More on the J Dawg

Yesterday we spent a lovely 4 1/2 hours at UMC with two different doctors trying to determine what to do about JD's heart. And now, we are more confused than ever!

Doctor 1 is a world renowned cardiologist who met with JD. He looked at the bubble study that was done at St. Joes and said he wasn't totally convinced JD had a hole in his heart at all. He has requested that JD do another bubble study to be sure. That is scheduled for Thursday and Monday we will go in for the results. The doctor did say that if there were a hole in his heart, he would do the full blown open heart surgery. He said once into where his heart is, it's a less than 5 minute procedure. But that's cutting him open, opening his ribs, stopping his heart, the whole 9 yards. Really scary.

Doctor 2 is a young doctor who believes that he can close it using the PFO closure device. They go up the artery in the leg and insert a cylinder looking metal thing into his heart to close the hole. The problem we got with him is that he sounded like a salesman. He didn't feel the need to look at JD's other documents or images and finally agreed to take them home at look at them after we insisted. He sounded competitive with Doctor 1 and made comments about him. However, one thing that he said really resonates with us: why go in and do full blown open heart surgery when all they will be doing is inserting one stitch? However, Doctor 1 said that he's had to go in and remove pieces of these metal contraptions before because they break or shift. Doctor 2 said that because it's a PFO closure, the chances of those things happening are slim.

We don't know WHAT to do. On the one hand, it would be nice to know it's just stitched up and we don't have to worry about some crazy device that has not actually been used for very long in the medical field. But on the other hand- open heart surgery?!?

And Doctor 1 isn't even sure there is a hole. But if the doctor at St. Joes says there's one and Doctor 2 says there's one, who do you believe?

I'm inclined to take a trip to Hawaii and forget this all happened, but if there's a hole in his heart in Tucson, there will still be a hole in his heart in Hawaii.....

I know that the Lord will guide us in the right direction, but I also know He doesn't give all the answers all at once. I've tried convincing Him otherwise, but it hasn't worked.

Famous!!

We've been featured on Project Linus' web site.

A Menu to Remember

After careful brainstorming and deliberation, my special ed class has finally picked the menu for the Mother's Day Luncheon they will be hosting for their moms as part of their cooking class:

Appetizer
Nachos

Beverage
Choice between chocolate milk and Gatorade

Entree
Fish sticks

Sides
Salad and muffins

Dessert
Chocolate cake

Why do I get such a kick out of this yearly tradition at parents' expense?

JD Update

First of all, we just wanted to thank you all for your support, prayers, and calls. And thank you also for the sweet cards and notes that have been sent. JD and I have been so overwhelmed with the love that has been sent our way.

So JD had an appointment at the Mayo clinic where he received another opinion from one of their cardiologists. He looked at all of JD's stuff and said that although they are not sure the hole caused the stroke, they can repair the hole without open heart surgery. It's a procedure called a PFO closure. It's a pretty simple procedure that takes a half hour and an overnight stay in the hospital. This was what we were hoping for. Unfortunately there are some insurance issues, but we will figure everything out.

We are moving toward doing the surgery- gathering all the information we can, finding the right doctors, etc.- and then once we have a clear picture we will decide to either do the surgery or do blood thinners. There is no research to show the best avenue, so we have some decisions to make. The scary thing is that the cardiologist said the size of JD's clot was this size: . Double the size and it would have been catastrophic. Talk about the Lord granting us every breath! It's amazing we all don't have strokes!

He also met with the OT and the PT this week. They both confirmed that coordination is JD's main problem. He can't tell where the affected body parts are in space. He will be sitting on the couch and all of the sudden he will feel something cold and look down to see that his foot had drifted and is touching the metal chair. Or one time he was holding the TV remote and all of the sudden the TV was at full volume. He couldn't tell that he was pushing down the volume button. But it's exciting to see that he is improving every day. The tingling and numbness is improving and I know he will get it all back.

We will just both be deaf from the TV blasting us out!

Brought the Big Guy home!!!

Well, we just got home from the hospital and not a moment too soon! The rehab doctor took the suggestions of the OT and PT and threw them out the window and told us that JD is doing so well that he doesn't need in-patient therapy. He will be able to be successful with out-patient therapy. We are happy to not have to move him to his 5th room during our hospital tour. He's glad to be home and is functioning really well with a walker. Hopefully he will graduate to a cane soon and in about 4-6 weeks he will be able to walk on his own.

It's really interesting to see the improvement of his abilities as well as the movements that are difficult for him to perform. He can walk pretty well. When I hold his arm I am basically keeping him from drifting to the left. He can balance on his good side but not on his bad. The movements that are a challenge for him are bending and lunging. He says it feels like his leg is going to snap or collapse under him. But I know he will get it all back.

We are still uncertain about the heart surgery. We are getting mixed messages with that. Some doctors say to do it and other say to not. We are going to be seeking some advice from specialists in Phoenix in the next little bit.

Thank you all for your prayers for JD and I. We have felt them. Honestly- we have. The first day we were there JD and I felt such panic and fear that he would never be able to walk again or that he would have some kind of tumor. We either sat there staring at each other in shock or fell apart in tears. After the blessing, we received such peace and it has been sustained throughout this event by your prayers. It was such a night and day difference- there's no denying the power of the God and the prayers of the faithful on his behalf. And hopefully we will soon be returning to my boring American Idol posts......