Thursday, August 11, 2005

An update on Emily’s Condition


It has been a rollercoaster few days but things are looking up. Over the weekend things were looking bleak. It seemed that a heart transplant was not so much an “if” but a “when.” The big problem that she has been having for more than a week is what is known as V-Tach (Ventricle Tachycardia). This is when the lower part of the heart beats rapidly and uncontrollably. This problem can only be treated with the right combination of medications or a transplant (this is greatly simplified but quite frankly I have a very slim grasp on all this). Last week it looked as if the chances of getting this under control were not very good. Then on Tuesday the doctor made another change to the medications (one of dozens so far) and it seems to have helped stop these runs. As of today she has gone more than 48 hours without any V-Tach rhythms. This is excellent news because it means that the likelihood of a transplant is greatly reduced. The other rhythm problems (and there are many) seem to be issues that have more treatment options including a pacemaker. It is still going to be several more days before we will know for sure but this is a very positive development. When I visited her this evening she had 2+ hours of Sinus rhythm!

Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We're with you all in thought since we can't be there physically.
Tell her to keep pushin on! Hope everything keeps improving. Talk to you soon.
Kent...

Robert said...

Thanks BB. Things are looking up and hopefully she will be home soon. Say Hi to all from us.