Angio Update #3

Mom is resting very comfortably now. The doctor has approved removing the catheter. They have her on an IV drip of iron, since her iron levels seemed low, and the nurse says this will also help the fluid leave her system more effectively. Dr. Kremer says her creatinine is actually a bit lower, 2.3, probably due to all the fluid they pumped through her system. Her breathing is back to normal; she says it was the most scared she's ever been. It took them quite some time to get it settled. (I guess they did not call me in for quite some time after they finished the angioplasty, as she was having such a hard time breathing.) She said that once they started the morphine, it settled down. I suspect she was hyperventilating and scaring herself, and the meds relaxed her.

Eric the Supernurse (he rocks) says that here within the hour she can get some food and remove the catheter and start on the road to recovery. He'll ask me to leave when he removes the catheter; it's quite the procedure, with them having to put pressure on the artery for 30 minutes or more to stop the bleeding. That will be about the right time for me to head home. I have some colleagues coming by so we can work on a project for our e-learning course we are taking at UAA. It's getting down to the wire and we have a lot to do to finish our group project.

Anne and I have been Skyping throughout this afternoon, and Dr. Kremer was able to talk to Anne about mom's condition. He was very curious about Skype and asked some questions about it. Another tech convert? :-) The staff here has been very impressed by the way we've used Skype to keep Anne in the loop...

I will try to see if I can visit with mom later this evening. More updates as I get them, but please know the prayers are helping and she is breathing easier. She also has more color in her face than she has had in 2 weeks. Yay! :-)