K
Karlynn
Thanks Ross. If you speak to them again, please let them know we are sending our prayers, good wishes and positive energy.
Keep Mark Wagner in your prayers
- Thread starter Ross
- Start date
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Ross
Well-known member
He's chomping at the bit, so I'm sure he'll check in before long.
G
Guest
I will say a prayer for Mark.
Glenda
Well-known member
My prayrers are going up right at this minute for Mark and also his family.
Nancy
Well-known member
God bless you Mark, hope the antibiotics take care of it. I'll keep you in my prayers.
S
Susan BAV
Hiding? Scary!
And I didn't realize it could cause electrical issues -- makes sense though.
Hoping all goes well for Mark.
Does this mean he'll be homebound for 6 weeks on a 24-hour IV? (shudder, I hope not!)
My niece had a nasty flesh-eating staph infection while in high school. She was able to do the IVs at home, hooked up to the antibiotics for X hours/day for X days/weeks.
Best wishes to Mark on fighting this bug.
hall
Well-known member
Prayers for Mark and his family.
Thanks Ross for keeping us updated. He remains in my prayers.
sue943
Well-known member
Sending positive thoughts his way.
Natanni
Well-known member
hall
Well-known member
Thoughts and prayers for Mark and his family.
aussigal
Well-known member
Aussie prayers for Mark.
hensylee
Well-known member
oh, no. Mark has done so well these past years. Mark, you hang in there. You are strong and will get this thing gone - Blessins.........
Mark Wagner
Well-known member
Thank you
Thank you
To my Valve Replacement Family,
Thankyou all for your kind words, prayers, and thoughts. I am off to another doctors appointment, so here is an update I just wrote to my family. Again, thankyou for your kindness. .... Mark
To all my Family and Friends,
I just thought I would give you an update on the last three weeks. Around the 7th of August I started feeling a quivering sensation in my chest/heart area followed by small cough. I put up with it for a few days, but it reminded me of the sensation I felt before my first heart valve surgery back in 2000. I also have been having episodes where I wake up with a feeling that my heart would briefly stop and I would sit up gasping for air. On the 9th of August I loaded up my gas truck with the intent on taking a load to Wenatchee, Washington. I got as far as the on ramp in Tacoma, and pulled off with the same sensation in my chest, along with the cough, and a feeling I could not get enough air. I took the truck back to the yard, and drove myself to St Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, where I found myself in their for 3 days. My EKG was a little off, but long story short, I was sent home and diagnosed with a bad case of acute bronchitis. On Saturday the 16th I woke up very weak, my chest still quivering, and again unable to get what seemed to be enough air. Charyl insisted we go to ?urgent care? and see if I could get an ?inhaler? to help me breathe. At the doctor my EKG again was off, my blood pressure dropped below 80, and I told them I wanted to go to sleep on the floor. So I got an ambulance ride to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, where I resided for the next 12 days.
Here is the diagnosis. I have Endocarditis. It is a bacterial infection that is attacking my mechanical aortic heart valve that was put in January of 2000. Somehow that has interrupted my electrical system within my heart, and has caused me to go into heart block at times of different degrees; which causes my heart not to fire at all, or go into long delays between firing. Simultaneously my heart beat drops and has dropped to as low as 40 beats per minute, with the upper chambers of my heart running separately from the bottom chamber.
Where the problem comes in on treating this; there is no technology where they can run a camera in and DIRECTLY see where the abscess or infection is. They (about 17 doctors; no joke) seem to all agree with what is taking place, but no surgeon will open me back up and replace the valve until one; it starts leaking, or two; they can confirm the abscess. On one of my TEE?s, (I had to swallow a camera twice) there is a dark spot next to my valve, but looking through the wall of my esophagus, they just cannot be sure.
So here is the plan ?. I am now at home with 6 weeks of IV anti-biotic that run in a pic line and go directly into my heart. At the end of 6 weeks that will be stopped and within two weeks, one of two things will happen. One we will beat the odds and kill the infection with anti-biotics or two, within days my blood will reculture and show there is still infection. The one doctor whom I feel tremendous confidence said their has been many documented cases where they just cannot see the abscess because it is hidden until after they get inside. If the infection then remanifests itself back in my blood, my temperature starts rising again, the surgeons would come on board and replace the valve. No one including myself wants to open me back up to replace the valve, especially when trying to fight bacterial endocarditis simutaneoulsy. Out of the blue, when I came home from the hospital last night, a message was left on my phone. Apparently the doctors have made contact with my original surgeon, and he wants to see me with Charyl on September 3rd for a consultation. Maybe the plan is about to change. I suppose I?ll find out soon enough.
In truth, I am a bundle of nerves right now, and I have been given the risk factors. It is funny how life can change in 3 weeks. There are so many things running through my head. Charyl is my angel, and her sitting by my hospital bed daily just proves what my Dad said about her, ?They broke the mold when I married her.? I feel terrible that she has to go through all this again. I know the only thing I can do now is keep relying on God above all things, and be positive. All prayers are accepted.
Okay so there you have it. The life and times of Mark Wagner.
PS I forgot, a permanent pace maker was put it 2 nights ago. It is a dual lead pace maker where you run one wire to lower chamber and one to the upper. Only one wire was put in running to the lower chamber at this time due to the endocardits. If the pace maker becomes infected, they only want to take out one wire because of the danger involved removing it. Once the Enodocarditis or valve is dealt with, a decision on running or not running the other lead to the upper chamber will be made.
I love and think the world of you all and am not to humble, and ask that you keep Charyl and I in your thoughts and prayers.
I have been told there are many people praying for me at this time. From the bottom of my heart (even if it does have a little cold right now.) thank you very much. Peace to all. Love Mark
Thank you
To my Valve Replacement Family,
Thankyou all for your kind words, prayers, and thoughts. I am off to another doctors appointment, so here is an update I just wrote to my family. Again, thankyou for your kindness. .... Mark
To all my Family and Friends,
I just thought I would give you an update on the last three weeks. Around the 7th of August I started feeling a quivering sensation in my chest/heart area followed by small cough. I put up with it for a few days, but it reminded me of the sensation I felt before my first heart valve surgery back in 2000. I also have been having episodes where I wake up with a feeling that my heart would briefly stop and I would sit up gasping for air. On the 9th of August I loaded up my gas truck with the intent on taking a load to Wenatchee, Washington. I got as far as the on ramp in Tacoma, and pulled off with the same sensation in my chest, along with the cough, and a feeling I could not get enough air. I took the truck back to the yard, and drove myself to St Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, where I found myself in their for 3 days. My EKG was a little off, but long story short, I was sent home and diagnosed with a bad case of acute bronchitis. On Saturday the 16th I woke up very weak, my chest still quivering, and again unable to get what seemed to be enough air. Charyl insisted we go to ?urgent care? and see if I could get an ?inhaler? to help me breathe. At the doctor my EKG again was off, my blood pressure dropped below 80, and I told them I wanted to go to sleep on the floor. So I got an ambulance ride to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, where I resided for the next 12 days.
Here is the diagnosis. I have Endocarditis. It is a bacterial infection that is attacking my mechanical aortic heart valve that was put in January of 2000. Somehow that has interrupted my electrical system within my heart, and has caused me to go into heart block at times of different degrees; which causes my heart not to fire at all, or go into long delays between firing. Simultaneously my heart beat drops and has dropped to as low as 40 beats per minute, with the upper chambers of my heart running separately from the bottom chamber.
Where the problem comes in on treating this; there is no technology where they can run a camera in and DIRECTLY see where the abscess or infection is. They (about 17 doctors; no joke) seem to all agree with what is taking place, but no surgeon will open me back up and replace the valve until one; it starts leaking, or two; they can confirm the abscess. On one of my TEE?s, (I had to swallow a camera twice) there is a dark spot next to my valve, but looking through the wall of my esophagus, they just cannot be sure.
So here is the plan ?. I am now at home with 6 weeks of IV anti-biotic that run in a pic line and go directly into my heart. At the end of 6 weeks that will be stopped and within two weeks, one of two things will happen. One we will beat the odds and kill the infection with anti-biotics or two, within days my blood will reculture and show there is still infection. The one doctor whom I feel tremendous confidence said their has been many documented cases where they just cannot see the abscess because it is hidden until after they get inside. If the infection then remanifests itself back in my blood, my temperature starts rising again, the surgeons would come on board and replace the valve. No one including myself wants to open me back up to replace the valve, especially when trying to fight bacterial endocarditis simutaneoulsy. Out of the blue, when I came home from the hospital last night, a message was left on my phone. Apparently the doctors have made contact with my original surgeon, and he wants to see me with Charyl on September 3rd for a consultation. Maybe the plan is about to change. I suppose I?ll find out soon enough.
In truth, I am a bundle of nerves right now, and I have been given the risk factors. It is funny how life can change in 3 weeks. There are so many things running through my head. Charyl is my angel, and her sitting by my hospital bed daily just proves what my Dad said about her, ?They broke the mold when I married her.? I feel terrible that she has to go through all this again. I know the only thing I can do now is keep relying on God above all things, and be positive. All prayers are accepted.
Okay so there you have it. The life and times of Mark Wagner.
PS I forgot, a permanent pace maker was put it 2 nights ago. It is a dual lead pace maker where you run one wire to lower chamber and one to the upper. Only one wire was put in running to the lower chamber at this time due to the endocardits. If the pace maker becomes infected, they only want to take out one wire because of the danger involved removing it. Once the Enodocarditis or valve is dealt with, a decision on running or not running the other lead to the upper chamber will be made.
I love and think the world of you all and am not to humble, and ask that you keep Charyl and I in your thoughts and prayers.
I have been told there are many people praying for me at this time. From the bottom of my heart (even if it does have a little cold right now.) thank you very much. Peace to all. Love Mark
M
Mary
Mark and Charyl are in my prayers for the duration.
D
Dawn-Marie
Mark ~ My best wishes and prayers are with you and your family. I hope that you recover soon.
Thanks for the update, Mark. You'll be in my thoughts until you get this thing licked.
All the best,
Jim
All the best,
Jim
K
Karlynn
Praying for you both Mark.
