Look Mom, I'm a real boy - No Strings!

Doctors completed a full heart biopsy this afternoon. The new heart is beautiful! I have some minor rejection factors and pressure which can be resolved by the proper chemistry of drugs. All people with transplants have a low immune system because the new heart or organ is not our own DNA and the body wants to fight it like a virus. This is why people with transplants take a range of drugs like; Prograf, Cellcept, Septra, Valcyte, and Prednisone. It's all a matter of chemistry and taking medication on time to help resolve issues and protect the new organ from rejection and failure.

Unfortunately, because of the poor immune system and the fact my country is approaching flu, swine flu, cold, and more season it will be some time before I am able to go out into public places, which may be difficult for someone who enjoys people.

My kidneys and other organs are functioning beautifully. We worried about future issues with my organs having had protein losing enteropathy, which is working itself out. The varicose veins in my legs have dissappeared as well as some spider veins. My skin and color look normal. And my eyes are clear and blue. My daughter thinks I'm wearing new lipstick. The remarkable human heart works miracles in and of itself. I'm amazed and humbled!

Finally, for the past 5 years I've worn oxygen at night to help me sleep. We've had a concentrator in our home with a 50 foot chord. Eden followed the chord if she wanted to find her Dad. In addition, I had a fanny pack carrying a medication called milrinone, which flowed through a picc line into my heart for almost 10 months. Of course, the home-health care system put their logo right on front of the fanny pack so I felt like I walked around plugging the company. (For those of you in Utah, the only other guy wearing a fanny pack is Dell Schanze) My brother in law thought I should have imprinted paulcardall.com on the bag instead.

I've been looking forward to is doctors removed all of my chest tubes and IVs from my body. I'm able to walk around and enjoy the world without any strings attached. Because of this great news I posted an appropriate song on my playlist from Pinnochio. Thought you might enjoy these lyrics:

I've got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret, or make me frown
I had strings
But now I'm free
There are no strings on me
Hi-ho the me-ri-o
That's the only way to go
I want the world to know
Nothing ever worries me

Watch the scene from Pinnochio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4X1UEVGvwY

A Health Update & Hosptial Life

Hospital life has made it more difficult to come up with something wonderful to say. The truth is I am tired and anxiously hoping to get the show on the road.

After three weeks of living in the hospital doctors have continued feeding me with intravenous nutrition. In addition, I’m getting a steady stream of milrinone through IV.

I deeply and sincerely appreciate all of your prayers, thoughts, letters, emails, comments, and support. I’m overwhelmed by your love and care.

Throughout this past year your kindness has constantly reminded me of the words in St. Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me… Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethen, ye have done it unto me.” I am one of the very least of these and I am grateful for your adherence to follow Jesus.

I am having more fluid in my lungs and trouble breathing. As a result, I’m receiving more doses of lasix and an increase in oxygen requirements.

Since, I am more tired doctors have changed my visiting hours from 5-8pm. I deeply and sincerely appreciate your visits as well as the privacy you are showing our family at this time as we approach the final months of our dilemma.

The photo of me with the ICE Cream has a great story. My friend Josh Russell of Russell's Ice Cream which was sold to Farr's is manufacturing new flavors. Josh was coming to visit and asked what flavor I wanted. Of course, I said, "Bubble Gum" not knowing if they had bubble gum. Josh and his wife showed up with this half gallon of bubble gum, which his dad spent all day making especially for me. How cool is that? (Eden, Lynnette, and Me would go get Bubble Gum Ice Cream weekly this past year)

PICC Lines | Pick your PICC Lines.

This was a week of picc lines. (Incidentally, I should be grateful. Having a picc line with a good source of milrinone does make me feel better. So, being connected to a tube full time is not that bad.) I went in to the hospital on Monday because the area where my original picc in my right arm that I received 6 weeks ago was becoming irritated and red. We don’t want an infection so we decided to pull the picc and put a new one in my left arm. Only this time, I was not sedated like last time so I do remember the experience. Most adults aren’t sedated. But, I’m sort of a baby when it comes to needles and wires being thread through my veins so I usually beg for it. But, I manned up and went for it without sedation. We did the procedure in the cath lab. Needless, to say they gave me several shots that numb the skin before inserting the wiring and eventual picc. Like at the dentist when he numbs your gums before he drills. It wasn’t that bad. I went home 30 minutes later. Of course, my wife heard me say the whole ride home, “That wasn’t fun.” Oh well, I was happy to be home. After a few hours we noticed the leaking, slow leaking watery substance coming from where the picc was inserted. My wife, who is my home-health care nurse (lucky me), ended up changing the dressing over the next few days 6 times because of the leaking until yesterday I went in and had that picc removed and a new one placed in my right arm above my elbow where the original one was. Needless to say, the big needle wasn’t that bad and I made it home to watch the University of Utah destroy Alabama in a much-deserved BCS bowl. Let’s just hope this new picc doesn’t leak either. It’s only been a little more than 12 hours.

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A PICC is a long, thin, flexible tube known as a catheter. It is inserted into one of the large veins of the arm near the bend of the elbow. It is then slid into the vein until the tip sits in a large vein just above the heart.

The space in the middle of the tube is called the lumen. Sometimes the tube has two or three lumens (known as double or triple lumen). This allows different treatments to be given at the same time. At the end of the tube outside the body, each lumen has a special cap, to which a drip line or syringe can be attached. Sometimes there is a clamp to keep the tube closed when it is not in use.

Getting Out!

I was finally able to get out and do something other than travel to a hospital which felt really good. I went and voted early and then hit the drive through of "Crown Burger" with a friend. In addition, I went with my wife and daughter to my sister's home so Eden could trick or treat with her cousins. For a little girl who is always wearing princess dress ups she wanted to go as a spider. It was cute.

I saw my cardiologist Angela Yetman today and things looked stable. I'm giving myself lovanox shots twice a day to help me absorb protein.

I'm wearing oxygen 24/7 at 3 liters and I carry around the milrinone medication pumping into my arm through my picc line (there are 2 pictures to the right of the picc).

It is difficult to shower. But, I am grateful that these things are giving me more time while we wait for my heart.

Incidentally, I was moved up on the list to a status 1B. What does that mean? You're either a status 7, status 2, status 1B, or status 1A (I guess because they can't count from 1 to 4). To my understanding, and I might be wrong, a 7 is a person who has a hard time qualifying for a heart because of other disease, infection, weight, and more. A 2 is a person who needs a heart but they're at home and able to go to work or they are somewhat stable at home. A 1-B is in and out of the hospital, receiving medication through a picc full time, and other difficult issues. The 1-A's are in the hospital and don't have vey long. So, it certainly is an unusual situation because there are plenty of people who need a transplant of some kind. There is a great web-site with data about the list and those waiting or donating. CLICK HERE