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.  

       

An Answer

Gage had a good day yesterday.  He ate well and drank well.  The doctors lifted his isolation yesterday afternoon, so we were able to get out and walk a little (yeah, we were going stir crazy).  However, they came in last night at around midnight and said that his stool culture came back positive for Norovirus.  So, we are back on isolation.  Norovirus is a gut bug that causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping (check, check and check).  The team was relieved to find the source, so they are going to let us go home today.  Of course, when our kids get sick, it throws all their labs out of whack, but that is something we can deal with out patient.  His kidneys are looking a lot better and other than some slight stomach pain after eating and leg cramps (another issue), he is acting like himself.  Off to home we go in time for prom!  Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.  It means so much!

Little Bump in the Road

I know there are a lot of people wanting updates with Gage, so here is the long of it.  Gage's stomach started hurting Friday, his appetite had been poor all week.  He tried eating Saturday night and threw it all up, along with his meds shortly after. Not to mention the explosive diarrhea. He moaned all night about his stomach hurting, finally falling asleep around 4 AM.  Needless to say, he did not enjoy his Easter treats Sunday morning.  He laid around Sunday and started feeling a little better Sunday afternoon and even ate a little bit and played with cousins.  Monday he felt a little weak but wanted to go to school.  Went to school and did really well.  Ate some lunch, was acting like himself when he got home from school and even went out and helped pick up rocks in the field (funnest thing ever).  Ate dinner that night, but ended up throwing everything up again. Moaned again all night about his stomach hurting.  (Creepy reminder of the Lindsey heart failure days, including that sick pit in our stomach) All in all, he ended up missing Saturday night meds and part Monday nights.

We called California a couple times to keep them in the loop with what was going on.  Yesterday, they wanted an echo done on him.  So, we packed a bag and headed to the ER in Boise.   The echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) looked good, which was really reassuring, meaning no heart issues.  They ran some blood tests and stool and blood cultures.  The blood tests showed his kidney's were saying "ouch" with his dehydration.  The heart team was concerned with his kidneys and wanted him flown to California so they could watch him from here.  He really perked up after a fluid bolus in Boise and was "starving" (music to my ears).  He ate and held everything down and hasn't thrown up since.  His stomach is feeling better and he is acting like himself.

So, what is the plan.  Repeat his echo (they like to see their own and confirm there is nothing wrong with the heart) continue blood draws (his kidneys already looked better after the IV fluids) and see where he is at tomorrow.  Hopefully we can be released tomorrow and get home in time for prom this weekend. Summary of what has happened, he had a viral gut bug, got too dehydrated and couldn't keep some of his meds down, but is feeling better. 



In other news, since we haven't updated in a really long time.  Sierra headed back to college last week.  She had winter semester off from school and was at home working.  It was really nice to have her back home, but she was  really ready to be back out on her own.  She has had great biopsies and just had an echo that looked really good.  She isn't sure she still wants to do nursing, so this semester is an exploration semester to see what is out there.  Hopefully she finds something she will love.

Megan just finished registering and confirming housing for Utah State University.  I can't believe we are going to be down to 3 kids at home.  It makes me sad that our family is shrinking.  I am not looking forward to this stage of our lives.  I had the opportunity to go with Megan and 11 other students to Washington DC this last week.  It was a lot of fun and a great experience.  I had never been there before, so it was very exciting.

Lindsey is growing up and doing great.  She has echo's every 3 months, but biopsies only once a year.  She is doing track with Megan and is loving the social life that comes with it.  She is very excited about prom this weekend and is getting better at driving.

Hunter participated in FFA this year and found his love and niche for parlay.  He has always been a great debater with his parents and siblings.  Good to see that energy go to better use.  He has matured quite a bit this year and I am proud of him and the choices he is making.

Gage celebrated his 2nd year anniversary April 5th.  these last 2 years have flown by compared to the prior 2 years.  Lindsey celebrated her 6th.  Time just keeps marching on.

I can't say we are the proud owners, it is more like "what were we thinking" of 6 ducks, 8 (teenage) hens, and 3 chicks.  One of which we incubated from our own eggs.  Making a total of 11 chickens, 2 roosters, 11 chicks and 5 ducks (one disappeared) a dog and a cat.  We have decided that we definitely like chickens better than ducks.  Ducks are very smelly and messy.  We will probably only ever own the 5 and if they fly off for the winter, I won't feel bad.

That is everything in a nut shell. We will probably go home tomorrow if everything turns out looking normal.

Catching Up from November to January

Just catching up since November.  We have been busy with "normal" life and it has felt great!  We moved right on from volleyball into basketball.   First came Hunter's junior high basketball with a with a 9 and 3 season.  Jason was the coach and did an excellent job.  Hunter then joined an AAU basketball team in LaGrande, which has been really good for him.

Megan's basketball season started right after her volleyball ended.  It has been a good season.  Not as strong as volleyball, but dang fun to watch none the less.

Sierra survived her first semester of college. She was excited to come home for Christmas, but ready to return once break was over.  Unfortunately, she is on a track system, so she will not go back until the end of April, due to having winter semester off.  She is staying at home and working, which will be great for her savings account.  She and Gage will have biopsies in February.  She did really well with taking care of herself in college.  Figured out her blood draws, medication and doctor appointments.  It was a big relief to see her take on that responsibility.  We still have a little work to do on communicating with doctors, but all-in-all, she did great. She had some great roommates and made some life long friends.

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's and enjoyed participating in our family traditions in our own home.  We continue to appreciate whatever time we have in our home and don't take it for granted. We are never sure how long it will last.

Lindsey, Gage, and Hunter are also involved in the skiing program.  Jason went up on Friday, and had a tough time keeping up with Gage and Hunter.  Gage 'bombed' Trouble Creek and other runs.  He loves to ski with his buddies especially Range.

Honestly, it is sooooo nice that we are not reporting any heart issues at this time.
Till next time

Hunter's AAU team