Appointment Update: The Waiting Game

Yesterday I had my scheduled 3 month check up at the University of Michigan. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, only because I knew my health has declined a bit over the past while. I have felt a bit more fatigued and winded, but honestly didn’t know if it was just in my head or just the humidity! I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.

I had an ECHO scheduled for after my appointment, so it will be interesting to see what the results bring because…

Indeed I still have a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of PVCs, which are extra and irregular beats of the heart. I am also still retaining fluid, sometimes a considerable amount, but then pass it, and then retain it again. My blood pressures are a little low, but my heart rate is quite high. Higher than they are comfortable with. I also wrestle with low potassium, which can cause pvcs. So what is causing what?

So…the issues I have are a few and they are still hoping to kick them with medication. I was referred to an electro-physiologist in hopes that they will be able to address the PVC issue. That appointment isn’t until mid-October, but it is what it is! I’ve learned with my first heart surgery, that ya gotta take it when ya can!

Then I asked about a possible heart transplant. When I was hospitalized in May, the doctors I was meeting with were from the transplant team, which caught me off guard. That idea and word had never been brought up, so I decided to dig into that further. Is my heart sick enough for a transplant? No. Am I looking at getting put on the list this year? No. Though depending on what can be done (or not done), I may be heading down that road. My heart is not in a good place necessarily, but I am not the holder of it. My future appointments will be very telling.

Like I said earlier, I anticipate the results of the ECHO I had today because that will help define where some of the issues specifically are (hopefully), and give us some direction. The doctor hopes to continue to work on the issues by tweaking my meds, but so far the tweaks haven’t worked. So we will see what happens! But they are persistent and proactive, and us humans can only do so much.

I am always thankful for the drive home because it allows me to just think and process it all. While listening to some worship music on the way home, I finally expressed to God my true feelings about the whole situation – that I just want to be healthy again. That I DREAM of that day. But. if the road to get there is going to include some hard things and hard times, I’m willing to walk down it. Because God reminded me of the very journey He has brought me on up to this point. It has not been easy, but it has been completely worth it! It has led me to some incredible ways to share of His glory and I can only hope that He continues to provide those ways and opportunities!

So the next steps? Wait for the results from my ECHO that I should receive in a few days, which we pray will be telling. I have to go back in 6 weeks for a re-check, due to the concerns about my PVCs. Then the next week after that re-check, I will meet with the electro-physiologist (in October), and then we will go from there.

The journey is definitely not over, but God never said it would be. He said His grace would be sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9) and that His power is made perfect in my weakness. So may His power work mightily in this situation and yours too. Whatever you may be going through this day. Rest in His power and His almighty hands! Trust me, it’s worth every ounce of that trust.