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Thank you ever so much.

I wrote an update Monday and when I hit post it pooffed.
I was just too tired to redo it and haven't slowed down since to do an update.

We were back in the ER Last Sunday (the 20th) as I posted above.
The next Morning (Monday 21st) Doc comes in and tells Tom he will die today if he doesn't have an emergency surgery. Evidently Tom had a heart attack and didn't realize it because he was so sick and he didn't get the meds in time to repair/stop the damage to his heart. Doc said he was on his last string of anything working in his heart.
Well I almost fell on the floor. Then Doc says at best he will survive and need dialysis . There was no time left to put off the repair they found 3 weeks ago. He was at 99.9% blocked and something about the wall being weak and the dye would be tough on his kidneys since he was in trouble already with his kidneys. Of course, Tom was cool and I tried to be. He said go ahead with the surgery but do a damn good job because it has to last 15 years. Within 10 minutes they had papers signed, prepped, and gone to OR. (he got a knick on the prep more later).

I am standing there in his room with no bed and by myself. I go to the parking lot and just sit in the car. My cell rang and I was getting a play by play update from OR. He's in OR, He's knocked Out, He's about to do surgery, he's doing surgery, then I get a call from the Doctor. He is Russian and has a strong accent with a bold sound his first words out were "I fixed him. I saved his kidneys too." "We will both be back in his room soon". Wow what a relief, but it is all still scary. Sure enough by the time I called the kids again (between Tom and I we have 10).

He's back.
His color looks so much better but he is still really sick. He is shivering and shaking so badly his body leaves the mattress. They cover him with probably 30 blankets and ask everyone to grab a hand or foot and just hold and rub to try and get him warm. He was so cold they couldn't get a BP or any vitals. They had to use something in his IV (5 bags) that was extremely cold. We all patted and rubbed and kept covering him up. Finally after what seemed an eternity he spoke and someone was able to get a BP. He was having trouble breathing but within a couple of hours he was talking.
My son, Al, drives in from Kentucky to relieve me for the night.

Tuesday - He goes downhill again. He's gasping for air and can't breathe. Later he told me he thought it was all over and he would never be able to breathe again. His congestive heart failure was getting the best of him. How many more roller coaster rides can he take. Resp. Therapist comes in and they do breathing treatments and diuretics. My other son calls and he is about to be a Daddy in the same hospital. Now my daughter and her family are in from Jackson to help out. It was a day with mixed emotions.
I went to the Family waiting room in the maternity section to see everyone and to buzz in to see the soon to be mommy before the show started and ….. the next thing I know she says it's time and wants me to stay with them during delivery. So there I was along with her Mom joining in on the 1,2,3,4,5,6.7,8,9,10 count. What an awesome experience and what a miracle. I have to hand it to Christy she was a real trooper and never really "lost it" like so many do in delivery. She did want to stop one time ….she said she was hungry. All she got was a bunch of chuckles and I don't think so's. Another time she looked up at my son and said "You know, Bubba, if she's not pretty or cute, we still have to take her home".
Daddy is 6'4" 270 Mom is under 5' normally less than 100 lbs and wears a 0.
During the last couple of minutes up until the birth I put my cell phone on speaker and called my other son in the waiting room where he was waiting with our family and the mommy's family. He put it on speaker so they could all hear her being born. It was really cool. Oh and I would send pics. We would call Tom and give him updates.

Well they got a darling little tiny 5lb 11oz girl with dimples and blonde hair. I got to play with her while the nurse was cleaning her up and trying to get her to breathe and cry. Tiny little fingers and toes.
She wrapped her up like a burrito with her little gloves and hat and handed her to me. OMG she was so light it was like nothing in my arms. She would whimper and smile. Sigh….. What a miracle, Little Lilly Grace. Born at 9:22pm on 9/22/09
By Wednesday they have Tom back stable. He wants to see the Baby so bad but they won't let him out of the bed and the newborn can't come to ICU step down.

Thursday he is picking up some steam and eats about 5 bites of food (all day). He is still too weak to walk. Then they find out he is on overload of potassium and they have to expel it all. That is no picnic. By Thursday night he is much better and is back to teasing and being Tom.

Today, Friday, they release him from ICU step down to a regular room on a cardiac floor. Each hour he improves. They are going to xray his pins and arm to see how he is healing over the weekend.
He had me to sneak him some bread pudding and ice cream from the cafeteria and didn't have any trouble making it disappear. Plus he walked assisted a little ways down the hall and back tonight.
His Primary Doctor and his cardiologist agree if all goes well he can go home Monday.
Since July 19th he has been admitted to the hospital 5 times through ER. I think they got him fixed.
Thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes. Tom told me to blow ya'll all some good sugar.
Jen

Thanks! Today is Wednesday the 30th and Tom is still in the hospital. He is a bit perkier in his voice, and wants to come home bad.
Maybe he can in a few days the doctors say. First his kidneys have to get stable. The fixator on his arm will be coming off in a couple of weeks and is healing nicely.
The pacemaker/defib is working beautifully so much so that for the first time he says he doesn't feel his heart. Physical therapy is supposed to be working with him today on trying to walk.
Finally we can see some major improvements. It will be a slow process but hey, he's a fighter.