Hospital Life
It was pretty shocking to find out that you need a new heart. All the plans that you make and all the things you prepare for do not include major organ failure.
I have to tell you that the doctors and nurses at the University of Washington are some of the best around. They are very good at what they do and are really compassionate. I had no idea what to think or do at the time but they put you on the right track. My wife Julie is amazing in that she meets problems head on and she has held everything together during this time.
Now that I was on the heart transplant list they had to do what seemed like a million tests. Everything has to be checked and accounted for when they go to match a person up with a donor heart. The staff was great and it was the first time I had ever been completely dependent on others. I was in bed, I had to lay basically flat because the balloon pump would not work right if I sat up or tried to get out of bed. I did not leave the room for a week. My vision was confined to what I could see in front of me in the room and a call light that also turned the channel on the TV. The next room may as well have been another continent. Very strange.
My family and friends were really good and came to see me a lot. Julie would come and see me and stay or go up and see the kids. My boys Garrett and Baylor are 9 and 7 and they have been great through this but I do believe it is because Julie has kept things as normal as possible for them. Her parents Mike and Marilyn stayed at the house and kept everything together at home. Brian Ash is a good friend who I went to medic school with me and he has been there almost every day since this has happened. He kept the department informed on my condition and arranged time for people to come and sit with me when I was stuck at home.
At the hospital you will find that you do not get a lot of sleep. They wake you up it seems like every time you start to get some real sleep. Plus you can keep your mind busy thinking of stuff during the day. At night it is hard to distract yourself and you find yourself feeling quite alone and scared about what has happened.
The nurses at UW seem to understand this and would talk to me and explain things and answer my constant questions. I felt like I was lucky to have some medical knowledge and had just finished medic training. I understood the physiology and the reasons for the medications they were giving me. I laugh because CHF was the favorite subject of Dr. Copass and we learned it well at Harborview. So I trained for 10 months at Harborview, I think I was a medic in the field for about 3 months, then I go into heart failure. Whooppss
7 comments:
Hey there, please know that we are constantly thinking about you and pray for you every night.
We love you very much,
Jen, Bri and Brendan
Dear Steve,
I LOVE that you have started a blog! That's awesome! I'll be reading you!
If you need ANYTHING, please know, I'm here!
You ROCK!
Cheers to a smooth, easy, and effortless journey ahead!
Love,
Annie:)
Steve
Keep the blogging up. Besides being great therapy, it will document your trials through this ordeal. Even if you weren't waiting for a heart, I would encourage you to keep a journal. When you get to my age, there will be times that you just can't remember the details of an event. A journal will help you recall them. And long after you have your new heart, this blog will become a legacy for your boys and their children.
My prayers and support are with you and your family. I can already see from your blog that this ordeal has helped you focus on what's really important in this life.
God Bless.
Dear Steve,
I've been reading your blog and want you to know that there are a lot of us who are praying that you will be on the road to recovery very soon. I know you don't feel well, but the important thing is not to give up. You must have the will to live to survive this. Keep the faith and God will meet your every need.
Steve;
It was great to see you and Julie at the fundraiser; although we wish it could have been under different circumstances.
I'm really glad your blogging and I so agree with you..I too don't understand it fully; it's a whole new world then when we were growing up huh?
Your story of the angioplasty sparked some of my own memories of that darn proceedure...I was 4 yrs old and was having yet another angio..don't remember the others but, I do remember this one. They went in through my right arm and I had to lay there oh so still for an hour! They are no fun and it's harder then most people think to lay there without moving for an entire hour.
My cardiologist team was and still is at the UW so, I know that you are in good hands. My cardiologist is Dr. Guntheroth; he is very well known around the UW campus cardio dept.
Take care and we're praying for you, Julie and the boys....
Love Jill Hedeen
[Cooper's wife; dist. 17]
Steve;
It was great to see you and Julie at the fundraiser; although we wish it could have been under different circumstances.
I'm really glad your blogging and I so agree with you..I too don't understand it fully; it's a whole new world then when we were growing up huh?
Your story of the angioplasty sparked some of my own memories of that darn proceedure...I was 4 yrs old and was having yet another angio..don't remember the others but, I do remember this one. They went in through my right arm and I had to lay there oh so still for an hour! They are no fun and it's harder then most people think to lay there without moving for an entire hour.
My cardiologist team was and still is at the UW so, I know that you are in good hands. My cardiologist is Dr. Guntheroth; he is very well known around the UW campus cardio dept.
Take care and we're praying for you, Julie and the boys....
Love Jill Hedeen
[Cooper's wife; dist. 17]
You probably don't remember me...I work at Harborview in the ED and was the Resus 1 nurse that was there when the guys brought you into Med 1. I remember Julie and what a sweetheart she was that day in the ED, when many other spouses (especially those in the medical field) would not have been so gracious. You, as you may recall (or not), were a little sleepy, but managed to keep a good sense of humor and even gave a little smile here and there. Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity and apologize for waking you up from time to time, but you know how a respiratory rate of ten or so, might not sit that well with most nurses...;)
Anyway, for some reason at 3:45 am on this Friday morning, I am awake and thinking of you and your family. I have no idea why...so I came to the computer to see what news updates I could find...googled you...and came across your website/blog. We get the updates from your classmates when they roll in...all too often I might add! Now I can stop by here too and read up. I must say you are a pretty entertaining writer. I never saw that taxi episode, but it reminded me of some "Cheech and Chong" stuff...not that I would know a lot about those guys or anything.:{
In any case, I hope this message finds you doing well today...and tomorrow...and the day after that...
So, it's 5:01am now...I guess I should go to sleep. I've sat here and debated whether or not I should even write something, let alone hit the send button. I thought what's the point? The point is...you and your family are in our thoughts and our hearts...and if I had an extra one to spare, it'd be all yours.
Warm Regards,
Jenness Kooiman and Family
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