As many of you know but some may not, Dean has been on the heart transplant list since just about after homecoming. Here is today's update

Update:
Dean went in for a scheduled right heart catheterization today to check on his heart and pulmonary artery pressures. Unfortunately, they were not where they were supposed to be. Consequently he will now have to remain in the hospital under constant monitoring until a heart becomes available (this time period can last for weeks or months). His I.V. medication cocktail is being modified to attempt to control the pressures. He has been bumped up the waiting list. In the event that his pressures can't be controlled and a heart is not available, he will need a surgical procedure. He will get an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) attached to his heart. He is in no distress whatsoever.

Fortunately his medical bills are covered for the most part. However, with his current confinement, living at the hospital gets expensive very quickly, with gas, hotels, food, boarding costs for their beloved dogs, and missed work (for Beth). We've set up a Go Fund Me page. If you can give, it would be greatly appreciated

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-dean-am ... hare-sheet

Thanks for the update. Get well soon, TC!

Thanks for the update John. I was not fully aware how serious Dean’s situation was.

RolanK wrote:I was not fully aware how serious Dean’s situation was.

I wasn't either. For those of us who aren't on Facebook, can someone keep us posted here on 3DD when there is news to share?

schlanky wrote:

RolanK wrote:I was not fully aware how serious Dean’s situation was.

I wasn't either. For those of us who aren't on Facebook, can someone keep us posted here on 3DD when there is news to share?

Will do. Currently there are only 3 people in his region with his blood type and other matching parameters who are waiting. Best estimate is about 1 month

prayers for Dean. a bit of optimism, a good friend of mine in england went through something that sounds very similar. only in his 40s. a heart was found in the nick of time (it was a close thing) & all went well. since that adventure, he has become a dad for the second time & is back out rooting for his beloved arsenal!

I know many of you aren't on Facebook so I wanted to give you the same information I posted there. Here's the update:


So I wanted to give everyone an update on my health as there have been some major changes in the last week. A week ago this past Wednesday I went in for a scheduled right heart cath which measures my heart and lung pressures and while my heart pressure was higher it was relatively stable however my pulmonary pressures had risen again since my last hospital stay a month or so ago. This is known as pulmonary hypertension and if those numbers are too high it could make me ineligible for transplant. As of right now this is reversible with medication but soon it won't be and there will be very few options. I've been on some new home meds for this since my stay in the hospital and after the test results those meds were increased. Unfortunately my body couldn't tolerate them. I've been having some scary blood pressure drops and the meds were making them worse. In short my heart has deteriorated to the point where another approach was needed.

One thing we have always known as a possibility is an LVAD (left ventricle assist device) which takes over the for the heart in pumping blood through the body. This is a major open heart surgery with every bit as much risk as transplant and we had been hoping to avoid it. This week the doctors decided that it was necessary to keep me on the path to transplant and yesterday Beth and I agreed to it. This will help me feel better, mitigate damage to other organs allow me to stay on the transplant list. I will have to go off the list for a 3-4 month recovery period and then, barring any major complications, go back on at the status 4 level I am on now. We've asked that the surgery be done as quickly as possible and we're awaiting word on scheduling which we should have an answer in the next few days. This is very likely to happen in the next week to 10 days. It won't be an easy recovery and LVAD brings a bunch of lifestyle challenges, but I'm dedicated to getting better and sticking around with y'all for a lot longer than this damaged heart will allow for. As always we appreciate everyone's support, love and good thoughts. We'll update everyone when we know when the surgery will be.

Thanks for the update, TC. Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

RolanK wrote:Thanks for the update, TC. Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

My thoughts exactly.

Stay strong, TC. Love ya, Man!

Thanks for posting the update here. And I'll echo this:

RolanK wrote:Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

RolanK wrote:Thanks for the update, TC. Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

x4 (if i counted correctly but really times infinity anyway)

beantownbubba wrote:

RolanK wrote:Thanks for the update, TC. Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

x4 (if i counted correctly but really times infinity anyway)

x5

wow i totally missed the first thread... good luck TC and i'm thinking of you.

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:

beantownbubba wrote:

RolanK wrote:Thanks for the update, TC. Crossing fingers and hoping this progress in the best possible way for you. Stay strong!

x4 (if i counted correctly but really times infinity anyway)

x5

x6

Thinking of you. Stay strong and hang in there.

Thank you everyone. I think we should probably have a surgery date for the LVAD (heart pump) in the next couple of days and I will let everyone know.

For those of you not on Fcbk:

Update: Dean is out of the OR and back in recovery. The heart operation was intact. He had a few random bleeders in the chest wall. It's all fixed. Take a breath folks. Beth needs a rest right now

Thanks for the update, John A.

John A Arkansawyer wrote:For those of you not on Fcbk:

Update: Dean is out of the OR and back in recovery. The heart operation was intact. He had a few random bleeders in the chest wall. It's all fixed. Take a breath folks. Beth needs a rest right now

Vibes...

roland wrote:

John A Arkansawyer wrote:For those of you not on Fcbk:

Update: Dean is out of the OR and back in recovery. The heart operation was intact. He had a few random bleeders in the chest wall. It's all fixed. Take a breath folks. Beth needs a rest right now

Vibes...

thanks for the update, some much needed good news

thanks for the update... feel better TC! sounds like the worst is over, pal.

Get well TC. Lots of vibes coming your way.

glad things went well. prayers up for you, TC.

All things being equal it looks like I will be discharged tomorrow. Doing better every day. There will be challenges at home of course but it will be home and there will be dogs, and Miss Luella the cat of course. Oh and my turntable and vinyl. Getting excited.

A few months of recovery and hopefully right back on the transplant list

Hope all goes as planned for tomorrow's discharge---just getting to go home will do you a world of good.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:All things being equal it looks like I will be discharged tomorrow. Doing better every day. There will be challenges at home of course but it will be home and there will be dogs, and Miss Luella the cat of course. Oh and my turntable and vinyl. Getting excited.

A few months of recovery and hopefully right back on the transplant list

dude that is the best news. hope all goes according to plan.

Being home beats the shit out of being in the germitorium. Quick recovery TC!

All the vibes down to y'all, TC. Home and critters make recovery so much better. Last year I had both knees replaced, and our spastic 5 year old pit-beagle never once disturbed or jostled me until I was mobile. They know, and a house full of love heals the body quicker.

I’m back on the active status transplant list