Surgery Thurs or Fri

The small heart attack has expedited things and Daddy is being considered for a VAD implant Thursday morning. We will get a final decision by COB today. Jenny did not get on her plane. More later.

Update (2 pm): Thurs or Fri. They have decided to do it, now deciding which day. It's been approved as a bridge to transplant, which means he can get a smaller HeartWear pump vice the HeartMate II. Happy thoughts please. More later.

Update (4 pm): Scheduled for Thurs AM. May push to Fri depending on his fluid retention levels. They've been restricting his fluid intake and giving him a diuretic to reduce the amount of liquid that his heart has to pump. We're going to fly Abby up tomorrow as a big girl unaccompanied minor. So, getting that figured out will give me something to do.

Update (6 pm): Lots of paperwork. Daddy will be agreeing to abstain from alcohol while awaiting a transplant. He will have an average inpatient rehab period of 21 days, likely in Pittsburgh. The VA will take over after that and will do his transplant evaluation out of Richmond. They still have a lot of tests before he can qualify as a transplant candidate.

After he is discharged from rehab, he will stay with J&J in MD. We will set him up on the main floor in Julie's library & sitting room so that he does not have any stairs. Later he can move upstairs to our guest wing. We will see from there when he can go home to WV. We will arrange with his neighbor to keep an eye on the place and mow. He can do the white collar aspect of his work from our house.

One detail to be worked out is how he would be available for arrival in Richmond 3 hours after notification for transplant surgery when one becomes available. That's feasible from Casa Ard, but will take some special arrangement involving flying if it can be done from WV. But, that's the "problem after next".