Open Heart Sugery

[ta0]

Great news! Dick's eldest son Dan wrote that the surgery went extremely well.
I registered Dan on the forum and he will give more information.

[DanStohr]

Hi all!

As previously mentioned, I'm Dick's elder son.  He came storming through with flying colors.  The Doctor came out after surgery and let us know that everything went as planned and he got the outcome he was looking for.  The mitral valve repair went well, so there was no need to replace it. The MAZE procedure restored the normal beating pattern.  They'll need to make some adjustments to his pacemaker as he comes off the meds, but he's doing great.  He was pretty entertaining coming down off of the anesthesia, but he was pretty lucid by the time we left the hospital around 7:40pm.  His breathing performance stunned the nurses, so his lung capacity is in great shape.  Overnight, they had him up and walking a little bit. He'll be in the ICU at least for today, then transferring to a step down unit for another couple of days before coming home.

Thanks to you all on behalf of the family for all of the thoughts, prayers, and expressions of support!  It means a great deal to my Dad to be part of such a welcoming community.

I'll keep you posted and let you know when he's coming home.

Best,
Dan

[MrYo]

Glad to hear good news, i hope to read Dick soon.

Maurizio

[the Earl of Whirl]

Yippee!!!

[Jack]

well this is good news 

[DanStohr]

Update:

They moved Dad out of the ICU overnight and into the step down unit.  He's doing visibly better each day.  He still tires easily, but they've got him up and walking around frequently, and he spent all of today upright in a chair rather than in bed.  We're hopeful he'll have the rest of the tubes removed tomorrow.  He could potentially be coming home Friday.  We'll see how things go.  I'm not sure how long after that he'd be able to hit the computer, but you can bet he'll want to do it as soon as he can.

Thanks again all for the wonderful support!  Dad was pleased to hear you were thinking of him.

Best,
Dan

[jrodriguez]

Really great news!

[lincolnrick]

That's great news!

[Larry D.]

Thank you for the updates Dan.
It's so good to hear that things went well and that Dick is progressing so nicely!

[jim in paris]

good news !!
don't take him home too early, or he's going to play yoyo and tops again in the bedroom!!
keep an eye on this valuable fellow ! we want him back on the scene in full form

the recovery pack is in the works (i smile in advance)

jim

[Dick Stohr]

I am back! It is hard to believe how good the TEAM was. Each and everyone did a wonderful job. I feel really well, no serious pain, a little tired but considering what they did I expect to be tired for a while. Probably no driving or top throwing for about 6 weeks. The sternum needs time to get strong again (for now it is wired together)  Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, it really meant a lot. More later, THANKS AGAIN!

[lincolnrick]

So glad to hear from you.  Rest up, work that throwing arm, and we'll see you spinning real soon.

[Larry D.]

So GOOD to hear from you Dick!
Here's to wishing you a speedy recovery! 

[yollector]

It is great to hear from you and that everything
went so well !!!!!
I hope to see you at the Nationals this year
because I think you still owe me a BEER.
               RFC

[the Earl of Whirl]

Wow!  The man is back!!!

Welcome back, Dick.  Glad you are able to post and do some activity.  Sorry top spinning is not one of them but now with all those youtube videos out there you can enjoy spinning without actually throwing.

Hope your recovery continues to go well.  My prayers are with you.