A new day but the same sorrow

As you all know by now; my love of my life has gone to a better place. A place where he can walk, talk, dance and hunt morel mushrooms or deer ,whichever he chooses. None of it has made since to me from the very beginning but I have continued to believe that God has a plan for him and us. At one time I thought "well we could clone mick" ;o) Then I remembered that when God made him they broke the mold because THERE WILL NEVER be a more sincere, helpful, outgoing, sometimes a little coo coo, dedicated, stubborn, hard working and anything else a person could be...made again.... God needed him more than us and maybe Mick being all of those things will make us think twice about the love of friends, family, strangers and labor.
There are so many thoughts that have gone through my head that I can't think straight but I did want to let everyone know that I SO GREATLY APPRECIATED all the love, support and prayers for Mick and our family.

At peace

2:45 today; Dad is in peace with God

Long night...

Mick is still hanging on as everyone has prob. gathered from prev. posts. Things are progessing slowly but things are changing. The nurse this morning said she would be surprised if he lasted rest of the day. His oxygen level continues to slowly decrease. Pray harder for him to let go and go to a place where he will no longer feel suffering. I have to give you all a laugh for the day since we have not had any for weeks...Our dear sweet Rae Ann (I think 6 yrs. maybe 7 now..she's growing up too fast ...(friends little girl) was told about Mick going to heaven to be with God... her reply to her mother was "Did Shannon say it was o.k. for him to go?" Out of the mouths of babes....During my tearful moments reading that made me laugh and thought "only little ones would think such a thing" and how true it is... BUT, it is just like Mick to do as he wanted... he would ask and then do it anyhow if he really wanted to do it.... "SOUNDS like a few other people I know."...;0)

Annoyance

2 hrs. sleep. Laying next to Mick as if not worrying about Mick isn't enough; Aggrivation with this floor. He's suppose to get ck'd on 1x hr. it's been averaging 2-3; even when I press the button for them to come. They take their good sweet time. Maybe I need to be like the mom from Terms of Endearment"and run through the halls yelling so everyone knows it's time for his shot . NO, I really won't do it but if a time comes and I have to everyone will know that he requires attention. I am going to be speaking to Dr. this morning. They told me Mick would not gasp for breath because I was told they would keep him "morphined" enough... Well....they lied. I'm not happy to have to chase them down.

Praying for Peace...

As I sit here next to Mick wishing God would fullfill his plan I think of Amanda's question. She asked why hasn't God taken him yet; only answer I had was "maybe God was still making room for him" as stupid as it sounds it makes since to me. After all why would he make him continue to suffer. Mick was taken off of life support at 11:47 today. Although he has trouble breathing; he is breathing on his own. His blood pressure & oxygen has been all over the place for most of the day but at this time seems to be stable. We all new he was a fighter unfort. at this time he just needs to know that he can go in peace. The Dr. ruled this morning of taking him off of life support and we agreed. We were told that Mick's life would be no more than what it is now. Never waking up and laying in bed for the rest of his life. We were also told that he did have another stroke at some point within the last 2 weeks. Dr. A ...said hopefully he should go within 2 days..we are praying for that. Today has been the hardest thing we have had to do; say goodbye to someone that only God knows when we will see again. Our hearts break but we know it is the best thing for him. For now I will enjoy laying next to him on the cot; listening to his snoring for the last time. Pray for his peace.

Tomorrow.....

No words can describe the many feelings and emotions that all of us our going through right now. What seems like such a long 5 months has also went by so quickly. Tomorrow we will take dad off of life support. We are fulfilling dad's wishes by not keeping him this way. Dad also wanted to be an organ donor so a lucky recipient will possibly get a new heart and many other body parts within the next few days from my dad. They even said someome in the St. Louis area could receive something within a day. Which would make dad proud. Just pray for dad to be at peace and pray for my family to have strength as we all will need it.

Love,

Jess

Life's Disappointments

Mick's blood pressure and tempature fluctuated all day. Left the hospital a few minutes ago and it was 85/? can't even remember now but it was low with a average of 72 for systolic. Dr. A. came into today for a minute to tell us he still needs to do exam on Mick and write up a report. I made a statement about we have been holding out for hope and he said we all have. He agrees there is no change, and no positive signs. After 2 weeks the risk of damage becomes much higher...He knows where we are with Mick's wishes and Wed. is the 2 week "protocol" for the hospital and he said tomorrow or Wed. he will get with us and discuss things so the "burden" will be off our shoulders. No matter what he says the guilt will always be there. The only thing that is going to get us through is knowing Mick will no longer be in pain and he will be at peace with loved ones that have gone before him. Pray for his peace with no suffering.

Roller Coaster

Mick has been on a roller coaster ride since last night. As you all know he spiked a fever last night and had trouble controlling all night. His blood pressure and his tempature has been going crazy since last night. If his temp. is not 102 it drops below 94.... Today they did an EEG to see if he has been having seizures because of some off the wall vitals. He had an episode right after they hooked him up. They said it is not seizures but they can not tell us what it is. His prem. bloodwork came back saying no growth for infection but they said the "true" results can take up to 5 days and they do not know why his tempature keeps rising and then falling. No answers just guessing games and at this point they are just telling us it is possible that it's just his brain not regulating vitals like it should be doing. Every time I see him in an episode it looks like he's in pain but again they just shake their heads at me and tell me "it's just reflexing"...I'm having a hard time believing these answers anymore. Tomorrow should be the day that is sched. for CT scan. It did not get done today so I'm assuming it will be tomorrow.It's becoming harder for me to accept these answers because I feel like I'm letting him down. His request not to go through all this junk is me not keep my promise because the Dr. keeps saying "a little more time". What I have learned is everyone wants a little more time. Me, well I want a lot more time but then I would not be fulfilling his wishes. I have done a lot of things in my life that I really did not want to do BUT this is the most difficult and most heart wrenching that I have to do. Thinking about it takes my breath away; thinking about living without him tears me up. So much fear of having to think about starting over without him, how our girls will deal with it and loneliness that I have never felt before. The next few days will be dealing with all of these feelings including the guilt that has overcome me. Guilt because things are not what we wanted, guilt for thinking I'm letting him down and guilt thinking "I should have known" and stepped in when things just were not like Mick.If we only had a looking glass into the future would things have been done differently or would we do things differently now.Just pray for peace for him. My fear is him being in pain and us making the best decision for him. How will we know that this is the right decision. I'm praying for a sign; unfort. I think I have been getting it but my heart doesn't want me to believe it.

Another Update

Found out last night dad spiked a fever of 102 around 6pm, which most likely means there's an infection. The nurses took blood and will send it to get cultured to determine where and what it is. Nurses put cooling blanket on dad to help lower his temperature, it was a struggle. They finally got it down this morning. Now they are having problems keeping his temperature up. It has been around 94 and below. His blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, etc. (vitals) were going crazy all through the night. When mom checked in this morning they said he is finally stable. Keep praying.

Love,
Jess

Update

Every night before mom tries to get some sleep she always calls the hospital to check on dad. Last night the news was not good. Dad's blood pressure has been dropping to the systolic at 80. They gave him iv's last night to help. As soon as mom woke up this morning she called over again. His blood pressure ended up dropping three more times throughout the night. When your blood pressure drops down so low it begins to cause your organs to shut down. We have decided not to treat it with medicine because after discussing it with the doctor it is just another strike against dad. We have decided we are going to put the situation in God's hands since the situation is getting worse and not better. These last few weeks have been some of the hardest on us and we just want dad to be comfortable and happy with his life. We will keep you updated, as always, as things progress.

Love,
Jess

Needing a Miracle...

Nothing has changed with Mick. Same vitals that fluctuate and same reflexes but unresponsive to any tests that they do. Dr. A. will be out of town until Sunday afternoon. Dr. Ryan called today and said Dr. A had called him and he agrees that 2 week time is more than enough time for a positive result which we have not had. He also said that waiting past that is going to put Mick in a state where he did not want to be. Talked to another one of the Neurosurgeons before we left the hospital and she said they always have hopes for their patients but sometimes reality doesn't follow through. With all this information given unless a Miracle happens by Wed. we have to decide what the next steps are; which is to take him off life support. My heart is very heavy once again. Like everyone else who would feel this loss I am having a hard time with this because I just don't want to let go. Mick and I have been together since May 16th, 1985 our Senior year in high school. I can't imagine life without him and having to think of the end is not what I want to do. I keep waiting for him to wake up and tell me to "get off his back" because he went farming, drinking, or whatever it might have been. Funny how things change because in our "adult" life recent words of "Where have you been" or "What took you so long" is what I have heard from him. Now missing and wishing I could have all the laughter and tears back; and I would take everything back and he could hunt,fish, and whatever he wants to if he comes back to us. Miracle is what we need...lots of prayers for a miracle...for him to come back to us to walk and talk and do his stupid dance at the community building that is so embarrassing to anyone around. But, how we will all miss that if a miracle does not take place. Unanswered prayers is def. not what we want but I know God has a plan!

Thursday

8 days and counting. Mick is the same as days before. Only change is the way people are looking at the outcome that is inevitable. The Critical Dr. came in and talked to me for about 45 minutes. Very pleasant person. She informed me that everyone believed that Mick would not make it off the table and if he did that he would wake up right away. Now they are shocked that it's been this long and he still is not awake.I haven't given up hope and still believing whatever God's will is THAT is what will take place. Just praying that it is the same plan that Mick wanted so much. Life or Death and not be left as a vegetable. So, I'll I can say is continue to pray for his peace of what is meant to be.

Wed.'s news...

It HAS BEEN 7 days since surgery. There is no change. Only thing to mention is Mick's face turned red as a beet after he was given a bath. They said he does that normally , I just haven't been around during that time but they did it earlier and I got to witness the color change. OTHER than this his right arm was double the size as it was this afternoon. So swollen now that his arm bands are digging in. They said they have to have the Dr. to take a look; they think it might be the blood clot.

Todays information...

Mick's blood pressure and breathes per minute were once again low. They increased his oxygen a little bit again. They said that sometimes it's needed so he doesn't tire out when it gets low like that. His blood sugar was high so they gave insulin. Only other thing that has happened is his body temp. continues to stay low most of the time. The Dr. showed up about 7pm with another patient and popped his head in to ask how I was doing. We talked for a few moments which he said once again he would like a little more time; which I have no problems in doing...anyhow I asked him the question of why he wants more time because I learned today he is a very conservative doctor. I asked did he want more time just to see what's going to happen or "hope" something was going to happen. His reply was " The odds are stacked up against Mick"....
So, that's where we are keep praying ... and when I say that pray fbut or Mick's best interest and what he would want.

Monday & Tuesday's Updates...

Monday:Hello to all... I understand it gets confusing trying to text and talk in between but I think it's important that everyone has the information that is needed.Mick has no consciousness...He has yet shown any signs of him waking up. His pupils are still unresponsive.His movement per Dr. Abdulrauf and nurses are REFLEXES ONLY.His blood clot is not as serious as his leg but is serious enough but they are not able to do anything other than warm compresses.Lastly: MICK IS NOT OFF BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS.... that was a 1x thing because his blood pressure was staying too low. I confirmed this with the nurse 5 minutes ago. He is on 4 different blood pressure meds. And will continue until Dr. says otherwise. He is on several other medications along with the blood pres. meds.I understand that reading into things is holding onto hope but Dr. Abdulrauf continues to tell us not to hold on to false hope. He continues to say until he wakes up and follows commands he's deep into the woods. Today in conversation HE told us that NOW would be the time we would need to do a DNR. If something was to happen at this time it would be catastrophic and there would be no hope at all.I want all of you to know that we are not going to do anything that is not in Mick's best interest. We know what his wishes are and we will do JUST that when we think and the Dr. thinks it is time. It's not about us it's all about what Mick would want. I keep telling myself that he is just exhausted and just needs a little more time. I'm holding onto that hope but I still have to realistic because of what we have been told all along. It's hard enough now and I don't want anyone blindsided. I KNOW God has a plan for him and whatever it is will show itself when he wants it to.All I can ask is that you pray for Mick; pray not just that he wakes up BUT he is Mick because the LAST THING he DID NOT WANT is to be a vegetable and there are high chances of that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tuesday:Just talked to Nurse and Mick is the same; no changes of any sort.

Long story short...

Mick still not awake, been running fever, breaths per minute have gone from 21-22 to 10-14, new blood clot in arm. Dr. said a DNR needed to be done because at this point if something major happened it would be catastrophic. Vitals have been unstable.

News from Nurse

I called to check in on Mick before I went to bed. The nurse said Mick's Dr. told them to increase his oxygen again. Mick is working to hard to breath and he doesn't want him to have to work so hard. They confirmed that the Dr. will be talking to us sometime tomorrow.

Sunday's News.............

Nurse said Mick is the same other than the fact they had to put a warming blacket on him. His temp. continues to drop below 95. This is the 3rd time since surgery. Early afternoon the Critical Care doctor came in and they decreased Mick's oxygen level. They said Mick is breathing on his own but needs assistance. Mick has not waken up yet and he would not be able to breath completely on his own so they have to continue the oxygen. Mick continues to have reflex impulses.Hopefully more news tomorrow; Dr. is suppose to catch up with us tomorrow so maybe he will tell us something positive.

Woman in waiting.................

Just wanted to let everyone know of todays update. The girls and I went to see Mick before they left to go back to Pilot Grove. The Dr. wanted to show us films from before and after. Prev. films show how much the large anuerysm was filling again. He then showed us the progress from after the clips were put in. Looked good. Now the bad part.... Mick has had several mini strokes; they have to continue the path they are taking and watch because these can continue. He also stated that they are watching the "critical" vessels that regulate sleeping, talking, etc. They have taken him completely off of sedation to see how he does and if he wakes up. Today they also put in a feeding tube; at this time they are waiting for Xrays to say it is o.k. to start the feeding tube. They due this to make sure it is in the right place. Other than this information he moves areas of his body when being pinched. This is one of their ways to check functions. I will continue the updates if something changes. All I can say in ending is the Dr. said to make sure the family does not get to excited over any of this because he is "deep in the woods". He does not want anyone to have false hope. He said for him the positive moment will be when Mick responds to commands....
Fr. Jim the Priest at the hospital has been a very good listener during these times when when such words are said.
Thanks for the prayers..

Daily Update

Yesterday was definitely a long day for dad, surgeons, and our family. Surgery lasted for over 12 hours but surgeon said it went well. They were able to clip both aneruysms and also found a 3rd one behind the other two, they were able to clip that one as well. They said the the 3rd one found was more dangerous than the large one because of how thin it was and the blood flow. We were also told that Amanda, Steph, and & I would need to be checked out because these type of cluster anuerysms are hereditary. Now comes the waiting period. ... Dad is under heavy sedation to keep him asleep for at least 48 hours. The doctors will check on him regulary but will not be able to assess what physical & mental abilities he still has or lost during the procedure, etc. He is also on a ventilator (breathing machine) and as of this morning he was trying to take 3 breaths a minute on his own. Right now he is getting an angeogram done to check for any bleeding on the brain. We will continue to update as we find our more. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

P.S. They did not have to due any type of bi-pass or trechiotomy. That was a WONDERFUL thing...that was another HUGE BLESSING!

Love,
Jess

Preparing for Surgery now....

Lots of information from last night to today. Learned last night that more than likely Mick will always have a breathing tube. Todays the day of surgery and also learned that feeding tubes and so many other means of survival are very possible of his outcome. The Dr. said that normally he does not take this high risk of a case but Mick's symptoms would increase and death would be a for sure thing. This procedure is to try to relieve pressure but the symptoms and the outcome unless there is a miracle (my words) is not a positive one. The Dr. wants a couple of days after surgery to see how he does and then more plans will taken. They will keep us posted every 2 hrs. and surgery will be 10-12 hrs. estimation.Pray for no suffering. God has a plan and as hard as it is I know that is what we have to accept. We want him to come out of this and be the Mick that we've missed so much but we do not want him to suffer.

Today's News...

Today Mick had his angigram. Was not a normal test. They informed me at 930 that the test was very high risk of a stroke the way they were to perform it. They put a balloon up in an artery close to the anuerysm to block off blood flow to the anuerysm. This process is to see how his brain functions with no blood flow. Said it would take about 2-3 hrs. at least and it took 2.45 min. However, the results was not good. They just started asking him questions (he had to be completely awake) and within 1 minute it was nothing but jibberish. They had to stop the procedure. There hopes was he could handle this type of blockage so they would not have to open his chest and put him on bi-pass. Now they have to go to one of their other plans. The Dr. will come and talk to us at some point during the late afternoon/evening.

In case you are wondering Mick is o.k. other than headaches due to this procedure. Well, enough to ask for a milky way when he seen me.

Changes again...

Surgery will now be on WED. & THURS. I expressed my aggrivation and they called the main Dr. who is out of town. He said he is the boss and did not know why the Cardio Dr.'s and the "resident" Dr.'s told us it would take place on Tuesday. He also said that he was in conference with other Neurosurgeons at his conference over Mick's surgery. They were trying to come up with a plan where a Heart/Lung Bi-pass would not have to take place and surgery would only have to take 1 day. I was hopeful until the Cardio Dr. came in and said that it would not take place like that because of the new complication. Mick and his blood clot in his leg complicates them going through the groin so they have to open his chest up; cool down his body and put him on bi-pass. So, the plan is tomorrow he will have the major angigram that they have been talking about; he'll have to lay still for 7hrs. after the procedure. Tuesday they will do another CT scan with contrast and some other type of test that they didn't tell me about. Wed. will begin the surgery; possibly an external shunt will be put in after other shunt taken out; bi-pass from arm to brain might still be done (pulling vein-artery) to do this (still confused over this process)... and then the trechiotomy. Several of these are still waiting to find out results from tomorrows test. Pray for only positive results so there are no more delays or maybe we can cut out some of these procedures.
Laugh of Day:My mom and I were in Mick's room and she was telling me how she sold my brothers chain saw at her garage sale and said she could sell one for $25. Mick was suppose to be asleep... Next thing we heard was Micks threats mind you ...."Mick's eyes were closed" he said "YOU SELL MY CHAINSAW FOR $25 AND YOUR A** IS GRASS!"...My mom laughed so hard. I asked him if he was going to be mad at my mom and he said " NO, YOU".... I always get blamed even if it's not my fault..... lol...that's o.k. I'll just go with the flow.

Laugh of the Day...

Found out today Sister Judy came in to check on Mick. She asked how he is doing... His reply : "I'm so hungry I can eat the a**hole out of a horse....It didn't offend the Nun too much because she came back today.

Mick's info for those who are visiting...

Mick is now in NICU 530 until after surgery.Visiting hrs. 11-830 (even for immediate family)
He can have balloons, stuffed animals.....CAN NOT have live flowers and he CAN NOT have outside food
You have to be beeped in to NICU
2 people in at a time.

Friday's updates

Mick had his venitrical procedure this morning to put a filter to block the blood clot from going to his heart.He has seen the opt. department, dermatologist 2x, cardioligist students 2x (residence too), physical therapist. and of course the procedure that was done. He had a full day.I met with the Dr. that has been caring for Mick since he came in and had a deep conversation including me telling her what I thought about them changing the dates again and all the unknowns that they have been keeping me out of the loop. I told her I understood she is in the middle of the conversation because it's all up to Dr. Abdulrauf and the Cardio but this postponing and not giving me answers is for the birds. I said a few other things and in the end she came back to tell me she relayed the message to Dr. A and Cardio would down to see Mick and have a definite answer. I guess it does pay to be blunt at times!Anyhow it was confirmed by 3 Cardio members that the surgery would in fact take place on Tuesday. Estimation with prep and surgery for both days is about 12 hrs. We shall see if Dr. A says the same thing or something different.---------------NOW..something funny and sad all rolled up in one....Mick had Wheel of Fortune on the t.v.... he was not watching it just staring at the ceiling like normally. However the answer to the puzzle was "Going to the Chapel".... which I started singing and without missing a beat Mick piped in and did the next verse... sad part is it started crying but he continued to sing with me. MOMENTS.... that will make me smile for a long time..Knowing he is still thinking about things like us although things aren't always clear.We will have so many memories when he gets out of the hospital.

Tired...

But not as tired as Mick. He has been put through the ringer today. As stated before lots of tests, MRI,CT Scan, ENT, Speech theparist, bloodwork, Opthamologist, Vesicular (sp) test ran on feet and legs, and many other things. When the speech therapist came in to test his swallowing she asked me questions about what he eats at home and reactions to foods. I told her exactly what she asked... Mick's reply was "Shannon! Don't tell her...she won't feed me! In addition to this we had to leave the room when he was being tested or taken for tests; when returned the last time he was quite upset because they had to dialate his eyes and he couldn't see. He's had several things going on and me not being able to be in there with him has stressed him out where his blood pressure has raised since he has been here. He told me he didn't love me because I wouldn't give him a burger. Poor guy did not get to eat until 7:45pm... Last time he ate was 8:30 am yesterday morning. Now the bad news; they found a large blood clot in his right leg. He will now undergo a procedure in the morning to filter the blood clot. The fear of it going to his heart or brain is great just like any other clot but the anuerysms complicate things.So, once again just say a prayer for peace.Thanks to everyone for prayers and concerns.

Thursday's Update

Since Dad is in N-ICU(Neuro Intensive Care) we cannot see him until 11:00 and visiting hours end at 8:30....only 2 people at a time also. As you can imagine by the time we saw him this morning he was pretty upset and thought we left him for good. He was also upset at mom for not leaving her cell phone number for him, even though he has no way to call. We wrote it on the board for him today! He has already had a CAT scan, an ENT vocal test thing, an MRI, and later tonight a Speech Therapist is coming to look at how he is swollowing things because he's choking so much while eating. They will also run a test on his feet and ankles tonight to make sure there are no blood clots from all of the falls, since both feet are still so swollen. Dad has also told us he has been poked a lot! :-) He still makes us laugh/smile! He is also upset because they still have not fed him, which means the last time he ate was yesterday morning before he was air lifted from Boone, which he did not like either! I feel pretty bad for him...he told the nurse he would even take a peanut butter sandwich! Even though he is upset at quite a few things he still seems to be doing alright. We will keep everyone updated as more tests are ran in the coming days. Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers.Jess

Change again!

I'm getting really annoyed! Went to Boone hospital to check Mick in to be transported. Got there about 8:30 did not leave for transport until 11:50. Once at St.Louis had to repeat everything about Mick 2x to surgeons from the very beginning of this whole ordeal. No, I wasn't happy. Then the Dr. on call told me that Mick will not be having surgery on Monday; more than likely it will be Tues. & Wed. She said since Dr. Abdulrauf is gone until Sunday night they won't be doing the angigram until Monday because he wants to be there. She also said that because of Mick's issue with swallowing that they will more than likely do a treachautomy for surgery. That blew my mind. Anyhow, they have been doing lots of tests. A lot of other tests like MRI,CT scans and a bunch of other stuff will be done tomorrow and the next few days. She thought they would be doing the external shunt Sat. or Sun. The ENT will come in and do testing for Mick's swallowing to see exactly what Mick is capable of. I was mad because they did not get to him today therefore THEY WOULD NOT LET HIM HAVE FOOD all day.! He just wanted to eat. Lucky for him the nurse at 8am said to let him have breakfast. The lastthing she said is this is more complexed because he had the coiling done and that becomes difficult for them when they clip the anuerysms because it sometimes does not allow the clip to close which causes other problems. That's the scoop; Oh and we are staying in the hospitality house which is nice but you know it's scarey when the nurse tells you "DON'T WALK OVER BY YOURSELF" OR STOP AT ANY GAS STATIONS AROUND HERE... Which that part we figured when we pulled on Grand and there sat 3 police cars with 4 thugs sitting against a rail on the ground... Lord pray for the sinners and keep us safe! ;0)

Mick headed to St.Louis

..Mick will being taken by ambulance or airlifted from Columbia to St Louis Univer hospital tomorrow to prepare for removal surgery on Monday...(that's the plan) we hope nothing changes. Mick has had symptoms come back that he had prior to the shunt along with new symptoms. On Thurs. they will begin tests and angigram. They will also change his shunt to an external shunt so they can watch how it's draining. Please pray for healing for him, and strength and peace for our family!

Mick's news

Rec. a call from Micks Neurosurgeon in Columbia. Very concerned about information that wasn't given in St.Louis and the fact that "false hope" might have been given. He wants to make sure we have all the information and that we don't allow them to push off the surgery. He said he is willing to do surgery on a Saturday if need be because surgery needs to take place soon. I know this surgeon in St.Louis is suppose to be great but greatness isn't going to matter if they postpone it so long that it's too late. Pray for a speedy decision. I keep telling myself tomorrow or Wed. we will have more answers. If not we might be looking at Dr. Ryan doing it again.

ST.LOUIS

The verdict is in. Went to see the Neurosurgeon in St.Louis. Unfort. Boone Hospital did not send all the discs that were needed so we did not get all the answers we wanted.The doctor is very confident in doing the surgery. Have read and was told today he is World Known for his work. People come from all over to have him do their surgery. He talked to us briefly about what would take place and that after he receives the other disc he will look it over and has a meeting setup with his team on Tuesday. He will then call either that night or Wed. to let us know the plan of action. I asked about % sense that is all we have heard and only negative about having this surgery done. As of yesterday the retired surgeon what Dr. Ryan to tell us that he has done 12 Annuerysms of this size and only 4 came out good. However, this doctor said he does surgeries of this sort weekly; not nec. just like it but other complexed surgeries. He also said that it is very complex surgery and there is a great deal of risk but he can not put a % on the surgery because each one of these surgeries are not alike. Again he felt confident in doing it and has a great deal experience in doing so. He left by saying he will treat Mick like he's his own family. I am disappointed that we went that far and did not get the information that we needed. Date, risk % , etc. However, him being as confident about taking care of Mick made me happy. I think it was just comparing apples and oranges because I do not have to pull information out of Dr. Ryan and never have. He did praise Dr. Ryan for realizing that someone more capable should be doing this surgery.So that's the scoop. We will not know more until next week. They have to look over everything with the team and move sched. around so they can get the surgery done in July. It will NOT be in the next week as orginally planned.The verdict is in. Went to see the Neurosurgeon in St.Louis. Unfort. Boone Hospital did not send all the discs that were needed so we did not get all the answers we wanted.The doctor is very confident in doing the surgery. Have read and was told today he is World Known for his work. People come from all over to have him do their surgery. He talked to us briefly about what would take place and that after he receives the other disc he will look it over and has a meeting setup with his team on Tuesday. He will then call either that night or Wed. to let us know the plan of action. I asked about % sense that is all we have heard and only negative about having this surgery done. As of yesterday the retired surgeon what Dr. Ryan to tell us that he has done 12 Annuerysms of this size and only 4 came out good. However, this doctor said he does surgeries of this sort weekly; not nec. just like it but other complexed surgeries. He also said that it is very complex surgery and there is a great deal of risk but he can not put a % on the surgery because each one of these surgeries are not alike. Again he felt confident in doing it and has a great deal experience in doing so. He left by saying he will treat Mick like he's his own family. I am disappointed that we went that far and did not get the information that we needed. Date, risk % , etc. However, him being as confident about taking care of Mick made me happy. I think it was just comparing apples and oranges because I do not have to pull information out of Dr. Ryan and never have. He did praise Dr. Ryan for realizing that someone more capable should be doing this surgery.So that's the scoop. We will not know more until next week. They have to look over everything with the team and move sched. around so they can get the surgery done in July. It will NOT be in the next week as orginalLy planned.