Get Well Soon
UPDATE: Positive thinking and prayer request.
- Thread starter BB57
- Start date
Good luck and God bless.
About working your way back to health. Couple of years ago I got a 10 day vacation in hospital, nothing as bad as yours. I was warned that a day in hospital needs about a weeks work to recover from. They were wrong, it was about 6 months. Don't rush it.
Praying for all to go well. Positive thoughts while a challenge in these circumstances will yield benefits.
Prayer for you......It's now in God's hands.
Delta Expatriate
Member
Prayers sent for a positive outcome and a positive attitude.
Prayers sent. Keep a good attitude also.
Thanks guys. I can’t possibly thank you enough.
Things went really well. They put me on an Implella, and external pump to provide support for my heart. I was however able to walk with pump and IVs in tow and quickly worked up to between a mile and mile and a half a day to recondition.
They found a donor heart on July 1, but they unfortunately could not get the heart there in time. The mortality on the operating table for a heart transplant recipient is 5% with another 1% risk of severe stroke. Those odds don’t sound bad, and objectively they are not, but it’s still looking at a 1 in 20 chance of just not waking up.
They located another heart a couple days later, but had to delay 36 hours to get things coordinated before they took the brain dead donor aff life support. They did 5 heart transplants July 4 and 5. That’s apparently fairly normal on and shortly after holidays. I over heard the term “donor cycles”, so seriously, if you ride, wear a helmet. It’s not how I wanted to get a heart.
They figured on 12 days post op to discharge on average but cautioned it was just an average.
I got up and around as soon as possible, this time with IVs and four suction pumps for chest tubes in two. I took it as a victory when the Swanz catheter was pulled from my neck, then the central line from my neck, celebrated each IV being pulled along with a pick line and each chest tube. Two on one day and one each on subsequent days. The last one was still draining but The chief surgeon agreed to pull it as I could feel it with each heart beat and it was keeping me from both sleeping and eating. He felt the data didn’t mean everything and that I’d probably eliminate the fluid faster if I could back up and around. He was right. I walked 3/4 mile that day and I was discharged 5 days post surgery, a week ahead of the curve with no signs of rejection.
I’ll go back to Duke weekly for biopsies and follow ups and med adjustments, tapering to bi weekly after a month and monthly at three months until 1 year post surgery.
It’s nice to be home. There were times when I wasn’t sure I’d ever see it again.
It has however been very reaffirming from a faith perspective as it was never just me moving me forward. I have have truly been blessed in every sense of the word.
Things went really well. They put me on an Implella, and external pump to provide support for my heart. I was however able to walk with pump and IVs in tow and quickly worked up to between a mile and mile and a half a day to recondition.
They found a donor heart on July 1, but they unfortunately could not get the heart there in time. The mortality on the operating table for a heart transplant recipient is 5% with another 1% risk of severe stroke. Those odds don’t sound bad, and objectively they are not, but it’s still looking at a 1 in 20 chance of just not waking up.
They located another heart a couple days later, but had to delay 36 hours to get things coordinated before they took the brain dead donor aff life support. They did 5 heart transplants July 4 and 5. That’s apparently fairly normal on and shortly after holidays. I over heard the term “donor cycles”, so seriously, if you ride, wear a helmet. It’s not how I wanted to get a heart.
They figured on 12 days post op to discharge on average but cautioned it was just an average.
I got up and around as soon as possible, this time with IVs and four suction pumps for chest tubes in two. I took it as a victory when the Swanz catheter was pulled from my neck, then the central line from my neck, celebrated each IV being pulled along with a pick line and each chest tube. Two on one day and one each on subsequent days. The last one was still draining but The chief surgeon agreed to pull it as I could feel it with each heart beat and it was keeping me from both sleeping and eating. He felt the data didn’t mean everything and that I’d probably eliminate the fluid faster if I could back up and around. He was right. I walked 3/4 mile that day and I was discharged 5 days post surgery, a week ahead of the curve with no signs of rejection.
I’ll go back to Duke weekly for biopsies and follow ups and med adjustments, tapering to bi weekly after a month and monthly at three months until 1 year post surgery.
It’s nice to be home. There were times when I wasn’t sure I’d ever see it again.
It has however been very reaffirming from a faith perspective as it was never just me moving me forward. I have have truly been blessed in every sense of the word.
Wish you the best.
On Saturday, the day after my discharge I had my wife drive me down to the local gunshop to visit my friends there. It’s important for me to have a reason to get up, get showered, get dressed and have something to get me out and active.
My freinds there were both relieved and quite frankly shocked to see me there. I still look a little rough. I’ve lost 22 pounds and the bruising on my neck is epic from all the Swanz Catheters and central lines.
They were also worried they would not see me again. It’s good to have freinds.
My freinds there were both relieved and quite frankly shocked to see me there. I still look a little rough. I’ve lost 22 pounds and the bruising on my neck is epic from all the Swanz Catheters and central lines.
They were also worried they would not see me again. It’s good to have freinds.
Thinking about you and that good things happen
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Well there you go, you're a lucky man. If I were in your situation there'd be nobody outside the wife and kids.
But that's OK. The friends all died on me. They went pretty quick, at 67 I'm the survivor? Seriously? Now I'm a curmudgeon. I don't like anybody. Bah.
May everybody keep you and bless you...I'm pulling for ya buddy. Ya got this. Bring on the broccoli!!!
Thoughts and Prayers for a complete recovery. Keep moving.
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Glad to hear you are up and about, and feeling better.
