He’s home!

 After a disappointing and frustrating day, Brent was finally released at 7:00 tonight. 

His PICC was placed but only a single lumen. They were not able to place a double lumen, which he really needs, due to lack of vein access. That’s quiet concerning. 

He will be on IV antibiotics for several weeks and then he can get his central line replaced. Let’s pray that the PICC remains a viable option until then. 

We are thankful to be home. We are thankful for prayers and thoughts and good vibes. We are thankful for doctors that listen. 

I’m sure Elanor will be so excited to wake up to Papa being home.

From the patient himself:

Current very tentative plan is to watch the cultures through tomorrow morning. If they remain clear then they’ll put a PICC line in and I’ll go home late tomorrow on IV antibiotics and restart my TPN Sunday night. That depends on cardiology deciding that whatever is on the mitral valve is nothing to worry about. I should hear from my heart surgeon sometime today.

So there you have it. Just need to see what the cardiologist says. Here’s hoping for a tomorrow release! We have done at home IV antibiotics dozens of times so that’s no big deal. Here’s hoping. 

No news? Good news?

 We're not too sure if we have good news because we're really not too used to getting good news. The news we did get was kind of blurred towards the positive so I guess we can be cautiously optimistic? 

Brent had his TEE this afternoon. The nurse said it looked good. The Infectious Disease doc was just in and he said the aortic valve was clean (very thankful) and the mitral valve showed something, but he's not thinking it is infectious growth. He did not have an idea of what it might be though. This really is good news for the aortic valve. Our cardiac surgeon does NOT want to replace that one again anytime soon. Each time you replace it the success rate goes down exponentially. I don't think 'the third time's the charm' applies to heart valves. 

The doc also said that Brent's blood cultures have been clean since Tuesday's draw which is also good news. If they remain clear through tomorrow then they can insert a PICC line in preparation for going home. He has to have a PICC line for his nightly TPN while waiting until he can have another central line placed. They will likely have to wait for the central line until he is on IV antibiotics for quite awhile. 

Todays prayers? A prayer of gratitude for a clean valve and clean cultures and modern medicine. OH, and that I have a Cubby's salad waiting for me at home. Ha. We have great friends.  Prayer request for continued clean blood cultures so he can get his PICC and come home! Also, that whatever they saw on the TEE on the mitral valve is nothing concerning. 

Thanks for checking in. Thanks for your love and prayers. Thanks for good news. 

 Text from Brent this morning:

"Hospitalists were just here. Echo showed the aortic valve looked ok but the mitral valve may have issues. TEE tomorrow. Probably be here for a few more days at least."

So, we wait until tomorrow to panic or not panic. Thankful the aortic valve looked clean, but a bit worried bout the mitral valve. The TEE should give them a clear picture if anything is growing. 

Brent's central IV line was removed yesterday. This one lasted over two years which is amazing. We are grateful for good Dr's that have tried unconventional methods to keep his line clear. He will need to have a PICC placed before going home so that he can do his TPN every night. Right now they are not giving him his TPN, so we need to watch dehydration and try to get some calories in him. 

That's about it for now. He's bored, so text him a joke or something. 

So, once again, we're praying for the heart, from the heart. Love you. 

Happy Day of Love

 Happy Valentines Day. 

In times of crisis we often are reminded of all those that we love and who love us. I was re-reading some blogposts to retrieve some dates and info, and I am constantly in awe of the love and support that we receive as a family. Truly, your love in many forms is what gets us through good and not so good times. 

So, obviously, I'm updating for a reason other than to thank you for your constant love. Last night Brent spiked a fever. Protocol for him is to head to the ER for anything over 100. He was 101+. We were feeling ok to go to Murray, meaning he wasn't crashing hard and fast. So, just a public service announcement . . . stay healthy. The ER was insane and the hospital was full and on Divert for all ambulances. Spent nine hours in the ER and finally got a room. Fever wasn't breaking and his blood pressure was getting low but CT scan looked good and initial blood work was good. Cultures were drawn from his central IV line. No obvious cause of the infection/fevers. The IV line is always the first suspected cause, and rightfully so. He's been septic so many times due to line infections even though he is meticulous about his line care. 

This afternoon the cultures already show positive for staph aureus. His central IV line has to come out. This is very frustrating for several reasons that I won't elaborate on because some of them are quite maddening. The Dr's will also check the heart valve extensively to make sure that the staph hasn't gone to the artificial aortic valve. 

So far, he is being given broad spectrum IV antibiotics. 

Some of you like specific things to focus your prayers and energy on. If so, please pray that the heart valve is clean and that the staph isn't in his blood stream. If it is contained in the IV line, that would be best case scenario. The necessity of a  third heart valve transplant is not good. 

So, on this day of Love, with the symbol of a heart, how apropos that we pray for Brent's heart and to recognize the good hearts of all of you, and especially the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior. Love is found in many forms. Thank you for your love.