Transferred again & Busier Tuesday

Isn't this the way things always seem to go?  A vital piece of equipment at the hospital where Nana was supposed to have her stent inserted and LAD angioplasty has broken.  So far, I have not heard what that equipment was, but apparently it was pretty vital to the procedure because Nana was transferred to yet another hospital in Orange County.

I took the day off work, and Laura and I made the hour or so long 60-mile drive up to Orange County.  Our plan was to arrive after Nana's procedure, as Aunt D was there visiting.  My wife and I had never been to this hospital, and we had quite a time navigating our way throughout this particular maze to find where they had hidden Nana.  We found her in a recovery room, and Aunt D was still with her (of which we were very thankful).

Nana was in and out of sleep and had to lie flat on her back for another 7 hours after these procedures.  She stayed in recovery until a little after 5pm, when she was moved to a room in the cardiac recovery area at the hospital.  By the time she was sort of settled in her room, it was just about 6pm -- time for the shift change in the hospital.  This gave Laura and I the opportunity to get a rather disappointing dinner at a restaurant we hadn't visited in probably 20 years.

We got back to her room shortly after 7pm and stayed until a little past 8pm.  She was able to sit up at 7:30pm, and was brought a dry turkey sandwich for dinner.  Laura was able to get the nursing staff to bring us some pudding and some yogurt, which she fed to Nana.  There was talk about Nana being discharged the next day.  We were a bit skeptical at this prospect.

Transferred & Busy Monday

Nana was transferred via medical carrier up to Orange County for her heart exam.  I don't know why they decided to ship her up there at 5am Monday morning...that part may forever remain a mystery.  Her procedure was supposed to start at 7:30am, but it didn't start until later in the morning.

Laura made the 60 mile drive up to Orange County to visit Nana.  She arrived shortly after 12pm, when Nana was in recovery.  Poor Nana had to lie flat on her back for 7 hours after the procedure, and it was a bit trying for everyone.  Dr. W decided that she needed a stent and some angioplasty in the left anterior portion of her heart.  These procedures are scheduled for tomorrow. Dr W is hoping this is enough to fix the swelling due to poor circulation and not do the riskier heart valve replacement surgery.

One frustrating yet kind of amusing thing that happened this day was what the hospital brought Nana for dinner--a big beef, onion and bell pepper burrito.  Think Chipotle, and you're getting close.  Now, please answer me this: How on God's green earth are you supposed to eat a massive burrito while laying flat on your back with a severe fluid restriction?  Laura wound up having most of the burrito for her dinner, and asking the nurses for some jello and pudding for Nana's dinner.

No Test Weekend

Nana was supposed to be transferred to a hospital in Orange County (about 60 miles away) to have her heart examined.  The transfer did not happen, so we had to wait until Monday to find out when she was going to have this test performed.  The good news was that we didn't have to make that 60-mile drive this weekend.