6 Week Follow-up

We had Jayme's 6 week follow-up appointment yesterday. 6 weeks has passed since surgery, yay! All went well. He had another EKG before we met with Dr. Petracek and he said that everything looks good. He is still going to keep him on the Coumadin (blood thinner) for 3 more weeks and in 3 weeks he will wear another 48 hour heart monitor at home followed by another appointment with Dr. Petracek. If all looks good then, then he will take him off the Coumadin. He plans to keep him on the Sotalol for 3 more months to make sure his heart remains in rhythm. He hasn't lowered the dosage yet, but I'm hoping he will in 3 weeks. This also means that I am looking for a liver supporting supplement since the Sotalol can really take a toll on your liver. It's potent stuff but of course, "Jayme's young, seems to be excreting it just fine. He'll be o.k." I'm not going to take that risk, thank you. 

Jayme feels great and it's only going to get better. At this point, he feels slightly better than he did just before the surgery. He is noticing more energy and less shortness of breath in his daily life. He has also begun his cardiac rehab 3 times a week which he will do for 5 weeks. This has been so great for him, and they are really pushing him. 

He did volunteer a work day at church for an event they were having and at the end of an 8 hour day he realized he is still not quite ready to return to work, it wiped him out. But I think for sure especially with the rehab, he will be perfectly ready to return as planned, June 1st. 

As many qualms that I have with the medical industry and medication, I will say that it is astounding what another human can do. To operate on the heart, are you kidding me!? To stop someone's heart to work on it, and then in all essence bring them back to life! Crazy. And I am thankful.

EKG Follow-Up

Jayme had an EKG on Wednesday and we received the results yesterday. Everything is perfect. His blood pressure and heart rate have been perfect this week and we seem to be on the up-swing on the way to full recovery. 

He begins cardiac rehab next week which he is really looking forward to. The limitations on his physical exertions have been frustrating to him so he's ready to be able to jog, lift weights etc. while being monitored so he doesn't overdo it. 

The follow-up appointment with Dr. Petracek is April 24th so only 2 weeks away. We're still praying that at that point they will allow him off all of his medication. 

SO good to be home...again

We're all home again, yay! They discharged Jayme at 11:30 this morning. All is well and his heart continues to beat in good rhythm. We all took the best nap any of us has had in a long while this afternoon and tonight we just stayed home, and watched American Idol. These pictures are of Jayme and Evangeline watching AI. Poor Jayme, you can see all the irritation on his skin from the EKG monitor leads. 

It is so good to be home! Now I will be ecstatic when we get to the point where we're not messing with any medications anymore. 

Thank you all for your prayers that helped to sustain us each minute of every day. I have to say that I truly believe we went into the hospital this time around as different people than we are now. In 4 days many lessons can be learned, much faith can be tested, multiple questions can be answered, and a whole lot of refinement can happen. 

I'm going to get Jayme to write a bit soon from his perspective since you guys only hear from me :) It's very difficult to be the person walking their spouse through it but it's a different thing to be the one going through it. Jayme's faith is unwavering and it has been tried like never before on this journey. I'd like him to share some of that. And if there was no other reason for the medication to not work and to have to wait it out for 3 days and endure the thoughts and trials within that time, than to be able to walk alongside another friend who faces a possibly scary diagnosis with firsthand experience with the fear and the tumultuous thoughts than we are so willing to endure to hold up our friends with empathetic, powerful prayers! 

p.s. Please pray for our incredible friend who is in that period of waiting to hear the news of his diagnosis. Nothing in me doubts that he is healed and perfected by the blood of Jesus but please agree with me and pray for peace over his mind and heart as he waits.