Good evening all. Just thought I would update you all, not that there is much to say, but here it is. It was my opinion that Jimmy's incision was increasingly red, so I made him an appointment to see our physician yesterday. The doc didn't feel it was infected, but went ahead and gave him an antibiotic because one of the groin incisions looked a little suspect. Hopefully all will resolve shortly and life will get back to some normalcy. I was really worried that he might have to go back in the hospital for IV antibiotics, but so far so good.
Jimmy has returned to work and seems to be tolerating it well. Although, he doesn't really do much but sit at a desk and use his brain. It is good for him to be getting out and about. Jimmy is bringing home a treadmill today to help get in all his walking he needs to be doing. The lifestyle change seems to be going well. We are eating better and trying to be more active. Jimmy was down 5 lbs yesterday when we went to the docs office, so that is encouraging.
I hope you are all having a fabulous 2010. I will continue to update you with information as it becomes available.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
January 4, 2010
Well, it is official, the surgeon has released Jimmy to leave the state of Texas and follow up with physicians at home. Jimmy is ready to say the least. Today they removed the staples from the sternal incision. Since the groin incisions are more difficult to keep dry, the staples are still in place and should be removed in about another week.
The surgeon was pleased with how well Jimmy is doing. Of course, I have been charged with making sure that the infection clears up. Should it not completely clear up by the time Jimmy is finished with his antibiotic, I am to notify the docs here. So my fingers are crossed that all will be GREAT at the end of the next 7 days.
We have decided, with the doctor's blessings, to postpone the rest of the transplant work-up until March. The congenital heart specialist and the surgeon believe that it will be just fine to wait. Aside from being sore and a little winded with extra long walking distances,Jimmy is doing just as well as he was before surgery. Just a note of clarification. The transplant work-up is precautionary more than anything; Jimmy will be placed on the transplant list as inactive. Depending on what the decided course of action will be from here, they want to have all the ground work laid in case there should be a need for emergent transplant. Of course, we all hope that does not occur, but it is good to be prepared.
Unfortunately, we don't have definite plans for the future. For sure, there will be the testing and work up for the transplant. It is our understanding that when we come back in March we will be presented with the options that are available.
In the meantime, Jimmy and I have made a commitment to making a lifestyle change. As a lot of America, we have fallen into the habit of being sedentary. We have vowed to make changes in our lifestyle and not let excuses get in the way. It is vital, especially to Jimmy's health and I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit that it would also benefit me and Jake. Like I mentioned above, Jimmy does get winded easily at this time, so the surgeon suggested we start slow by just walking until he gets his strength back. I am excited about this change. It is truly going to be an investment in our future.
So what else has been going on? We went to the movies the other day and watched Sherlock Holmes, which we highly recommend if you like comedy, mystery, action and adventure. We have also been frequenting the local Blockbuster and have watched all three seasons of Dexter (a Showtime drama series). Due to sheer boredom we have found ourselves napping A LOT! SO we should be good and rested when we get home. We went to the Beer-Can House, which is house whose siding is literally old beer cans. Jimmy bought a shirt... Then we went to see the giant Presidential Heads. That was really neat. The artist has also made a giant sculpture of the Beatles. It was difficult to get good pictures, because these aren't really on display, instead they are in a fenced yard. We aren't really sure what this man does with his work, but it seems like he should put them on display somewhere...????
So this is where the adventure really slows down. We are leaving Houston tomorrow, hoping to miss all the precipitation on the way home. We are not going to take more than one day to get back home, unless Jimmy changes his mind while we are on the road. The plan is to meet up with Jimmy's friend in Dallas for a quick meal and head on home. We are sure looking forward to being back. Not so much to the weather that we are coming back to, but there is definitely truth in the saying "comforts of home".
I will continue to update the blog periodically to keep everyone up to date with the happenings. Thanks again for all your positive vibes, well wishes, prayers, and continued support. I don't feel that we will ever be able to express our gratitude. But we will certainly try. May you all have a fantastic and blessed 2010! We are sure hopeful this will be more productive and healthy than the last.
The surgeon was pleased with how well Jimmy is doing. Of course, I have been charged with making sure that the infection clears up. Should it not completely clear up by the time Jimmy is finished with his antibiotic, I am to notify the docs here. So my fingers are crossed that all will be GREAT at the end of the next 7 days.
We have decided, with the doctor's blessings, to postpone the rest of the transplant work-up until March. The congenital heart specialist and the surgeon believe that it will be just fine to wait. Aside from being sore and a little winded with extra long walking distances,Jimmy is doing just as well as he was before surgery. Just a note of clarification. The transplant work-up is precautionary more than anything; Jimmy will be placed on the transplant list as inactive. Depending on what the decided course of action will be from here, they want to have all the ground work laid in case there should be a need for emergent transplant. Of course, we all hope that does not occur, but it is good to be prepared.
Unfortunately, we don't have definite plans for the future. For sure, there will be the testing and work up for the transplant. It is our understanding that when we come back in March we will be presented with the options that are available.
In the meantime, Jimmy and I have made a commitment to making a lifestyle change. As a lot of America, we have fallen into the habit of being sedentary. We have vowed to make changes in our lifestyle and not let excuses get in the way. It is vital, especially to Jimmy's health and I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit that it would also benefit me and Jake. Like I mentioned above, Jimmy does get winded easily at this time, so the surgeon suggested we start slow by just walking until he gets his strength back. I am excited about this change. It is truly going to be an investment in our future.
So what else has been going on? We went to the movies the other day and watched Sherlock Holmes, which we highly recommend if you like comedy, mystery, action and adventure. We have also been frequenting the local Blockbuster and have watched all three seasons of Dexter (a Showtime drama series). Due to sheer boredom we have found ourselves napping A LOT! SO we should be good and rested when we get home. We went to the Beer-Can House, which is house whose siding is literally old beer cans. Jimmy bought a shirt... Then we went to see the giant Presidential Heads. That was really neat. The artist has also made a giant sculpture of the Beatles. It was difficult to get good pictures, because these aren't really on display, instead they are in a fenced yard. We aren't really sure what this man does with his work, but it seems like he should put them on display somewhere...????
So this is where the adventure really slows down. We are leaving Houston tomorrow, hoping to miss all the precipitation on the way home. We are not going to take more than one day to get back home, unless Jimmy changes his mind while we are on the road. The plan is to meet up with Jimmy's friend in Dallas for a quick meal and head on home. We are sure looking forward to being back. Not so much to the weather that we are coming back to, but there is definitely truth in the saying "comforts of home".
I will continue to update the blog periodically to keep everyone up to date with the happenings. Thanks again for all your positive vibes, well wishes, prayers, and continued support. I don't feel that we will ever be able to express our gratitude. But we will certainly try. May you all have a fantastic and blessed 2010! We are sure hopeful this will be more productive and healthy than the last.
Last week
As I was reading the blog, I realized that I completely forgot to update you all on Jimmy's from the hospital last week... OOPS!!!
So here's the story:
Jimmy was released from the hospital following IV antibiotics on Tuesday the 29th (I think that was the date). He was placed on oral antibiotics and we had a follow up appointment on Thursday the 31st. Our original plan was to leave on New Year's Day and come back home, however, the follow up appointment wasn't exactly as positive as we had anticipated. Although the redness was CONSIDERABLY improved from last Saturday when I "duped" him into going to the hospital, the surgeon (who was not one we had EVER seen before) was just about to put Jimmy BACK in the hospital for additional IV antibiotics, when the infectious disease doc we saw in the hospital came in to say, oh that looks much better!!! Whew! dodged a bullet there. I thought Jimmy was going to explode!
Instead a wound care nurse came by and gave us instructions on how to better care for the groin incisions. Twice daily dressing changes, continued antibiotics and then a follow-up with Dr. Fraser on Monday, which is today.
Last Sunday we went to the Museum of Natural History and walked for a good 3-4 hours. Jimmy tolerated the walking very well. There was a Faberge exhibit but I was too cheap to pay the extra $ to go see it. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.
So here's the story:
Jimmy was released from the hospital following IV antibiotics on Tuesday the 29th (I think that was the date). He was placed on oral antibiotics and we had a follow up appointment on Thursday the 31st. Our original plan was to leave on New Year's Day and come back home, however, the follow up appointment wasn't exactly as positive as we had anticipated. Although the redness was CONSIDERABLY improved from last Saturday when I "duped" him into going to the hospital, the surgeon (who was not one we had EVER seen before) was just about to put Jimmy BACK in the hospital for additional IV antibiotics, when the infectious disease doc we saw in the hospital came in to say, oh that looks much better!!! Whew! dodged a bullet there. I thought Jimmy was going to explode!
Instead a wound care nurse came by and gave us instructions on how to better care for the groin incisions. Twice daily dressing changes, continued antibiotics and then a follow-up with Dr. Fraser on Monday, which is today.
Last Sunday we went to the Museum of Natural History and walked for a good 3-4 hours. Jimmy tolerated the walking very well. There was a Faberge exhibit but I was too cheap to pay the extra $ to go see it. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.
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