Cath Went Well

Well, I didn't sleep well last night at all. When I did sleep, I dreamed that I couldn't sleep! Bailey had a good morning - we played cards and just tried to keep our minds off the cath. Then it came time to walk down (about 11:30), and Bailey started getting very nervous. She talked to the anesthesiologist about how it scares her when they use the IV medication because it makes her dizzy and she doesn't like that. So they gave her gas in a mask first. She liked that idea, so I think she felt a little better about that. But the closer we got to the cath lab, the more upset she became. But we got her in there, and I was able to stay with her until she fell asleep. Three hours later, Dr. Darragh told us that she handled the cath very well and that the "numbers" weren't normal but they were better than last cath (back in February) and they were good enough to debate what to do next. So, they are going to look at the numbers and discuss things, and tomorrow afternoon we're having a meeting to talk things over. At first, I was a little disappointed that they didn't say that things were great and they were going to take the VAD out. But, the more I thought about it, they DIDN'T say that her heart didn't react well to the various tests and they were proceeding with transplant. So, hope still remains that Bailey might be able to keep her own heart. How exciting! How crazy! How scary! How freaky! How comforting! How just plain nuts. We went for 4 months on the transplant list waiting for a heart every day and then things get stirred up again. It really is exciting to see God's plan unveil itself.

They stopped the Berlin Heart during the cath, so they needed to get her blood very thin so no clots would form. And that's exactly what happened! It was so thin (exactly where they wanted it) that Bailey had to lay still for 4 hours without moving her legs or sitting up. Fortunately, she was still drowsy from the anesthesia and slept a lot of that away.

The documentary team came today and filmed the cath and did a few more interviews. It was good to see them again. They're such great guys and have grown to become a part of our family as well.

Thinking good thoughts,
Angie