July 10 PM Update
Good evening! We have seen such a transformation in Josh from the time he came back from surgery until this evening.
One of the first big tests after a cardiac operation is to GET UP! Poor Josh had been lying flat on his back for 10 straight days. He started by first bending upwards, something he also hadn't even able to do until now. After that, he inched over to the side of the bed and sat up. Travis, the post-op specialist nurse, helped him sit up, of course, but once stable Josh stayed there on his own for quite a while.
Everything in a hospital is a step-by-step process, and there was a four-step plan for getting Josh from flat on his back to standing on his feet. He did so well with the first two steps that we skipped the third entirely and, with a little help, Josh sprung up to his feet and stood there for several minutes. He loves being an overachiever, and he blew it out of the park today. We might have tried for even longer and made a world record, but the pain medicines made him a little woozy.
Getting Josh upright is important, because our bodies just aren't meant to lay flat all the time. Through each step, the nurses were watching his breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and some other stuff I don't even understand. Josh's heart responded beautifully to each of the steps.
Another thing about a hospital is that it's a small place; we've all become pretty familiar over the last week. There's not a bathroom in Josh's room, so we often have to travel the halls of the unit to the restroom in the waiting area. Tonight, I heard more than one of our nurses talking about how proud they were of Josh. Even Travis said it was one of the more impressive feats he has seen.
Josh is on some pain medication, but not nearly as much as earlier today. He's on about half as many IV medications this evening as this morning, and more and more tubes, probes and gadgets are being removed. They also plan to remove a few more medications, such as epinephrine to keep his blood pressure up, as his own vitals improve.
If you're wondering what he's holding in that photograph, then your instincts are right: that's a heart pillow! It's not merely for emotional comfort, though. It's purpose is to help reduce pain and protect his incision site when those unfortunate-but-unavoidable sneezes and coughs come.
Josh will also be using something called an incentive spirometer 10 times an hour. It's a weird cylindrical thing with a tube through which one inhales. Its purpose is to open up his lungs, which have been smooshed a little flat from being in the supine position (on his back). During surgery his lungs also got a rest, so the spirometer will help to open up his lower lungs; this is important to retrain his breathing and also prevent pneumonia.
Every doctor that has seen Josh–from the time he was in surgery immediately after the heart attack to the surgeon who operated just yesterday–have all come by to check on his status. And, in between seeing other patients, almost all the nurses and technicians that have had a hand in his care have also come by. We're truly blessed to be surrounded by such a caring group of professionals.
Very early tomorrow morning, the nursing staff will move Josh from his hospital bed, for the first time in 10 days, to a reclining chair in his room. After his pain meds kicked in this evening, we left the hospital (the first time in 10 days that someone hasn't slept by his side) to give him a chance to get a good, full nights rest. We want him to be in peak condition tomorrow, as sitting in a recliner is just the first of many de lectulo (out of bed) activities for tomorrow.
On a side note: I'd like to give a send-off to one of the things that gave me the most comfort during Josh's stay: his intra-aortic balloon pump. While the balloon itself, inserted into his femoral artery and traveling up to his heart, is a relatively simple gadget, the actual pump itself is a complex and incredibly reliable little piece of robot. Hearing the click, clack heartbeat rhythm it made helped me sleep every night, knowing that the work Josh's heart just couldn't do in the moment would be compensated by this guy. His unwavering dedication to helping, coupled with his cantankerous clacking and slightly anamorphic qualities gained him what I think is the most fitting and honorous nicknames I could think of. Thanks, WALL-E. ❤️
