Patrick was released today!
They kept him longer than we thought because while he reacted well to the initial dose, the reaction they spoke of was actually a lack of a reaction. The cardiologist said that was good news. No reaction meant at least Patrick wasn't having a NEGATIVE reaction to the medication, which was the reasoning behind him being admitted to the ICU for observation in the first place, as opposed to a normal room.
But since he did have a significant v-tach episode while on the lower dose they decided to double it and keep him for longer. Again, his body showed no ill effects to the double dose which was good news. They even had him "test" it, which must have looked really funny in the ICU - having a grown man huffing laps around the place with a portable heart monitor, joking with nurses and working up a sweat. Not the usual sight for an ICU, probably. Patrick told me, "It's a really great group of people."
He does that - gets to know people just by talking to them in passing. Everywhere. All the time. Fred Meyers, Costco, the girls schools, etc. At Fred Meyers he asks the cashier if the party this weekend is at their house and if they will bring the booze. At the schools he demands a bowl of candy will be put out for when he visits. At Costco he knows the people who do food demos by name...
Everywhere...
Did I say they also plied him with coffee to get his heart rate up? Imagine normal Patrick hopped up on caffeine. I could barely handle our last visit.
The cardiologist, Dr. Shah, said Patrick has had nice EKGs on the double dose but the actual effects of the medication (Trikosyn) won't be known for a while. His pacemaker/defibrillator records information 24/7, so after a period of time they will be able to see if his arrhythmia's have decreased, increased, or stayed the same. The purpose of the hospital visit was to ensure if it threw him into horrible arrhythmia's, he was in the right place for it to happen. His "portable medic team" as Patrick calls his defibrillator, only works so well outside of a hospital setting.
Yes, Patrick's heart is still dying. He had a really good twelve years with his 6-bypass, even after one of the graphs clogged because they had attached it to a part of his heart that was dead. The body thinks, "This isn't working anyway. Let's clog it with junk." Unclogging that graph would have been a useless procedure.
With medication, his pacemaker/defibrillator, and improved heart function he has enjoyed raising his family, meeting thousands of people, starting a job helping people with disabilities, and forming lifelong connections with our church family. We knew it wouldn't last forever, but that the streak is coming to an end is still a shock.
The next step is starting the process to get him on the heart transplant list. He isn't at death's door, but we don't want to wait to start that process until it's too late. This may mean a temporary move to Seattle, or at the least several months of back and forth travel for myself and the kids. We will make it work for however long we need it to.
And while we pray for the health of our family and our loved ones, our prayers of a "new heart" for Patrick are now taking on a new meaning, and we acknowledge the gravity of waiting for someone to die for Patrick to get a second chance with us. This is not an undertaking we take lightly. Someone will incur great loss for Patrick's eventual benefit, and the thought makes me want to weep for that family.
For everyone who has helped or has offered to help, it means the world to us. We lost my father on Tuesday, and the grief we have been living with has in no way been overshadowed by the magnitude of what is happening in Patrick's body. It has compounded it, and the weight of the world is truly on our shoulders this week. Your prayers are appreciated, as is your support. We love all of you, and pray for all those who have ever touched our lives.
I will keep everyone updated on my Facebook, and may eventually start a Facebook page for Patrick's journey. Writing about it will no doubt be therapeutic for me, if slightly annoying for Patrick.
For a man who claims a preference to stay out of the spotlight, he sure does like to draw attention to himself!
Again, thank you for everything!
- Haley ❤️
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