IT'S GOING TO BE A FIGHT...

To begin with today, I wanted to express my deep and sincere gratitude to all of you who have taken the time to send your well wishes and prayers for a full recovery from the health issues I am facing. I have felt your compassion, hope, strength and determination that comes with them. Please know, what a remarkable gift your sentiments are, and the inspiration that comes to me with each and every one. I'm incredibly blessed and thank you all for pushing me forward to meet this challenge.

WHERE THINGS STAND

As for where things currently stand, I continue to battle a blood infection within my bloodstream. How it got there nobody knows but it is deadly if left untreated. To combat it, I have daily transfusions of antibiotics at Finley Hospital. The drip is administered 24/7 by a pump that runs to a picc (“peripheral inserted central catheter”) in my arm and they will go on for at least another 4 weeks. Below you can see the pump on the left, which can be calibrated for a specific mix. On the the right is the anitibotic mix designed to kill the infection that I refill daily at the infusion center.

Below, an example of the picc inserted in my bicep that delivers the medicine to it by way of the pump.

This is my lifeline and it goes with me everywhere. I'm not going to lie it can be a pain and beeps if there is an air bubble or kink in the line. You learn how to live with it...it's sort of like having a tail.

Confounding my situation is the fact that the blood infection settled on the Aortic Valve (there is also evidence in may have nipped the corner if another heart valve and the extent is still being analyzed. If a valve leaks, the blood it is supposed to contain can leak and be transported elsewhere such as the brain. That is a serious problem as it promotes strokes and sure enough, the neurologists at Iowa indicate I did experience a stroke which prompted a temperature of 105 a couple weeks ago. This is called bacterial endocarditis.

To make matters worse, I have afib (atrial fibrillation) where my heart does not want to remain in a normal sinus rhythm. I was taking Eliquis a blood thinner because afib is known to promote strokes. By thinning the blood the risk is substantially lowered. I was also taking tikosin, a drug to keep my heart in rhythm. If your heart is not in sinus rhythm, it makes the heart work harder and diminishes its overall strength by weakening the muscle.

Now I'm in a pickle because the eloquis and tikosin, which lower the risk of stroke have been stopped as medications. This is problematic because I have at least one leaky valve which could (and already has) leaked blood to my brain causing a stroke. For the next 4 weeks doctors have determined it's less of a stroke risk to take a chance on the leaky valve. The primary reason why is that I can not have open heart surgery to replace the bad heart valve while taking a blood thinner such a eloquis, (that's very dangerous proposition to the high risk of life threatening bleeding). Thus, no more blood thinners for now.

THE PLAN FORMULATED FRIDAY.

My case rests in the hands of of Dr. Arun K, Singhal, Clinical Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa

What Dr. Singhal thinks is the best approach is to keep working to eliminate the presence of any bacteria in my blood until such time as I have been off the eloquis and tikasin long enough to have surgery without the threat of significant bleeding from a blood thinner. That means a rough date for surgery of May 19th. I will still have the risk of stroke until them because I'm not on a blood thinner, but my chances are much better long term getting the surgery to repair the valves permanently as soon as the eloquis is out of my system.

Unfortunately, I'm facing hard core open heart surgery. a procedure requiring an an incision through the breastbone to access the heart, typically utilizing a heart-lung machine. The machine will take over circulating blood through my body while moving blood away from my heart. The surgeon then operates on the heart that isn’t beating and doesn’t have blood flow. After surgery, the surgeon disconnects the device and your heart starts to work again. Recovery typically takes 6-12 weeks, with 5-7 days in the hospital. While risks include infection, stroke, and arrhythmias, success rates are generally high, often with long-term improvement in heart function.

Before the surgery I will undergo a litany of tests which includes an, MRI, a transthoracic echocardiogram, a CT angiogram abdomen and pelvis, as well as a CT angiogram chest. I will have a required full dental work-up, with meetings with the Iowa neurology stroke unit, as well as the U. of Iowa infectious Disease Department, to name a few.

As you can see, I'm in a high stakes battle the next 2 months that are going to challenge my doctors and me at the highest level. This will be the fight of my life and I hope you can see that there are going to be days where this sites content will suffer some. To that point, Nick will no doubt help when his schedule allows and Carolyn will keep those of you interested up to date on how the battle is going.

Thank you all for your understanding, thoughts, strength, and kind words of support. Special prayers also to the doctors and health workers who can get me over this hurdle. It's time to fight. Roll weather...TS