Don’t Panic!

May 3, 2016

I had to work again today, so Den in on his own until I get there tonight. He ordered his own breakfast….and surprised me! He got and ate (confirmed by his nurse) an omlet with sausage, mushrooms and cheese! He also got OJ and yogurt! If I hadn’t been sitting at my desk when Den told me I think I would have fallen over with shock. I guess his mouth is feeling better!

All Den’s vitals are stable and he is getting breathing treatments every 4-6 hours to help the remaining congestion from the pneumonia clear out. He is still getting the antibiotic and 2 mouth rineses daily for the thrush, which is looking better all the time.

One of the times I talked to Den, Becky from the LVAD team was in his room. She told me that she would be sending over the information binder and a video for us. I would need to know all the information in the binder before Den could come home. She also told me not to stress over learning it right now, since Den was going to RIC soon and not directly home. The LVAD team would also do education and training with us before Den came home to make sure we knew what to do if there was a problem.

I called Den at lunchtime. He was very stressed out and overwhelmed because all of the LVAD equipment that we would need had been delivered to his room. He said there was a mountain of boxes on the counter. I told him to ignore all of it and we would go through it all when I got there later tonight. He sounds stronger today than before.

When I arrived, I understood why Den was so overwhelmed by the delivery. There really was a mountain of boxes! This is what was delivered:

• Mobil Power Unit (wall power)
• Batter Charger
• 8 Batteries
• 4 Battery Clips
• Shower Bag
• Holster Vest
• Travel Bag (we named this one the Ditty Bag)
• Consolidated Bag
• Controller Belt
• Neck Strap
• Handbook for Heartmate 2 with informational CD

Den seems physically and mentally stronger than yesterday….I hope that continues and he eats enough to maintain this upward climb.

Just before midnight the nurse asked if I wanted to do Den’s dressing change again. Of course, I said yes! I needed all the supervised practice I could get! This is the one thing that I could not afford to screw up at home!