Grandfather having surgery tomorrow

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Specializes in GYN-ONC, MED/ONC, HEM/ONC.

Hello all.

I rarely post, but I know I am among friends here and fellow nurses. I too am a nurse, and have been for 2+ years. My 90-year-old grandfather will be having bowel surgery tomorrow, for a cancerous mass that was found on colonoscopy in is large intestine. His doctor tells us that he should not need chemo or radiation, just the surgery. I'm not sure if it is better or worse that I am an oncology nurse, and know what it is like in the hospital. I am so worried about him, he has so many comorbid conditions, one of which is heart disease. He has survived 4 heart attacks, has had a CABG 2 years ago, surgery on both of his legs for PVD, to name a few. I wonder if any of you have had family members with similar experiences, and what you did to help them, your family, and yourself get through it. Any ideas are welcome. I thank you all greatly in advance for any input. :heartbeat

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when by Grandpa had a lap chole. He was very old and sick and his Alzheimer's prevented him from being able to fully grasp what was going on. We coped with it by relying on one another. We all waited as a group in the waiting room. Unfortunately, as the token nurse in the group, I had to explain to everyone why I thought it was taking so long, if I thought there might be complications, etc. It helped that one of my former co-workers worked in the OR and came out to give updates every once in a while. The surgery ended up lasting almost 3 hours and it was a very tedious, tense wait.

I'll be praying for your Grandpa and your family to make it through tomorrow. :icon_hug:

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Hello all.

I rarely post, but I know I am among friends here and fellow nurses. I too am a nurse, and have been for 2+ years. My 90-year-old grandfather will be having bowel surgery tomorrow, for a cancerous mass that was found on colonoscopy in is large intestine. His doctor tells us that he should not need chemo or radiation, just the surgery. I'm not sure if it is better or worse that I am an oncology nurse, and know what it is like in the hospital. I am so worried about him, he has so many comorbid conditions, one of which is heart disease. He has survived 4 heart attacks, has had a CABG 2 years ago, surgery on both of his legs for PVD, to name a few. I wonder if any of you have had family members with similar experiences, and what you did to help them, your family, and yourself get through it. Any ideas are welcome. I thank you all greatly in advance for any input. :heartbeat

My best advice to you is to be there as much as you can to see what's going on. If you can't go have different members of the family take turns sitting with your grandfather. It doesn't guarantee everything will be "perfect" but it helps to watch out for him and his wellbeing.

Best of Luck and Good Wishes......

Your grandfather is certainly a survivor!!! :nurse:

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I will also be praying for your grandfather and your family. Please let us know how everything goes.

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Specializes in GYN-ONC, MED/ONC, HEM/ONC.

Thanks everyone for your support! You guys are great.

My pop made it through his surgery, it was successful, and he is doing okay. My mom, also a nurse is staying with him, and I will go up soon to help out. I wished I could have been there, but it seems she has everything under control. Now the real work for him begins, but at least he made it through anesthesia, which is what I was most worried about.

Thanks again for all your posts.:mad:

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hope things work out okay

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