Nancy
Well-known member
Joe had his cardiology appointment today. It was an excellent appointment. His metabolic panel shows all normal ranges, his CBC is close to normal, his CHF is under very good control, his fluid is non-existent, legs and ankles are down to the bone.
Walking from the hospital to the car and back to the car again, there is a very long ramp which connects the parking garage and the hospital, it has a long incline. In January, Joe couldn't walk to the bathroom at home without being short of breath, this was from pulmonary hypertension. Tracleer, Imdur and Procrit have worked miracles. Today he had no trouble at all walking that long incline, and he is not on any oxygen.
This has been some year for my husband. A year ago, Joe was fighting for his life after a massive bleed-out (gallbladder surgery). It took 33 units of blood products to stanch the bleed. And he had to have a second operation to take the fluid pressure off his heart. He was sent home from the hospital in shock with a systolic blood pressure of 80. His stomach was swollen to gigantic proportions. He normally has a 33 waist. Then it was 45. He had drain bags hanging from his stomach. It took months and months to get over that. He also developed a very high temp (106.7) which landed him back in the hospital.
Then in December, his CHF, pulmonary hypertension, anemia and kidney failure de-compensated. His Troponin levels were elevated. He became very, very ill. He spent a month in the large teaching hospital near us.
Magically, his cardiologist/pulmonary hypertension specialist was able to turn his health around, and now he is feeling much better than he has felt in a very long time.
Amazingly, throughout all of this his valves stayed OK, and are working well.
So it has been a terribly scary year with enormous ups and downs, and to have such a good result after such terrible happenings, is something I can hardly describe.
What a difference a year makes. It shows just how resilient human beings are.
Walking from the hospital to the car and back to the car again, there is a very long ramp which connects the parking garage and the hospital, it has a long incline. In January, Joe couldn't walk to the bathroom at home without being short of breath, this was from pulmonary hypertension. Tracleer, Imdur and Procrit have worked miracles. Today he had no trouble at all walking that long incline, and he is not on any oxygen.
This has been some year for my husband. A year ago, Joe was fighting for his life after a massive bleed-out (gallbladder surgery). It took 33 units of blood products to stanch the bleed. And he had to have a second operation to take the fluid pressure off his heart. He was sent home from the hospital in shock with a systolic blood pressure of 80. His stomach was swollen to gigantic proportions. He normally has a 33 waist. Then it was 45. He had drain bags hanging from his stomach. It took months and months to get over that. He also developed a very high temp (106.7) which landed him back in the hospital.
Then in December, his CHF, pulmonary hypertension, anemia and kidney failure de-compensated. His Troponin levels were elevated. He became very, very ill. He spent a month in the large teaching hospital near us.
Magically, his cardiologist/pulmonary hypertension specialist was able to turn his health around, and now he is feeling much better than he has felt in a very long time.
Amazingly, throughout all of this his valves stayed OK, and are working well.
So it has been a terribly scary year with enormous ups and downs, and to have such a good result after such terrible happenings, is something I can hardly describe.
What a difference a year makes. It shows just how resilient human beings are.
You both deserve a break.
