Oops - No April's Fools Joke

Well - hello there Stars and Angels:

I did not mean to post the last one. I wrote it a while back but never finished it; never posted it.

Unfortunately, I meant to write this instead and post the other thing at the end to let you know how well we had been doing.things got a little funky last week so I ended up back in the hospital for a couple of days - it was quick but a bummer nonetheless. The situation was very similar to what happened last September. I began feeling less than perfect this past Monday, noticed a downturn in my exercise tolerance and was a bit short of breath in doing not much (going up stairs, playing with the boys, etc.).

So, after a couple of nights of poor sleep, I called the docs on Wed. am and went in to the hospital that afternoon. Echo showed decrease in heart function (similar to last Sept. but not as poor), and Chest Xray showed a bit of a pleural effusion (fluid in the lung cavity) that is likely a result of the heart not working as well and not processing the normal body fluids as well. (I did not have fluid in my belly or ankles/feet.) So I had a biopsy late Wed. afternoon to test for rejection. I was admitted to the hospital Wed. night and given a first IV dose of Solu-Medrol (the super-steroid treatment for rejection). The next day, I found out the biopsy was negative (again like last fall), which I is a good thing, but that information leaves me/us in the position of just not knowing what is going on and why my heart has decided to not work so well six months after the last episode.

So, I am now thankfully home again, and I am taking two new meds (ones that I took for a while last fall) - lasix, a diuretic, and linisopril, used to treat heart failure (which I am technically experiencing, though it is mild). I'll go back in a couple of weeks for follow up and was instructed to take it easy for several days.

Unfortunately, the biggest bummer of this latest experience is that we had to cancel our planned trip to So. California for the boys' spring break. We had planned on going to LA and then San Diego (road trip) today. I feel so badly for the boys, but luckily they are not completely aware and we had kept the lead up to the trip low key.

I know I will be okay, be well again, but I need all the help I can get! So thanks for your prayers, energy, thoughts, love, and support!

- Emily and Pete, Mason and Liam, and Maggie too!