Angie & Jim

On Our Way Homeby Jim

It’s standard procedure to make sure a patient is able to sit, then stand, then walk to the bathroom before they’re willing to discharge you. Well, I’m happy to report that Angie passed her sitting/standing/walking test with flying colors and they are letting us go home today! No overnight stay, yay! (This hotel is a little pricey for our taste, anyway.) We’ll get our discharge instructions and prescription and we should be home in a couple hours. We’ll probably hit some commuter traffic, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Thanks for following along today. We’ll have more news soon with results from the biopsy and other transplant news coming in the next few weeks. If you want to be notified, you can sign up for email notifications of new posts.

Successful Surgeryby Jim

The doctor just called and let me know that the surgery was successful and the new pacemaker has been installed. Angie is in recovery and I should be able to go back and see her in about 90 minutes. Mom and I are up on the roof garden enjoying a little fresh air while we wait. Mom brought a little puzzle she’s showing me, which is a fun distraction.

Pacemaker Replacementby Jim

Good morning! We’re here at the hospital bright and early for Angie’s second surgery in two weeks. The one good thing about having to report to the hospital at 5 AM is that there is no traffic, even heading into Silicon Valley. Today’s surgery is a little more involved than last time, but still shouldn’t be too bad. Her battery has been running low, so they wanted to replace her pacemaker. It usually lasts several years, and she’s had this one for a while, so it’s time. She’s 100% pacemaker dependent, so we can’t let the battery die. They’ve been monitoring it for a while to be sure she’s safe.

We haven’t received the results from the biopsy from last week yet, but I’ll post here when we do. They originally told her that she would need to stay overnight for observation even though this surgery today is usually a same-day surgery. Then at her pre-op appointment yesterday they said they might let her go home today if everything is looking good. Well, they asked her if she would prefer to stay at the hospital or go home instead. She pointed out that she always sleeps better when she doesn’t have an IV in her arm, so she’d prefer to go home. So, we’re hoping for a speedy recovery and a quick discharge today. If not, it should be early tomorrow at the latest.

Back Home and Recoveringby Jim

The procedure went fine and we’re back home now. She’s on the couch and watching some All Creatures Great & Small. Should just be a couple days recovery. Angie has another surgery in a couple weeks, so we’ll be posting again soon. Thanks!

Quick Procedureby Jim

Angie is in for another biopsy today. It should be a relatively quick procedure. We had to arrive really early again today, leaving the house at 4:30 AM. Not long ago, I believe during a CT scan, they found a mass near her spine. Before proceeding with her transplant evaluation, her doctors wanted to biopsy the mass to make sure it is benign. So, here we are. They just took Angie back to get her IV, and I should get to see her before they start the procedure. I’ll post here again when we know more.

Coming home!by Jim

Discharge papers are being worked on as I type; Angie is coming home! I’m in just a few minutes to go pick her up from the hospital. Hooray!

And We’re Doneby Jim

The nurse just finished discharging us. Dr. Lui came by to chat for a few minutes this afternoon. He seemed more optimistic than he was a few days ago and it sounds like while this recent incident was not a good sign, as long as we can keep the arrhythmia under control, we shouldn’t have to advance to the next stage, which at this point is getting on the transplant list. While we know that we’ll need that lifesaving surgery eventually, we want Angie to stay healthy and get as much mileage on her current organs as possible.

Thank you for following along on this visit. Thank you also for your thoughts, prayers, and concern for us. It really means a lot to have such a great support network. The doctors here have mentioned what a difference it makes and I’m grateful we are blessed with such a wonderful one.  Hopefully, if everything goes well for the next couple weeks, we’ll be light on news for a few years.