The big beans are gone!

Though not without a bit of a fight. The surgery was long, but successful. In order to get the old guys out, the surgeon had to do a lot of cutting of scar tissue and moving things around. The right bean was bigger than the left, but both were at least the size of Nerf footballs! Because of all the scar tissue, they told us there would be some seepage into his abdomen, but we found out last night that he also has a large hematoma in his abdomen, but the docs aren't sure of the source yet. We had a bit of a scare Tuesday morning as Dad's blood pressure and hemoglobin counts dropped drastically, and we're currently hanging out in the (swanky, brand-new, hotel-ish) Intermediate Care Unit where they can keep a closer eye on him. (But seriously, this wing smells like a new hotel, not like a hospital, and there's a fold-down bed and a personal TV for whoever is hanging out with him!)

In great news, D'Artagnan is coming through like a champ! Creatnine level is back down to 1.5, and urine output is good. The doctors aren't worried about him at all, just making sure hemoglobin, blood pressure, and pulse stays steady and strong. Dad's currently working on burping and farting, so that's fun. ;) He's also sat up in his chair twice today, because he wanted to, not because the docs told him to, and he's definitely motivated to keep moving forward!

It's been a bit of an adventure these last couple of days, and healing is going to take longer than the "you'll be out in 2 days" prognosis we were led to believe, but the end game is still the same - that D'Artagnan pulls all the weight, and Dad can live a full life without the cyst pain that's been holding him back.

There have also been about 12 babies born in the last 36 hours here, according to the baby music that plays over the intercom, and that's always a fun thing to think about when you're hanging out with (old) people doing their best to get healthy! ;)

Thanks for all the love and prayers! - Annie