Notice Katie's toy...no pressure! (this was the morning of the cath)
It was a long, tiring, and frustrating day, but all ended well. Katie had another echo this morning that confirmed that there was no serious damage caused by the tear in her aorta yesterday. Dr. Asnes was satisfied with how she was doing and was all set to send us home. He had one last examination, and yet again, Katie had to introduce some drama. The pulse in her right leg was significantly different from the pulse in her left. Fearing a clot or some other side effect of the cath, an ultrasound was ordered. That was at around noon. We were already antsy. At about 2pm a lady came strolling in to perform the ultrasound. She informed us that she had a handful more to do after us and that once they were all done she’d return to the lab to have the radiologist review the information. At just after 4pm we got word that there was nothing to worry about and that we could go home…finally. We left the hospital just before 5pm.
After a day of sitting, doing nothing, we left the hospital weary and grumpy (sorry to anyone I talked to around that time- I was less than pleasant). Strangely, we walked through the door at home and our dispositions changed immediately. We were relieved and excited to continue living normally.
Before we left the hospital we spent some time chatting with Dr. Asnes. After the dust settled on a dramatic Tuesday, we were able to enjoy a more balanced conversation about what lay ahead. It seems most likely that we will return for the angioplasty at the end of August and proceed with the 2nd Surgery in mid September. Of course this is possible (and in our case likely) to shift depending on what happens in the coming weeks. The meeting with the surgeons this Friday may even impact this schedule so stay tuned.
The best news of the day- After over two months of keeping our head down and only working on getting things better I really wanted to know how Asnes thought the process was going overall. How was Katie doing against the plan or hopes that he had. The answer- GREAT! She recovered from the 1st surgery in a very short time and has grown dramatically since discharge. Before yesterday’s hiccup (which Asnes was visibly disappointed and frustrated by) and after today’s clearance, Katie is on track toward a positive outcome to this saga. There are many challenges yet to come, but we can only take on what is in front of us and so far we are doing just fine.
On a related note, Dr. Asnes is amazing. Yes, he was “responsible” for yesterday’s mistake but he has been everything we could have hoped for from Katie’s doctor. He is incredibly knowledgeable, welcoming, caring and most of all committed to Katie’s success. You can say what you like about Doctors or hospitals, but this man is a genuine man who cares about his profession and cares about his patients. We are very lucky! Please pray that his judgments remain sound (and the surgeon’s hand steady).
Now it’s time for an early night…back to work tomorrow.
