Resting Comfortably . . . Finally!

Bailey had a tough night and long day -- she's accumulated so much fluid around her belly that she just couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. She was awake sitting up in bed with a nauseau bucket on her lap 10 out of the 12 times that I woke up during the night. She was just miserable. It even got a little hard for her to breathe. She was doing her best to stay positive and upbeat but it just wears on her -- she is scared. She's got a great relationship, of course, with some of the doctors here and that helps a great deal, but she's tired of feeling icky.

Anyway, the cardioversion and cath went well. She's so fluid-filled that he was doubtful the "numbers" were accurate since a lot of fluid can really mess with the heart function, but he's got a plan together. We're cutting back on a medication that he thinks might be contributing to all the fluid retainage the last several months; starting a new medication to replace that one; starting her on coumadin since he pretty much expects her heart to go out of rhythm again and especially since she can't always tell now (because of the pacemaker doing it's job) when she is out of rhythm. So to cut back on the risk of clotting, which is always a risk when the heart isn't beating properly, he's prescribing coumadin. And, he said to "chill out for a few days", meaning here at the hospital, to get rid of the fluid and watch her blood pressure in the midst of these changes. Then, we'll see what the next few days/weeks brings.

Bailey told Dr. Darragh that she needed to be awake this evening by 8:00 to watch Survivor, and luckily for Dr. D, she's beginning to wake up pretty good. So, gotta go!

Have a great evening everyone. Talk to you tomorrow.

Angie