Update 9.8.2015

Today is an anniversary, six weeks since the surgery.  Time flies.  It seems so long ago that we went into the hospital, that we came home, that John could barely walk to the mailbox with a walker.  We have come so far in the recovery.  No walker, no cane.  Both are put away for future use.  We are still under the 'sternum precautions' that we thought would end today.  Heidi, the PA for Dr. Masri, extended it for two more weeks.  But, we are being more and more active all the time.  Colleen is still doing the lawn mowing but John did the trimming and edging.  We even washed the outside of the windows today.  There has been a lot of work on our road this summer, so they were very dusty.

We drove, Colleen drove, to Yakima last week to visit John's mom.  We plan to go over again in a few weeks.  Once the first 90 days after the surgery have passed, John could be transplanted at any time.  So we are required to be within three hours of the UWMC.  Yakima is about three hours from home, a bit less maybe to the UWMC.  But there are often closures and delays up there on the pass.  Everything from auto accidents to rock blasting for the new lanes, to snow and slides.  So, probably no trips to Yakima until next spring/summer.

We are so happy that we have not had to be readmitted to the hospital.  It seems to be a common occurrence for LVAD patients.  We try to be compliant with whatever the staff at UWMC wants from us.  The last two INR tests have been in range, so maybe we are close to stability.  Last week we had three INR blood draws.  It gets tiring. 

The docs are still trying to get water off of John.  He is now taking a diuretic twice a day.  John is down to 183 pounds, quite a drop from his admission weight of 197.  The weight seems to have stabilized the last few days.  Hopefully the water in the lungs is also dissipating.  We will know more after our next appointment next Wednesday. 

John and Colleen