After heart surgery you can expect daily Xrays, at least for the first couple of days. Being on the children's floor the Xray machine comes to you in the form of a fire engine!
The Xray's are done mainly to see if there is fluid in the lungs or around the heart. At least that was the case with Vada. She did have a small amount of fluid in her right lung and because of that a new diuretic was prescribed and the lasix was canceled.
With in the first couple of hours Vada started to pee...and pee...and pee! Today she is one pound lighter.(Keep in mind she had gained around 2lbs with in 24-48hours from surgery.) Labs were drawn this morning just to make sure everything was balanced and she was doing well. The labs showed that her potassium was low, which is a side effect of the diuretic that she is now on. To treat this they gave her potassium through her central line and have just now drawn new labs to check the levels. If her levels have been corrected then we will be coming home today. We have already begun discharge procedures and are waiting to see what the blood work shows.
Vada will be coming home on three new medications, making a total of seven prescriptions and an added two vitamins. Her medications will be something that helps her maintain her potassium levels, the diuretic and one for her heart. All of these new medications she will eventually out grow or will be canceled. For now its all for maintaining her healthy repaired heart.
Below are two pictures of her latest Xray. I am sharing them so you can see what we are able to see. If you look at the other Xrays that I have posted here and here, this one doesn't look too different. That's because I am not showing you a heart that has decreased in size but I am showing you where her sweet chest wires are.
These four little circles are a small piece of her recovery. They will forever be a part of her now, a hidden reminder of what she went through.I think the fact that someone is able to do this surgery is amazing and then when you throw things like the Xrays in people often forget the importance or significance in them. I like that I get to see this and I like that I can share them with others. It's something that I wish that I could have seen from someone familiar before Vada's surgery.
Some of the things that I have shared over the past few days may seem a bit personal and most are. I am sharing them and have shared them because of the feelings of fear that I had prior to Vada's surgery. The unknown can be the worst in situations like this. I am only sharing what I have shared because I hope that someone else, someone who may be only a few steps behind me will find them and that they will find some sort of relief in them.
1 comment:
Thanks for your example and friendship. Vada has been and will be in our prayers. Glad to see she is getting better.
Post a Comment