On Tuesday, July 8, I arrived at the hospital for a scheduled resection of my colon and possible hernia repair. The doctor thought he could do it laporascopically. At 7:30 AM, I was wheeled into the OR. The surgeons realized there were too much scar tissue and had to open me up. The surgery lasted four hours. The colon was connected and the hernia repaired. In the recovery room, I was alert and feeling very well. The surgeon was amazed. There were no rooms in ICU so I was taken to a private room that evening. Wednesday morning, the surgeon came to see me and was very happy to see how well I was recuperating. He had thought of sending me home that weekend.
Wednesday afternoon, I began to crash. My heart rate skyrocketed, my blood pressure dropped to about 64/50 and my kidneys began to fail. Specialists were called in and I was transferred to ICU. When my family came to see me on Thursday, they were shocked to see me laboring to breathe. Pat told the people at church, and put me on the prayer chains. The cardiologist, pulmonologist, and nephrologists all applied their arts and skills, while my friends and family prayed for my recovery.
Friday afternoon my pastor, Fr. Richard, came to visit me, prayed with me and anointed me with the Sacrament of the Sick. As he left, another priest friend of mine, Fr. Jay, passed him in the hall. Fr. Jay prayed with me, and then Msgr. Ken prayed with me. I was still unable to breathe on my own, or even with oxygen. I needed a bi-pap to help me breathe.
Saturday I began to improve and was able to breathe with the help of oxygen. On Sunday morning, Fr. Paul stopped in to see me and to offer his blessing. The nephrologists ran into my room almost doing cartwheels. With a huge smile on my face telling me that he saved my life. My kidneys were functioning again. That afternoon I was able to breathe on my own and to sit up. I was sent to the step-down unit where I had begun on Tuesday night.
When the surgeon came in to see me on Monday, July 15, he was very surprised at the recovery that he called remarkable. I was sitting up, breathing on my own and ready to go home. I asked if I might go home on Wednesday or Thursday and he said it was possible. When the surgeon came to visit on Tuesday morning, he had a huge smile on his face. “All your functions are normal. Would you like to go home today?” I left the hospital on Tuesday night at 6 PM, thanks to the skill of the physicians, the prayers of my friends and the grace of God.
Thank you for your prayers. God bless you.
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