On Our Way Homeby Jim
3 Jul 2024
1:07 pm0
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
3 Jul 2024
8:07 am1
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
3 Jul 2024
4:07 am0
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
25 Jun 2024
1:06 pm2
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
25 Jun 2024
5:06 am0
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.
All Done!by Jim
1 May 2024
8:05 am0
I’m with Angie in the recovery area and she’s still pretty sleepy. The procedure went fine and the nurse has already read us our discharge instructions. It’s all pretty standard stuff. When she’s a little more awake, they’ll take her blood pressure lying, sitting, and standing to make sure she’s okay to walk around and then I’ll be taking her home. Thanks for following along today!
In the Operating Roomby Jim
1 May 2024
6:05 am2
I just got a text saying Angie has entered the operating room. I was with her just a couple minutes ago while she was in pre-op. She’s in good spirits and ready for her procedure, which should be relatively quick.
They’re doing a transjugular liver biopsy to get some important readings. Normally, they’d do the biopsy by just going in from the outside (rather than through her neck), but her cardiologist wants them to do it transjugular so they can get some extra readings from insider her circulatory system. It’s more complicated and takes a little longer, but they want the extra data.
It’s been about 6 years since her last biopsy and they want to see how her liver is doing. The results of this biopsy might change our long-term plans quite a bit. Dr. Lui feels that if Angie’s liver is doing well enough, it’s possible that he will want her to get a regular heart transplant instead of the heart-liver double transplant we’ve been talking about for the last few years. There are several benefits to this plan. First of all, transplanting a single organ is just simpler. Recovery is easier, risk is lower, surgery is shorter, finding a donor organ is easier, etc. Angie’s been on a medication for the last 5 years that can become harmful to her body if she takes it too long, and there isn’t really another medication that will work for her, so we’re up against the clock. If we switch plans to a regular heart transplant, one reason may be to move up the timetables and get the surgery sooner so Angie won’t have to take that medication any longer. And by sooner, that’s relative. Nothing would probably happen for at least 6 months. But once we’re on the list, it could be weeks or years before we get her a new heart.
So, the procedure today is relatively simple and safe, but the results of it (which probably won’t come for a few weeks) may be very important.
Thanks for reading!