Surgery done
Before I go any further, I just want to say how much I love my chosen extended family over my biological/marital extended family . . .
K, my dad is through his surgery. It took them two hours from wheeling him out of the room to get started and then almost seven hours to complete it, but at least it's done. The doctor came in to talk with us afterwards (thankfully he waited ten minutes so we could calm down the step mom who went into full panic mode when they took us to a meeting room - of course my brother and I encouraging her to breath but not too much because they'd haul her to the maternity ward helped he and I if nothing else) but . . .
Doc came in said he was doing fine but would be on the ventilator all night since they finished so late. They got 99% of the grapefruit sized tumor that had wedged its way in and under the front left side of his brain . . . we made him stop and confirmed, a freaking grapefruit . . . he said yes and that it's probably been growing for 20 - 30 years!. . .he said it was softer than they though so they think it was based off of nerve cell and not the lining like they thought originally . . . the bits they didn't get were attached to blood vessels and couldn't be taken with out compromising the vessels (to the arms and legs evidently) . . . they have samples for pathology just to make sure but he's sure it's non-cancerous . . . they are leaving the on in the back left of his skull that's the size of a marble because they're pretty sure that it's the slow growing variety but they at least know it's there so they can watch it (of course I know he's been MRI'd, CAT scanned and everything else for at least the last 10 years and they missed a freaking grapefruit) . . . but he said that this should give him a greater sense of smell (none of us knew if he was missing it) and remove the growing apathy/lethargy he'd been going through and yeah, I can see that . . .
Basically the prognosis is good (in ICU for two or three days then on from there) and no other side effects (other than a racing stipe in his skull and some extra holes in his head)
And for the record, I lost the bet . . . I took the over 4 on the number of drill bits it would take to get through but the doctor confirmed it only took the one . . . damn . . . . . . thanks again for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated . . .
K, my dad is through his surgery. It took them two hours from wheeling him out of the room to get started and then almost seven hours to complete it, but at least it's done. The doctor came in to talk with us afterwards (thankfully he waited ten minutes so we could calm down the step mom who went into full panic mode when they took us to a meeting room - of course my brother and I encouraging her to breath but not too much because they'd haul her to the maternity ward helped he and I if nothing else) but . . .
Doc came in said he was doing fine but would be on the ventilator all night since they finished so late. They got 99% of the grapefruit sized tumor that had wedged its way in and under the front left side of his brain . . . we made him stop and confirmed, a freaking grapefruit . . . he said yes and that it's probably been growing for 20 - 30 years!. . .he said it was softer than they though so they think it was based off of nerve cell and not the lining like they thought originally . . . the bits they didn't get were attached to blood vessels and couldn't be taken with out compromising the vessels (to the arms and legs evidently) . . . they have samples for pathology just to make sure but he's sure it's non-cancerous . . . they are leaving the on in the back left of his skull that's the size of a marble because they're pretty sure that it's the slow growing variety but they at least know it's there so they can watch it (of course I know he's been MRI'd, CAT scanned and everything else for at least the last 10 years and they missed a freaking grapefruit) . . . but he said that this should give him a greater sense of smell (none of us knew if he was missing it) and remove the growing apathy/lethargy he'd been going through and yeah, I can see that . . .
Basically the prognosis is good (in ICU for two or three days then on from there) and no other side effects (other than a racing stipe in his skull and some extra holes in his head)
And for the record, I lost the bet . . . I took the over 4 on the number of drill bits it would take to get through but the doctor confirmed it only took the one . . . damn . . . . . . thanks again for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated . . .