4/10/23 11:24pm UPDATE

So we had a bit of excitement today at the hospital. It turns out that the biopsy wasn't simply a biopsy. I was not aware that they were going to pull the old pacemaker wires, as well. I can’t imagine Patrick was not informed. It's more likely that he just forgot to tell me.

The procedures themselves went off without a hitch. The biopsy went well and the pacemaker wires came out. But after the procedure Patrick experienced some discomfort that eventually showed itself as blood coming out his last chest tube and collecting in the collection box.

So Patrick called me and told me he was bleeding, and said they were bringing him back. I had no idea what that meant and had no time to ask him.

It wasn't long before the transplant surgeon called and told me Patrick had lost a significant amount of blood. He was given a transfusion while being wheeled to the OR along with other fluids, because his blood pressure was dropping.

The nurse on staff when Patrick was admitted to the CCU tonight told me that the procedure notes read that the incision the surgeon made was below his transplant incision, about two inches in length. They opened his chest, drained the blood and clots they found, and then closed him again without finding any obvious cause or remaining bleed in the cavity. They placed a second chest tube to keep things moving and to keep an eye on the situation.

I visited Patrick tonight and had a bit of a cry. Seeing him intubated when I wasn't planning on seeing him that way was rough. He's back to being puffy with the extra fluids. His forearms are massive. The machine was controlling his breathing with tubes coming out of his mouth. I could see his body shake with every beat of Andrew's heart.

I'm looking into extending our trip back out to this weekend. It's just a few days, but it feels like all six of us could use them. I need to be where Patrick is, the kids need to be with me, and Patrick needs me with him.

I'll update again tomorrow after I've seen him! Thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts.

4/10/23 3:27pm Transplant Update - Complication

Please pray.

Patrick called at 2:35p sounding really bad, and he said he's bleeding and they are taking him back.

I didn't get any info until 3:03p when the transplant surgeon called. He said after Patrick's biopsy this morning some fresh blood appeared in the last remaining chest tube, which indicated internal bleeding somewhere. So he is going to have Patrick put to sleep, open a small hole below Patrick's sternum surgery site, and release extra blood and try to find the bleed.

I will update as I receive more information. The surgeon said he would call me when they are done.

BIOPSY TIME!

Patrick left his room at 9:15am with a nurse for his heart biopsy. They will be using a catheter in his neck to send a needle to his heart to gather a small piece of tissue. Examining the tissue is the best way to determine if there are any signs of rejection. We should get the results today or tomorrow.

His body seems to be recovering from the traumatic surgery, but he is still struggling with bloating and swelling in his torso and extremities, along with nausea, pain, and a terrible bedsore. No one said this process would be fun or easy, but it's hard to see him like this.

The kids and I have tickets back to Alaska on Wednesday. I am not looking forward to leaving him.