June 5, 2016
It is the end of our first weekend home together. It has been, for the most part, uneventful. We have worked out our schedule for dressing changes and home health care visits. Den is doing well and we all hope that it is just the beginning of good things to come.
I have set up an open house party to welcome Den home. All of his friends and my family have been invited to stop by and see how Den is doing. I decided to cut the grass in the morning so the yard would look good. Den surprised me by asking if he could cut the front yard on the riding mower. He was excited to feel useful again and wanted to do something to help. I could not say no to him. 
The silly, happy smile on his face was more than enough reward for me to know I had done the right thing! I did worry about him the entire time, but he did a great job. I made sure he had water with him and kept a close eye on him the whole time. He was physically exhausted by the time he was done, but it was a happy exhaustion! We sat in the back yard for a while and enjoyed the warm weather and a well deserved break.
Den’s friends started to arrive around noon. There was food set out in the house, but Den decided to stay in the back yard and “hold court”. It was a great afternoon! Many of his old work colleagues came by and they all shared stories of their days working together and what they had been doing since leaving the CME. By the time everyone left, Den was both physically and mentally exhausted again. He decided to lay down for a nap. I helped him get to bed and tucked him in. I did notice a little redness around his drive line and made a note to keep an eye on it…it could just be from all of his exertion today (maybe just irritation).
Den's LVAD 