Talked to my dad this afternoon - he's pretty funny when he's drugged up. A little hoarse, and they said he can't eat anything with sharp edges and his food has to be room-temp, not hot or cold. I didn't realize that they went into his neck from the front, as opposed to the back, which is why his esophagus got kind of man-handled, and also why the ligaments in his neck are stretched beyond what they're used to right now.
While talking to him, he cracked a few jokes, including a slurred one that oxycontin is great and "Now I know why the kids steal it!" Apparently, within 15 mins of his pills, he gets loopy and ends up going to sleep. He says that every time he wakes up from sleeping, he feels a tiny bit better. Tonight he gets his much-anticipated shower. My mom fought him on what "3-days post surgery" really meant on that one. :)
My mom even mentioned her experiences in the Emergency Room, saying that two bad things happened that affected her tremendously. One being a still-born baby that was brought in, and some other tragedy. She says she handled the situation great as it was going on, but two weeks later it dropped like a bomb on her. She says she suspects that's what's going to happen with this because she's handling things great, but suspects it's coming.
Thanks again for all your kind thoughts for my dad and mom. We all appreciate them.