Meet My Dad!!

My dad, John Newton Ryland, III, (or Jack) is quite an amazing man. He and my mom Darlene have been married 54 years and live in Danville, Virginia. He is affectionately know as "Peepaw" to his three grandchildren Catharine, Emily and Jacob and "Pops", "Peeps" and "Daddy" to his four children: Jack IV, Dave, Suzanne and Kathleen. He is Uncle Jack to his nieces and nephews who are very near and dear to his heart. My dad has a great sense of humor and very quick-witted. He can also be a stubborn, strong-willed individual and needless to say is determined to recover quickly so he can return home. He is a Virginia Tech Hokie fan and is looking forward to football season! Since he missed his beach trip in July, my dad is also looking forward to some R & R at Emerald Isle in late September...maybe a birthday trip for both he and my mom!!

My dad is here at Duke because of Aortic Stenosis. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the valve. When this happens, the heart has to push harder to get blood through the smaller opening and less blood circulates through the heart and to the rest of the body. In older patients, aortic stenosis may be caused by calcium that builds up on the valve. This buildup also hardens the valve, which can hinder its ability to open and close properly.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Mooooo...the Bovine Valve is Going Strong...Any Good Cow Jokes?

Arrived at the hospital and was greeted with that big smile my dad is known for!!  He started with three chest tubes and is now down to one.  Dad gladly made another trip to x-ray.  He said it is much cooler down there!  This visit may allow him to get rid of that last chest tube.  His nurse stepped in to let us know she was going to "give him a bath" and he asked if she was going to take him outside and hose him down.  She laughed and said it was too hot outside to do that.  He said "It can't be much hotter than in here".  Actually all of the nurses now come to my dad's room to "check" on him his because we have rigged his room up with three fans and it is actually cooler in his room than anywhere else.  Not to mention he enjoys chatting with them all!!  His favorite person today was the "transporter" who took him to x-ray.  He had his Ipod jumping with some "cool" music and let my dad listen.  Dad asked him to not bring him back for a while and could they tour the hospital!!  Lunch is here...more soon!!
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