Thursday, April 30, 2009

April 30, 2009



Lynn is still at the hospital, but it looks like things are getting better. The doctors have been trying to come up with some sort of combination for her drug therapy that controls the high heartbeat, one that does not involve an IV. Obviously, if she needs an IV drip to keep the afibrillation under control, she won't be able to go home...unless, of course, she gets to take a nurse home with her to hook her up to the drip. We determined that this would not work, however, as she insisted that the nurse be male, and that he bear a striking resemblence to someone like Brad Pitt. I, of course, felt that this was a very poor way to judge someone's qualifications, and felt that any nurse we got should have a look that exudes competence...someone like Cameron Diaz.



Well, it looks like one of the combinations is working. Yesterday, her doctors gave her the mix, and she has been out of arrhythmia ever since. Her heart rate is staying between 80 and 90 bpm, a bit high, but still within a normal range. This is much better than the 140-150 she had a day ago, and that pretty much got this whole line of treatment started. One of the parts of the drug mix she is taking is called Coumadin. It takes a while to work through her system and build up to the levels that her doctors want, hence the waiting game. The trouble is, the only way to tell what the levels are is to do a blood test. And so, nurses take a blood sample from Lynn periodically during each 24 hour period. I guess that the blood sample must be drawn when she is deeply asleep during the night, or when she is taking a nap, because that is exactly when they come to get it. This impeccible timing must be a crucial part of the nurse's training, since they have managed to hit those times exactly right for 2 days running.

Lynn is also starting to get some of her stamina back. Today, when I went to see her for lunch, she made it all the way through the ward to the elevators, but was still getting a bit winded. Tonight, when I brought Mac and Carlee over to see her, we walked around the ward once, and then she walked us over to the elevators when we were ready to leave. Neither time was she nearly as out of breath as she was even just a few hours earlier. I guess that having a functional heart helps out a bit. The doctor handling the drug therapy told her that she may be able to leave tomorrow. If she can make it to noon, they think that they have the right mix, and that she doesn't need to be monitored any longer. If not tomorrow, it will be Saturday. It is pretty clear that it cannot come soon enough for her!

Like I said, I took Mac and Carlee over to see her this evening, and we stayed until around 7:30 PM. When we took our first lap around the ward, the two of them picked up some prints of the heart, line drawings actually, that they used for classes. The two of them thought it would be really cool to color them and leave them hung up for Mommy to see...great idea, except that Carlee liked hers so much she decided to keep it for herself. Mac and Carlee also take advantage of the sterile glove dispensers near the door and keep themselves well supplied with blue rubber gloves. For some reason, Mac thinks that these are part of the normal garb of secret agents, so he'll put on a pair, and start stalking around looking as secretive and sneaky as possible. Unfortunately for him, he just sort of looks like a 7 year old kid in blue rubber gloves that also happens to have a herniated disk.

For this little stay at the hospital, Lynn drew one of the better rooms. It is on the second floor, and she has an excellent view of the front entrance to the hospital. This morning, she saw me walking in as I came to visit her. She also gets an excellent view of the people in hospital gowns, towing IV racks, and that are often on oxygen, sneaking out to light up a smoke or two. Carlee and Mac thought it was really cool that they could see mom from the walk as we left, but all three of us got pretty depressed, thinking that we had to leave Mom up there, and couldn't take her home. Mac summed it up pretty well - he said he felt homesick as we were driving home. It's pretty hard to understand, when you're 7, why your mom has to stay at the hospital, when she looks like she's doing just fine, and doesn't act sick at all.

Lynn's mom is staying with us for a few more days - she heads back to Florida on Monday. Susan Mathew is coming up early next week, then Gary and Sharon do a return engagement next week as well. Having all the help has certainly been great - it does wonders for Lynn to know that she doesn't have to worry about who can watch the kids - or the husband, for that matter.