Son Joe: YET ANOTHER UPDATE

[cowboymd]

Prayer said for Joe and those tending to him.

[joe817]

Continuing prayers for the Lord's Healing Hands be extended to Joe, wgoforth. And prayers sent for your family. Amen.

[wgoforth]

Well, we have come from a 30% chance of survival on Sun to being moved from CCU to a room today. He still has a long way to go and there will be many challenges ahead for him, but greatly improved. His kidneys and liver are now functioning. His heart is left as the major issue. They are gearing him towards the LVAD (heart pump) but want to try to see what he would do on just medications first. They tried taking him off the Lacix <sp?> a diuretic, but his heart began congesting again. So, it is a steady march forward, although 2 forward and one back. He had planned to be an Ag agent or join the Air Force if college didn't work out...so he is somewhat discouraged to not have any life plans at this point other than surviving.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

Wayne

[Keith B]

Good news Wayne. Will continue to pray for a fast and full recovery so he can proceed with his planning for the future!

[Tregs]

Wayne,
Excellent news. Thanks for sharing. We continue to pray for his full and complete recovery.

Take care my friend. I hope to see you this weekend and find Joe continually improving.

Tregs.

[A-R]

...so he is somewhat discouraged to not have any life plans at this point other than surviving.

Continued prayers ...

Tell Joe no matter what there is ALWAYS something to look forward to up ahead. Even if it's too dark to see.

I have a feeling he will be a true inspiration to many people some day. Tell him to look forward to that.

[wgoforth]

Joe is doing well enough that the liver docs say they are now out of the picture. He was having some arrhythmia and congestion today. The heart Dr is feeling that the LVAD (heart pump) may be the best option. While he is on the meds, the meds force the heart to pump so it cannot rest and recover. The pump would let it rest and hopefully regain some strength. This will require full open heart surgery (cutting breastbone, moving organs to make room for pump, stopping heart and hooking arteries to a heart/lung machine, etc) So there is significant risk, but on it's own, his heart is only pumping 3% of blood volume.

[Skiprr]

Heartfelt prayers for Joe, you, and the family.

If the pump is the option, the good news is that open-heart surgery is at such a state that it's almost considered routine. Not to trivialize it in any way--just the concept of what they do is staggering--but I've had several friends who have had bypass surgery, which is much the same procedure: heart is stopped, blood rerouted through filter/oxygenation machines, pieces of arteries removed and patches put in (taken from elsewhere in the body), then everything put back. Hundreds of these are performed every day...maybe too many. And the recovery rate is extremely high.

The rehab is no piece of cake, though. It's a tough few days in the hospital after the procedure.

But tell Joe from all of us that surviving is the most important life plan right now. And that we're all thinking of him, and praying for him.

[Tregs]

Wayne,

How's Joe doing today? I know he may not have felt good yesterday, but he looked great. Tell him we continue to pray for him and give your sweet wife our best wishes.

[wgoforth]

Wayne,

How's Joe doing today? I know he may not have felt good yesterday, but he looked great. Tell him we continue to pray for him and give your sweet wife our best wishes.

Thanks so much for coming by. That was a pleasure. This morn he was not feeling well. They increased his lasex last night around 1:00 AM and he was urinating all night getting rid of fluids. He has lost 30 lbs in the past week. This morn he was weak, but feeling better this aft. He still thinks he wants the LVAD, but wants to postpone it till next week, since the only opening for it was this Wed and he wanted a little more time to think about it. He has had numerous visitors from Stephenville, Abilene and from Dallas. We have 2 children (of our 10) having birthdays this week. Since he is doing fairly well, we plan to leave tomorrow and be back Wed, barring any probs tomorrow when they do another echocardiogram. They may send him home on an IV for a few days before they do the LVAD, everything is moment by moment. I am concerned with JUST an IV, as they keep changing the dosages daily, so obviously they haven't found his sweet spot. Also, they would put a Shock Vest on him, that would act as a defibulator if he needed to be shocked back. We are learning a whole new vocabulary in all of this.
Thanks again

[wgoforth]

Joe has decided to let them do the LVAD (heart pump) so that on next Mon morn, he is down to have full open heart, open chest cavity surgery. It is not without risk, but we all feel this will give him the most long term quality of life. Since he is stable and we have been there a week with him, my wife and i have gone back to Brownwood to take care of things at home and the other kids. I will go back tomorrow and then come back home to pick up Gina (wife) to take her back on Sat to be there on Mon for surgery. This thing looks like a gallon milk jug you cut the bottom out of, put the heart into it, run a line out his body and plugs into a battery pack on his belt. It squeezes the heart and makes it pump for the heart. It's amazing that he looks and acts fine most of the tome laying there, texting and facebooking all day, but w/o the meds, only 3% bloodflow from his heart. The meds are forcing it to pump, but that is temporary as it is weakening the heart more....forcing a tired weak muscle to work even more. The pump will let it rest. In 7% of the cases, after 5 years the pump can be removed and the heart is able to function on its own.

[A-R]

[joe817]

Prayers continuing here for a successful surgery, and healing by our Lord. Amen.

[Skiprr]

At 7:00 a.m. on Monday, we will lift up prayer for a successful, uncomplicated surgery, and for Joe's rapidly improving health.

God Bless you all.

[Tregs]

Continued prayers for Joe's healing along with strength and comfort for the entire family on Monday morning.
Will his surgery be in the Robert's Building?