Time for a new blog

Well, now that Russ has a new heart, we have come to the end of this road.  Now onto a new road......so I will no longer post on this but will be starting a new blog.  Hope you will follow me.  Thank you.

New heart

On friday Jan 13, we got the call we have been waiting for.  We were having a nice lunch with new friends and fellow transplant recepient when just as we sat down to eat the phone rings. It was time, there was a heart available and we needed to get to hospital asap.

We arrive at 1pm, Russ gets prepped and then we wait.  About 6 i think, he went into suregery.  At 7:37 the surgery starts, all is going good he is doing well, about midnight the new heart is in and working well but there is excessive bleeding which goes on for 4 hours. By about 4:30 Russ is back in his room and resting comfortably.   Most of Saturday, he was sediated but was awake and off breathing tube by about 4 pm.  Doing good and watching football.

Sunday morning he hit a speed bump.  He had extra fluid buildup and trouble breathing so he went back on breathing machine.  He spent all of sunday on it but they are hoping to remove it on Monday.

One step at a time, one day at a time.  Tomorrow is a new day with new challenges.  He is a fighter, we will look back at this with so many thoughts of how far he has come.  And what he has had to overcome.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong,

as they sometimes will,

when the road 

you're trudging seems all uphill,

when the funds are 

low and the debts

are high,

and you want to smile,

but you have to sigh,

when care is pressing

you down a bit, 

rest,

if you must,

but don't you quit

First Heart clinic visit of 2012

Well, today was a good visit. Russ is still doing good, all his LVAD numbers are good. He had his INR checked and today it went up from 1.3 to 1.9. Finally we are back to heading in the right direction with it.

The talk around the clinic is that we are getting close to getting a heart. I would love to know how they can tell. I was being curious, I asked the heart transplant coordinator to give me her estimate, when she thought it could be, she said this week. Now again, I ask how would they know.

We are both anxious and scared for the call. But, for now we continue to wait .........

Thank you
AuraLee