Friday, April 24 2009

April 24,2009

Today was the day that we thought that Lynn was supposed to come home...well, it turned out that wasn't the case. She had some problems with her heart rate, and Dr. Blossom wanted her to stay at the hospital a few more days. The problem is two-fold - first, her heart rate is too high, about 140 bpm. Second, her heartbeat is erratic, that is, unsteady. Dr. Blossom said that an erratic heartbeat is OK, and he would normally have let her go home, but not at the rate she had. Her heart rate is about the one you would expect for someone who just climbed 3 flights of stairs...not for someone laying at rest in bed. We want her to get to somewhere between 80 and 120 beats per minute.

Well, the doctor gave her some medication that is supposed to slow down the heart rate. If she can stay lower than the base rate for 24 hours, she can go home. Even if she can't, if the rate can stay below that threshold with oral drugs, she can still go home. If it takes IV administered drugs, then it is no go. Important note - this is something that is not uncommon for heart surgery patients - many people have to deal with this. The heart simply does not deal very well with the rough handling required to do the surgery that Lynn needed, especially the part where it was STOPPED for over 2 hours, and it simply takes a while for it to get back to normal. She was on the heart-lung for 126 minutes, so this kind of side-effect is something that should have been expected...the trouble is, that it REALLY hard to explain to a 7 year-old, much less a 3-year old.

The big problem is, Lynn feels just fine. She is alert, awake, and ready to go....and BORED TO TEARS. Maybe her heart isn't ready, but her mind is certainly good to go. She really wants to get home as soon as possible (and Carlee and Mac agree.) The phrase "stir crazy" certainly applies! Note: anyone who can - please give her a call tomorrow - it will be very much appreciated.

Right now, Sunday appears to be the best bet. Hopefully, we'll have her home, and nestled safely on the patio, enjoying the 85 degree sunshine, and listening to Boston before the end of the week-end - we'll keep everyone posted until then.