Complication?!

Danny has been having excruciating chest & abdominal pain along his incision. The pain has been there since his transplant (12/17/13), but up until fairly recently we thought it was normal pain associated with two open heart surgeries. There is significant bruising along the incision, specifically at the bottom and a little at the top. We have told the doctors and nurses about how much pain he is in and up until last week we were told to remember that Danny just had his chest cut open twice and it's a marathon not a sprint. Last week their feelings changed and they became concern about the way his chest looks and his level of pain. He shouldn't be hurting the way he is at this point! Danny had a CT last Thursday and the doctors reviewed the results on Friday. Apparently something was visible but they could not agree on what...Two surgeons, a couple of the doctors on the heart transplant team, & infectious disease were all arguing according to the nurse. They decided that Danny should take Advil around the clock, begin an antibiotic and go to New Orleans Monday for an MRI. MRI's show soft tissue so whatever the problem is, it should be visible. 

We are now in New Orleans waiting to be seen. The surgeon (the one who did the LVAD) looked at the CT films this morning and has spoken with a cardiac doctor. We will see her in about 30 minutes and she will hopefully be able to explain what the problem is. Last week, before the CT, the surgeon was thinking it was incisional hernias and thought it would be easy to see on a CT. If that's what it is, I have no idea why they couldn't figure it out on Friday. Anyway, we are anxious to see the doctor to find out what is going on. Our prayer is that there is something wrong that can be fixed. The alternative would be seeing a pain management specialist with the worst case scenario being something like a Morphine pump...that would be terrible!! Danny just needs relief from this severe pain...last week the surgeon was upset and said "we gave him a new heart which is working great, but because of his pain, he can't even use the heart!!" That's exactly how Danny feels...At this point, he felt better with the LVAD, which is pretty bad because he did not enjoy that part of this journey at all!!!

The bruising/redness at the top and bottom of his
incision is where his pain is located.

Last week Danny had a left heart cath (angiogram). They went in through the vein in his right wrist and fed the tube all the way up and over to his heart. They check for any plaque or problems that his new heart might have to serve as a baseline for comparison with future routine tests. He is soooo tired of being poked..but very grateful and blessed for modern medicine!!


In addition to praying for Danny, we have an unspoken prayer request...It's not something I want to share publicly, but certainly the Lord knows what we need and will understand your prayers!!! Thanks~T