We have a date for surgery! The implant is going to be done on Sept. 15th. We will probably have to be at the hospital at the ungodly hour of 5:30 am. The surgery will probably not start until 8, but it will take that long to get him prepped. The surgery will last anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours. Our VAD nurse told us that usually the VAD is implanted within the first 2-4 hours. The rest of the time is taken with making sure it's operating properly and such.

We both liked the surgeon, Dr. Landolfo. He was very pleasant and very frank. He said that Bill is the perfect candidate for the VAD and that, in his opinion, he would not live the 5 years it could take to get a heart.

We also met with the Palliative Care doctors which was a little disconcerting. It's hard enough to talk about end of life decisions between just the 2 of us without involving 2 other people. So it was a little emotional. I'm sure we'll both talk about it again in the next few days since they need some paperwork filled out before the surgery.

There are no more appointments until the 13th which is the sleep dr. to see if he has any sleep apnea problems. But the 14th...whoo boy, it's loaded up. Meet with the surgeon, the anesthesiologists, labs, x-rays, ekgs and pre-registration.

Our social worker, Elizabeth, said that it is very realistic to think we might be home by Christmas. It all just depends on how the surgery goes and how he recovers afterward. He will have rehab 3 days a week and of course we both have to learn how to take care of the pump and the wound. We have a video to watch and a handbook to read and then, the emts and fire department personnel at home have to be taught what to do. We will also have home health nurses for a little while to make sure that we can do it once we get home, whether home is here or back home.

So, that's where we are for now. If I think of anything else, I may update this again tonight. My mind is still reeling!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We went to the support group meeting yesterday for the heart transplant/VAD patients and caregivers. Met some really nice people. There was no-one there who had a VAD but several transplants from as long as 14 years out to 2 months out. There were even 2 there that are waiting in the hospital and are too sick to go home. It was really interesting to hear some of their stories and 1 guy was a total nut!

Ok, now, before I think of anything else, this is it. I'm trying to multi-task and it's getting hard to do!