Dad Update Part II

The surgery took over 4 hours today. My Dad had a really bad infection in the space between his right lung and his chest wall. The bacteria/infectious material was dead thanks to the antibiotics but it all needed removed. They drained the fluid and scrapped the gunk out and placed 3 chest tubes in to keep the negative pressure in his chest and drain the last bit of fluid.
That was one of the hardest moments of my life-to walk in to the CCU and see three chest tubes, a ventilator, 3 IV lines, 1 arterial line, pressure cuffs, etc. all hooked up to my Dad. I hope I never have to see him like this again.
The ventilator is so his lung gets a chance to heal. As of this evening they were already begining to adust the respirator down very slowly so he can be weened off of it no later than Thursday, sooner if he is up to it. He has two leaks in his lung right now from the scraping, apparently this is common. The chest tubes have to stay in until these heal.
He was sedated and on some really heavy pain medication but he still managed to nod a few times and smile a bit before he passed back out.
The plus to all of this: 3-4 days in CCU, 4-7 days in a private room, then home. In 4-8 weeks he will be completely back to his old self, puttering around the house, working a few hours at the gas station to keep from driving my Mom nuts, mowing the lawn and eating his favorite, T-bone steaks.
The scary stuff: if he smokes again, he dies. He has the beginning stages of emphyzema and this infection weakened his lungs as well. Scary stuff part II: If he hadn't gone to the hospital on Sunday, he would have been dead before Monday dawned. Scary stuff part III: he has to be very careful of colds and flu now.
Thank you sooooooo much for your thoughts and prayers. My Dad is an amazing guy, quiet, dry sense of humor, strong sense of ethics and morals, very big on the Do Unto Others rule, smart, strong and confident and I am so grateful I'm going to have all of that around for a lot longer. I may be creeping up fast on 31, but I'm still Daddy's little girl (I'm the youngest and the only girl in the family) and I still need him around.