Welcome......

Thank you for coming to our blog. We have decided to create this so we can share any news on our medical road. And you can have an opportunity to share any comments or advice. We welcome both.

Briefly....My husband Russ was born with a heart condition that is called 3rd degree AV block along with Mitral Valve prolapse. Back in 2009, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart failure and received a pacemaker. The pacemaker helped the AV block. Now, back in August 2011, he had a relapse with the heart failure. We have been told his mitral valve was in need of repair or to be replaced. After heading off to Loma Linda Hospital, we find out that his heart is just so weak a valve replacement is not an option. We are in the waiting process to see when we can have the valve repaired and if that does not work the doctors will put in a LVAD (basically it is a mechanical pump) which will allow his heart to rest. This device will do the work his heart would normally do. This will be done while we wait for a new heart. So, what are we looking at then? Yes, a heart transplant.

We thank each and everyone for all you do.

About Us

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6/13/2013 UPDATE: A year & a half post transplant and going strong. Russ is doing good and back to work 6 months now. January 2012: We have a new blog, the newest one will be about our experience with receiving a new heart, we hope you join our journey. ******** In addition to our new blog I have put together a couple of blog sites that you can breeze through. One is about my husbands journey to a new heart while living with an LVAD and me as the caregiver. The second, I am putting together to share recipes for a healthy heart. So I am sharing the low sodium recipes we have found and hope you will share yours.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Bringing everyone up to date....

Well, the last post here was on Oct 18. Let me bring you up to date...... On Oct 20, we got a call from Loma Linda Hospital telling us that Russ needed to head over to the hospital and was going to be admitted.  The transplant team had met that morning and decided that he needed to be brought in so they can lower the pressures in his lungs and heart.  This was done so they could put in the LVAD.  On Oct 21, we got our training on the device.  On Oct 27, he went in for surgery to have the LVAD put in.  He did very well and was able to come home a week later on Nov 4.  With each followup visit we go to we are told he is doing very good.  So it is now November 27 and a month after surgery and still Russ is doing good.  We both continue each day to get used to this device since it is still new to us.  The adjustment seems to be going good for him.  Me, I just do what needs to be done, if I think to much about it I just get freaked out still.  I know that everything is easy to work and all but when you really think about it this is all so surreal and scary.  But I am sure glad for modern technology and what it can do now.
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