Hospital Saga
I just returned from about 36 hours in the hospital with my mother. Part of that time was very frightening.
Today Dr. B. confirmed what we thought was happening yesterday when he said about Mom, "She would not have lived through the day yesterday if she had gone on much longer the way she was for a while there." He was referring to a time period lasting several hours when she had struggled mightily to breathe because of her lungs filling up with fluid--worsened by the small additional volume of liquid in the dye they had used in performing the heart catheterization, and the usual requirement that she lie flat for a period of time following the procedure.
After the doctors arrived in her room and one ordered more diuretic to be given in the IV and another ordered that she be allowed to sit up, things eventually improved quite a lot.
However, the catheterization revealed big problems. One of the main arteries is 90% blocked. The aortic valve opens to the size of a pencil and needs to open to the size of a quarter. It can not be repaired. It is calcified to the point of appearing to have the same composition as a bone when viewed on an x-ray. "It looks like a rock pile," the doctor said, then added "I'm sorry."
The only recommendation the doctors give us is open heart surgery--possibly as early as this Friday. In this surgery, a bypass would be installed for the nearly-blocked artery, and the faulty valve would be replaced.
The heart is already somewhat damaged, and her age and gender (!) are risk factors, but the surgeon we talked to today told us that she has a better-than-90% chance of surviving surgery and recovering fairly well. The alternative would be more of what she has suffered the past few days, with very little prospect for long-term improvement.
Pray that everyone concerned would have peace about whatever decision is made, and that the decision would please God.
Today Dr. B. confirmed what we thought was happening yesterday when he said about Mom, "She would not have lived through the day yesterday if she had gone on much longer the way she was for a while there." He was referring to a time period lasting several hours when she had struggled mightily to breathe because of her lungs filling up with fluid--worsened by the small additional volume of liquid in the dye they had used in performing the heart catheterization, and the usual requirement that she lie flat for a period of time following the procedure.
After the doctors arrived in her room and one ordered more diuretic to be given in the IV and another ordered that she be allowed to sit up, things eventually improved quite a lot.
However, the catheterization revealed big problems. One of the main arteries is 90% blocked. The aortic valve opens to the size of a pencil and needs to open to the size of a quarter. It can not be repaired. It is calcified to the point of appearing to have the same composition as a bone when viewed on an x-ray. "It looks like a rock pile," the doctor said, then added "I'm sorry."
The only recommendation the doctors give us is open heart surgery--possibly as early as this Friday. In this surgery, a bypass would be installed for the nearly-blocked artery, and the faulty valve would be replaced.
The heart is already somewhat damaged, and her age and gender (!) are risk factors, but the surgeon we talked to today told us that she has a better-than-90% chance of surviving surgery and recovering fairly well. The alternative would be more of what she has suffered the past few days, with very little prospect for long-term improvement.
Pray that everyone concerned would have peace about whatever decision is made, and that the decision would please God.
posted by Mrs. I at
6:04 PM
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