Post-Op Day 1 (Again)

UPDATE 9.59PM: At 5.30pm, after their usual meeting today, the doctors walked in to brief us smiling. Apparently they'd noted my comment about them being glum yesterday. ;-)

But they were genuinely smiling because Dad is doing well. He's still under sedation but everything is ticking along nicely. Which means that the op last night, even with the risks, was worth doing.

Still, recovery is recovery and we start again that long slow process. Patience and more patience. But hopefully, many more steps forward than backward.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts and prayers. We are relieved beyond relief.


ORIGINAL POST:
Dear folks, sorry I didn't post anything yesterday but there's a good reason for it. I walked into IJN about 5pm yesterday with a shopping bag full of fruit jellies to give my Dad. I went to ICU but nobody was there. The doctors are having a meeting, said the guard, so I thought I wouldn't disturb them and headed up to the 5th floor to my Mum's room. There I found her looking a bit stressed, with the physiotherapist who had come to convey a message that the doctors wanted to see the whole family. We set about calling all my siblings (one had just arrived from overseas) and headed downstairs for the meeting.

I've never seen the doctors look so glum. They explained that they finally found what was causing Dad to be so slow in recovery and to constantly feel weak. There was an infection at his wound (where they had cut him to do the bypass) which is quite normal for operations of this type. But to get rid of it, they needed to operate again. It was the only option. And they wanted to do it last night itself.

Imagine how we felt! Eighteen days after his bypass, he had to go through another operation again. And this would be tougher in some ways. When he went in for his bypass, he was fit and healthy. But this time he was considerably weaker. And his age is a factor.

They wheeled him in at 10pm. Before that we were all gathered around him praying and willing him on. It was hard not to get emotional but for his sake, we had to keep a brave face. I think it takes enormous courage to agree to another operation when you've only just had one and feeling weak. But Dad is nothing if not a trouper. And he's a doctor who understands what needs to be done.

I have to say that the surgeons and doctors were exceptionally kind to us, knowing how fearful we were. The same team that operated on him on Sept 4 (with the exception of Dr Schaff) also performed this operation. Right up to the door of the operating theatre, they continued to assure us that they'll take care of him and he'll be fine. We were completely confident that he was in very good hands, but we couldn't know what God had planned for him.

Five hours of nervous waiting followed. We prayed, we talked, we ate and we dozed off. The hours ticked by so slowly. At first we heard that he would be out by 2am. But that hour crept past without any news. At 2.30am I saw one of the doctors (not part of the operating team but who regularly cares for him) and rushed up to him for news. They should be done any time now, he said, but he didn't have details.

At 3am, Tan Sri Yahya Awang came into the waiting room with the other surgeons. Everything went as planned, they got the source of infection out! What an enormous relief! The following is the official IJN statement:


Institut Jantung Negara, 23 September....YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad has successfully undergone surgical wound debridement yesterday (Saturday, Sept 22) because of wound infection.


The surgery commenced at 11.30pm and ended at 2.30am. The procedure was undertaken by the same surgical team that performed the second coronary bypass surgery on Dr Mahathir at the IJN on September 4.

He is currently stable and has been put under routine post-cardiac surgery support.


He is expected to remain on support for at least 36-hours for post-operative care and will be put under close monitoring and observation by IJN doctors and nurses at the Intensive Care Unit.


The next 72-hours will be the crucial period in his post-operative care.


Tan Sri Yahya just came this morning to brief Mum. What a change of face! He looks so much better, and that's because he's really happy with Dad's parameters, ie all the stuff they measure to monitor his recovery. Syukur syukur Alhamdullilah!

So....please don't worry. He got through the operation OK. His heart is fine. Now it's a matter once again of recovery. For that I need to humbly once again ask for your prayers so that he will get through this well and as speedily as possible. Thank you so much.

Tolong jangan bimbang. Ayah saya telah berjaya melalui pembedahan kedua untuk membersihkan infeksi di bahagian pembedahan yang dijalankan pada 4hb Sept lalu. Sekarang hanya menunggu untuk dia pulih semula. Oleh itu, saya dengan rendah diri terpaksa meminta sekali lagi supaya anda semua berdoa supaya dia cepat sembuh.Terima kasih tak terhingga.

I have to say that in the past week I did downplay his condition and made it sound better than it was. I didn't want to worry anyone but the doctors were trying to figure out where the source of infection was. On Saturday afternoon they finally figured it out and hence, the reason for the decision to have the operation quickly. It's not been easy but it was the right decision.

I thank you in advance for your doas and prayers. Stay tuned for more regular updates.