Book Review

There's not much to update or report.  That's not a bad thing in our world!  Lee is doing very well on the Milrinone therapy. Dick Cheney (the former vice president) called Milrinone "Rocket Fuel," and Lee agrees.  It makes him FEEL like he's better.  He has more energy and can walk a little farther without being out of breath.  He feels more mentally alert as well.

I'm inserting a "thank you" here to whoever sent us the book "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."  
It's authored by Dick Cheney and his cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner.  It's not only a story of the former vice president's personal 35 year journey (from the first heart attack to a heart transplant last year) with heart disease, but a chronicle of the amazing advances made in the treatment of heart disease. The book arrived at the perfect time, with no indication of who sent it to us, so we're thanking you, whoever you are. The book is a valuable resource into understanding treatment and informative for getting a realistic view of what lies ahead for us (both the hard and the GOOD stuff.) We highly recommend the book.

At the Mayo Clinic appointment on Wednesday, the doctor told us we could stretch out the appointments to once every 2 weeks, instead of once a week.  YES!  That extra 115 mile round trip will not be missed.

We are settling into a routine of daily flushing of the IV port.  We had the home health nurse put an extension on the port that needs daily flushing, so Lee can do that himself now.  We have a weekly delivery of supplies for the Milrinone IV:  heparin syringes (for the daily flushing of the extra port), saline syringes (for the weekly flushing of the port being used for the Milrinone), 9-volt batteries (replaced 3 times/week on the CADD pump), alcohol wipes, sterile packs (for the nurse who changes the dressing once/week), gloves and masks, AND the all important bag of Milrinone that goes into the refrigerator until needed (we always have a backup bag on hand.) We received more training last week so now we can switch out the CADD pump and the IV bag on our own too.  We will still have a nurse come once per week to do the dressing change and inspect the port to watch for infection or any other problems.

All in all, a good week.  Our church, Grace Fellowship Church, gave a Christmas concert last Sunday. I was blessed to be able to sing with the choir & Lee felt well enough to gather some neighbors and friends and bring them with him to the concert. It was a beautiful evening to take our minds off of our current struggles, to rejoice and remember The Reason for the Season:  Jesus.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Isaiah 9:6  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."