bless,

Danny
 
I have very sad news to report tonight... Dad called to tell me that he talked to Hank's brother and the surgeon is saying that Hank is unresponsive and he does not have any hope that he will become responsive. Therefore, his brother has made the difficult decision to have Hank taken off of the respirator and other machines tomorrow after the family spends one last day with him. They do not know how long after being taken off of the respirator he will last, but it probably won't be long.

This came as a total shock to me. I had thought there was hope from the little bits of information I actually got out of Dad, but I guess he was mistaken, misunderstood, or just wanted very much to have hope. I am so saddened by this news.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words. I know that Hank would have appreciated them had he known about them.
 
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