Let’s just say I missed the bed at the Westin. It was nothing spectacular, but it wasn’t one of the lousy hospital recliners to sleep in! I had a horrible night’s sleep since the recliner didn’t tilt or lay very flat. Plus, my feet hang off about a foot or two, so I pulled up another chair for the overhang! Amanda was also much lighter this morning; she peed almost 10 pounds off since the IV diuretics. She still has more to get off, too.
After getting ready, my first order of business was, you guessed it, coffee. My feet were killing me from all the back-and-forth in my Blundstone boots. Usually, they are comfortable, but all the concrete walking was taking its toll. I swapped to my Hokas to help my feet, which worked. The bad sleep and positioning wrecked my bad knee, though. I hobbled over to Starbucks and back, then took an Aleve.
When I came in, the new hospitalist was chatting with Amanda. He mentioned that the pathology results from the biopsy came back negative. To be honest, I’m not sure that was a good feeling. Now, we were stuck wondering and waiting to hear what the team had to say.
We didn’t have to wait long; the same cardiologist and PA from yesterday came by just as we settled in to watch a movie. They said the biopsy was negative for rejection, but the antibody-mediated rejection could be in the left side of the heart. They only took biopsies from the right side. However, we were still on hold for our cardiologist to devise a plan. I questioned what could be done; he mentioned a few things, including plasmapheresis. That is where they separate the plasma out of your blood.
I questioned the rate again, and he said they could easily lower it, but they wanted to know the root cause before treating it. I could see him brainstorming other causes. He asked the PA about a few things, which she confirmed, and then asked about D-dimer, clotting factors, and levels. She said they hadn’t checked that, so he ordered a blood draw, increased the new immunosuppressant, and ordered another round of IV diuretics.
Our same nurse from yesterday came in to get blood. She tried to close the door, but I had a makeshift door stop to keep everyone from closing it! When I told her I did that, she laughed and said, “You guys are funny; you just make things happen.”
Amanda got a call from the PA later on that the d-dimer was elevated, and they ordered a stat CT to check for a pulmonary embolism, a blockage in an artery in the lungs. While waiting for them to come get Amanda for the CT, we watched Grey’s Anatomy. There was an episode where a child had received a heart transplant and then was in rejection. I looked at Amanda and asked if we should be watching this episode!?! She laughed and said the kid made it; she’s seen every episode multiple times!
Amanda checked her MyChart and noticed they had run another antibody lab check. The results showed that the donor-specific antibodies were higher than before. So, it feels like the antibody-mediated rejection is on the right side of the heart. So we wait some more for a plan. I sure wish our cardiologist would come by so we could talk to him.
After they took Amanda down for the CT, I made a run to Target to get a few snacks. I parked in one of the cheaper lots around that I know of that was across from the hotel, and it was still $45 for a few days. Maybe I should have stayed put; I spent a little over what the parking cost on snacks and TP. Extended stays require something better than cheap hospital one-ply! I grabbed a few donuts from Shipley on the way back. Amanda told me before I left that I better not get emotional support donuts since she hasn’t even had emotional support fries yet!
I returned just a few minutes before Amanda got back from the CT. I think she was more happy about the TP than the snacks. It’s the little things! In my email this morning, I received a coupon for Cava, a Chipotle-style Mediterranean place. So we had some falafel grain bowls for dinner. I had my donuts for dessert, but they weren’t good enough to qualify for emotional support!
We started a limited Netflix horror series to keep us occupied. Yesterday, we wrapped up the true crime series about the Menedez brothers. If we’re here much longer, we’ll probably start binging Christmas movies since we’re getting close to the big day.
We got a new neighbor, an older Hispanic lady who is very vocal. She is either screaming about something or snoring loudly. I don’t know what the deal is; we can’t get them to leave our door open, and they won’t shut hers! I just showed the night nurse a thing or two with my makeshift door lock, a gait belt wrapped around the sharps/biohazard container!
I’ve got a few more episodes in me, and then I’m turning in. I think I will sneak some of Amanda’s melatonin and pop a Benadryl so I can get to sleep easier tonight. Amanda gets mad even without the sleeping meds once I’m out, I can sleep through the nurses coming in and out with no problem!
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