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Basically what will happen is that you'll get to the hospital before he goes to surgery. My advice to you is to take things like any dental appliances, glasses, wallet, jewelry and keys with you so everyone will know where they are. Believe it or not, this is important, nothing's worse than being half conscious in recovery and wondering where the hell your stuff is, especially the necessary stuff.
They'll give him some light sedation before they have him climb onto the gurney for the ride down to the holding room. You'll be able to go down in the elevator with him and say goodbye right outside the holding area. You'll be shown where the waiting area is. You can hang out there for the first half hour or so, just in case someone has a question, then my advice is to head for the cafeteria, buy a newspaper and magazine, and chill for a couple of hours elsewhere. If you knit, bring that. Then you can return to the holding area.
Usually it's three to four hours after they've been wheeled through the doors until someone comes out to talk to you. It can take up to eight hours if there are a lot of small vessels to tie off. They generally whip patients from the OR directly to intensive care. It will take at least an hour to settle him down and make sure all the necessary equipment is functioning properly, then you will be able to see him briefly after the operation. He will be semiconscious and on a ventilator, unable to speak. There will be lots of IV pumps, wires, tubes, and machinery around him. This is normal.
If you live far from the hospital, consider checking into a motel nearby, just in case they call you overnight (90% of the time, they won't). Make sure the nurses station has the number. Make sure you have the direct number to the nurses station.
Most patients come off the ventilator and are transferred to a surgical stepdown floor the next day. This is when your job starts, because he'll need to start walking, tubes and all, and your help will be greatly appreciated. This is when you return all his stuff to him.
He's got the easy part until the day after surgery, he'll be asleep for most of it.
Bypass operations have gotten very routine at the hospitals that do them. The statistics are very good and most people are out within five to seven days and able to resume normal activity in six to eight weeks. Your surgeon will give you a better guide on this stuff, tailored to your hubby's overall condition.
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