We've had a very exciting week and it's been very hard not to spill the beans.

Bill had only 2 days of rehab this week and did well both days. He also saw the dr and nurse and got good reports from them. After the appointments Wednesday, we headed for HOME! We got here on Thursday afternoon and have enjoyed surprising people. The look on Emily's girls faces was priceless and we surprised the church this morning.

We have been so blessed this year, mainly just to have another year together with our family and friends. Bill continues to improve now and being home is really helping him.

We will have to go back to Florida to finish rehab and then he's going to be re-evaluated for a transplant. If he is accepted, we will have to stay in Florida indefinitely. If they don't accept him he will have to finish his rehab and then we would come home around March. It's still not a sure thing that he will be accepted.

We hope that all of you have a joyous Christmas with family and friends. We also pray for a Blessed New Year. Probably won't update this while we are home. We're gonna be busy!

Hooray! I finally got this to go back to the old format, at least as far as where I write the posts, and they have now given the option to change the fonts! I'm so happy!!!

We're both feeling better although I have gotten congested again this evening. Could be because we took a long walk this afternoon and sat on the porch and then went out to eat. But I'll take my medicine before I go to bed and maybe I'll sleep as good as I did last night.

Bill's really looking forward to a short week this week...no rehab on Friday! The clinic is closing down early for Christmas so he's getting the day off. Don't know what we plan to do yet. We shall just have to see.

All for tonight. Enjoy the rest of your week-end!

Bill is feeling better from his cold, but now I've caught it! Started feeling poorly yesterday and felt really bad this morning. But I can take more medicine than he can so maybe I'll get it knocked out soon.

 He managed to go to rehab this morning and except for stopping at the store on the way home for some meds and bottled water we haven't done much of anything else. We did walk up to check the mail but that's it. We had planned to get the oil changed in the car and do some Christmas shopping, but I don't think either of us was up to it.

Hopefully by the end of the week-end we'll both be back to normal, whatever normal is!

Oh, I do not like this at all! Not only is the format different to look at, the area for composing has changed too! Granted the area is bigger now so it doesn't scroll as much when writing, but the font is very small and these old eyes can't see it as well. Wouldn't be so bad if I could change it but they don't give us that option.

Bill still felt bad yesterday morning. He talked to the girls at rehab and we did see our social worker. As the day progressed he felt better and I think he slept well. He was sleeping when I woke up but I heard him in the bathroom a few minutes ago. Usually that means he's getting up but since I haven't heard anymore moving around, or beeps from his system change-over, I think he's gone back to bed. Today was the day he was going to the dr. if he hadn't improved so we will see when he wakes up.

We get to do some "fun" things today and tomorrow! I got my bookkeeping yesterday so I get to be productive and then go to the post office! We also need some stamps so that I can get the Christmas cards mailed and, highlight of them all, get the oil changed in the car! But, it gets us out of the house for something other than doctors!

All for today. With all of my work to do, I must get busy!

Blogger has decided that it knows better than I do for the layout for this blog! It doesn't matter what I've tried I cannot get back to the old layout, but, I'm gonna keep trying!

Bill is sick today. He has caught a cold. Didn't go to rehab or the meeting with the social worker, but I called into both. Rescheduled the social work meeting and talked to Tina to see what he can take. He's not running any fever so far. If he does I have to take him to the dr. He's still in bed which is the best place for him. He's mainly complaining about a sore throat and his sinuses are draining, which is probably what's causing the sore throat.

It looks like our support group dinner tomorrow night will happen without us. Transplants don't need to be exposed to him!

I'll let you know how he does, and I'll keep working on the layout.

Another week down. No problems this week as far as I know. It's been really quiet.

Bill has done well in rehab, but still not able to use the treadmill. He doesn't see the physical medicine dr. until the end of January. He did ask Tina about it since the techs in rehab insist that he continue to use his walker. Her words were "you said you were having a problem with your leg...", yet now that "he says" the leg doesn't bother him anymore...It doesn't make a lot of sense that they are taking his word that he has a problem but not that he doesn't have one! The only time he's using the walker is when he goes for therapy. Of course he doesn't go anywhere without me beside him and we are usually holding hands or have arms linked.

Bill just asked me if I was updating this and when I said yes he said to tell you that he's doing the Irish Jig! You can tell by that, for those of you who know him, that he still has his sense of humor!

We're going to a party Tuesday night! The heart transplant/VAD support group is having a Christmas dinner. We've gone to some of their meetings and have met some really great people there. There's another VAD patient and his wife that we have gotten to know more and we have a lot in common. So, we're going to Jacksonville Beach for an Italian dinner Tuesday night.

His doctor visits had dropped from weekly to every 2 weeks now, which is progress. That's one step closer to getting home! Dr. Hosenpud did say that he thought the problem with his eye last week was a small clot that passed through the pump. He said that unlike a clot that develops in a vein, you can tell where it is going to go. But when it passes through the pump it can go anywhere in the body. Hopefully they have his Coumadin level where they want it now. He hasn't had any problems since then.

All for now. It's time for breakfast and then figure out what to do with the rest of the day.

Have a great Sunday!

Another week gone. It started out just routine, and ended with a bang!

Sunday we took a drive north into Georgia, getting lost in the process. What was supposed to be an hour drive north and an hour back turned into a 4 hour drive. But, it was a lovely afternoon and we saw lots of boats and crossed lots of bridges. If we had looked at the map a little closer, and then remembered to put it in the car, we would have seen that we couldn't "get there from here" without taking a ferry. We saw the ferry crossing and lots of cars lined up for it, but turned around to find another way!

Bill has not used his walker at all now for a week! His leg is behaving itself and he's much steadier on his feet. He is having a time with the rehab therapists. They want him to continue using it "just in case". But, he's afraid that he was getting too dependent on it.

Wednesday he got good reports from Tina and Dr. Hosenpud. He will start bi-weekly appointments with them now instead of weekly. Makes it one step closer to coming home!

Thursday afternoon was pacemaker check day and everything looked good. She said it looked like he had 1 little episode of v-tach but was paced out of it and it didn't last long. We talked to another couple that are dealing with the LVAD. He's also on dialysis and is listed for heart and kidney transplants. They're really nice and we're finding out we have lots in common, former military and family in Arkansas.

Friday was the kicker day. He had just started to warm-up in rehab and said that his vision wasn't right. It wasn't doubled and it wasn't blurry. He said that it looked like things were split in half, kind of like when your glasses are on crooked (for those of you who wear glasses). He said that one side of things would be up and the other side would be down. Anyway, Laurie called Tina who wanted him to go to ER so they got me and off we went. Tina came down and hooked him to a monitor to see if there was a problem with the pump and it was working fine. All of the neurological tests were fine and the bloodwork was fine. Dr. Hosenpud did increase his coumadin thinking that he could be developing a clot. Everyone was thinking stroke by this point. They did a CT scan and then did another one using dye. But, after 6 hours, they said that the scans were perfect and they could come up with nothing that would have caused the problem! At least we know that he has not had a stroke, which had been a concern after the anesthesia and clot in his arm. And, even though they pre-medicated him for his allergy to the contrast dye, he has turned into a lobster! He's not too uncomfortable and I gave him some Benadryl and he slept all night. So, he got another dose tonight!

We're thinking now that it is a problem with his eyes and he needs to see an opthamologist. He had his eyes checked in August and got new glasses before we came to Florida. We do see Tina and Dr. Hosenpud on Wednesday for a follow-up so maybe they will have some suggestions.

Bill has done quite well this week with appetite and eating. Wednesday we went to Appleby's and had a steak and he ate every bite! He didn't eat all of the mashed potatoes and veggies, but he did eat all the steak and had a small hot fudge sundae for dessert. He didn't eat as well Thursday and Friday we both ate very little with being at the hospital for so long. We didn't get home until after 4 so that meant no lunch. This morning he had lost 4 pounds. But, today he ate 2 pancakes and 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast and then snacked all day. The nutritionist told him Weds. to eat whatever he wanted. So, peanut butter and crackers and peanuts were his snacks. We went to Golden Corral for dinner and he ate 2 plates plus dessert. Hopefully he has turned a corner with that aspect of recovery and will start to put on some weight.

Planning on going to the fitness center tomorrow since he didn't get his rehab in yesterday. Hopefully it will be a nice day to walk.

All for tonight. I think I hit all of the highlights. I'll let you know what the plan is for the eye problem. It hasn't happened since and he has had no pain with it at all. So, since he has turned off the TV and the lamp, I guess it's time to go to bed. Good-night!

I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I posted anything. You are probably wondering if we are still alive!

Bill had his bone scan Monday and it showed nothing wrong with the bones in his right leg. The dr. did say that he could see that something had occurred but was recovering. Other than that he couldn't see anything. His blood numbers have all been good so there isn't any infection anymore and the appointment with the infectious disease doctor has been cancelled.

He's been walking some without his walker and his leg has not given him any problems. He's been told we can't go home until he is much stronger and walking without the walker more. So, he's been trying.

Tuesday we drove to St. Augustine. Took the scenic route down that goes along the coast and then crossed the river and came back by the highway. All of the roads in Florida are so nice and most of the major ones divided.

Don and Shirley came Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had a nice dinner and a good visit. They had to leave Friday so we went out to eat Friday morning at the beach and then walked on the pier for a little while before coming home.

Yesterday we went to the fitness center and Bill worked on the bicycle for a little while and then came back and did nothing. I did get Skype set up on my computer and got to see the grandkids last night. Also talked to Phillis even though she couldn't get her video to work.

Today we plan on going north for an hour. Since they have told us we could go that far we're just going to drive for an hour and see where we get and then come home. Aah, such is the life! I really need to do laundry and mop the floors, but that can wait until another day!

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We are truly blessed this year and have so much to be thankful for. I'm so thankful for all of our friends and family who are supporting us through this "valley work" as Mom put it. You've made the journey easier to navigate.

This week has gone really fast and has had some progress made. Bill had rehab on Monday and things went well. He's still not able to use a lot of the equipment because of his leg and foot, but he's putting in lots of time on the bicycle and the weights.

Tuesday we went to Jacksonville Beach and walked on the pier. They have a fishing pier that is almost a 1/4 of a mile long and we walked to the middle of it. Sat and watched the fishermen for awhile and also watched the surfers. It was a pretty day but the breeze on the water was pretty cool. He did really well considering it was not an easy walk with the walker.

Wednesday he didn't feel well when we got up so he didn't go to rehab. But he saw Tina and Dr. Yip and got good reports from both of them. His labs were good and it looks like we're on track to get home by Christmas. It depends more on his leg now than anything. We told Dr. Yip we were having trouble finding someone to install a switch to deactivate the airbags in the car and he said he can now ride in the front seat and not to worry about the airbag. He said it was mainly because his breast bone was healing and wouldn't be able to protect the pump. But, it has healed enough now that it would be more dangerous not to have the airbag. We also asked how far we can venture out and as long as we stay within an hours drive we're good. So, we're going to try to see some of the area now just to break the routine.

Today was rehab and we also saw the physical medicine and rehabilitation dr. about his leg. The area that had gotten so red before and caused all of the problems is now peeling, which is a new symptom. It's also still very tender. The dr. took more xrays but he's inclined to agree with the neuro guys that it may have been an infection. The bone scan is Monday and Dr. McCullom wanted to see what the xrays and scan showed before making a definite decision. He would prefer to do an MRI and nerve conduction tests, but he can't have either of those.

It was a long day today, even though we were able to come home in between rehab and the dr. but we didn't get home until almost 6. By the time I got supper fixed and his dressing changed we were both tired. Bill has already gone to bed and I may not be far behind him.

So, that's been our week in a nutshell. Don and Shirley will be here Wednesday for Thanksgiving. We don't have a lot planned but for those of you who know us well, we're such party animals!

Hopefully we'll know something about the leg by Wednesday when we see Dr. Yamani and Tina and get a better timeline for coming home, even if we have to come back. Bill is determined to be home for Christmas!

All for tonight! Have a good week-end!

Again a few days of not much happening. Got a good report from Dr. Hosenpud Wednesday. Pump speed adjusted again since there is a software glitch at the speed it had been set to. The numbers were jumping all over the place and it was updating the readings every minute so there was no history. Also took him off another medication.

Rehab has gone well this week although he was really worn out yesterday and his leg was really hurting him. It's hurting now where it was numb before so Dr. Hosenpud thinks that it is recovering from the damage during the surgery. He has not had a problem with his calf and foot for a few days even though it is staying swollen most of the time. The bone scan is scheduled right before Thanksgiving so we will know something before long.

His drive line site was getting irritated this week so we had to change the way the line is laying. He also can't wear a belt anymore unless he wears his pants at his hips instead of his waist. To him that is extremely uncomfortable. He also can't wear his holster belt because of the way it lays on the drive line. So, he's back to wearing the vest that doesn't fit well. The batteries also don't stay stable so they move a lot which throws off his balance. Hopefully when the drive line heals completely and the wound closes he will be able to wear the belt again since the drive line will have a little more play in it.

We've not done anything today except watch movies. I don't think we watched an entire movie at any one time. It seems like we turned to each one in the middle of it. Do you think we are getting bored?

Hopefullly it will be warmer tomorrow and we can walk some. We did take a long walk Thursday and he did fine. Walked about 15 minutes around one of the blocks here and he wasn't winded at all when we got back.

All for tonight. Have a great night.

Y'all are probably wondering where I have been. Sorry I haven't posted anything for so long. Things go in spurts now and some days nothing happens. I don't think anyone really wants to know how many loads of laundry I've done. Anyway, a few things have happened.

Don and Shirley left Saturday morning and Bill and I took a walk and found how to get into the fitness center. Most of the machines there are for weight training but they did have a recumbant bicycle he could ride and he rode for about 5 minutes. With the 5 minute walk to the center and the 5 minute walk back he got a pretty good workout. Didn't do much of anything else the rest of the day.

Sunday wasn't quite as good a day. He slid off the bed while he was trying to record his pump readings. His right foot and leg would not work properly at all for most of the day and he fell once in the kitchen when he was in the middle of a step. Didn't hurt himself but is really getting discouraged that they have not found out what is wrong with the leg yet.

Monday at rehab he was told to use his walker all the time until they know what is going on with the leg. He was doing pretty good following those orders until this evening.

We haven't done much today. I did do laundry and 2 sets of books. We had to buy a new printer so made a trip to Walmart. We walked around there for about 20 minutes and then took the long way home. It was a beautiful day so we enjoyed the day.

Bill has gotten a little dehydrated today. He's still under his limit and doesn't want to drink anymore. But if he doesn't he'll have trouble walking tomorrow. I've noticed that when he is dry his pump numbers are low. Tina had told us that was why the numbers were off. He also gets dizzy and that's when he starts stumbling. But, stubborn man that he is doesn't believe me, or chooses not to believe me to keep some control over the situation. I know it is frustrating for him to have someone telling him what to do for every little thing, but if I didn't he wouldn't drink anything all day and then wonder why he didn't feel good.

Tomorrow we see Tina and Dr. Hosenpud. Bill wants them to say definitely that we will get to go home for Christmas. I told him today that if he forces them to make the decision right now the answer will be "no". He's definitely not ready to go home physically. I just don't know what it will take to get him to understand that.

Other than this, it has been a quiet few days. We've watched movies and tv and not much else. Will let everyone know what happens at the dr. tomorrow.

As usual steps backward instead of forward today. Bill's right foot has not been behaving itself at all today. He just about fell in the bedroom this morning and again in the kitchen. Luckily I was standing behind him and caught him as he found the fridge.

He didn't do much in rehab today. They had a class on blood pressure and did very little exercise but he did have Debbie look at his leg again and she was going to talk to Tina. We also saw Tina and she didn't adjust his pump speed because I told her that the numbers were all over the place again this morning.

He did much better at home this afternoon, but was told to use his walker or make sure someone was walking with him. We went out to eat again this evening and he did fine going into the restaurant but his leg really went crazy as we were leaving and he just about fell twice more even using the walker. Once I was able to grab his arm to steady him and the other time he fell backwards into me. I've learned to just stiffen up so that I don't also fall. This is really getting worrisome to both of us.

Other than this we've had a good visit with Don and Shirley. Went to eat on the beach last night. Didn't see anything of the beach of ocean but the restaurant is really nice. We don't have any plans at all for the week-end
other than just getting better. We'll know more Monday after therapy and talking to Tina again.

Have a good week-end!

Got a good report today at the dr. Tina took out the stitch that was holding the drive line in place even though the wound has not completely sealed around the drive line. She said it will eventually close, just takes time. Now it will be much easier to clean and dress.

Dr. Yip adjusted his Coumadin because his blood was a little thick and then made some adjustments to the pump. Bill is still staying a little dehydrated and he's having some "suction issues". The way he described it is: there is a line that goes into the ventricle of his heart that pulls the blood in for the pump to push through his heart. Sometimes, such as when he is a little dehydrated in his veins, the line gets pushed against the wall of the ventricle and the blood can't get pulled in. He said it's kind of like when the curtains get sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Then once it's cleared out it starts working right again. So, since he had been having several issues of this (and he can't feel when this happens nor has he had any alarms) they lowered the pump speed to see if that helps. He has to have his history read Friday after rehab to see if this has helped. He was also told to drink, drink, drink even though he doesn't want to!

He's only using his walker when we are out in public as a precaution. Around the house and walking in the complex he's not using it. I do hold his arm when we are walking outside but in the house he's doing quite well.

Dr. Yip also said that it is still very possible that we can go home for Christmas. It all depends on how strong Bill gets between now and then. He also said they need some lead time to get everyone at home trained on how to respond to any emergencies.

All in all a good day. We've made a trip to Walmart this evening and ate at McDonalds. Don and Shirley come tomorrow for the week-end and we are looking forward to seeing them.

Probably won't have an update tomorrow unless something happens. But I will let you know how it goes Friday after rehab and the history download. Hope everyone has a great evening!

Not much has happened the past few days. This stage of recovery is very boring!

Bill had rehab yesterday and did well with it. We also walked some in the afternoon. Carrying all the weight of the batteries and the system controller (the part that is connected to his heart) is tiring. The batteries each weigh 2 1/2 pounds and he wears 2 of them all the time. The controller also weighs about that much and getting the weight distributed is the tough part. He has a vest he can wear but the batteries put all the weight on his shoulders. The controller always sits at his waist. He has a utility belt that he's been wearing that is better. The batteries sit in holsters on each side like a gun belt.

Didn't do much today. Or I should qualify that as Bill didn't do much today. We took the car in to get a recall taken care of and then came home, paid bills and I mopped the kitchen and bathroom and did laundry. We took a walk and then dressing change, supper, cleaned up the kitchen and I'm pooped! Bill did pair up socks for me.

Tomorrow is a longer day. No rehab because of a scheduling conflict but labs and then the nurse and dr. Hopefully Tina will take out the last stitch around his drive line.

Thursday Don and Shirley are coming for a couple of days. It will be nice to see them again. We've spent more time together this past year than we have since we've been married!

All for tonight. Bill's already gone to bed and I'm off to join him. Goodnight everyone!

Progress is being made every day now! Bill had his pacemaker check yesterday morning and everything is fine with it. He doesn't have to have it checked for another month if we are still here, or at home once we get there.

He was walking some yesterday without the walker and we walked down to the picnic area and back without it. He got a little wobbly a couple of times but did ok.

Today he walked around the house without his walker all day. A couple of times he was a little unsteady but he righted himself. His thigh that is still numb was bothering him today, but the shin and ankle looked much better. The discoloration is almost gone but the ankle is still swollen.

We were both tired today, although we shouldn't have been. We went to bed around 10:30 and didn't get up until 9:30. We were both awake about 7 but it was raining and we just covered back up and went back to sleep. Maybe we got too much sleep!

Going to make a pot of stew tomorrow. It's supposed to be cool again, although cool here is in the high 60's! Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday!

We've had a couple of breakthroughs the last couple of days!

Yesterday at therapy Bill was able to do his 6 minute walk and "graduated" from physical therapy to cardiac rehab! He also walked everywhere we went instead of using a wheelchair. He was pretty tired by the time we got home but we were there from 8:30 until 2:30 and in 2 of the 3 buildings.

His leg is better and the doctors have admitted they don't know what is wrong with it. Dr. Hosenpud was pleased with the way he looked and the way he moved. He also said that his bloodwork had improved and took him off of 2 of his meds.

The bed here is bothering his back and he did wake up in a foul mood with a back-ache. But he managed to switch himself to batteries and get dress without any help this morning. I think it actually did it out of spite, but he proved that he could do it!

We didn't do much today. Took a very short walk but his drive line was hurting so we cut it short and did his dressing change to see what the problem was. The way Tina had wrapped the line yesterday was pulling against the stitch and movement was pulling it even more.

We went to McDonalds for supper and he managed to eat a cheeseburger and some fries. Ice cream is now topping off his evening while he's watching the baseball game.

We have another easy day tomorrow, only a pacemaker check. It's an early appointment, 8:30, and it should only take about an hour at the most. So we will have the rest of the day free. Going to take care of some business with the car and maybe go to the bank and buy some groceries. I think the goal of the week-end will be to walk some without the walker. He's starting to get dependent on it somewhat. But, maybe we'll let it go a little longer.

All for tonight, have a good evening!

Been a busy two days! Yesterday therapy went very well. Because of his leg he will be limited to what he can do, but he is able to work on a couple of the machines. The therapist thought that he might need another neuro consult, so that was scheduled for today.

We did get our supplies delivered yesterday...all 3 boxes! They take up 5 shelves in the closet! I don't know where we're going to put them at home. We'll have to do some major rearranging of closets!

Today we had the neuro consult and he didn't think that the leg problem was caused by any nerve damage, or neurological problems. His thinking was that there was an infection somewhere in his body. The discoloration is due to dead tissue in his leg from whatever the problem is. He thought it could be an infection in the shin bone so he has scheduled a bone scan and a consult with an infectious disease doctor. Those appointments are not until the end of November. We're going to see if Tina and Dr. Hosenpud can't get them moved up. It seems to me that if there's an active infection somewhere more damage could be done by waiting that long. But, I'm not a doctor.

The wound nurse said it could take months for his heel to heal and gave him a foam rubber boot to wear at night and while he's sitting to keep any pressure off of his foot.

Of course all of this pushes back his rehab and recovery and is somewhat discouraging, especially to Bill. He's made several comments that he's not getting any better and he wants to go home. But, overall he seems to be some better. He looks better through his face and his appetite is slowly coming back. He's gaining weight, and we are making sure it's not just fluid.

All for today. We have a very long day tomorrow...rehab at 8:30, labs at 10:30, Tina at 12:30, and Dr. Hosenpud at 2. The longest of these is the rehab which will take an hour. The others won't take long at all. Just a lot of waiting around. As long as I have my nook, I'll be fine!

Good morning! Hope everyone had a good week-end!

We've had a decent week-end. Didn't do much of anything. Stayed in most of the time and watched movies.

We did go to Walmart yesterday and Bill walked around for awhile until he needed to sit down. So, I settled him in at McDonalds with a milkshake and I finished the shopping. He did much better than I thought he would do.

His leg is not swollen anymore, and it is not red. But there is a knot in the area and it is still very painful to touch or to walk on. His pressure ulcer on his heel looks much better so maybe he'll be able to start rehab before long. He starts physical therapy today so he'll probably be working on some of the machines.

After therapy we have no real plans. Hopefully we will get our dressing supplies today. We got an emergency shipment on Saturday and it was supposed to be for 5 days. But, there were only enough 4 x 4 packages for 1 change. There were supposed to be 2 boxes in the shipment and there were 2 packages. I managed to get some separated without compromisint the sterility. So, hopefully the UPS driver got his head on straight or got his glasses fixed so that he can see the sign on the apartment with the number on it and deliver the boxes. He said they were undeliverable because there was no apartment number on the building! Not only is there a number outside the condo, there is a sign at each stairwell listing the apartments in each stairwell!

Have a great day everyone! I'll let you know how therapy goes!

It's been a boring week-end so far and boring can be a good thing.

Bill's leg is still very sore and bothered him all night, and although the discoloration is mostly gone, there is now a knot in that location. It could just be the way he walks on it that has caused that since they can find no cause for the problem. The pressure ulcer on his heel looks better too. He has been "dangling" it over a pillow so that it doesn't have any weight on it at all. I'm really thinking that he had an infection in the leg but the Keflex is taking care of that.

His appetite is coming back some and he seems to be feeling better. He's not sleeping as much in the day as he was.

We're going to try to go to Walmart for some things tomorrow. Don't know how he will do there, probably make it to McDonalds and sit and wait for me. Hopefully we can find a really close parking spot. We shall see.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

Didn't get this updated after his appointments yesterday so will try to get the highlights from both days in today.

Dr. Hosenpud and Tina, the VAD nurse, are both concerned about Bill's leg. It is swelling some again and it isn't exactly bruised but it is discolored. He also has a bad pressure ulcer on his heel on the same leg. Dr. Hosenpud found that they had not done an ultrasound of his leg when he was at the er Saturday so he ordered one yesterday. It was negative for blood clots, so that is not the problem. We've asked about infections and they told us that since he is on Keflex already that would take care of any infection. But, it is going to hold his rehab back some.

We met with rehab today and again there was a lengthy discussion about his leg. It was not swollen this morning, but by the time of his appointment it was and it was warm to the touch, although the discoloration was not as dark as it had been. It was decided to have him see a wound specialist for the pressure ulcer along with a podiatrist and he is going to see physical therapy for his rehab instead of cardiac rehab. At least that's the plan for now. He was also told to keep his shoe off whenever he's not going to be walking and to keep the leg elevated with the heel hanging over the edge of the pillow.

Of course since they told him that he has done just the opposite, kept his shoe on with his legs crossed. When we were getting ready for his dressing change I took his shoe and sock off and the foot is really swollen again. So it's on a pillow and is probably uncomfortable. He was also complaining that he would have to sleep on his back.

I've decided tonight that I'm going to have to treat him as a child in some respects. He's not drinking enough, even being on the fluid restriction. This is keeping him too dry vascularly which in turn leads to the dizziness and nausea. I don't know if he thinks that he can't drink much because of the fluid restriction so he won't drink or what. But, I'm going to show him how many ounces it is. Tina even told him yesterday to drink more than the restriction even though he has some swelling in the legs. He needs it for the pump to work properly.

I'm also going to have to make him go to the bathroom whether he wants to or not. He went to the bathroom about 9 this morning and I had to tell him to go again at 9:30 tonight and he had not gone at all through the day. This is also contributing to the UTI. He keeps telling me that he doesn't have to go, but he goes when I tell him to. I think this is a result of having the catheter in for so long. It's still hard for his bladder to realize that it is full. (He would be horrified if he knew that I was writing this and I know that it is more info than most of you want to know. But it helps me collect my thoughts on things.)

His wound looked good tonight. The drainage was much less than it had been. The area that is still stitched is looking a little angry now and Tina and Lorraine went back and forth about taking the stitch out. The only reason the stitch is there is to keep the drive line from moving too much until the skin grows around it. It has closed on about 3/4 if the site, but one part is still open. But, if the stitch area gets too irritated it will have to come out. We're hoping it can wait until next Wednesday when he sees the nurses again.

So, that's it. The wrap-up for the past 2 days. We shall see what tomorrow brings as far as the foot goes.

Sorry about no post again yesterday. It was a crazy evening.

Bill had a much better day yesterday. Ate better and just seemed to feel better. I got him a donut pillow to sit on and it has helped his bottom some too. He was also moving around a little easier. All in all a pretty dull day.

But, the excitement started when Emily called to tell us that someone had kicked our front door in and stole the TV. The cops were already at the house with our neighbor Joe. Apparently there was a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood. The police were actually responding to an alarm at another house down the street when they saw the guy who broke into our house walking down the street carrying the TV! He put it down across the street from the house and took off running. It actually turned into a comedy of errors from there with foot pursuits, escaping on a bicycle, and 2 gas stations in the area robbed. Emily said nothing else in the house was touched, the mail was still where she put it, and he took the time to disconnect the satelite! Needless to say, we're ready to go home!!!

Back to our journey, Bill starts his dr. visits again today so maybe something can be done about his leg. Once he can put some pressure on that ankle I think he'll start really improving. The movement is about the only thing that's going to make him start feeling better. We're also supposed to get our dressing supplies delivered today and of course we're not going to be home! I don't know if they will leave them or not. We shall see!

Spent the day back in ER. Bill woke up coughing with a fever and dry heaves. When the home health nurse came at 9 she looked at him and called Mayo and Ginny, the transplant ARNP said to have us go to ER, so off we went. We also looked at his leg and it looked terrible.

Got to ER at 10:10 and at 2 we asked the tech to see if we could find out what was going on. We only saw the nurse once and that was to have blood drawn and a shunt put in for an IV. We saw a resident who said they would get some tests done and then he had a chest xray and EKG. After that, nothing. Finally saw the supervising dr. and he said it looked like he was starting to get a urinary tract infection so they were going to start him on antibiotics. He was also a little dehydrated but they gave him nothing to drink and no IV fluids! Dr. Yip was consulted and he is stopping his iron supplement for a couple of days until he sees him Wednesday. Finally left the hospital at 4:45, stopped to get the meds filled and got home at 5:30.

I was just starting his dressing change when Tina, our VAD nurse, called needing some info from his batteries and wanting to check on him. I have to go see her tomorrow because I'm out of dressing supplies and we aren't getting them delivered until Wednesday. Of course we are going to be gone most of the day Wednesday with appointments and I don't know if they will leave them at the door or not. So, I guess I need to check on that tomorrow.

He doesn't seem to be getting any stronger. In fact, he seems to be weaker than before the surgery. He has noticed this and is getting a little discouraged. Of course he did have several complications while hospitalized which doesn't help the healing. But most of the drs. we have seen seem to think he should be further along in recovery than he is. We shall see what rehab thinks when he seems them Thursday. But, watching him makes it hard to stay positive.

All for tonight. Keep the good thoughts and prayers going. There's still a long way to go!

Seemed to have a good night after we finally got settled in. We were finally up and out of the bedroom by 8. Both of us have been medicated and all vital signs and pump readings recorded. We haven't had breakfast yet but the coffee has been poured.

Bill said his stomach is still cramping some but he feels better than he did yesterday. We're going to take the splint and sock off of his foot today to see how swollen it still is. With those socks the hospital give you I can't tell with it on.

I had my hand on his chest this morning and could actually feel the pump whirring. That was a weird feeling. I could also his heart beat from the other side of his heart and it was a good strong beat. I don't know what his current ejection fraction is but I do know it had gone from 15 to 19 while he was still early in the hospital stay. So even though he feels lousy with all the healing process going on and the other complications, the pump is doing its job.

I forgot to put that yesterday was the first unsupervised dressing change. Didn't feel any different than when someone was watching over my shoulder so I guess training process is a good one.

All for now. Today is going to be laundry day and trash day. Will find a service to watch on TV for church and then wait for the baseball game to come on. Have a good day!

Yesterday's good day has been followed by a horrible day today. Bill woke me about 2:30 this morning with leg pain. His right foot was swollen and very painful. I called Mayo and Dr. Yip wanted him to go to ER. So, off we go. We still don't know what the problem is but we do know that there is no blood clot, it's not broken and he doesn't have gout. They are favoring tendonitis. They put a small splint on it and said to stay off it and to keep ice on it.

Got back home about 7 this morning. I slept until 9 and Bill slept until 11 but has felt lousy all day. He has had no appetite and only had some tomato soup to eat. He also has had a bathroom problem, which is compounded by not being able to move fast enough to get to the bathroom.

I finally got him to go to bed so hopefully he will feel better in the morning. He's also very cold now but doesn't feel like he has any fever. I, on the other hand, think it's hot in here even though it really isn't.

So, it has not been a good day. We've tried going to bed but the house phone has rung twice in the last hour. I'm going to give it a try again and maybe we will both get some sleep.

Had a good day today! It felt great not having to get up before dawn. Bill slept until about 8:30. The home health nurse was supposed to come between 11 and 12 but didn't get here until almost 1. But, she was please with the layout of the house and where we had placed the equipment. She also watched me do the dressing change and said that I was doing them correctly. She's only going to come 2 more times next week and then only if we need her.

I left Bill alone for about an hour and bought some groceries. While I was gone he went through all of his old medicines and took them out of the weekly dispensers and put them back in the bottles. We then put his new meds in the dispensers! Ah, the illness way of life!

Bill ate well tonight and after I got the kitchen cleaned up and dinner settled we went for a little walk. We live in the middle stairwell of a 3 stairwell building. We walked down to the end of the building and crossed the parking area and walked back down to our stairwell. He was winded some when we got back but he managed to walk it all and he picked the route. Of course the more he walks the faster he will recover his strength. His leg behaved most of the walk and he only stumbled once. Since the sidewalk was a little rough I kept a hold on the back of his vest and he seemed to do better after that. We're going to try at least 2 walks tomorrow and we have a couple of errands to run.

All for tonight. I'm getting sleepy and I think Bill is too. Have a good week-end!

Bill has been discharged and we finally got to leave the hospital about 5:45. Got the car unloaded (I don't know where everything is going to go when we head home!)and the equipment set up and connected. I connected Bill to the power module and got a read-out so I did it right. We also checked the length of the cables and he can make it to the commode while tethered to the power module.

Home Health is coming tomorrow to make sure we got everything set up right and to watch me do the dressing change. They also have to "look" at the house and the outlets to make sure everything is safe.

He doesn't have any appointments until next Wednesday so we'll both get to rest some and get used to living together again, along with all of the new things we will have to do every day. I feel confident that we will do fine with our new lifestyle, it will just take some adjustments, and maybe some sleepless nights!

He did come home with a walker just to give him a little security and it's a good thing. He was pretty weak by the time we got home and he was having a hard time walking. If I could just get him to slow down he would do better! But we shall see as the days go by.

The posts may not come daily now but keep checking in. I don't know how often I'll be posting.

Our second outing was also a success! We didn't do anything except come to the condo and just sit. We had lunch here and watched TV and then went back to the hospital.

Dr. Yamani said this morning that he was sure we would be able to leave tomorrow. I talked to Bill a little while ago and he said that it will probably take all day to work through the process and it will probably be early evening before we actually get to leave. But they are going to try to get through everything as fast and as early as they can.

Bill is still a little shaky when he is walking and he walked with physical therapy today just to see how he did. They've told him to slow down! Maybe he will listen to them since he doesn't listen to me! They also agreed that he needs the extra security of a walker, at least while we are out somewhere, until he gets stronger. And he is still agreeable to that.

We're trying to see where we are going to put the equipment. It all has to go in the bedroom, but it has to be placed so that he will be able to reach the bathroom during the night if necessary. He doesn't get up much at night and we will probably just keep a urinal by the bed. That may be the easiest solution. But we shall see. We have a couple of options in mind but have to wait until the equipment is here and we can measure the cables.

So, it's 4 weeks tomorrow since he had the surgery and we've come through it so far. We're as ready as we can be to take care of things on our own here as far as the VAD goes. He just has to get started in rehab and get stronger and then we can get home.

All for now, will post when we are settled in tomorrow night.

We were able to have our outing today! We had 2 nurses with us, Amanda and Kari, and went to a seafood restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. Now, for those of you who know I don't do fish, we checked out the menu first and they had some fantastic ribs! I brought half of them home and will probably eat them tomorrow night.

After lunch we came to the condo for awhile and just talked. The girls are both really nice. They are both working on new certifications and are great nurses.

Bill was really tired out and by the time we got back to the hospital he said that his right leg felt like rubber. This is the one that is numb in his thigh. He told the dr. that this evening and he said it will take time for the nerve to come back. He recommends that we have a walker when we come home for a little extra confidence and Bill agrees that he would feel more secure with one, so he was going to take care of talking to physical therapy and our case manager.

Tomorrow we go out by ourselves. We can go anywhere and do anything we want as long as we are back before 5 when the drs. leave. I think right now we are just going to come home and get used to being here together again. Amanda asked me today if I was scared to come home or if I thought we were ready. I told her that I think we're ready. I'm confident with doing the dressing changes and we both know how to switch from batteries to AC power and back. Bill's getting used to wearing the gear, all 13 pounds of it! So, we are as ready as we can be.

If everything goes well tomorrow, he will be discharged on Thursday. All we know is that it will be in the late afternoon, early evening.

All in all it's been a good day. We are both tired and I'm going to bed before long. I think Bill was ready when I left the hospital. We're not even watching the ballgame tonight and for us not to watch a baseball game is unusual.

More tomorrow after the 2nd outing!

I know everyone's been waiting to see what happened on our outing today. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. We had lots of severe weather in the area and a tornado watch so Dr. Yamani wanted it cancelled. Of course, it didn't rain the rest of the day until now!

Bill has had a lot of pain today but he thinks it's just "healing" pain. He's been pretty uncomfortable all day. But he walked 3 times while I was there and was going to walk again before he went to bed. The last time he walked it was totally unassisted. He's still a little unsteady at times, but doing better. We both think that once he's home and able to move at will he will do much better.

So, we'll try again tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes.

Had a pretty good day today! I made it back to the hospital, but was totally worn out by the time I walked from the parking lot! I also cooked breakfast for him and took it in.

He walked 3 times but was pretty shaky on the first one. Jill and I thought it might be the pain med. He was hurting all over today. Said he slept all scrunched up.

Dr. Yamani said he can eat whatever he wants, but eat. So, he had shrimp from Denny's for lunch and I came home and fixed a tuna casserole. Fish seems to go down easier for him, and pasta is easy. BUT, when I came home I thought there was a cat laying in front of my door, until I realized that there was no body and what I thought was the tail was really a SNAKE! It was about 2 1/2 ft long and bigger than a quarter in diameter. Lucky for me the young man across the hall was nice enough to chase it away.

He finally got through to Dr. Yamani about his numb leg and neurology finally came in this evening. She did a really thorough exam and thinks that it is a nerve that gets damaged a lot during surgeries. She said that medication can help with the pain, but the nerve doesn't have any direct impact on the muscle control. That made him feel a whole lot better about it.

Our outing is scheduled for tomorrow, weather permitting. We are supposed to get flooding rains overnight and into the morning. We still don't know where we are going. I'm going to look at some menus online tonight for a couple of suggestions we've had. So we shall see. Bill is really wanting to get out of the hospital and I can't blame him. It will be 4 weeks Thursday.

All for tonight. I'll let you know how the lunch goes.

Didn't go to the hospital today. I went to the Urgent Care Clinic instead. I don't have the flu, which is a good thing, but I do have a sinus infection. Got some antibiotics and should feel better in a couple of days. I'm already feeling a little better so I should be able to go to the hospital tomorrow.

I've talked to Bill a couple of times and he's doing well today. He's been walking and his nurse today is a favorite one so I know he's in good hands.

Our nor'easter has arrived, but the worst of it is supposed to be here tomorrow night into Monday morning. Rain is needed so I don't think anyone is really complaining about it. The temperature is comfortable and I have the door open to our little screen patio. I would love to be sitting out there, but the rain is coming in a little so I'll just enjoy the fresh air.

All for today, unless I hear something from the hospital. Hope everyone is enjoying their week-end.

I talked to Bill a little while ago and he's had a good day. He got his fluid level up and has been able to walk 4 times today. Physical therapy now thinks that he won't need a walker but could get by with a cane until his leg gets strengthened. He said when he was walking that he was pushing a wheelchair instead of a walker to give him some support.

I've slept most of the afternoon, but now I'm running a low-grade fever in spite of the cold meds. So, it's up in the air if I will go to the hospital tomorrow or stay in bed. We'll have to see how the night goes.

Unfortunately our outing has been postponed. Bill has dried out too much again so the dizziness is back and his blood pressure is too low because of the low fluids. Also, my cold is worse and I've come home for the day. But, we've talked to the drs. and the VAD nurse and all agree that we should wait until Monday to try the outing. He's going to drink lots of fluids today and walk around his room instead of the hallway walks to see if that helps. I'm going to drug myself and stay in bed the rest of the day.

So, as short as this is, this will probably be the only post today. Unless, of course something else comes up today.

Today was a great day! The dizziness is gone and he has been walking with only support on his arms, no walkers! He also got his staples removed which will make him feel a whole lot better.

We did get a little scare this morning. His liver enzymes were elevated so Dr. Yip wanted to get an ultrasound to make sure there was nothing going on. He also changed a couple of his medications again. The ultrasound was fine. At first they thought they saw something, but decided on further review that everything was ok.

The best part of the day is that Dr. Yip decided to go ahead and schedule our supervised outing for tomorrow! We are going out to lunch with a nurse, and one of favorite ones is going with us. We can go anywhere we want, Mayo provides a car service, and Bill can eat anything he wants. If this outing goes well then over the week-end he and I can come and go from the hospital alone and if we do well with these then he will be discharged on Monday.

I think Bill is a little apprehensive about the outings. He's not concerned about people looking at him, but about being able to eat. He's still re-adjusting to his dentures and because the pump takes up extra space in his abdomen, he can't eat as much as he used to. But, I think that once we are out he will do fine.

I'm trying to catch a cold so I came home early today to get some medicine to try to knock it out. Hopefully it will work quickly.

We have a nor'easter coming and it is so nice out right now. There is a wonderful breeze and it's a pleasant temperature, but supposed to be raining tomorrow. I have to remember to take Bill's jacket.

Another day of ups and downs. It started well, we both slept well and rested. I fixed Bill an omelet for breakfast and took it to him and he ate every bit of it and some mandarin oranges. Dr. Yip came in and said that he was scheduling our supervised outing for Friday as long as Bill could walk without assistance today and tomorrow. Then, if that outing went well we could take 2 more outings over the week-end alone and then be discharged Monday.

But, when Bill got up to walk, he got dizzy again and said he was seeing double. Our nurse consulted with the doctor and they decided to pump him full of fluids for an hour. He thought they might have dried him out too much from the fluid pills. So, he drank 2 1/2 4 oz. ginger ales and a glass of water in a little over an hour but was still dizzy. All that liquid did was make him sick and he ended up throwing up his lunch!

When Physical Therapy came in we asked if he could go to the exercise room to see if using the nu-step machine would at least strengthen his legs some. She took him down in a wheelchair and he did great in there. This machine has a seat on it and pedals that push back and forth. She didn't put him on the easiest level but the 2nd of 5 to give him some resistance and he did great. He used it for 6 minutes without stopping or getting winded. He also didn't get dizzy moving from chair to chair.

But, when he moved from his recliner to the bed for his dressing change, he was dizzy again. They are now checking everything from meds to inner ear problems. He also didn't want anything to eat tonight, but his tech said they had snacks on the floor if he got hungry.

He's getting a little discouraged with all of the new negative changes. He's also getting a small bedsore on his behind. They have had a pad on it, but it's not been placed in the right place. He's also got a bruise and very sore spot on his right heel. I think that is just from pressure of laying on it, but he was going to have the nurse look at it tonight.

So, don't know now if we will get to have our outing on Friday or not. We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes. On a brighter note, he had visits today from Eileen, the support group coordinator, JR who has a VAD, and Mark who had a transplant on June 27. Mark told us that Tom, who we had met through the group, was transplanted last night and Ralph was to be transplanted tonight. And, in case any of you are wondering, neither of them has the same blood type as Bill.

All for tonight. Now that I'm home I'm totally exhausted so I'm turning in before long. G'night.

Another up and down day and this one was mostly down. We neither one slept well last night. I know I slept, but I must not have rested since I was still tired when I got up. Bill also felt the same way and stay tired all day.

Dr. Yip turned off the oxygen this morning to see how he would do, and he stayed in acceptable ranges all day. But, he was weak today and got dizzy every time he stood. He was only able to walk once since he got dizzy every other time he tried.

It was determined that his fluid levels were too low now (they've been trying to get them down by giving him a couple of different diuretics. So this afternoon he was give some albumen to try to raise them a little. His pump numbers also came up some so it did help.

Dr. Yip is also concerned about his nutrition and has said that I can bring in food now as long as I follow a healthy heart diet and it's not saturated with sodium. So for breakfast I'm taking him an omelet made with egg beaters. Hopefully that will help. Our nurse also told me that Panera Bread offers low sodium soups and heart healthy soups and their menus show the nutrition information on the menu. I have a menu here at the condo from previous tenants so I'm going to look at it tonight. He did eat his dinner tonight and seemed to enjoy it although he said he didn't that he was just eating it because he knew he had to eat.

So, hopefully tomorrow, with some food he likes and the extra oomph from the albumen, he'll feel better and can get back on track.

Today was just a so-so day. Bill was tired all day and became very demanding in the afternoon instead of trying to do things on his own. He walked well for 2 walks this morning but the third one he was a little "wobbly" with his leg.

He's down to .5 liters of O2 still but sometimes has to be bumped up to 1 or 1 1/2. Dr. Yip saw how crazy his numbers were. The monitor showed his saturation was only 70% and he said "I know that's not right". But, the monitor is what they mainly go by. A tech from respiratory came by today and used her hand-held monitor and it was 96%.

We're still having to force him to eat anything. I finally told him tonight that if he did not start eating more they would have to put a feeding tube in. He's blaming it all on his dentures, but I think he's gotten to the point that he's blaming them because it's convenient. His night nurse suggested that we mechanicalize his meals. These are meals where the meat is ground and things are processed a little more to make them easier to chew. Mary-Rose had mentioned this to me before and the only reason I hadn't mentioned it to him is I didn't think he would eat it because it is not going to look very appetizing. But, he called me after I got home tonight and said he had eaten all of his supper and he wanted to try the other way. So, I think we'll try it at lunch tomorrow. Since he knows what it will look like maybe he'll be more agreeable to it.

We've gotten some suggestions on where to go for our lunch outing. We really need to start working on that so that when they say it's time we know where to tell the driver to go. Yes, they are sending a car service for us that day!

All for now. As I've said before, some of these days there's not going to be much news. I'll let you know tomorrow if the mechanicalized food worked.

Another good day. Don and Shirley left about 1:30 and called about 6:30 to let us know they had made it home. I am so grateful to them for coming for the week-end. I really needed the break from the hospital, not to mention the free time to take care of some things.

Physical Therapy came in this afternoon, which is unusual for a week-end. But I had voiced my concerns about Bill's leg to Dr. Yip again and our nurse this morning noticed this morning how unresponsive it it at times. They walked with him with a walker and said that the right leg is definitely weaker than the left but he also thought it was due to the numbness in his thigh. He said it's like walking when you leg is asleep. The stumbling gait and scissoring motion is because he can't feel if his leg is responding to the command to move. Mom, you know what that is like!So, we will definitely come home with a walker and they want him either using a regular walker or a podium walker. They also said that they would rather he walk 10 short walks, even if it is out of his room to the other side of the wall and back again than to try to walk "the circuit". This evening his walk was with a podium walker to the nurses station and back and he was much more stable.

His O2 is down to 1/2 liter when resting and 1 1/2 when he's walking so hopefully by the end of the week we will be coming home, or really close to it. He's really wanting to get out of the hospital, but he really wants to be HOME home, not here. He misses Ron's dog Buddy!

All for tonight. Washing up his shorts that he's wearing under his hospital gown, eating dinner and then going to bed. Goodnight everyone!

We both have had a pretty good day today. Shirley and I went to the hospital early so that I could meet the day nurse and be there when Dr. Yip came in. We got his breakfast ordered and eaten and to the bathroom. After a walk I left when it was time for his nap.

I am please to say that the laundry is done, the floors and bathroom cleaned, all of the dishes put away, and Cousin It will not be making an appearance in the near future!

Bill and Shirley had a good visit. Took a couple of walks and she got him to eat all of his lunch! We changed his dressing and took another walk and then while everyone was napping I decided to come back to the condo. I finished folding the clothes and cooked dinner. All in all, a good day.

We're getting concerned about his right leg. He has complained since he could talk again that his right thigh was numb. All of the doctors and therapists have said that it will go away so he shouldn't worry about it. But Shirley and I both noticed today that while he is walking, the leg wants to go to the left and he seems to have trouble lifting it some. He has also noticed this. So, again, we're going to talk to the dr. and I will probably talk to the therapist Monday. This is probably why they want to have him come home with a walker.

We're still looking at getting home, maybe, this week. He was down to 1 liter of O2 this afternoon, but bumping up to 2 while walking. His tech watched him while he was off the O2 and sitting in his chair and his sat was 93 which is pretty good. So maybe tomorrow they will try to get him totally off it! If that happens they will start planning our outings.

All for tonight. I'm physically tired tonight but in a good way. I feel like I've really accomplished some things today that I think were starting to bother me.

Bill had a pretty good day today. His "Field Marshall" Karie, the Patient Care Tech, had him up and moving early this morning! She had him in the bathroom bathing himself and shaving this morning. He took a couple of walks, one with the support of only the nurses and one with Physical Therapy with a walker. He's down to 2 liters of O2 while stationery but bumps up to 4 when he's walking.

He also did some work with Occupational Therapy and she thinks he may need a walker for a short time, just until he's a little steadier on his feet. He did just about fall in the bathroom trying to stand so it's probably a good idea. She doesn't think that it will be needed for long.

When he walked this afternoon, I could tell that he was tired and having a hard time, and he didn't make the circuit on the 4th one. We also practiced changing out the system controller today. That was a little scary, but not hard to do. Just have to remember to have power on both controllers before removing the drive line.

Don and Shirley got here this afternoon. They are going to give me a break tomorrow at the hospital. I'm going to try to get some laundry done and get a haircut if I can find a place. I'm going to look like Cousin It before long if I don't get a cut.

We're hearing that he may get to come home next week. It really all depends on how steady he is on his feet and the oxygen situation. We shall see. The way it works is that we will go out for lunch with a nurse, car service provided, and if that goes ok then the 2 of us go out together the next day wherever we want to go, and then discharged the next day if that also goes well.

So, things are moving along. Bill doesn't think it's moving fast enough but he's not as down as he had been. I think he's waiting to get some food that tastes good...even my cooking! And for those of you who know me, I don't like to cook, so if he wants my cooking, he's desperate!

All for tonight.

I feel much better today! Debated about coming to the hospital this morning, but ate some toast and got a fountain coke and sipped on it all day. Ate some soup for lunch and feel pretty good now, just tired.

Okay, enough about me. Bill was not in a great mood this morning, especially after he said he wanted pancakes and sausage for breakfast and I told him sausage was not an option. Then he wanted scrambled eggs, banana bread, corn flakes, coffee and milk. I asked if he was that hungry and he said no he wasn't very hungry! It seemed like nothing got done to his liking this morning.

But, after the dr. came in, and nothing has really changed, he had a little different attitude. He walked with the nurses and physical therapy, washed himself up, dressed in a shirt and shorts with the occupational therapist, and walked again before undressing and getting into bed for his dressing change! He also got up himself and walked to the bed alone, almost giving his nurse a heart attack! His oxygen level has also stayed up today and they've cut him back to 4 1/2 liters.

The only other time he was petulant was a lunch time. He is determined that he is only going to eat soft foods because chewing is an effort with his teeth in, and he would prefer to leave them out! I told him they are going to puree his meals if he doesn't start trying. He's already on 3 supplements a day for 1100 calories because he's not eating enough. So, he tried a little harder. I cut his meat into really tiny pieces and then he tried cutting some more.

He's going to walk at least 1 more time this afternoon, but 3 times so far today is a record. He's had no episodes during the day of v-tach that I know of. I think he had a couple during the night but the pacemaker did its job. The amiodorone should be taking effect since it works pretty fast so he should feel a little perkier.

Don and Shirley are coming this week-end to give me a little break, and it could still work out that we will get to leave next week if he keeps progressing.

Unless something else happens today, this will probably be the only post. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We're going to change out his controller which is the part that keeps the pump running. I'm not really concerned about it, we've practiced it without really doing it, and Tina is going to be here.

This will be the last post of the night. After such a busy morning, the afternoon fell apart again.

Physical Therapy came in to walk with Bill and when he started to walk he had another episode of v-tach. His device did not fire this time, the pacemaker paced him out of it like it is supposed to. But, these episodes leave him totally drained. Dr. Hosenpud has put him back on amiodorone which is what he was taking before the surgery.

We had talked to Tina about his progressing from her point of view and she said that as soon as he could be weaned off the oxygen we could plan our outings, possibly as early as Monday! That would mean he could be discharged by Wednesday. But, these v-tach episodes complicate things. When we told her that he had been on amiodorone before the surgery she was surprised that he had not been put back on it.

Apparently the stomach cramps and nausea Bill had earlier in the week is a little stomach bug because I came home early with those same symptoms. Thought at first it was my lunch but I really think there's something else. So, I'm drinking a cup of tea and, since it is almost dark, I'm calling it a day!

I forgot! We met a couple yesterday with a VAD. He's 40 and his is destination like Bill's. He's had his 4 months and very upbeat. I think his visit yesterday helped Bill some. He came in this morning to walk with him but therapy had just come in when he got here. He may come back this afternoon, or he may wait until Friday with he's back in the clinic.

Just wanted to let everyone know that we've connected with someone with a VAD. Most of the people we've met in the support group are all transplants and there are so many differences between that it's sometimes hard for transplants to understand something that is not-transplant. So, we now have 2 new friends here. And, our other friend Ralph did not get the heart the other day. Don't know who did but it wasn't him.

Today is a better day! He was still pretty negative when I got here this morning so I told him that he's the only one who can make it better and he had to work harder to get out of here. He said he slept pretty well and had gotten up about 6.

He ate all of his breakfast and when Dr. Hosenpud came in he told us that the echo and bubble test did not show any problems with his heart as far as the low oxygen level is concerned. He also stopped one of his medications. It's now just a matter of healing and regaining strength.

Tina wanted the stitch holding his drive line taken out because it's very hard to get under it to clean it properly. But Rob, the technician, looked at it this morning and didn't want to remove it yet. It's still pretty open on one side and he's afraid that if it's moved the line will get caught and pulled. Tina is afraid of the same thing, only with keeping it anchored where it is. So, it's a stalemate but I think the technician will win out. My fingers are small enough that I can get a finger between the layers of gauze and get under it. Since Rob had to look at the wound today we got his dressing change out of the way early. Usually it's done in the afternoon.

Occupational therapy came in and it was a new girl today. She didn't want to just exercise his hands and arms, she had him doing some leg lifts and then got him into the bathroom to shave! As far as I could tell his O2 stayed up pretty good.

As soon as that was over it was time to order lunch and finally take a walk. He did fine and didn't seem to be too tired when it was done.

He's still not eating as much as he should. He said nothing tastes good. He would be content to have just a cup of soup. I've told him since they've already got him on 2 kinds of supplements that he'll have to force himself to eat to get better.

So he's had a very busy morning and will have to be pretty active this afternoon since he still has to walk at least 3 more times today. But, his attitude is better than yesterday.

All for now. We'll see how the afternoon goes!

Two steps forward and one step back again today. And we're waiting to see what the echo and bubble test showed. The drs. didn't have much to say this morning since they were also waiting for the echo to be done.

He said he slept rather well last night but had a headache and still felt tired when I got here this morning. But, he ate all of his breakfast and was ready to take a walk afterwards. He did really well with the walk and was walking at a pretty good speed.

He went back to bed after the walk and they came to do the echo. He said several times during the test that where she was using the probe was hurting, and it was in an area that he has said before hurts.

The bubble test they did was to aerate some liquid of some kind to make tiny bubbles and then they were injected through his IV. That was kind of neat watching on the monitor. I don't know what it was supposed to show since I don't know what I'm looking at with the echo machine.

After that was finished, it was time to walk again and we didn't get 5 feet from his door when he started to collapse. The nurse was supporting him while I pulled the chair from the room and as we were putting him on the chair, his device fired. Jill and I both thought we had done something! Other nurses came running and got on the phone with the desk that monitors everything. We got him into the room and settled back into his chair. After this he seemed better and looked better.

Of course then the pacing center came down to get readings from the device and it was determined that his heart started racing and the pacemaker couldn't pace him out of it and when it got to a danger level the shock was delivered. She said his settings were pretty low so she consulted with the dr and they were raised a little, as far as the shock goes. The pacemaker will still start trying to pace him out of the arrythmia first.

We just took another walk around the circuit and he did ok, but he was really tired and is now taking a nap. He didn't eat much lunch and they are starting him on some supplement drinks this afternoon.

He's also starting to get depressed some. He made a comment last night that he wasn't getting any better. Today he said that he doesn't think he's going to leave here unless it's in a box. He also pointedly ignored Tina the VAD nurse when she was in this afternoon for our teaching session. The only thing I've said to him about this is that I know he wouldn't do anything to make me drive home by myself. But, I'm going to talk to him later and suggest that he talk to one of the psychologists. I know this is a normal part of the recovery but it doesn't make it any easier knowing that. I'm also going to do it when I know that I can keep my emotions under control. Or maybe he needs to see my emotions to see how that talk affects other people.

Anyway, enough of that. I'll let everyone know when we get some results of the echo.

Bill did not have a good night last night. His cramps continued through the night along with the nausea. He was sleeping when I came in this morning and felt horribly all morning. The dr. finally ordered some anti-nausea meds and whatever it was worked almost immediately. He finally had some breakfast and was willing to cooperate with the nurses!

The nutritionist came in today and gave him some extra choices to eat that wouldn't interfere with his fluid restriction that may help with his calorie intake.

He walked twice with the nurse and is supposed to walk at least 1 more time tonight. He talked Dr. Hosenpud into removing the catheter and he has about 1 1/2 hours to go before they have to re-insert it.

He's had a pretty good afternoon since he's felt a little better. His O2 had to be bumped up during the night but has been cut back down through the day. They are going to switch him to the mask tonight to see if that helps.

The echo is scheduled for tomorrow and they are also going to do a "bubble" test. We're not sure what that test is for.

So, all for tonight. I'm going home in a little bit. I'm going to stay and walk with him. Maybe it will quit raining by the time I leave. But we're getting quite a lightning show!

Last post of the night...he's been pretty miserable all afternoon. He's had stomach cramps and when we took his binding off to clean his wound he has turned into a lobster. I had noticed that his face was flushed earlier and by the time we were down with the dressing changes the red was going down his legs.

This reaction is from the cath dye they used yesterday for the CT scan. They were aware that he has this reaction and they must not have given enough of the medication before hand to counter-act the rash. So he hurts. He can't have any Benadryl for another hour.

He also said he's not very hungry but I talked him into some soup and it should be here in a little while. After it gets here I'll pack up and head home. All in all a good day.

We are back in the step-down unit! All of the girls upstairs were sad to see him leave and everyone else was happy to see him back!

Dr. Hosenpud said that we then reviewed the CT scan a second there "might have been something that could have been" a clot. He said there were so many when they did the surgery that 1 may have broken off and exploded into lots of little clots. He's going to do an echo tomorrow to see if there is anything else going on. Most of you know that we are born with a hole between the two sides of our hearts and it closes after time. He said that sometimes when a VAD is implanted that hole can reopen. So that's basically what he wants the echo for. But he was pleased with his progress.

He has the same respiratory therapist as yesterday and she was really impressed with how he bounced back. She thought he looked much better. He's down to 5 liters of oxygen which is a very low dose from what he had been on. He's had the cannula on all morning and is doing well. He did sleep with the mask on to let his nose breathe some and not get so dried out. Hopefully that will help him.

So, things have stabilized again. If something else comes up I'll get it posted. But, if there isn't a post, it doesn't mean that something is wrong. A lot of this process is just healing and no excitement.

The surgeon just came in and said they were going to take the catheter out today. That will really make him happy!

Sorry about no post last night but nothing had changed from the time of the last post until I left.

When I got here this morning a little before 7 he was up in his chair, covered with his Colorado Rockies throw. His nurse said he had a good night and he said that he got some rest.

He ate all of his breakfast and has already taken 1 walk around the circuit. I suppose that it's the same distance as the other floor so that's supposed to be 250 feet. He seems more alert today than the last few days so maybe the low O2 sat was the culprit.

The lung dr. has been in and said that everything looks good. We're waiting for the cardiologist, but the lung guy said that they've been pretty busy this morning. Makes me wonder if our friend Ralph finally got his heart. He has already had 2 false alarms. So, once we see the other docs we'll know if he's going to go back downstairs or spend the day up here.

So, that's where we stand. And, as if we don't have enough to worry about, I checked our messages at home this morning and we had a call from one of our credit cards that there were some suspicious charges. I called them and sure enough about $1000 had been charged. Luckily, the charges have been taken off and the account closed and new cards will be issued. It was all handled easily and professionally by the rep and he's even having the new cards sent here to me. Funny how the little things that happen mean so much at times.

So, whenever we find out what the plan is I will get this updated. Have a blessed Sunday!

Early post today. We've had our ups and downs so thought I'd let you know what has happened.

He wasn't feeling nauseous this morning but was not hungry and only had cereal for breakfast. He said he kept going from cold to hot last night and only had a sheet when I came in.

The rest of the chest tubes came out which should make him feel a lot better. He also did an excellent job getting up from his bed and into his chair. He only needed 1 person and me to help him and he was very steady!

The doctors are still really concerned about his O2 levels. They were trying to wean him off of the high volume humidified oxygen. The therapist we had today was really good and decided to just play with different. When she put him on just regular O2 he did better. But his blood gases showed that he was still too low. So, they put him on a mask instead of the cannula and the difference was amazing! He had been telling them that he wasn't getting any air through his nose because his nose was full of junk but they weren't listening! Anyway, just to be sure there wasn't a pulmonary embolism causing the problem, a lung doctor was called in and a CT scan was done. The scan was negative but, as a precaution, he has been moved back to ICU.

His levels are much better now, but they've put him back on the cannula! We got the doctor to compromise, at night or when he is resting, if his levels drop, he will go to a mask. But, if he's up to eat, he uses the cannula. So far the cannula is working well.

I had a little tiff with a lab tech and won. She wanted to use his left arm to draw some blood, but there has been a no blood pressure or needle stick notice because of the blood clot. She was going to use it anyway until I called her on it. I could tell she was ticked off, but she used the right arm anyway!

We just finished the dressing change and changed him from battery power to the power base unit and Maria (our nurse) said that I got an A. It's getting easier and easier.

The nurses we had seen before were all waving at him as he came down the hall and have stopped in to see him. We just told them that we missed them and wanted to come back.

We don't know how long he'll be up here. It could only be for the night.

I'll update again after I get home. Hopefully nothing else will happen today!

Well, I thought the post for the day had been made, but I was wrong. Just as Bill's supper was brought in he said he was cold. I was getting him a blanket and he started gagging. All it was was mucus that he had been coughing up. Needless to say he did not want his dinner.

We got him back into bed and he said he wasn't nauseous anymore but he was freezing. When I left he was under 2 blankets (1 of which came out of the warmer) and had the heat in the room at about 75.

The nurses weren't really concerned but it happened right at shift change. But his nurse was aware of the situation. He wasn't running any fever even though he was so chilled.

He really didn't want me to leave tonight but I know it's mainly because he was feeling bad. It makes me feel really guilty when I do leave but, as there is nothing to eat in the evenings (the cafeteria closes at 5:30 and 4:30 on Friday) I have to leave the hospital. The cafeteria is also closed on week-ends. I also won't be much good if I'm more worn out than I already am, so it's best for me to leave. My phone numbers are written on his board in his room and from my parking place to the parking lot at the Mayo is exactly 6 miles and takes 10 minutes.

Hopefully the nurses are right and it was just the mucus and not something else. Will let everyone know tomorrow. For now, I'm going to bed.

Today has been a much better day, although he seemed to have some mental confusion this morning. He's also keeping his jaw locked when he talks. This could be due to getting used to his teeth again. The confusion seems to clear later in the day so not sure just what is the cause of this.

The swelling in his arm is better but his legs are still swollen. He still has quite a bit of fluid so they've increased his diuretic and his coumadin.

He has walked twice today, the same 250 foot circuit. He's supposed to walk 6 times a day, but since he still has the chest tubes and catheter it's quite a production.

Today was student nurse day and the instructor asked if the students could come in and learn about the LVAD. Since Mayo is the only hospital in the area that does them, it doesn't get covered at the other hospitals. So, we did a teaching session. It actually re-inforced the training we've been getting by explaining it to others. So, those of you who are willing to learn this, watch out, we're ready to go.

All in all it's been a pretty good day.

Not as good a day today as yesterday. Bill had a bad night and the catheter had to be re-inserted. He also had a lot of pain during the night and his oxygen level dropped so is O2 was increased. He did get his central line removed from his neck. He was very tired and weak all morning but seemed better this afternoon.

I did manage to cajole him into putting his teeth in and he was able to eat a little better. He also took a walk this afternoon and once around the floor is about 250 feet. I think physical therapy has figured that 12 times around the ward is 1 mile.

I did his wound care again today and only contaminated 1 finger, at the end! The nurse told me that I did a super job and she didn't have to do any of it.

I've been productive this evening even though I'm really tired again. I cooked some dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, showered, and thrown a load of laundry in the washer and am just waiting for it to stop so I can throw it in the dryer. It's just jeans so they can dry during the night and not get too wrinkled.

So, all for tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Well I did it! I managed to get Bill's dressing changed and cleaned and only contaminated 1 1/2 prs of gloves! Taking 1 pair home to practice with. It's not so bad, just getting the positioned to begin with and then remembering not to touch anything!

He's having dinner now and it is still such a chore to move I don't know if they will walk him again tonight or not. He still gets very tired just moving from the bed to the chair and eating.

The PIC line has been placed and we're just waiting for the results of the xray to see if it's placed properly. If it is the central line will then be removed from his neck. That will make him feel a lot better and not fight as much with his oxygen tubing.

So, this is it for the night. Hopefully we'll have just as good a day as tomorrow.

Today has been a momentous day! Two of the 5 chest tubes have been taken out along with his catheter. The IVs have all been stopped. Of course he still has the lines in place if they need to restart something but he's a little freer now.

He walked down the hall today for the first time and was out of oxygen when he got back, not that he was out of oxygen, the tank was empty and he was on room air. His O2 level remained really good and they were surprised. He was also given some hand exercises to do.

The best part of the day so far is (drum roll)...he's been moved to the step-down floor. I don't know if he is going to like it for the first few days. His board, which lists his nurses and aides also has special instructions. These instructions include his diet and the number of times he has to walk a day. He has to walk 6 times a day. For someone who just walked today for the first time in a week, this is going to be grueling! But, he'll do fine after a couple of days.

I've been changing his power supply for the last couple of days and today I'm going to do the dressing change. I must admit I'm a little scared of doing it. I know I'll be fine after the first time. It's just getting this first one out of the way.

More tonight after I get home.

This post tonight will probably be rather short. We're starting to get into the days of not much really new happening. I know that's easy for me to say since I'm with Bill every day.

For some unknown reason his hemoglobin dropped about 6 this morning so he was given another unit of blood. That did the trick and his numbers came back up. He seemed to feel better today, although he was coughing a lot which is painful for him. But the dr. detected some fluid building in his lungs so the coughing was good.

The blood clot in his arm is very small and is not blocking the vein. It will go away with the coumadin and aspirin treatment. It is just painful for him right now. His left hand is still swollen but heat and elevation are helping. He also still has his chest tubes in, but they are still draining quite a bit of fluid. The amount of oxygen he's receiving was backed down again and did not have to be raised any today.

He did well with physical therapy this morning which was very tiring for him. But he sat in this chair all morning, from breakfast until after lunch which was about 5 hours. He was also on battery pack the entire morning. I transferred him from the main power unit to battery with no problem, and we both checked the batteries periodically through the morning.

He's eating better and was having baked fish and mashed potatoes when I left tonight.

I'm totally exhausted tonight. I woke up about 4:45 this morning and have worn out early tonight. It's just now dark but I'm ready to pack it in. I know the phone is going to ring in a little while, but I've got to go to bed. I think I've hit most of the highlights for you.

Goodnight everyone!

Today was a very busy day for Bill. He saw physical therapy, occupational therapy, the surgeon's PA, the VAD nurse and I don't know who else. By the end of the day when I left he was standing better and moving a little more. He also had his O2 dropped down a little and the Nitric Oxide removed. His O2 sat dropped some after that but the technician worked with him and we finally got it to stabilize in the 90's. He just has to remember to breathe through his nose instead of his mouth.

The ultrasound was finally done on his arm and he does have a blood clot somewhere in the left arm. The dr. started him back on aspirin and coumadin today and we will find out tomorrow morning what the protocol will be. His left hand is extremely swollen and discolored and the swelling comes and goes from his arm. The arm is still very sore from the bicep to the shoulder. He's trying to keep the arm elevated and wrapped in warm cloths to help. One of the things that could be complicating this is he wants the room extremely cold. Everyone who comes in, or has to stay in the room, is freezing. He's not even using a sheet to cover himself, yet to touch him it's like touching an ice cube. He did finally say that it felt cool in the room after he ate supper! We all jumped for joy and turned the thermostat up. The cold room and hand was also making it hard for his O2 monitor on his finger to work properly.

He hasn't slept much and it seems that when he does fall asleep someone comes in. He's going to get a mild sleeping pill tonight. I think he may just get his usual dose of xanax, but I don't know for sure.

He's also still not eating a lot but we have finally found a few things that he can get down. He still doesn't have his teeth in so finding soft foods that will fill him up is getting tough. They have him on a calorie count to make sure he's getting enough nourishment and today he really started trying to eat. Yesterday he just kept telling us that he was full.

We thought we were going to have some excitement this evening, also. I guess that during the storm Friday night, part of the power grid at the hospital was damaged by lightning. I knew that they had lost power, but not that the system had been damaged. Anyway, they were going to replace the damaged parts tonight at 7 and the power could be off for 20 minutes. Of course all of the equipment (IVs and oxygen) all have battery back-up. All of it....except Bill!! So, about 6 he was "untethered" from his power unit and put on his battery packs. Not a problem, sat in his chair and ate dinner and watched tv. We did not lose power and after he was put back to bed, before I left, I put him back on the power unit and put the batteries back in the charger. The nurse told me that I did an excellent job and didn't get flustered. You have to mate the ends of the connectors and to me it was just like plugging in a computer system! I have some paperwork to fill out for the VAD nurse with contact information. I haven't really looked at it yet, too tired.

All for tonight. I need to get to the hospital early again tomorrow to catch the doctor.

Only 1 post today. He's been very uncomfortable all day. Of course this is to be expected. He's feeling some pain from the incision and he's coughing which makes the pain worse.

His oxygen was cut back but whenever he moves or coughs or eats his O2sat drops. Dr. Alvarez said he's been his easiest patient this week. Dr. Yamani is still concerned with his arm but could not do the ultrasound because the computer system was down. Wonder what they would have done if there wasn't a computer system. Of course there probably wouldn't be ultrasounds either!

He did get the arterial line out today and 1 of the lines in his neck is out. The meds have been cut back too. The chest tubes are still draining a lot so they are still in place.

He sat in his chair for quite a while and slept in it for about an hour or more which was the first he had really rested. The move from the bed to the chair and back seems like a mile long to him so he is still very weak. But, as I've told people, it's day 4 so there's still a long way to go.

All for now, more tomorrow.

Last post of the night! Bill didn't get much of a nap because the nurses were very noisy in the hallway. Had to shut the door and as soon as I did, someone came in. He finally drifted off and my cell phone rang so I left the room to answer it and his eyes were closed. When I came back in he had been moved again but was finally asleep.

When he did wake up he looked much better. His eyes were clearer and he looked more rested and alert. The girls came in and he teased them a little and joked around which made all of us feel better.

We came home a little early tonight. I asked him if he wanted me to stay and he said no. He wanted me to get some rest and I didn't argue with him. Hopefully they will leave him alone more tonight and he can rest.

His arm was feeling better. The ultrasound did not get done today so Dr. Yamani should be doing it tomorrow. But, it wasn't swollen and sore as it had been.

He told me at one point that he thought that he had made a mistake by having this done. But, I told him what Dr. Landolfo said about the blood clots. He didn't know any of that and I think it helped him. I know that it was only because he was feeling so lousy that he said it. When he feels better he'll realize he made the right choice.

So, not much news for the rest of the night. But as my mother always said, "No news is good news".

Keep the prayers coming! And for the friend who made me laugh tonight, thanks again! You know who you are!

Lots of progress made today in addition to the extubation. He sat in a chair for 2 hours (1 1/2 hours against his will!) and has taken some water and a couple of sips of coffee. His voice is coming back some to normal. For a while he sounded really funny.

The situation in his arm is very puzzling. Heat and elevation has taken the swelling from his fingers. He also isn't as rigid in his bicep. But he has a huge knot on the top of forearm. After getting back into bed, he complained when the arm was moved and his wrist is swollen, but it is not rigid. The dr. has ordered an ultrasound of the arm to see what is causing this. He said if it hasn't been done by tomorrow he will do it himself.

He has had 1 little setback. He's being put back on nitric oxide along with the oxygen. His O2 sat is 100%, but he's getting 100% oxygen and they think it should be higher than 100% because of that. So they are adding the other to see if that helps. He says his pain threshold is 3 and he's complaining of a headache but the pain medicine should take care of that.

We've cleaned the wound today and I think tomorrow I may try to do some of it instead of just watching. The only way to do it is to just do it. The worst part is getting everything set up and it all has to be sterile so we cap and mask and special gloves. The actually process of cleaning it and redressing it seems to be very simple.

All for now. He's getting settled into bed and then I think he's going to have a nice nap. Maybe I will too!

Praise the Lord! He is off the vent and breathing on his own! He's also pretty uncomfortable from laying in basically the same positions. They turn them every 2 hours but they aren't turning much, just kind of shift. He finally convinced them he needed to be more on his side than his back. Of course they are limited by how much he can be turned by all of the tubes. He has finally gone to sleep so maybe he'll rest for a little while now.

In a couple of hours he'll be able to have some clear liquids if there isn't any swelling in his throat. He says he's really thirsty.

There is one thing going on that is baffling everyone so far. His left hand and arm are very swollen and he says his arm is very painful. There are no IVs in that arm but it is where his arterial line is, although that looks ok. It's swollen as far as his bicep. So, it's elevated with some warming packs on it. The dr. has been called but hasn't come in yet. We're all hoping that it isn't the result of a clot moving but that is a possibility. He's also still running the low-grade fever. It's staying right around 99 and still no explainable reason.

He now has his lung exercise machine and made it to 1000 on the first try. So that's the goal today. He also has his heart pillow. Now that he's off the vent and having to cough he's feeling the pain of the incision. At least he has the wound binding on which gives a little additional support.

There's where we are right now. I decided to stay in the room with him today so maybe he will rest a little more. He actually thought that it had been a long time but it's only been 48 hours, almost exactly. Dr. Alvarez the lung doctor said that he's actually been the easiest patient right now.

All for this morning, more when something more takes place.