Wednesday Update

Yesterday Lindsey was in "sinus rhythm" and did well with the Isopro IV medicine off until about 3:00 pm.  Right as Jason and the kids were leaving to head back home to Oregon.  Originally they kept her having nothing to eat because they were going to take her to the cath lab and screw the pacer wire into her heart and correctly place the wire.  This would require her to go under anesthesia, so they didn't feel it was necessary to do that.  She went back into a 2nd degree heart block (only 50% heart beats are going through the communication) at 3 and they took her back to fix the pacer cable at 3:45 pm.  The process took about 2 hours. All went well and they never did have to start her back on the Isopro medication.  This is the medication that is like a constant adrenaline rush, that made her nauseous, shaky and feel pretty cruddy. She came back riding the pace maker on and off.  It took her a few hours to wake up, but she was already feeling better.  At about 10 pm she flipped back into sinus rhythm and stopped riding the pacemaker.  She has been in sinus rhythm ever since and is feeling a lot better.  We went for a walk around the unit (2 laps) and it went well.  We also sat out on a patio on the CVICU unit which she enjoyed.  Mostly because she could sit in the sun and make sure her hard earned tan didn't completely go away.

So, now what is the plan?  Have her up and moving a lot today and make sure her heart doesn't flip back into a heart block.  They will keep the pacer wires in until tomorrow and if she stays in sinus rhythm they will remove the pacer wire tomorrow.  This will again require anesthesia.  Just as we are getting her to eat a little bit again, she will go NPO (nothing by mouth) at 2 AM.  Then we could possibly go to the step down unit and be monitored for another 24 or so hours.  This is IF everything goes well.  Then hopefully home.  Poor Megan has yet another birthday that we will not be celebrating ON her birthday.  Hopefully she can wait just one more day and celebrate on the 2nd instead of the 1st.

Lindsey update, Tuesday 1:30pm

What a lousy night!  To help combat the heart block (lack of electrical communication between the top and bottom of heart), they put her on Isoproterenol, an IV drug with rough side affects.  They had tried to use the pacing wires through her neck, but the wires were not connecting to the heart properly.  With the improper placement, she was getting electrical shocks in her abdomine and diaphragm rather than to her heart.  Incredibly painful.  After that unsuccessful try, they went back to the IV drug.

So all night, and I mean ALL NIGHT, she was awake, moaning,  nauseous, vomiting, shaky, highly emotional, not able to rest, and all around miserable.  Very LONG night. Reminded me of the good 'ole '3-chair-combo-days' back in 2012.   Around 7:30 this morning her heart was able to handle a decrease in the IV drug, so they decreased the IV med from .04 to .03. With that small adjustment, she started to perking up.  This morning she still has not eaten and has had to take her rejection meds IV, but is acting much better.

Here's some good news.  Found out she got a ZERO on her biopsy.  NO rejection!! That is great.  So  all this is recovering from an injury, rather than a poor heart heart condition.  I have been impressed Lindsey has taken this a well as she has.

Speaking of good news, we had clinic for all the other kids,  Gage, Megan and Lindsey all had perfect echo's and checkups.  Nothing to report there.  As for Sierra, she got another zero!!  This means all the checkups went as good as possible.  Thank goodness!!

At around 2:00 pm today she will be going into the operating room to have the temporary pacemaker wires more firmly attached to the right ventricle.  They will put her under general anesthetic to place the wires.  With the pacemaker wires properly placed, they can hopefully discontinue the IV drug so she can get some rest tonight.   The hope is she doesn't need the pacing for long, but no one knows how long she will need it. Could be a day, could be a week.  Once she doesn't need the pacing from either the IV or the wires, she will have to be here at least 24 hours to make sure the heart block does not return.

Right now the kids are all playing charades waiting for Lindsey to go in .
So there you go.  You know everything we do.

I will be heading back with the kids today or in the morning.  Stacy will be staying here with Lindsey until she is ready.
later
jas

They just dropped the IV to .02 and doing well!!
   

 Her favorite 'Shannon' from the 'ole days.

Normal August checkup??

We are back.  We have had a great and very uneventful summer so far.  Been doing plenty of 'normal' stuff; reunions, sport camps, ranch work, little vacations, all-star games, college prep etc.  We can talk about that later.

For now, we are checking in from LPCH at Calif.  Unfortunately a routine biopsy has turned into an admission into the CVICU!!  What is up with that?!  So here is the deal.

Sierra and Lindsey had their annual biopsies. Sierra did great.  Pressures look good, coronary arteries look good, rejection results tomorrow. Lindsey on the other hand has now been admitted! I guess during her biopsy they 'bumped' an electronic node which is part of the electrical system communicating between the top and bottom portions of the heart.  That 'bump' has thrown her into Stage 2 heart block.  This is similar to what happened to Gage, but Gage's was a complete heart block (Stage 3)  where as Lindsey's is a Stage 2.  It has been getting crazy since about noon today, but as of 7:00 pm she is still in the heart block rhythm, about between 30-50 beats per minute (normal is around 90-100). She has had pacer wires put in through her neck to help pace her heart.  About an hour ago they added an IV med to force her heart into a sinus (normal) rhythm.  They were taking her back to the Cath Lab to re-position the pacer wires but have been able to resolve here in the room. I have been in this business long enough to know that where more and more doctors, techs, nurses and equipment enter her ICU room, they are taking her condition pretty seriously!
 
What they have told us is that once the bruising goes down in her heart (from being bumped), which could take 24-36 hours, then the normal (sinus) rhythm should return.  Her heart pressures, and coronary arteries look good, and her heart rhythm was normal going into biopsy.  So they don't think it is a heart failure/ rejection issue.  But as a precaution they did give her a dose of steroids to fight rejection, IF that is the case.  Results just came in and she is not in rejection.  She received a ZERO on her biopsy.

As for how long we will be here, time will tell.  If I was a betting man, I would say I will be coming home with the rest of the kids tomorrow, and Stacy will stay here with Lindsey a few days to get this ironed out. 
All-in-all we will know a whole lot more tomorrow, but for now they are watching her CLOSE tonight.
Speaking of tomorrow..  Gage, Megan, and Hunter all have their annual checkups.  This includes echo's, lab work and clinic visits.  We are 'assuming' they will all be fine.  Best case... this time tomorrow we are ALL loaded back in the suburban heading for Oregon.  Worse case... who knows?? 
As always, if it gets crazy-r, we will let you know.
Till tomorrow,
Jason

Lindsey's good friends from Calif, Kirtana, Kiera.  

 Yeah, that's Quinton from Jordan Valley.  How these dang boys show up I DO KNOW!

 Merrill reunion time

 yah, that's Lindsey Lou

 Megsie and her all star team

 Check out Gage and Axelrod over in the shade, while Lindsey is 'slaving' away.

We helped chaperone Megan's senior trip.

 Prom back in may.