Thursday morning we were up early...to ice and snow. The day we need to get to the hospital for Ted's heart catheterization it was totally winter. Our road was the worse part, a bit nasty on a secondary road, then clear sailing . We arrived 10 minutes early and they got right to work on Ted.
Ted's heart doctor is so busy he "farms out" his cath jobs. This is the doctor who did the cath. A crew of nurses. I was amazed. One nurse says, "I know you ", to me. She used to live near my daughter and they were and are friends. So she kind of looked out for us.
Here's Teddy sporting one of those flashy (or should I say flasher) gowns. He had fasted and keep talking about food. :) The nurses got him ready and they started the procedure. Waiting, as you all know is very hard. My daughter and her husband were with me. I was so thankful When the cath was finished, we all were called for a consultation....this was the part I had been dreading.
The doctor said Ted had a blockage, but he did not take care of it because Ted's hemoglobin count was so low, it was dangerous. So he was admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Waiting for doctors to come and decide what needs to be done...23 hours of fasting, Ted gets a grilled chees and tomato soup, tea and pudding.....he was so happy. My daughter Kathy came after she got off work. it's nice to have others keep your mind off some of the scary stuff.
Eleven hours after coming to the hospital...Ted is getting two units of blood. They took vials of his blood and spun the red blood cells out and mixed with donate blood and hooked Ted up ( this is what I seemed to be hearing, so don't call me on it, if I am wrong, Ha. ). His hemoglobin was 5 point 5 ,it should have been 14. By Friday morning at 4:00 am, the transfusion was done and the nurse got him up ...we took a couple laps around the ward..they wanted to see if he was feeling better and get that blood flowing. The night shift nurse was wanting him reading for a better reading at the morning blood draw. He was up to 7.8 by then. Not perfect but out of danger.
They took a bone marrow biopsy Friday at 10 :00... The results will not be in for a few days. We will be seeing an oncologist/hematologist , once the results of the biopsy are in. Trying to find out why Ted was anemic. All the nurses and doctors could not believe he had great color, a good weight, passed the treadmill, great bloodwork.( do not think he was tested ever for hemoglobin count.) but all the other tests were great. One doctor asked if he walked into the hospital...Ted said, "I drove to the hospital !" so all were amazed by him. I am praying his all around good health and strength will get us thru . He will be getting a stent for that blockage ...after all other things are done. Please hold us in your good thoughts and prayers. I am thankful for all of you. XO.
You know without asking that I am praying for you and your TeddyBear. I am sure he is in good hands and that they will figure it out. I, too, am anemic and have been for many years. They don't know what it is and I certainly DON'T LOOK anemic, do I?!
ReplyDeleteTake good care of YOU, too, Susie. It is hard when we are worried about someone to be kind to ourselves but you need to do that.
Love to you- xo Diana
Thank you Diana. I am not used to seeing Ted just sit. He has always found things to do in the shop. We never got our leaves raked or the lawn mowed one last time before winter. We are trying to stay positive. I honestly learn much about anemia in the past two days. I never knew it could be dangerous. So we may be doing some diet changes to help build up his blood. I am going to try to stay healthy too. I had to wear a mask when around Ted ..so he would not get my cold. I am getting better. Blessings to you. Love you and appreciate you, xoxo, Susie
DeletePraying for good test results and a safe procedure!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Jan. We never know what life has in store for us. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteIsn't it amazing what they can find out and what they can do! I'm sure he was happy to be eating grilled cheese after 23 hours of no food!! I hope the stent does the trick and he's doing well soon! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn. Thank you. There's newer medicine and procedure all the time. I am hoping for the best. He could not get the stent yet..has to have a better hemoglobin reading first. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteYou all are still in my prayers and hang in there. I have a good feeling about this and your husband seems to be strong and holding up quite well. My brother had this done and he's doing lots better now. Keep us updated and try to get some rest as we know how it can be in hospitals. Big hugs and prayers.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susie. Getting rest in the hospital is almost impossible. I had to laugh at how many times they can come into a room in one shift. LOL. But better than having to go look for someone. LOL My Ted is a strong man. I am hoping we can both stay that way. I will post when we know more. Thanks for your prayers dear friend. Bless you and yours, love, xoxo, Susie
DeletePrayers for your husband and for you as well. It's always nice to have family around during those hospital stays. Blessings.
ReplyDeletexx Beca
Thank you Beca. I tell my family be good to one another, family will be there always. When we were eating the dinner Angie brought over last night, we had so many laughs and Ted was laughing with us and it truly did us good. You know that old saying laughter is good medicine. :) Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteSending prayers and positivity to you and your husband Susie! Thanks for sharing the update! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Stay warm! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you sweet Pilar. I am so thankful to all my blog family for their prayers and well wishes. I truly believe it makes a difference. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteYou're so welcome!
DeleteI hope everything goes well for him.
ReplyDeleteThank you Adam. I will know more later. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
DeleteOh Susie, I know how hard that is to wait and wonder and hear the doctor's reports and how wonderful you had family with you. Are you staying nights with him, too? My husband has had several stents and they certainly do a great job with those things these days. His hemoglobin is pretty low, all right. Mine has only been down as low as 6 and that was too low. I'm surprised as the nurses are that he wasn't dizzy and feeling faint and he drove to the His
ReplyDeleteIt's, in that crazy snow. God bless and be with you both and hoping and praying for an excellent outcome. Xoxo, Connie
Thank you so much for your prayers. I am so grateful for all. Ted and I had no idea he was anemic. He's never been short of strength and drive. Since you had a reading of six, then you do understand about the numbers. One nurse said , if people crash from low hemoglobin count , some times they can't be revived. That sent a fear thru me. Gosh we both were thankful that the snow had stopped and the highway dept had cleared the roads. I hate drive in bad weather. I will know more of what Ted is experiencing this week...and a holiday time...it's not a going to be easy. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeletePoor Ted. I'm so sorry he has to go through all of this, and you too, Susie. I am continuing to say prayers for him. Ted looks like a trooper in this picture. I'm so glad the nurse knows you and is looking out for your family.
ReplyDeletelove you, Susie, and I'll be thinking about you in the next few days.
~Sheri
Thank you Sheri. We need and appreciate all the good wishes and prayers. I will post as I learn more. This makes our holiday stressful for me...but I will just have to not worry about anything but Ted. Blessings to you, please stay safe , xoxo,love you, Susie
DeleteMy dear Susie....sending good thoughts and prayers for your husband...I know how hard this must be....I so hope this is going to be a good outcome. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Betsy. I am a believer in the power of prayers. Hopefully we have some news by Wednesday. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteI have had you on my heart, Susie, and I will keep you and Ted in my prayers as the doctors help with his recovery. I am thankful for the kind nurses and family and friends to support you. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen. I am so grateful for friends and family. I am blessed with a wonderful blog family too. Ted was feeling much better today. We will be hearing about the next dr. appointment before Wed. Hope it's soon. Blessings to you, stay warm and have a beautiful Thanksgiving. xoxo, Susie
DeleteSending prayers. I remember when my dad went through heart issues. It was nice having family there like your daughter did for you. Janice
ReplyDeleteJanice, It certainly does help having family with us during the tough times. Hope you are doing well. Enjoy this wonderful week of thanksgiving. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
DeleteOh dear friend, you have been through so much. Be assured of my thoughts and prayers! I've been through many a time of waiting....it mostly involved children going through health issues/surgeries. SO hard!! So glad you had loved ones with you during the wait and to support you both through this. God be with you both, God bless your days with everything you need! Sending hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Doris. We go tomorrow for the results of the biopsy. My tummy is in a big knot. I have been thankful for all the prayers too. Blessings to you and yours for a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. xoxo, Susie
DeleteOh Susie, I have been thinking and praying for you and Ted. The doctors are so amazing today, I just know all will be well soon.
ReplyDeleteWith love & prayers,
Gert
Thank you so much Gert. I am grateful for everyone's nice words and prayers. It is scary at times...when I think too hard. I am praying God will give us good news. Blessings to you my friend, love, xoxo, Susie
DeleteWell, first of all I am happy that you all made it safely in that weather. Secondly, SO thankful that the doctors know what to do when what they were needing to do wasn't safe... SO THEY WAIT! A wonderful outcome is what we will pray for. Have a blessed day and week ahead dear Susie, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Theresa. I am thankful for wonderful blog family. I love having our family and friends supporting us also. Pray our Lord will be with us and give us a great report. Blessings to you and yours for a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. xoxo, Susie
DeleteSo glad you came by to visit. I changed my blog name so you might have to re-subscribed to follow me again. Sounds like your husband is in good hands. I now it’s scary to go through these things so I am praying for good news and for you both to get through all this as easy as possible. God bless, Liz
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz. It's a tough time and here at holiday time, makes it stressful . Tomorrow we get the results and I am praying it is a simple fix...like we talked about. Blessings to you, please enjoy your holidays. xoxo, Susie
DeleteNo wonder he was so dizzy and weak! Hope they can help him get back to normal and get the blockage taken care of soon. I got very anemic in the past when I was taking an acid blocker. Sounds like he is getting very good care, Susie...xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. You telling me your story helps takes some stress from me. A couple others mention meds causing low blood count. I am praying that's it. Blessings to you and yours, enjoy the holiday. xoxo, Susie
DeleteI'm so grateful you have good docs and wise ones who didn't rush the cath when the blood was at issue. It sounds like a tough but promising road and one where you know you can count on a good medical team. So glad he got the right treatment at the right time and is doing better. AND that you made it safely. Please keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeanie. Oh when I saw that snow my tummy did a flip. Ha. The main roads were nice. I am praying Ted gets good results and he can continue to get that blockage taken care of and get back to his good strong self. Blessings to you and yours for a great week. xoxo, Susie
DeleteHi Susie
ReplyDeleteJust dropped in from Jo's Brit in Tennessee blog. Glad to hear things are going well for Ted. It is a very hard time, my son had to have catheterisation done when he was 10 which led to a major heart operation. That was nearly 39 years ago & he's still going strong. These hospital workers are more like miracle workers. I'll remember you in my prayers.
PS. I really popped in to say the Bucket lady was Hyacinth, in Keeping up Appearances. I loved it too, it was really funny.
Hi Winnifred. Thank you for all this info. I know that heart caths and surgeries are so easy for good doctors these days. Glad your son is still going strong.:):) Thank you for the prayers. Oh my yes, that was that lady's name . I have laughed about how she wanted to pronounce her name many times. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteHi there Susie, thanks so much for the update!! Glad he came through all that well and is there any word yet on the marrow results?? Still thinking of y'all.....
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to you..this kind of thing can be so scary...thankful your family was with you.
ReplyDeletePrayers and love....
BJ, I am blessed with a loving family and we will all work together to get Ted thru this. I am thankful for my family , friends and my blog family. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteHi, sweet Susie! I just saw the post on Diana's blog asking for prayer. Lovely lady, please know that I am covering your dear Ted and yourself in prayer. Sending lots of love your way!
ReplyDeleteThank you Stephanie. I truly appreciate all the prayers and well wishes. This has shocked us all. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteHugs...
ReplyDeleteDiana just gave us an update on her blog. Praying for you!
Thank you Sandi. I need the prayers. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteSaw Diana's blog just now- coming in here to let you know we are praying for Ted and you and your family! Praying for the doctors and nursing staff to have the knowledge to take care of Ted! I am so sorry...breaks my heart he is going through this. Stay strong and let us pray when you can't.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tete. This means a lot to me. My Ted is strong and it's going to have to help him thru this long winter fight. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
DeleteJust wanting you to know we pray for you and your family and everyone taking care of your sweetheart. I am so very sorry to hear this and prayers for healing and all of you to have the strength you need for each day as he is being treated and you are there with him. May the Lord bless and keep you and comfort you throughout.
ReplyDeleteNonnie, I know you are a believer and I am so thankful for the prayers. This is the hardest thing We have had to face. I want to stay positive, but I am shaky. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
DeleteSusie, just wanted you to know that I am praying for you and Ted, too. I'm so sorry to hear of Ted's illness...I know you didn't expect to get that news, and it must have come as a shock. Praying for peace and healing, sweet friend...xoxo
ReplyDeleteLinda, It was a horrible shock to all of us. I am grateful for the prayers. Our winter is going to be a long one. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteDear Susie, I just heard about Ted on Diana's blog. I am so deeply sorry. I have been praying for Ted and will continue to. You are one of my dearest blog friends and you mean a lot to me. May God comfort Ted, you, and all the family during this most difficult time.
ReplyDeletelove you, my blog sister.
~Sheri
Thank you Sheri, I know you care. You have always commented on Ted's hard work around our yard. I am praying his hard working has made him tough enough to get thru this. I am so thankful for your prayers. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeletePraying for you and your Ted, for strength through the treatments and for healing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jan. I need and appreciate the prayers. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteSusie I just read about Ted on Diana's blog. I will be keeping you guys in my prayers. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteLisa
Thank you Lisa, It means the world to me. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteSusie. I'm so sorry and I don't know what to say. I just read Diana's post and am flabbergasted, but, I'm sure, not as much as you were when you got the news. Something you weren't expecting, I'm sure. Maybe the heart procedure was a good thing because it sounds like they caught it early. So sorry that he will have to undergo treatments, but know that will be the best way to fight this. You are in my thoughts and prayers, my sweet friend, wish I was close to you to be of some help..Take care..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteOh Judy, I know it is so shocking to anyone . We are all still reeling. Ted had stated treaments and I have hopes that his strength will get him thru this. Thanks for the prayers we need them , Bless you, xoxo, Susie
DeleteI heard the news from Diana. My thoughts and prayers are sure with y'all during this hard time. If you need anything at all, just holler, okay? Sometimes hard hard things happen and we just don't know what to do or where to turn. I am just hoping this all turns out well and he HEALS AND RECOVERS. Stay strong my friend! Hugs and prayers are surely surrounding y'all.
ReplyDeleteThank you DEbbi. I will be making a post ...but I am drained at this moment. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
Deletemy sister-in-law was preparing for knee replacement surgery when her lab work returned that she had leukemia. so she was admitted to hospital for the leukemia treatment to begin immediately. I remember how shocked we all were at the sudden switching of plans. Our thoughts are with you and your dear husband as you travel this new road.
ReplyDeleteJan, Thank you for commenting...when we were told , it was like a punch to the gut. Knock the wind form all of us. I believe that Ted will get thru this... but sweetheart, it's scary and going to be a long winter. Hope your SIL is doing well. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
Deletesending warm hugs and lots of love susie!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Debbie. Ted is doing well so far...being brave , staying strong. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
DeleteDear Susie, I am new to your blog, but our mutual friend Diana shared your story about your husband with us, and I had to write. My brother was also diagnosed with acute leukemia this past July. They live in the Atlanta area. He was also admitted to the hospital immediately for chemo. His wife stayed with him rather than traveling through Atlanta traffic every day. Long story short, he is now in remission and doing very well. He had some rough days early on, and it was also a complete shock to him to have such a diagnosis. But God is good, and they say he is doing really well. He goes back and forth for some treatment now from home, but is in remission They talk about a possible bone marrow transplant. We siblings all were tested to see if we were a match, and my other brother is a perfect match, so if they need to do it he will be there for that. I am a "half-match", so next in line if needed. Anyway, keep the faith. God is able. They have good treatments now for leukemia. Many people are praying for your Ted, and I will certainly do so. God bless you both.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Pamela for these encouraging words. Diana dn John came to the hospital yesterday to see us. They had come to our area to have holiday time with their youngest daughter and family. It was such a comforting meeting. John has wiped cancer more than once and he wonderful words gave us such a lift. Ted is doing well so far into the chemo...tired today. The anti nausea med is so helpful too. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
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