Dad Is Not Doing So Well

It seems that Dad had been feeling really weak and was having difficulty getting around his place in Arizona, so my sister Treesie took him to the hospital. It turns out he had experienced a mild heart attack this past Sunday and was weak from the after effects and from some other issues.

He is scheduled to undergo lung biopsy surgery tomorrow at 1:00PM AZ time due to an unexplainable mass seen on his x-rays. They tried a needle biopsy yesterday, but the results came back as inconclusive, so now they have to open him up for a better look. If it turns out to be something like a tumor, the plan is to remove it while they are in there. The procedure is expected to take about 45 minutes. The discussion at this time is leaning towards him needing to undergo chemotherapy. In addition to the lung issue, there seems to be a problem with his legs that the doctors believe is due to an immuno-deficiency disease, which could be related to their concerns with the mass on his lung. There's quite a bit of information flying back and forth, but not all of the tests are back yet and it is hoped that the surgical procedure will bring the answers the medical staff is looking for. The cardiac specialist came in today and said that the damage to Dad's heart is extremely minimal and although they first thought he would need angioplasty and a pacemaker, the stress test he performed has shown that his heart is in good enough shape that he does not require either of these and he should be able to handle the surgery tomorrow.

All we can do is now sit and wait. And hope for the best outcome...