h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Speedy healing for Dai - and a big for you.

Sending good wishes, and hoping that recovery is going well.

Breathing tube removed this morning, slowly coming round. Sttill in ICU but hopefully being moved to High Dependency Unit later today.

I was kinda surprised when people expected me to let them know that there was no news...but you live and learn!

He's a man! Doesn't that mean he's in High Dependency all the time?

Isn't that what Twitter's for?

It is indeed. Only trouble is, his Mum isn't on Facebook

But THAT - posting a status update on his wall - is proving to be SUCH a great way of letting all his friends know what's happening. Plus it's permanent, he'll be able to read everyone's good wishes when he's recovered enough to get back online.

Just spoken to his nurse - chest drains removed this morning, and he's now in High Dependency Unit, so we're making good progress. I'm going to pop over soon, I'm lucky that the hospital's not too far away.

Hmmmm, that was a bit tough. He's sitting up in the HDU, able to mumble the odd word, but very drowsy and disoriented. Still lots of tubes and wires attached, so he cant get his pyjama sleeve on, and he kept trying to pull it on properly. But I'm sure I'll see improvement each time I visit.

Car parking is a bit of a nightmare - I used my head, knowing that there are 2 lanes/ barrier gates into the car park, but most people are coming off the motorway, and so are queued at the first barrier they get to. I came in the other way. Still a bit tricky to find a parking spot, but I think I've sussed out the best places to try.

Clever you, with that parking.

Best wishes to the patient for a smooth recovery.

That time of night, it's easier to park by the university (try outside the students' union) and walk over - free, too!

That would be a bit of a trek, though - I think it's the Royal he's in!

Glad to hear it all went well and he's recovering well too, Bea.

Of course.

He is in the Royal - and from Lisburn its a pretty easy journey from junction 6 to 1.

Thanks Mala for your company yesterday evening

It wasn't a great night - I phoned before heading to bed, and they said he was being non-compliant - trying to get out of bed and refusing to wear his oxygen mask. Which meant his oxygen levels were falling low. They phoned me at 1 am to let me know they were taking him back to ICU and sedating him again. Plus a chest X-ray revealed some infection, so he's on antibiotics to treat that.

I know he was feeling very paranoid at evening visiting time, but they assured me that was quite usual. Looks like he'll be attached to wires and machines for a while yet (which means his Mum and sister wont come to visit just yet, which I can understand, but it means all the visiting is down to me, which is just exhausting.)

I'll phone again after 11 when the doctors have done their re-assessment.

I'm sure it is!

Sounds like the staff have him well in hand at any rate.

Try tro get some rest yourself, and treat yourself to something nice.

Hmmm, "Fairly stable" is what they're telling me. Don't like that "fairly". He'll be kept sedated all day.

Did they have any explanation as to why the operation took longer than it should?

Here's some flowers till he's up to








Attaboy Tinman!! Get well soon!

for Bea. Let me know if you want me to come over again for a game of scrabble or whatever.

I can never play Scrabble to take my mind off things. I'd only pick up letters like SRUGERY.

Scrabble's good! Anyone else on facebook, do please have a game with me!

Length of operation - well, for starters his surgeon had the reputation of being "slow and thorough", which I like in a heart surgeon. They did say there was a lot of calcification around the heart tissue due to it having had to work so hard, and this made it more difficult to work on.