Good morning everyone! I was very sneaky and snuck out to the hospital by myself this morning. Dr. Patel came in right behind me and there have been some improvements through the night. He was only given 1 unit of blood during the night and has only had 1 unit of platelets so far today. There is a little problem with his potassium and phosphate levels but they are dealing with that.

His INR, which is the level they watch for blood clotting, is 1.7. Before the surgery, his was 1.9 on his meds so 1.7 is very acceptable. It is also a natural level from his liver function and not from meds so they are not having to start any blood thinners.

His kidney function, which is still acceptable, has dropped a little. But, Dr. Patel said that days 2 and 3 from an "uneventful" transplant are the hardest days on the kidneys and they start to bounce back some. They have started Lasix and his output is still good.

The Nitric Oxide in his oxygen has been turned down and is not at the hardest level to maintain. This works on the lungs and the heart. At a lower level the right side of the heart showed some distress so it was increased again and everything evened out again. The blood pressure drugs are also being decreased slowly and increased if needed.

His color is awesome today! I know that he is on 100% oxygen but this is different. The monitors are also showing the peaks of the heart rate at a good size and rate which is telling them that the heart is actually beating on its own again! Dr. Patel told me that the taller they get and the more even then get the better that is for him.

The plan for the rest of today is just to let him maintain. The biggest concern is infection since his chest is still open. He has been given mega doses of antibiotics and the immuno-suppressants have been given. Since his immune system has to be killed off so that his body will not reject the heart it is a very fine line to walk. I'm sure he's also been started on the anti-rejection meds but they have not said specifically that they have been started.

Tomorrow they are going to lighten the sedation and see how he responds. Monday will be the CT scan and the TEE. Both of those will tell them how his brain looks and how the heart looks from the back. Also if he tolerates all of the med changes, Dr. Patel may lower the right pump speed and challenge the right side of the heart since it seems to be the most sluggish.

If things continue to improve, it looks like another transplant may not be needed. It also puts the high maintenance procedures (bi-vads and artificial heart) on hold.

All in all everything is looking very encouraging. Each phase is a baby step and some may be forward and some may be backwards. We are all pleased with the reports we've gotten today and I don't know if we will see Dr. Patel again this afternoon or not.

The kids have gone to do a little shopping, although I had to make Beth go. I need the quiet alone time. After I saw him this morning before anyone else was here I felt so much better and realized that I was hungry for the first time since Tuesday. That doesn't mean I haven't eaten because I have. Emily brought me a biscuit from McDonalds and they are going to bring lunch in when they come back.

All for this update. When something happens I'll let you know!