Today John had an appointment with his heart surgeon who did the transplant, and the doctor was amazed at how good he looks!
He took out John’s staples in his chest and where his ICD was removed, and the incision is healing wonderfully. John’s bloodwork showed that his kidneys are now functioning in the “normal” range. John did have an ultrasound where he was connected to ECMO because that area is a little inflamed. There is some fluid back up, but it isn’t anything to be concerned about. They will most likely drain it sometime soon.
John was instructed to start exercising! He is breathing great (so much better than before!), but his lungs show a little bit of fluid around them. His doctor isn’t worried about it because he isn’t having any problems, but he said that if John begins to exercise and put some stress on his heart and lungs, the fluid will most likely go away. If he was planning on becoming a competitive athlete or something, they would drain it, but for now his doctor feels like it’s fine.
Here are some of our accomplishments over the past week:
~ John now walks up the stairs using both legs alternately instead of just shuffling up only using his right leg.
~ He does not use any support (such as a chair or walker) to stand up.
~ He climbed into “Big Red” – his UGA red truck – and cranked it for the first time in about two months!
~ He walked all around WalMart without any problems! This is my true proof that his heart is so much stronger because he was not able to go anywhere and walk around even several months before he went into the hospital.
~ He took out the trash!!! This sounds like it’s not a big deal, but lifting the bag is huge!
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