[Erika]

My SIL's father is going in for open heart, triple bypass surgery this morning. We are all very concerned, as his wife passed away just a couple of months ago and he is deeply grieving the loss of his wife of 55 years.

My brother/SIL's family has had a very hard year with several upheavals due to health issues affecting family members.
SIN had a melanoma removed six weeks ago and is due to have lymph nodes removed in January, and their youngest daughter had surgery 1 month ago to repair damage caused by an abusive attack by a former boy friend.

Please join the rest of our family in prayer and well wishes that today and the days to come go well for our very deeply loved family member.

Thank you so much.

With love, Erika

[ANNagain]

Prayer said for your SIL's father, Erika.

ANN

[Erika]

Thanks everyone,

We just got word that his surgery has been cancelled and rescheduled for January 9th.
The Canadian health care system strikes again.

At least the family will have more time to spend with him at home now.

With love, Erika

[Kitty]

Prayers being said, Erika. I hope the delay doesn't cause any additional problems.

[SallyC]

It seems, that the Health care system there nor here, have any heart.

Prayers being said for your SIL's Father and for your Family's well being.

[Sparky10]

Sending my best Get Well Quickly vibes!

[NurseNancy]

now i can send speedy recovery wishes and get well prayers to your whole family.

[ewizabeth]

God bless all of them and you too.

[doydie]

Erika, thoughts and prayers to you and your family as they go through this.As a nurse it was always just a routine for me to prepare a patient and family for open heart surgery, do the teaching, etc. Then it became personal when it was my Dad going. Now if my husband has to have it at some point in his cardiac history I know I will be a basket case.

I know we Americans complain so much about our health care but I guess we do have it better. I don't think an open heart surgery would be put on a back burner here.

[Erika]

Yes, it has been very hard on the family to have his surgery put off...6 times now; and all within that many days.
Imagine not only having a heart attack, but being subjected to a first surgical attempt at a stent, have that fail, and then get transferred to another hospital.

Then being scheduled for the triple by-pass, prepped, saying "Good-Bye" to your family...and yes many tears between father and daughter each time, only to get notified that the surgery has been bumped within an hour of undergoing it, due to a more urgent or an emergency case. It goes beyond being hard. It is a cruel twist of fate.

Yet it is no body's fault. The priority to save a life always takes priority when it comes to utilizing our limited resources here, and if the shoe was on the other foot, we would want any one of our loved ones to have an emergency surgery when they needed it...even if it meant bumping someone else who was critical, but more stable. That is the way our system is here.

This time of year there are more emergencies here with winter road conditions increasing car accidents, more people out shoveling snow and having heart attacks because of it etc. So the hospital decided that he had stabilized and that it would be best to wait until after the holiday season to get him in for his surgery.

He's been doing OK and so we all continue to hope and pray that he has the surgery as scheduled in January, and that he comes through it well.

Thanks for sharing in that hope and prayer everyone.

With love, Erika