It's awesome what you can find on Youtube. Here is heart transplant procedure on a normal heart. Of course, my surgery will be a lot more complicated because of my heart's anatomy.
WATCH A TRANSPLANT
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
MY BRIEF MEDICAL HISTORY | Potts Shunt, Endocarditis, The Fontan
BRIEF HISTORYI was born in 1973 with tricuspid atresia and transposition of the greater arteries. I was not getting any oxygen in my blood for the body. I was a blue baby. Within hours of being born my body was rushed to the children’s hospital where Dr. Conrad Jensen (former partner of Russell M. Nelson, M.D.) flew home from a medical conference to perform a Potts shunt when I was 22 hours old. Before going into surgery my parents overhead one of the doctors say, "We're going to lose that kid." The Potts shunt allowed me to enjoy a fun childhood. I played baseball and ran around the neighborhood. But, I would stop to rest. I loved scouts and the outdoors. I was fortunate to get my Eagle before I turned 13.
One week after my eagle award ceremony and in August 1986, before 8th grade began, I developed endocarditis, which doctors could not find for almost a month. I was losing weight and in serious heart failure. After three MRI scans they found the walnut size blister full of staff infection in the section of my heart that Dr. Conrad fixed my heart with the Potts Shunt. (I should include here that the MRI came to Utah 6 months before I got ill. This technology helped save my life). Donald Doty, M.D. opened me up and removed the infection. He performed a new technique, which allowed my life to continue. But, he said within a year I would need a reconstructive heart surgery called the Fontan.School had begun and I was home-schooled for a month before I could attend. I remember my first day back. Because I still had a poor heart I was pale, blue, and weak. I remembering walking up the stairs to my health class for the first time. I sat in the back. My teacher said, "You ok?" And in front of the class I broke down crying.
She took me to the teacher's lounge and gave me some food. She went back up an told the kids about my heart and the word spread through the school. Kids were kind to me. The girls called me "Purple Plum." I didn't mind. And the end of the year the kids elected me student body historian. Summer was coming and that meant the Fontan surgery.In August of 1987 I went in for the Fontan. It was a difficult procedure. Not only did they have to re-create a right atrium but they had to figure out how to deal with my reversed arteries. It was a difficult surgery. Doctors implanted a pacemaker, which would fail within days, so they moved it to my abdomen because the leads are screwed into the outer walls of the heart muscle since my anatomy won’t allow them to flow in through the arteries. After my recovery I went back to school and life went back to normal. I was no longer "Purple Plum" because there was great coloring in my face and nails. Two months after the surgery I rode my bike from Salt Lake to Draper. It takes 30 minutes to drive there.
Since that time I’ve had 5-6 pacemakers replaced. I came home a month early from serving a 2 year church mission because the battery was very low.I married my amazing wife who loves the medical field and is a nurse. What a blessing!
Doctors replaced defective leads almost 5 years ago by going into the heart through some ribs below my left breast.
I’ve been in the hospital for endocarditis once more, which I beat after three weeks thanks to great new antibiotics.
I’ve been in for pneumonia and the flu among other minor issues.
But, for the most part I have had an extremely healthy “feel good” type of a life.
Good News!
We got a call this morning from Latoya informing us that I am now listed for a new heart. Man, it is kind of wild. . . sobering. . . and surreal. . .
On Friday I get a pager and if the batteries work they'll contact me at anytime. It might be 2 weeks up to 1 year. The heart needs to come come from at least 50 miles from Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. When they have a potential great match for my body the pager goes off and I head to the hospital with my 72 hour kit (or things I want to have for recovery). I have one hour to get there. In the meantime a thoracic surgeon travels to where the new heart is and carefully removes it from the donor. He or she will have a good idea from there if it will be a perfect match and if so they prep me for surgery. The thoracic surgeon brings the new heart to the hospital where Dr. John Doty will carefully remove my bad heart. Incidentally, he is the son of Donald Doty who did my 2 previous open heart surgeries where I almost died. So, I know I am in good hands. (The father has worked on the engine and can tell his son what is in there.)
This is a very difficult surgery because of my heart's anatomy. And there will be a lot of scar tissue from the surgeries I had early in my life. Finding the good tissue among the bad will be tough. He has to cut in the right places.
We have every confidence in the transplant team and in Dr. John Doty. He is a man of faith and said to me personally, "We will not lose you!"
Please pray for my wife Lynnette and daughter Eden. Pray for Dr. John Doty and his team who will determine the best heart for me. And most of all pray for the family whose sacrifice and tragedy will bless our family. I may never meet them or know of their loss.
What gives me comfort and peace? The love I feel from my wife, family, and friends. Thanks to all of you we literally feel the arms of God around us.
I also find great comfort in my faith. I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. He is my friend. Life is part of a three act play. We are now experiencing the challenges of the 2nd act. In time, all of us will begin act three as we wait for the resurrection made possible by Jesus Christ overcoming death himself. All of us receive that gift.
Some of us may need a physical transplant but we must also, all of us, experience a spiritual transplant. I strive for that every day of my life because I know I am far from perfect in kindness and friendship. But, through faith, repentance, and baptism we may begin the process of having spiritual heart transplant made possible by the suffering of our Savior in Gethsemane and on the Cross.
We all have are own challenges. . . I'm content. I could always be living in the country Georgia with Russians dropping bombs on my home or in Dar-fur with all my family and friends brutally murdered by genocide. . . . etc. etc. or even worse I could be considered a friend of Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, or Brittany Spears.
On Friday I get a pager and if the batteries work they'll contact me at anytime. It might be 2 weeks up to 1 year. The heart needs to come come from at least 50 miles from Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. When they have a potential great match for my body the pager goes off and I head to the hospital with my 72 hour kit (or things I want to have for recovery). I have one hour to get there. In the meantime a thoracic surgeon travels to where the new heart is and carefully removes it from the donor. He or she will have a good idea from there if it will be a perfect match and if so they prep me for surgery. The thoracic surgeon brings the new heart to the hospital where Dr. John Doty will carefully remove my bad heart. Incidentally, he is the son of Donald Doty who did my 2 previous open heart surgeries where I almost died. So, I know I am in good hands. (The father has worked on the engine and can tell his son what is in there.)
This is a very difficult surgery because of my heart's anatomy. And there will be a lot of scar tissue from the surgeries I had early in my life. Finding the good tissue among the bad will be tough. He has to cut in the right places.
We have every confidence in the transplant team and in Dr. John Doty. He is a man of faith and said to me personally, "We will not lose you!"
Please pray for my wife Lynnette and daughter Eden. Pray for Dr. John Doty and his team who will determine the best heart for me. And most of all pray for the family whose sacrifice and tragedy will bless our family. I may never meet them or know of their loss.
What gives me comfort and peace? The love I feel from my wife, family, and friends. Thanks to all of you we literally feel the arms of God around us.
I also find great comfort in my faith. I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. He is my friend. Life is part of a three act play. We are now experiencing the challenges of the 2nd act. In time, all of us will begin act three as we wait for the resurrection made possible by Jesus Christ overcoming death himself. All of us receive that gift.
Some of us may need a physical transplant but we must also, all of us, experience a spiritual transplant. I strive for that every day of my life because I know I am far from perfect in kindness and friendship. But, through faith, repentance, and baptism we may begin the process of having spiritual heart transplant made possible by the suffering of our Savior in Gethsemane and on the Cross.
We all have are own challenges. . . I'm content. I could always be living in the country Georgia with Russians dropping bombs on my home or in Dar-fur with all my family and friends brutally murdered by genocide. . . . etc. etc. or even worse I could be considered a friend of Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, or Brittany Spears.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Meeting the transplant team
My wife and I, along with my parents, met with Latoya, a coordinator with the heart and lung transplant team. We, went over all of the aspects of being listed and receiving a heart. There is a lot of work put into the process. One is required to be in somewhat good condition so the heart will not be rejected. There are about 30 on the list in Utah. And they have over 90% success rate for the first year.
Later, we had a memorable meeting with John Doty, the son of Donald Doty who performed both of my previous operations. He studied at Georgetown and then John Hopkins. He was so positive and expressed his desire to be the one to do the surgery. He said his Dad wants to be there as well. He said, “We are not going to let anything happen to you.” I know they will do an extremely professional job. He is a great man just like his Dad. (Donald Doty served as a general authority Seventy and was a surgical partner with Elder Russell M. Nelson, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
On Tuesday they will present my case before the board and there will be a vote. I’ll know in a few days if we move forward. But, I'm confident it will go through. Since my first meeting with Dr. Renlund (also a area seventy) I have had various tests and a lot of blood work. These things don’t bother me.
I have received nothing but support from family and friends. People are so good to us. And I thank everyone for their faith and prayers on my behalf. Also pray for the family whose tragedy and sacrifice will create new life and another chance for me and my family.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Possible Heart Transplant
Hi family & friends,
A little more boring news "all about me" . . but, I want you to know what is going on and encourage you to keep most of all my wife Lynnette, daughter Eden, and me in your prayers (along with everyone else in the world that needs our prayers). We could really use the help.
After reviewing my tests from last week's procedure which was difficult to recover from doctors told us today what needs to happen. . Transplant if I qualify. This Thursday I will meet with the heart & lung transplant team to begin further testing and discussion to determine if I do qualify for the heart transplant. There are a lot of details. Most of the doctors in our community familiar with my case believe I should have the transplant as soon as possible because of how damaged my right atrium is. Blood is just swirling around in there like and having a hard time leaving to the lungs for oxygen. There is another more difficult option but it was ruled out because my body is not strong enough. Regardless by the end of the year I may be having major open heart surgery. . . If I get a transplant there are good chances of living a little longer and enjoying all of you.
A little wild! This is very sobering for us at this time but we have hope and faith in God's great plan of happiness. Leaving the hospital everything outside seemed more beautiful and the music on the radio felt more alive. All is well in Zion!! Pray for our little family.
WE LOVE ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP & LOVE!!!
paul
--------------------------------------------
"Dearly dearly has he loved.
And we must love him to.
And trust in his redeeming blood
And try his works to do."
--------------------------------------------
A little more boring news "all about me" . . but, I want you to know what is going on and encourage you to keep most of all my wife Lynnette, daughter Eden, and me in your prayers (along with everyone else in the world that needs our prayers). We could really use the help.
After reviewing my tests from last week's procedure which was difficult to recover from doctors told us today what needs to happen. . Transplant if I qualify. This Thursday I will meet with the heart & lung transplant team to begin further testing and discussion to determine if I do qualify for the heart transplant. There are a lot of details. Most of the doctors in our community familiar with my case believe I should have the transplant as soon as possible because of how damaged my right atrium is. Blood is just swirling around in there like and having a hard time leaving to the lungs for oxygen. There is another more difficult option but it was ruled out because my body is not strong enough. Regardless by the end of the year I may be having major open heart surgery. . . If I get a transplant there are good chances of living a little longer and enjoying all of you.
A little wild! This is very sobering for us at this time but we have hope and faith in God's great plan of happiness. Leaving the hospital everything outside seemed more beautiful and the music on the radio felt more alive. All is well in Zion!! Pray for our little family.
WE LOVE ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP & LOVE!!!
paul
--------------------------------------------
"Dearly dearly has he loved.
And we must love him to.
And trust in his redeeming blood
And try his works to do."
--------------------------------------------
Sunday, August 3, 2008
My Heart Defect
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to write to let everyone know that I am feeling well and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Our family is really blessed! And we feel it from you. We will find out on Tuesday what the doctor’s plan is for me and my future after they study through the test results of my Heart Catheterization. I've had them several times and usually it's like going to the dentist for a root canal. No big deal. But this one was a little wild.
They put me completely under for the procedure paralyzing my muscles temporarily so I would not move. Then they thread a small tube up through an artery on my left leg. The shot some type of dye and were able to map out my heart and view things they can never see externally. They learned that the left side of my heart is functioning really well and was miraculously in sinus rhythm (normal heart rhythm). But, the other side of my heart, where the right atrium has been blowing up over the years like a balloon full of blood that swirls around, is having a hard time finding where it is supposed to go. It’s cutting off blood flow to my lungs and I get less oxygen to my body.
Waking up from the procedure was uncomfortable. My body was put completely under. They give you a little something to help your body start up again and pulled a tube from my throat which was helping my lungs expand so I could breath. But we ran into a problem and for almost 2 hours my lungs struggled to take over the breathing process. I felt like I was drowning or had a bag over my head and just trying to grab on to something to try and get a good long breath of air. It was not fun. But, I’m glad it’s over and they have great information to evaluate my case.
I've been blessed my whole life to have this heart defect. I am far from perfect and needed this in my life to teach me things I could have never learned without it. I want to live a long time and enjoy my family and the life I've been blessed with. With every struggle I continue to be reminded by a sweet feeling of peace that our Savior, and Messiah Jesus, his atonement, & resurrection, are real truths. God is my friend. And I know everything works out according to His plan of happiness and purpose for living.
So again, I will find out Tuesday what they would like to do. All the prayers and fasting will undoubtedly influence their decision. Thanks for everything . . . Let us also know if any of you are having some challenges that we should pray for.
All the best,
Paul
I just wanted to write to let everyone know that I am feeling well and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Our family is really blessed! And we feel it from you. We will find out on Tuesday what the doctor’s plan is for me and my future after they study through the test results of my Heart Catheterization. I've had them several times and usually it's like going to the dentist for a root canal. No big deal. But this one was a little wild.
They put me completely under for the procedure paralyzing my muscles temporarily so I would not move. Then they thread a small tube up through an artery on my left leg. The shot some type of dye and were able to map out my heart and view things they can never see externally. They learned that the left side of my heart is functioning really well and was miraculously in sinus rhythm (normal heart rhythm). But, the other side of my heart, where the right atrium has been blowing up over the years like a balloon full of blood that swirls around, is having a hard time finding where it is supposed to go. It’s cutting off blood flow to my lungs and I get less oxygen to my body.
Waking up from the procedure was uncomfortable. My body was put completely under. They give you a little something to help your body start up again and pulled a tube from my throat which was helping my lungs expand so I could breath. But we ran into a problem and for almost 2 hours my lungs struggled to take over the breathing process. I felt like I was drowning or had a bag over my head and just trying to grab on to something to try and get a good long breath of air. It was not fun. But, I’m glad it’s over and they have great information to evaluate my case.
I've been blessed my whole life to have this heart defect. I am far from perfect and needed this in my life to teach me things I could have never learned without it. I want to live a long time and enjoy my family and the life I've been blessed with. With every struggle I continue to be reminded by a sweet feeling of peace that our Savior, and Messiah Jesus, his atonement, & resurrection, are real truths. God is my friend. And I know everything works out according to His plan of happiness and purpose for living.
So again, I will find out Tuesday what they would like to do. All the prayers and fasting will undoubtedly influence their decision. Thanks for everything . . . Let us also know if any of you are having some challenges that we should pray for.
All the best,
Paul
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