Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon John had another sherbet and was able to keep it down.  Physical Therapy came and told him it was time to walk.  The preparation for the walk takes about twice the time as the walk itself.  All of his lines and tubes need to be managed as well as the LVAD.  I switched him from wall power to batteries, and only set off the alarms on one battery (because I wasn't fast enough).  When I switched him back to wall power there were no alarms, yeah!  He walked the longer loop, about 300 feet.  Yesterday he walked a shorter loop, maybe 200 feet.  They have him use a tall walker where he can rest his forearms on the top of the walker.

We went back a step or two today.  After they read the echocardiogram from this morning, it showed that John was retaining more fluid that they wanted.  John got his catheter back because they want to drip the diuretic throughout the night.  As of about 5pm tonight they made a decision to reinsert the pulmonary artery catheter in his neck.  They said that his kidneys and liver are not reacting the way they were hoping, so this will give them more information to make the proper changes to medications.  They will also reinsert an arterial line in his left wrist in order to measure his heart pressures more accurately.

The cath lab was already closed, so they have called in a surgeon from Harborview and other staff to get this done tonight.  They have told me they will try to have him back in his room between 8 and 9 tonight.

About 2:30 I ordered another scoop of sherbet.  After so much vomiting, not much sounds good, but whatever he wants, he can have.  When it came he was having a procedure, so I took it to the front desk to have them put it in the freezer.  After the procedure, I went to get the sherbet again, when I got back to the room, PT was here, so back it goes.  After the walk, he asked for it again, by the time I got it back, they wanted me gone so they could place the arterial line, so the front desk has it now.  Then they decided the two new lines will be placed in the cath lab tonight, so no food or water till it happens.  I wonder if he'll get his sherbet tonight, he doesn't ask for much.

That's what I know now, I'll follow up later tonight.

Colleen