Patrick is expected to be released sometime this week. We have heard Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, so it could be anytime.
He is attempting to manage his pain since he doesn't want to be on a high level of pain medicine after being released, but it has been a difficult journey. After all the wrenching, pulling, and probing the team has done inside his chest, he is still in an incredible amount of pain. Patrick has never been one to quickly turn to pain medicine for ailments so I would expect nothing less of him. His desire to wean himself off of it is admirable.
He looks fantastic. He has sent me a couple recent photos of himself and there is no swelling. He is even down a kilogram from when he was admitted to the hospital on March 30th.
He sounds wonderful when I talk to him on the phone. After my post about struggling with my emotions he and I had a few deep conversations and things are better. It's no secret that when someone is in pain or terribly uncomfortable it can affect their mood. This is something Patrick and I have lived with for years.
He and I spoke about how hard it was on both of us during the year prior to his acceptance to the heart transplant list. Honestly, he was terrible! And honestly, I didn't handle it well.
Imagine looking at your favorite foods and knowing eating them will cause you extreme stomach pain, and will ramp up your heart failure symptoms.
Imagine having to sit on the sidelines watching your kids and wife play and sled and have fun, when you used to be the active, participating parent.
Imagine watching the weight fall of your body and unaccountably reaching your goal weight, only to see that number pass by ten, twenty, thirty pounds.
Imagine constant, 24/7, abdominal discomfort.
I can't imagine the mental anguish Patrick has endured over the last year and a half and longer, knowing he has likely only told me a fraction of it. So while I didn't always react well to his grumpiness, I can look back at that time in our marriage with grace and even fondness, knowing how hard it was and that we powered through it.
His mood has improved at the same time his diet has increased, and I look forward to cooking heart healthy meals for our entire family when he returns. He can eat an entire chicken breast and his only complaint will be the pressure of having overeaten, which delights him. Previously, eating a large amount of dense protein like chicken breast would have sent him to the hospital.
His kidney function is still not where the UW team wants it to be but he isn't in danger of needing dialysis any longer. And he is completely self-sufficient when it comes to personal care, although at times he requests help if he is in a lot of pain. A nurse stopped by to help Patrick bathe his back when it was time to take off the wound patch on his lower spine. And with the removal of the patch came the thorough cleaning of the spot, wiping away any dead tissue and making sure the spot was clean and free of anything that would continue to cause Patrick discomfort.
We are both looking forward to his discharge from the hospital and his entrance into the Transplant House. It will mark the beginning of his three months of local post-transplant care, and the start of the three month countdown to his return home. I am already looking for tickets for the kids and I to visit him in June, and we are so excited!
His sister and some friends are still working on the planning stages of the fundraiser and we are meeting tomorrow to hash out a few details. A completed, shareable flyer will be added soon. Thank you to everyone who has shared the one I already posted!
Again, don't hesitate to send in questions for the Q&A.
Until next time!
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