Update on Dad...

[bassadict69]

He is at WK North, I think it is...the main one on Greenwood Rd.

I went up there after class & he is looking good. As soon as they got him off the vent, he made them get him out of the bed & put him in the chair. He was still in it at 9 when we went in.

His pulmonary pressure is staying about the same & the x ray shows quite a bit of fluid on his lungs. He is talking great & coughing up quite a bit of stuff which is good. He is beginning to complain about the way things are being done so he is well on his way back to his old self.

We had his nurse look back through his records & his tests when all this started showed his pulmonary artery pressure at 75/40 which was way high from the beginning. His records also showed his mitral valve regurgitation to be at 4 + which according to the nurse, is REAL bads. Dad has been walking around several months (at least) like that.

We will see how things go today. I am back at work but my mom & sister are spending the day at the hospital. I will post back this evening with another update.

 

[Shawneegirl]

Have been reading your posts throughout the day.. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your dad.
Bobbie

 

[EVELYN]

You are both in my prayers.........thanks so much for keeping us posted.
Evelyn

 

[escargome]

Thanks much for the updates. Sounds like your dad is on his way to getting better. I hope the doctors see the note that the family needs to speak with them. I also hope that they can figure out the reason for the high pressure readings, but since he was high to start with something had been going on for quite a while and may take some time to resolve. Sending hugs and good wishes to you and your family.

 

[Ross]

Once that fluid gets out of there, his pressures should drop some. Right now, its all a matter of time and recovery.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Complaining and Griping are GOOD SIGNS !

It shows that he has the energy to do so.

The rest will come in time. Patience is the Key.

... and it ALWAYS seems to take Longer than we like.

One day at a time.... yada yada yada...

'AL Capshaw'

 

[bassadict69]

I went to see dad when I got off work & I am glad to say he is looking much better. His Pulmonary artery pressure is still high but has come down a little & he is still having quite a bit of drainage. He also has some fluid on his lungs but they are giving him something to help dry it up & he is coughing up quite a bit also. They said his PA pressure may drop a little more as his lungs dry out.

They are slowly removing him off all his IV's...It looks like 10 or 12 bags hanging but most of them were shutdown already. He is taking the pain pills when they offer them to him, which is very unlike him. I asked him was his incision & sternum hurting him that bad. He said no, not really! It is his ass that hurts :embarassed: from the way he is sitting up all the time. He said all his weight stays on his buttbone & the pain pill helps that. lo

The nurse said they may be moving him from ICU tomorrow & moving him to the 2nd floor which is the heart wing.

Is the fluid on his lungs a common problem? I expect him to be in the hospital a bit longer than expected because of these several complications.

 

[Nancy]

Well, if his butt is sore, I hope they are checking him for bedsores. He doesn't want to get one of those at all!!!

 

[bassadict69]

That was the first thing I thought about...the nurse assured me they were periodically checking him.

 

[Nancy]

Even so, make sure they have extra cushioning in the chair he is sitting in. I don't like the fact that his butt hurts, especially bad enough to want to take pain medications for it. Before those sores open up, they get red and hurt. And those pleather chairs they put people in are hard to sit in for a long time. They can get him some foam cushioning to help.

 

[bassadict69]

Mom is bringing him some sort of cushion this morning.

The recliner thing he is sitting in is actually part of the bed...It detaches from the end of the bed & turns into a recliner. When he is ready for bed, he gets up, they collapse it & it attaches back to the head part of the bed. It is pretty cool...I have never seen that before!

 

[bassadict69]

Nancy, Do you mind if I ask how high your pulmonary hypertension is? How are you treating it?

 

[escargome]

If your dad isn't too embarrassed, have your mom take a look herself. I used a diaper rash ointment on my husband in that area when he was hospitalized for a month. The beginning of bedsores are not always apparent, but pain is the first sign.

 

[Nancy]

It was my husband Joe, who had Pulmonary Hypertension, not me. His was in the 75 range, severe category. He was put on Tracleer for it. He went to a specialist for it. Most other doctors don't see enough PH to address it properly, so a specialist is highly recommended. Even pulmonologists may not have enough knowledge. However, some of them are PH specialists.

Here is a link to an excellent site for PH.
http://www.phassociation.org/

Oh, never mind, I see you are already a member. Good!

 

[bassadict69]

Thanks Nancy!

 

[bassadict69]

Well, we found out at the 10am visit when my wife, mom & sister went to visit him that he was not being moved from ICU today. The doctor did come by & told them he is extremely pleased with his improvement & how he is doing considering how bad off he was the first night.

I just sure hope they are telling us everything!

 

[Phyllis]

Don't hesitate to put in a request with the nurse or call the doctor's office yourself and ask for a complete report.

 

[bassadict69]

We were hoping dad would be moving to the floor from the ICU today but turns out he isn't. He is still on a Dopamine drip due to low blood pressure. Everytime his drip rate is lowered, his BP is too low. I have no idea what is going on with that...but we are sure worried about it!

Doctors are no longer worried about his pulmonary artery pressure. They have even removed whatever it is that sends those readings.

 

[escargome]

Prayers still coming you way...