Aaron has been up for walks several times and went on to solid food yesterday. There was some kind of miscommunication about the timing on pain meds, so he spent some time in more pain than he should have been. That's been resolved and he's doing better.
The best news is that Aaron is slated to be released on Saturday. He's doing really well and his doctor is going out of town Saturday. The doctor doesn't like to leave patients in the hospital if he doesn't have to. Good man.
Other than that everything else is about the same and that's good news.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Out of ICU!!!
They moved Aaron out of ICU at about noon today! I'm totally shocked. He's now on the cardiac floor of the hospital. The IV is out of his neck, as well as the arterial line. My parents called me just as Aaron was being moved and they were off to get something to eat. The nurses had him up walking earlier today, as well. It looks like everything is going well. I just can't seem to get over my surprise that he's already progressed so far. Maybe if he continues doing so well he'll be able to get out of the hospital earlier than expected.
From what I've heard, Aaron seems to be doing well with talking to people. That's always good. I guess he's pretty coherent. Everything is looking up.
From what I've heard, Aaron seems to be doing well with talking to people. That's always good. I guess he's pretty coherent. Everything is looking up.
Thank You
This morning I spoke with my dad before he left the hospital. He told me Aaron seems to be doing really well and told me about all the tubes coming out of him (two chest tubes to drain fluid in the cavity, a catheter, a neck IV, and an arterial IV in his right arm that is surrounded by a plastic thing. I think that's all.). My parents will likely be at the hospital most of the day. I'm still waiting to hear how he's doing with visitors.
Before he left Dad also told me about the valve Aaron got and where it came from. Somehow I never made the connection between Aaron getting a human valve and the fact that it had to come from a person. A donor never came to mind. My heart goes out to the family who lost a loved one, allowing my brother to get on the path to good health and a long life. The only thing we really know is that the donor was 34 years old, just two years older than Aaron. That was an excellent match for him. I'm so grateful to the donor and his family for the blessing to Aaron and the rest of our family.
I also wanted to thank all those that kept Aaron in their thoughts and prayers. As the damage was more extensive and the surgery was more difficult than expected, all those prayers were much needed. I mean to tell Aaron about all the people out there who are concerned for him as soon as I can go see him. My daughter is not allowed in the ICU, so I will have to wait until I have someone to watch her or until he is moved to the floor in a couple of days before I can visit. We are all so grateful for the outpouring of love we have felt. please also say a prayer for the donor family that they will be comforted and know that their loss has helped make another life possible.
Before he left Dad also told me about the valve Aaron got and where it came from. Somehow I never made the connection between Aaron getting a human valve and the fact that it had to come from a person. A donor never came to mind. My heart goes out to the family who lost a loved one, allowing my brother to get on the path to good health and a long life. The only thing we really know is that the donor was 34 years old, just two years older than Aaron. That was an excellent match for him. I'm so grateful to the donor and his family for the blessing to Aaron and the rest of our family.
I also wanted to thank all those that kept Aaron in their thoughts and prayers. As the damage was more extensive and the surgery was more difficult than expected, all those prayers were much needed. I mean to tell Aaron about all the people out there who are concerned for him as soon as I can go see him. My daughter is not allowed in the ICU, so I will have to wait until I have someone to watch her or until he is moved to the floor in a couple of days before I can visit. We are all so grateful for the outpouring of love we have felt. please also say a prayer for the donor family that they will be comforted and know that their loss has helped make another life possible.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Out of Surgery
It took a long time to get this posted because the surgery took twice as long as anticipated and I was away from the house when I got word. Aaron is in his room now and my parents are with him.
The reason the surgery ended up taking so long is that there was a leak once the repair was in and they took him off the bypass machine. The surgeon said they had to take out the repair and put Aaron back on bypass so they could fix it. Because Aaron was on bypass so long he retained a lot of fluid and is very swollen in the face and lungs.
Everything is looking good right now. Aaron is awake and his breathing tube is out. He has asked for water, but he can't have any right now. All they can do is swab his mouth. My parents tell me he's looking pretty good and is responding to questions. If Aaron doesn't talk you know something is really wrong. :) I'm quite surprised that he's already awake and has the tube out. Dad didn't get his out until the day after surgery. Aaron is on pain meds and that seems to be keeping things under control. I don't expect that he'll remember anything about today.
The doctor also told my parents that the damage to Aaron's heart valve was more extensive than they originally thought. The endocarditis (infection) had left holes in his already weak aortic valve. We're so thankful that they moved the surgery up from the beginning of September to the beginning of August. A few days ago Aaron asked me if we had all noticed him getting weaker. I gave him an emphatic "YES" and he told me how glad he was that he had not ignored what he thought was only noticeable to him. I'm glad he's learned that he can't ignore anything having to do with his heart.
I know Aaron will welcome visitors when the time comes and I will let you know when that is. The only thing I can base my guesses on right now is my dad's surgery almost two years ago. Visitors weren't a good thing for Dad for the first couple of days. We'll see how Aaron reacts and if visitors help or hinder his healing. Aaron has fewer complications and other considerations than my dad did. Please continue to keep Aaron in your prayers.
The reason the surgery ended up taking so long is that there was a leak once the repair was in and they took him off the bypass machine. The surgeon said they had to take out the repair and put Aaron back on bypass so they could fix it. Because Aaron was on bypass so long he retained a lot of fluid and is very swollen in the face and lungs.
Everything is looking good right now. Aaron is awake and his breathing tube is out. He has asked for water, but he can't have any right now. All they can do is swab his mouth. My parents tell me he's looking pretty good and is responding to questions. If Aaron doesn't talk you know something is really wrong. :) I'm quite surprised that he's already awake and has the tube out. Dad didn't get his out until the day after surgery. Aaron is on pain meds and that seems to be keeping things under control. I don't expect that he'll remember anything about today.
The doctor also told my parents that the damage to Aaron's heart valve was more extensive than they originally thought. The endocarditis (infection) had left holes in his already weak aortic valve. We're so thankful that they moved the surgery up from the beginning of September to the beginning of August. A few days ago Aaron asked me if we had all noticed him getting weaker. I gave him an emphatic "YES" and he told me how glad he was that he had not ignored what he thought was only noticeable to him. I'm glad he's learned that he can't ignore anything having to do with his heart.
I know Aaron will welcome visitors when the time comes and I will let you know when that is. The only thing I can base my guesses on right now is my dad's surgery almost two years ago. Visitors weren't a good thing for Dad for the first couple of days. We'll see how Aaron reacts and if visitors help or hinder his healing. Aaron has fewer complications and other considerations than my dad did. Please continue to keep Aaron in your prayers.
Dad took a picture of Aaron after surgery, but before his breathing tube was removed. I'd forgotten how much bigger ICU rooms are than regular rooms on the cardiac floor. I guess they need space for a lot of nurses if the situation calls for it. From this picture Aaron already looks better than I expected. It's good that he's young and can recover so quickly.
Surgical Update
They didn't get Aaron into surgery as early as they expected. He went in at about 8:20, rather then 7. That seems to be fairly typical from all the procedures we've waited through with our dad. The surgery is also taking longer than what my parents were originally told. Aaron is still on the bypass machine and the doctor said that's normal. My parents weren't sure when the surgery is expected to be completed, but that it's all good news and is going well. I'll tell more when I know more.
Today's the Day
Aaron's surgery is happening as I type. They should have started around 7 am and they expect the surgery to last three or four hours. My parents are at the hospital waiting. They were told a nurse would come out periodically and the doctor would talk to them after it was all finished. I spoke to my parents an hour into the procedure and they hadn't heard anything from the nurse yet. I would love to be at the hospital to wait with them and hear the updates personally, but having a two year old makes that difficult. I asked my dad to give me updates so I could pass them along here and save them the stream of phone calls.
One thing I found out about the surgery recently is that replacing the heart valve also includes switching out some of the heart, veins, and other surrounding tissues. I don't know how long they will have Aaron unconscious after they finish. I know it wasn't until the next morning that my dad came out of it. Aaron's surgery will not involve as much of his body, so I'm not sure if he'll come out of the anesthesia today or tomorrow.
On the financing front, it turns out that Medicaid denied Aaron's first application. In order for a man to not be rejected outright on the first try he must earn less than $15,000 a year. That works out to just over $7 an hour before taxes. For someone who is paying rent and child support that's not even enough to live on. He's applying again, as well as for other programs. Considering that he needs this surgery to save his life, I would hope he can be approved by one or more groups.
One thing I found out about the surgery recently is that replacing the heart valve also includes switching out some of the heart, veins, and other surrounding tissues. I don't know how long they will have Aaron unconscious after they finish. I know it wasn't until the next morning that my dad came out of it. Aaron's surgery will not involve as much of his body, so I'm not sure if he'll come out of the anesthesia today or tomorrow.
On the financing front, it turns out that Medicaid denied Aaron's first application. In order for a man to not be rejected outright on the first try he must earn less than $15,000 a year. That works out to just over $7 an hour before taxes. For someone who is paying rent and child support that's not even enough to live on. He's applying again, as well as for other programs. Considering that he needs this surgery to save his life, I would hope he can be approved by one or more groups.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Back to the Hospital (Overdue Update)
I really should have included all this information before, but I've been waiting until I have everything before posting it. Aaron was doing really well for quite a while after the last post about his antibiotics. However, during one of his exams the medical staff discovered that the spot on his heart valve where the infection had been was growing again. That wasn't good, so more tests were ordered to see what was going on. Thankfully, the continued growth was not the infection growing again. There were several hypotheses about what happened, but they didn't really come to a conclusion about it. The only conclusion that mattered was that the heart valve had to go. With the spot continuing to grow for whatever reason, the risk of having a piece flake off and enter Aaron's bloodstream increased. The outcome of that would have been sudden death or a stroke that would leave him a vegetable. Those are not acceptable risks.
The replacement surgery is set for August 3rd, though we don't have an exact time yet. For those that fast, this Sunday (the 1st) would be an excellent opportunity to include Aaron and his surgery in your monthly fasting and prayer.
We are very happy that the surgery is happening sooner than originally planned. Over the past several weeks we've noticed Aaron getting weaker. He tires more easily and just doesn't have the energy he did before. It's been getting worse and has been a big concern for all of us. Aaron has been slowly moving over to our parents' house to live. He is expected to be in the hospital for a week after surgery and will be very limited in his activities for another month after that. He won't be able to drive for (I believe) two weeks and he isn't allowed back to work for a month, either. Being cooped up like that isn't really Aaron's idea of a good time, but it is preferable to death or complete incapacitation.
Aaron had an angiogram this morning in preparation for the replacement surgery. He was told his valve was diseased (duh) and that there was a lot of back flow from the valve. We kind of expected that, considering his weakened state over the past little while. When the surgeon finally came in to talk to him about the results and the upcoming surgery it was suggested that they perform the surgery tomorrow. Had there been a heart valve of the proper size available the surgery most likely would have been moved up to tomorrow. The valve is on order and will be available in time for the surgery on the 3rd. Aaron will have another week of anticipation and prep time before he goes under. Please hope and pray for the best.
The replacement surgery is set for August 3rd, though we don't have an exact time yet. For those that fast, this Sunday (the 1st) would be an excellent opportunity to include Aaron and his surgery in your monthly fasting and prayer.
We are very happy that the surgery is happening sooner than originally planned. Over the past several weeks we've noticed Aaron getting weaker. He tires more easily and just doesn't have the energy he did before. It's been getting worse and has been a big concern for all of us. Aaron has been slowly moving over to our parents' house to live. He is expected to be in the hospital for a week after surgery and will be very limited in his activities for another month after that. He won't be able to drive for (I believe) two weeks and he isn't allowed back to work for a month, either. Being cooped up like that isn't really Aaron's idea of a good time, but it is preferable to death or complete incapacitation.
Aaron had an angiogram this morning in preparation for the replacement surgery. He was told his valve was diseased (duh) and that there was a lot of back flow from the valve. We kind of expected that, considering his weakened state over the past little while. When the surgeon finally came in to talk to him about the results and the upcoming surgery it was suggested that they perform the surgery tomorrow. Had there been a heart valve of the proper size available the surgery most likely would have been moved up to tomorrow. The valve is on order and will be available in time for the surgery on the 3rd. Aaron will have another week of anticipation and prep time before he goes under. Please hope and pray for the best.
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