Thank you to everyone who sent their support, thoughts, and well-wishes about fosteronfilm‘s dad. The news is all good. We arrived at the in-laws yesterday morning, checked in with my MIL, and then went to visit my DIL in the hospital.
He looked and sounded fantastic and was eating with appetite. The lung specialist dropped in, followed by the heart specialist, and we got the complete rundown about his condition and his prognosis, which is much better than originally thought.
He was indeed in critical condition when he came in last week, but they’re thinking that was due to an acute condition–most likely lingering effects from the infection from his earlier angiogram a couple months back–rather than a sudden worsening of his chronic heart/lung troubles. When they did an echo cardiogram of his aortic valve on Monday, it showed that what had been a critical blockage of the opening circumference on Thursdays had returned to its previous “severe” blockage–with “severe” being leaps and bounds better than critical. It’s still functioning at less than half normal, but it’s manageable and what he was at before Thursday.
It’s a degenerating condition, and they expect he’ll need to go in for the angioplasty procedure in a year or so–and it’s a variation of the standard angioplasty so needs to be done by specialist-specialists–where they’ll knock off the accumulated calcium around the valve. The procedure only has an effectiveness of about six months, due to the nature of the disease–the calcium accumulates again very rapidly–but it can be repeated. There’s 5-8% risk of stroke with the procedure due to danger of the dislodged calcium entering the bloodstream in addition to the other dangers with these sorts of procedures. But he’s holding steady now, on more meds to improve his breathing capacity, on oxygen round the clock, and they expect he should be able to maintain this level of functionality for a year, until they need to re-visit the angioplasty option.
I almost burst into tears (again) of relief when I heard the news. (I’ve been fairly useless this whole trip.) I’m so, so happy at this turnabout.
Matthew and I brought DIL home yesterday, and we all had a nice dinner together and called it an early night. Matthew’s brother swung by to get updated and caught up, and plans to come over again tonight. Matthew and I are running some chores for the in-folks today–grocery shopping and a trip to the hardware store–and we’re cooking dinner. Trying to make sure that his mom, who is intent upon bustling about and doing the attentive hostess thing, doesn’t, and instead takes it easy. And, of course, striving to ensure his DIL is comfy and doesn’t overexert himself.
I feel like the monster-beastie that’s been sitting on my chest for the last week has finally gotten off. A million hurrays.
Writing Stuff
Received:
– one no, one still pending, and one “this seems like more of a Weird Tales story so I passed it along to them” from Sean Wallace of Fantasy Magazine at 38-, 80-, and 79 days respectively.
– Contract from Jason Sizemore for “Nothing of Me” for Aegri Somnia.
– 48-day audio reprint SALE+contract of “The Storyteller’s Wife” to MechMuse. On a serendipitous note, I burned to CD the MP3s of issue #1 of MechMuse for the drive to Illinois and listened to over half the stories in the car, so now I’ve had a chance to hear what sort of publication it is. And lemme say that I am very impressed. The actors they hire are excellent, and the stories I’ve heard have been top notch, especially the two by David Barr Kirtley (who also happens to be a fellow Phobos Winner). The editor informs me that “Storyteller’s Wife” will be in the May ’06 issue alongside a story by Kevin J. Anderson. Sweet.
I’m happy to hear your DIL is doing better.
Thanks, Aimee! Me too. Me too!!
That’s great news, Eugie! I’m so glad your dad-in-law’s okay. 🙂
Thanks, Maggie. I’m so very relieved.
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!!!
CONGRATULATIONS on such wonderful, wonderful news!!!
::HUGS::
*HUGS* Thank you, sweetie!
Eugie, I’m so glad that your DIL is doing fine !
Thanks, sweetie. Me too!
Hurrah! What a relief!
God, yes. I know dad is still very sick, but it feels so much better knowing that he’s at least ok for right now.
Very happy to hear that your dad in law is doing well.
Thank you! Me too, a thousand times.
What a relief! Y’all must be feeling SO much better!
I feel like jellied Eugie is what I feel like. It’s like my muscles and bones were brittle with anxiety and stress and now they’ve gone floppy. So yes, definitely much better.
Yay! Good news is always welcome. I know that feeling well. 🙂
Many, many “yay”s!
Thank God, Eugie. I’m so relieved for you and your family. Best wishes to you all.
*hugs* Thank you so much.
Oh, what a relief! Eugie, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you! :hugs:
*hugs* Thanks so much, sweetie. My bones feel gelatinous from relief, but I’m a very happy jello mold.
Yay for happy jello! (The Jigglers kind, I hope! 😉
That’s wonderful news all around, Eugie!! *hugs*
*hugs* I’m so happy this has turned out so much better than we thought it could. Things still aren’t great.‘s dad is very sick, and he’s never going to be well again, but he’s okay for now, and that’s all I could ask for.
Congratulations on the good news. I was so worried for you two. *Hugs for you and Matthew*
*hugs* Thankyou thankyou.
Oh, thank goodness! I’m so glad he’s all right. Huzzah for good news!
*hugs*
Huzzah indeed! *hugs* Thank you for all your supportive words and well wishes, Naamah; they’ve been greatly appreciated.
I’m glad he’s all right, Eugie! That’s wonderful news!
Thank you! I’m relieved and delighted beyond the telling of it!
That was me above! Must have gotten logged out..anyways, glad everything is OK!
Thank you! God, me too.
Excellent! I’m very relieved to hear this myself. *hugs*
When will you be home?
*hugs* Not sure yet when we’ll be back. Matthew and I are thinking of leaving Friday PM, but his mom is trying to get us to stay the weekend. But then, she always tries to get us to stay longer. As Matthew said yesterday, if we told her we were coming to visit for six years, she’d probably pout and say “Can’t you make it six years and ten days?”
So, yeah, if everything’s stable here, we’ll probably leave on Friday, and be back in Alpharetta on Saturday.
Um, oops. I forgot I wasn’t logged in. That was me, of course.
Such great news on all fronts. I am so happy for you all. Kevin Anderson should be saying that he’s proud his story is next to yours.
Thanks, sweetie. I’m so relieved.
“Kevin Anderson should be saying that he’s proud his story is next to yours.“
*snort* Hmm, lemme see: NYT bestselling writer or . . . ‘lil nobody me. I think I’ll just continue to beam at having something tangentially associated with his success.
That is *so* wonderful to hear. May the new continue to be good.
Thank you!
Glad to know your DIL is doing ok. 🙂
Now, aren’t you glad I told you about MechMuse?;)
You and Kevin J. Anderson in the May issue, eh? Time for me to scrounge up some pennies.
BTW: I might not make it to Frolicon. The IRS decided to be [enter fave expletive deleted here] and withhold my refund until a certain matter gets cleared up. So yeah, I get penalized for their screw-up. That’s the IRS for you.
Thanks on all fronts!
“BTW: I might not make it to Frolicon. The IRS decided to be [enter fave expletive deleted here] and withhold my refund until a certain matter gets cleared up. So yeah, I get penalized for their screw-up. That’s the IRS for you.“
Well pook. That sucks craptacularly.
*Does Dance of Extreme Relief on behalf of Eugie and Matthew*
I’m very glad for you. The waiting with sick parents is Hell.