Home for a Bit

Home for a day or so. How will I ever catch up on all the blogs? (sigh)

Loren had a new device put in this afternoon, one that will give a 35 joule shock, instead of the 20+ he was getting. Part of the problem is that leads from the abdomen to the heart are so long that some of the shock value degrades before reaching the intended target.

I got a call from the Doc R. on the way home and everything went very well. There was no need for a massive hardware rearrangement, they just put in the new device. After implantation it was tested four times. (obviously the patient is "under") The new "can" was able to stop defib with one 35 joule shock each time. They tried it at 25 but that did not convert the rhythm. So, although they would like to have a bit of safety margin, they are pleased with how things turned out.

Lest you think I was callous to leave before Loren came back, all I can say is that we just didn't know what would happen or exactly when. The worst case scenario could have run 7 or more hours. But we didn't know that, and I had made plans to see the children, and procedures started later than hoped for......you know how it goes.

The PICC line (Peripherally-Inserted Central Catheter) was put in under sterile conditions last evening. Of course I had to leave the room, and they even frown on standing in the hall to watch through the window. :-( The nurse cannot see exactly where it is going, so they shoot some liquid up through it. The first time Loren felt it around his ear, meaning it had threaded itself down a detour. The second time he felt nothing, so they took an x-ray to get an exact idea. Proper placement being determined, they began a low dose of the drug Dobutamine. This apparently is less pro-arrhythmic than Milrinone. He got through the night with no adverse affects. Tonight I am sure he is a little sore from being opened up to put in a new device. Wish I were there. Glad I am here, though. No matter where I am, someone is without me.

I am guessing they will keep him in through next week. Now he enters 1b status for transplant, meaning it could happen in a little as weeks or as long as months. Shorter than the "years" that status 2 patients have to look forward to. If they are not assured of his safety from multiple shocks, Loren will await transplant in-hospital. I'm guessing he will come home, sometime. (I do a lot of guessing :-)

This must seem pretty boring but it's an easy way to inform folks of what is going on. Let me say, again, how much we appreciate your prayers and other help to the family. It was nice to come home and not think about supper, since a neighbor had brought over delicious homemade soup.

There is much to be thankful for. Sometimes we don't realize it until we are in the midst of an extreme trial.

On a somewhat lighter note, here's something else to be thankful for: in four months and three weeks we will no longer have to hear how many days Martha Stewart has been in "jail."

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