A day at the hospital

Yesterday I went to the hospital with Quintin and my mom in tow. Originally I thought we would be there for about 2-3 hours but we were there for 8 hours!!

At 8:00 am we showed up at the hospital to get an Echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of my heart. As we were waiting for Dr. Yetman to discuss the results of the echo I really wasn't aware of what she had in store for me. First, My good friend Trish that I have known for more years than I remember came in to check my pacemaker, then Dr. Yetman's wonderful brilliant nurse Nancy (I know she reads these haha) came in and did the usual check along with Dr Yetman who came in and did much of the same. She than asked if I had the time to do a blood draw, a stress test and a chest X-ray.

I went to the lab and they drew 12 vials of blood!! My arm was all shriveled up at the end. After a very brief lunch I went to have a stress test which involves breathing tests and riding a stationary bike hooked up to a breathing tube that goes on your head like really large headgear, an ECG machine, an oxymeter that goes on my finger and than the technician would take my blood pressure every one minute that I was riding. I didn't go for very long, maybe 6 minutes. My chest was burning I was coughing and my legs were so weak that I couldn't pedal anymore. I had to be helped off of the bike. I rested for 10 minutes after and I needed it. The stress test worked......It totally stressed me out!!

Dr Yetman caught me in the hall and took me in a room to talk with her and the transplant cardiologist Dr Everitt. I expected to hear exactly what they told me. They will be recommending me to the transplant board for a heart transplant. I will be bottom on the list because I am not super critical yet but I am severe. The transplant has about a 10% mortality but I will be a bit higher than that because my other organs are jacked up. After my transplant I could be in the hospital for months. Before I can be officially on the list I will need to have a catherization and an upper GI scope, someone will be calling me within a couple of weeks to schedule that.

The over all feeling I had was of a bit of relief, I want this new heart and I want to do the things that I have only watched my friends do. Yes I am terrified of the waiting, the testing, the prodding and the recovery process will be a monster to deal with. But the hope I have for my future is strong, there is so much that I want to do in my life.

Sooooooooooo.................Here we go!!!!!!!!!

I told you I was sick!!