Whew! What a tremendously LOOOOONG day! I am pleased to report that it is over, and that my husband is doing well. The staff at UIC so far has been fantastic, and although I won't be able to see him until visiting hours at 11:00am, I was with him until 10:00pm. The surgery lasted 4 VERY long hours, with 2 in recovery. I felt so cautiously confident in a positive outcome, mainly because of hanging around with all of you, that I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. Thank you all for your thoughts and well wishes, and support throughout the process!