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.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday
The treatment that had been planned for Lynn today did not take place - The way things sound, the specialists in charge decided that, since her heart rate responded to drug therapy, it was reasonable to assume that some mix of drugs could be developed that she could take in pill form would also fix the heart rate problem. And so, she did not have to go through the electro-shock therapy today. Instead, she went on a three drug therapy that is supposed to fix the issue of the rapid heart rate. We had sort of mixed feelings about that...on one hand, no one wants to go through the eletroshock treatment...but if it worked, she would be done, and could go right home. The drug therapy determination means that she will have to be in the hospital much longer. It simply takes longer to figure out the right mix that will work for her. And, the trouble is, she feels really great right not, not at all ill, and would really like to get out and go home. However, today she got the word that she will have to spend at least 2 more days there, maybe more, and, despite the fact that she has a corner suite and finally has a view of something other than roof-top air handling units, time does indeed drag on for her.
The treatment that had been planned for Lynn today did not take place - The way things sound, the specialists in charge decided that, since her heart rate responded to drug therapy, it was reasonable to assume that some mix of drugs could be developed that she could take in pill form would also fix the heart rate problem. And so, she did not have to go through the electro-shock therapy today. Instead, she went on a three drug therapy that is supposed to fix the issue of the rapid heart rate. We had sort of mixed feelings about that...on one hand, no one wants to go through the eletroshock treatment...but if it worked, she would be done, and could go right home. The drug therapy determination means that she will have to be in the hospital much longer. It simply takes longer to figure out the right mix that will work for her. And, the trouble is, she feels really great right not, not at all ill, and would really like to get out and go home. However, today she got the word that she will have to spend at least 2 more days there, maybe more, and, despite the fact that she has a corner suite and finally has a view of something other than roof-top air handling units, time does indeed drag on for her.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
April 28, 2009
Well, we’ve had a little bit of a setback. Lynn is back in the hospital, and she is likely to be there for at least two days. There is a problem with her heart rate. When someone goes through open heart surgery, as I related earlier, the heart often has a difficult time recovering from just being handled, and stopped, during the operation. Any problem with the rhythm of the heart is call arrhythmia, a potential byproduct of this handling. The rates can be of three types: It can beat too fast, beat too slow, or go into an irregular beat. Lynn’s heart has shown a tendency to beat too fast, tachycardia, and that’s why she is back at Riverside.
We started out pretty good. She got home Saturday night, and was feeling OK. She had had the fast heart rate at the hospital, but it appeared that it was under control with pills, so she was given the green light to go home. The highlight for her was taking a shower for the first time in 5 days – she said she never had a better shower in her life. Lynn tried to sleep in the bed, but could not get comfortable. It was too hard for her to breathe with her lying flat on her back, so she ended up sleeping on the lounger on the sofa. That seemed to work out well for her.
The next day went pretty well. She had a rough time moving around without getting winded, however, and that was worrisome. One of the things she brought home was a breathing exercise machine…you suck in a lung full of air, and see how much you can move the needle. She was supposed to get to 2500, but only made it to 1000. As part of the operation, the surgeons deflate her lungs… we were wondering if maybe something had gone wrong on that level, and that she wasn’t getting them filled up properly. Sunday night was not good…she simply could not get comfortable, and spent a restless night on the sofa.
The next day, Susan (who had come down the previous night) and Jo took Lynn to the radiologist. Her surgeon wanted her to get an x-ray to see if there was some fluid build-up in her lungs that was causing the deflation issues. He would meet with her the next day, Tuesday, to discuss the results. Well, Lynn started to get winded, then dizzy, as she was heading out to the car. Then, because she was so dizzy, she threw up, which must have been absolute agony for her. Susan and Jo got her back home straightaway, but she was still sick the rest of the afternoon. Dr. Blossom had Lynn stop taking the blood pressure pills…this made a great deal of sense since her blood pressure was already too low anyway! And, when I got home, I picked up the prescription she had that had been screwed up for the proper pain medication. One way or another, she started feeling much better, and the dizziness went away.
That night, she tried again to sleep on the bed – no luck…it still hurt too much. She then went down to the sofa lounger and had a little more luck, but still didn’t do all that well. This morning, she had her appointment with Dr. Blossom to review the x-rays. There was no fluid buildup in the lungs, which was good. However, they found out that the rapid heartbeat was back again, this time at 150 bpm, and he immediately had her readmitted to the hospital.
Right now, they are trying to get the rate down, and have succeeded with an IV administered drug. Tomorrow, they will do a cardio-echo, if the rapid rate continues, to see if there is visible reason why the rate is staying too high. Then, they will try electrocardioversion…this is a procedure where a shock is administered to the heart to try to jolt it into a normal rhythm. This is normally considered to be a safe procedure, as safe as can be expected, but it is still something that they hate to have to do. Of course, if her heart comes back with the medicine, they won’t have to do it…that’s what we’re shooting for.
Lynn’s hospital phone number is 614-544-7761. She is in room 2004 at Riverside.
Well, we’ve had a little bit of a setback. Lynn is back in the hospital, and she is likely to be there for at least two days. There is a problem with her heart rate. When someone goes through open heart surgery, as I related earlier, the heart often has a difficult time recovering from just being handled, and stopped, during the operation. Any problem with the rhythm of the heart is call arrhythmia, a potential byproduct of this handling. The rates can be of three types: It can beat too fast, beat too slow, or go into an irregular beat. Lynn’s heart has shown a tendency to beat too fast, tachycardia, and that’s why she is back at Riverside.
We started out pretty good. She got home Saturday night, and was feeling OK. She had had the fast heart rate at the hospital, but it appeared that it was under control with pills, so she was given the green light to go home. The highlight for her was taking a shower for the first time in 5 days – she said she never had a better shower in her life. Lynn tried to sleep in the bed, but could not get comfortable. It was too hard for her to breathe with her lying flat on her back, so she ended up sleeping on the lounger on the sofa. That seemed to work out well for her.
The next day went pretty well. She had a rough time moving around without getting winded, however, and that was worrisome. One of the things she brought home was a breathing exercise machine…you suck in a lung full of air, and see how much you can move the needle. She was supposed to get to 2500, but only made it to 1000. As part of the operation, the surgeons deflate her lungs… we were wondering if maybe something had gone wrong on that level, and that she wasn’t getting them filled up properly. Sunday night was not good…she simply could not get comfortable, and spent a restless night on the sofa.
The next day, Susan (who had come down the previous night) and Jo took Lynn to the radiologist. Her surgeon wanted her to get an x-ray to see if there was some fluid build-up in her lungs that was causing the deflation issues. He would meet with her the next day, Tuesday, to discuss the results. Well, Lynn started to get winded, then dizzy, as she was heading out to the car. Then, because she was so dizzy, she threw up, which must have been absolute agony for her. Susan and Jo got her back home straightaway, but she was still sick the rest of the afternoon. Dr. Blossom had Lynn stop taking the blood pressure pills…this made a great deal of sense since her blood pressure was already too low anyway! And, when I got home, I picked up the prescription she had that had been screwed up for the proper pain medication. One way or another, she started feeling much better, and the dizziness went away.
That night, she tried again to sleep on the bed – no luck…it still hurt too much. She then went down to the sofa lounger and had a little more luck, but still didn’t do all that well. This morning, she had her appointment with Dr. Blossom to review the x-rays. There was no fluid buildup in the lungs, which was good. However, they found out that the rapid heartbeat was back again, this time at 150 bpm, and he immediately had her readmitted to the hospital.
Right now, they are trying to get the rate down, and have succeeded with an IV administered drug. Tomorrow, they will do a cardio-echo, if the rapid rate continues, to see if there is visible reason why the rate is staying too high. Then, they will try electrocardioversion…this is a procedure where a shock is administered to the heart to try to jolt it into a normal rhythm. This is normally considered to be a safe procedure, as safe as can be expected, but it is still something that they hate to have to do. Of course, if her heart comes back with the medicine, they won’t have to do it…that’s what we’re shooting for.
Lynn’s hospital phone number is 614-544-7761. She is in room 2004 at Riverside.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
April 25, 2009
Nothing but good news today - Lynn got to go home! It didn't look like it was going to happen earlier today, but she called me around 3PM and told me that she was going to get cut loose at 6:00. Jo, Mac, Carlee and I all drive down in the van and picked her up. She was really glad to go home. Mary Ann and Leia came by for visits, but in between times she was reall getting antsy. Her heart rate is down to acceptable levels, and everything else looks to be fine. She had a list of drugs to get from the pharmacy as long as your arm, but it that's a small price to pay. Mac and Carlee are REALLY glad she's back.
More later
Nothing but good news today - Lynn got to go home! It didn't look like it was going to happen earlier today, but she called me around 3PM and told me that she was going to get cut loose at 6:00. Jo, Mac, Carlee and I all drive down in the van and picked her up. She was really glad to go home. Mary Ann and Leia came by for visits, but in between times she was reall getting antsy. Her heart rate is down to acceptable levels, and everything else looks to be fine. She had a list of drugs to get from the pharmacy as long as your arm, but it that's a small price to pay. Mac and Carlee are REALLY glad she's back.
More later
Friday, April 24, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
April 23, 2009
April 23, 2009
Lynn did alright today...she was still in some pain, but having the chest tubes out helped her feel much better. She managed to get a walk or two in, but she got pretty tired. Yesterday, evidently, there was some concern because her heart rate was a bit too high, and she could not walk much. That appears to be under control now, but it meant another day in the hospital, so it looks like tomorrow will be the big day, instead of today, as we had hoped. She got a late visit yesterday from Christa and her boyfriend Justin, plus Gary and Sharon dropped by a couple of times too. They helped out with the kids this morning, then headed off to visit Todd.
Jo flew in this afternoon, and I dropped her off at the hospital. Lynn took her walk while I was there, then I went back to work. Later, I picked up Carlee from daycare, and then got Mac. We all went over to the hospital, and Lynn got to see the kids for the first time since the operation. We stuck around for a while, until Lynn's food came, and then the three of us and Jo went to dinner. It looks like a 90% chance that Lynn will go home tomorrow, according to her. I am still a bit concerned, since she is having trouble getting up from her bed, and thinks that she can't manage stairs. Hopefully, we find that those fears are unjustified, and everything will go well tomorrow. Blood tests are good, blood pressure is good, pulse is where it should be, and all the internal workings are working. All systems go!
Lynn did alright today...she was still in some pain, but having the chest tubes out helped her feel much better. She managed to get a walk or two in, but she got pretty tired. Yesterday, evidently, there was some concern because her heart rate was a bit too high, and she could not walk much. That appears to be under control now, but it meant another day in the hospital, so it looks like tomorrow will be the big day, instead of today, as we had hoped. She got a late visit yesterday from Christa and her boyfriend Justin, plus Gary and Sharon dropped by a couple of times too. They helped out with the kids this morning, then headed off to visit Todd.
Jo flew in this afternoon, and I dropped her off at the hospital. Lynn took her walk while I was there, then I went back to work. Later, I picked up Carlee from daycare, and then got Mac. We all went over to the hospital, and Lynn got to see the kids for the first time since the operation. We stuck around for a while, until Lynn's food came, and then the three of us and Jo went to dinner. It looks like a 90% chance that Lynn will go home tomorrow, according to her. I am still a bit concerned, since she is having trouble getting up from her bed, and thinks that she can't manage stairs. Hopefully, we find that those fears are unjustified, and everything will go well tomorrow. Blood tests are good, blood pressure is good, pulse is where it should be, and all the internal workings are working. All systems go!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
April 22, 2009
April 22, 2009
Lynn had a pretty good day today. She got up too early, but said that she felt pretty good. The nurses moved her from the recliner to the bed yesterday, and that was her first night in a bed with the new plumbing. I went to see her around lunch time, and arrived just in time for her to get the chest drainage tubes pulled. That was certainly not what I expected. However, since I had to miss lunch in order to go see her, it DID have the side benefit of making me lose my appetite. Actually, it was no big deal. Lynn had been fretting about it ever since she found out she needed surgery, since the first time around, it had been extremely painful for her when the surgeon took them out. Well, the nurse did it this time, and she was much more careful. Lynn said it hardly hurt at all. In fact, for the first one, she didn't even know that it was out until we told her. The second one, she noticed, but it still wasn't all that bad. Nurses seem to be a little more considerate of a patient's pain than the surgeons. I guess that is understandable...surgeons are just not used to their patients being conscious!
The nurse also pulled the catheter, which just left the IV and the oxygen feed. They asked if Lynn wanted to go for a walk. She said that sounded fine to her. So, she dumped the oxygen feed, the nurse grabbed the IV stand, and off they went. She did quite well, and didn't feel much fatigue or pain. She was able to make a full lap around the floor, which is far better than most patients. The nurse was monitoring the oxygen levels, and was a little concerned at the end, as Lynn's were a bit low. Other than that, it went very well.
After the chest tubes were pulled, Lynn felt much much better. She had all sorts of pain when she breathed deeply...that was relieved significantly when the tubes were gone. However, she still has trouble breathing deeply. She has a device that measures how much she can breathe in. They want her to get to 2500, but she can only reach 1000 at this point. It looks like her lungs are having a hard time recovering from being deflated during the surgery. This was exactly what happened the first time, so it is not a big surprise. It took her months to get back to normal last time, and that will probably be the case this time as well.
We had hoped she would get out of the hospital tomorrow, Thursday. However, it looks more likely that we'll have to wait until Friday at this point, at least that is what Dr. Blossom said. Maybe he'll change his mind once he sees how well she is doing, but we aren't going to hold our collective breaths.
Lynn had a pretty good day today. She got up too early, but said that she felt pretty good. The nurses moved her from the recliner to the bed yesterday, and that was her first night in a bed with the new plumbing. I went to see her around lunch time, and arrived just in time for her to get the chest drainage tubes pulled. That was certainly not what I expected. However, since I had to miss lunch in order to go see her, it DID have the side benefit of making me lose my appetite. Actually, it was no big deal. Lynn had been fretting about it ever since she found out she needed surgery, since the first time around, it had been extremely painful for her when the surgeon took them out. Well, the nurse did it this time, and she was much more careful. Lynn said it hardly hurt at all. In fact, for the first one, she didn't even know that it was out until we told her. The second one, she noticed, but it still wasn't all that bad. Nurses seem to be a little more considerate of a patient's pain than the surgeons. I guess that is understandable...surgeons are just not used to their patients being conscious!
The nurse also pulled the catheter, which just left the IV and the oxygen feed. They asked if Lynn wanted to go for a walk. She said that sounded fine to her. So, she dumped the oxygen feed, the nurse grabbed the IV stand, and off they went. She did quite well, and didn't feel much fatigue or pain. She was able to make a full lap around the floor, which is far better than most patients. The nurse was monitoring the oxygen levels, and was a little concerned at the end, as Lynn's were a bit low. Other than that, it went very well.
After the chest tubes were pulled, Lynn felt much much better. She had all sorts of pain when she breathed deeply...that was relieved significantly when the tubes were gone. However, she still has trouble breathing deeply. She has a device that measures how much she can breathe in. They want her to get to 2500, but she can only reach 1000 at this point. It looks like her lungs are having a hard time recovering from being deflated during the surgery. This was exactly what happened the first time, so it is not a big surprise. It took her months to get back to normal last time, and that will probably be the case this time as well.
We had hoped she would get out of the hospital tomorrow, Thursday. However, it looks more likely that we'll have to wait until Friday at this point, at least that is what Dr. Blossom said. Maybe he'll change his mind once he sees how well she is doing, but we aren't going to hold our collective breaths.
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