11/3/13

Busy day.  Started on the Cardiac ICU, but in a "stepped-down" level of care.  The treatment team provided a bit more perspective on what they called her "remarkable progress".  They said her heart was at about 16% shortly after arriving, and within 3 days went up to 25+%, then 5 days after arriving up into the 30% range.  Now they say she is at baseline function (which was in the 40% range) compared to her "pre-event" tests!  What great progress!   She is very pleased with herself.  Had a nasty headache, which the treatment team is saying was likely to the changing medications and blood chemistry.  But that is all better today.

She is weaned off all IV medications and is stable on oral medications now.  The team then transferred her off the Cardiac ICU onto the Cardiac Surgical floor in preparation for her surgery in the next day or so.  While she needs to be on a cardiac monitor at all times, especially when on her walks, the frequency of PVC's appears to not increase into an area of concern for the team.  So Nicole was up and walking with staff several times today.  Quite a different picture from just a few days ago with the nurse carrying just a single piece of equipment instead of pushing a pole with 6-8 IV pumps on it.  It is so, so great to see!

Long talk tonight about her pending surgery and implantation of the device. Nicole has a really good grasp of the risks and benefits.  She says "I understand it is to help my heart in case I have another cardiac arrest and my heart stops.  I appreciate that."  She is concerned about the surgery and whether it will go well. She is confident in the doctors and has a strong faith that she is watched over by a caring God who has intervened on her behalf already, and by Mary, who is her intercessor to God as well. The maturity of her faith is humbling.

It seems Nicole has memorized the words to the two songs on the blog from a couple days ago.  The nurses are tickled with her  playing them or showing the videos off YouTube.  And Alexandra particularly likes the Mandisa song from the post (as well as another named "Stronger") and was singing them at the top of her lungs with the window rolled down on the way to the hospital today....LOL

Nicole is experiencing a bunch of new things at the hospital.  Little did we know that there is a "shower in a bag".  Apparently you microwave the bag, put on the shower cap, and viola! shampoo away..... Hmmmmm  Not sure it's going to make it into the shampoo section at your nearby salon.  Nicole had mixed feelings about it..

Nicole is craving burgers again/still.  Apparently she is on her own version of a cardiac rehab diet of steak, rare meat, burgers, and bacon.  I hadn't heard of that particular diet, but I think I'll have to look into it for my own health!