It is good to be home with my husband tonight...
They worked hard, medically/drug-wise, to get his blood pressure down just so they could give him the medication that "amps" him up as to running a marathon. He said it was very weird feeling the feelings of running hard and long all the while laying still.
He has bruises from i.v. inputs, bruises from taking his blood pressure every half hour for the past 3 days, and sore muscles from not so comfy hospital beds. But, he's home and I couldn't be happier.
The stress test proved no damage to his heart. Valves are open and flowing properly. No blockages. The only problem seems to be a calloused heart. (silly wording...they obviously don't know lex) The walls of his heart are tough and thick from too much time ignoring the high blood pressure and not taking his medication.
He is a changed man. He has many people very frustrated, but grateful. He won't get away with not taking his medicine ever again.
He has a very ugly orange shirt that he happens to love. He came walking out in that ugly orange shirt after his first shower in three days. He's never looked so good to me.
Thank you for those who knew and prayed. We were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and concern. Community is a beautiful thing...
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4 comments:
That is good news. Thank you God. And Steph loves orange…
Yikes! I was surprised to hear all you'd been through recently. Glad to hear it was no worse that it was. Give Lex our love and know you are all in our prayers.
I'm glad Lex is doing better, at home, (and as the kids would say) chill-laxing at home in his orange attire.
Take it from a east coast b.p. meds guy, take your b.p. meds. We'll keep the east coast prayers going for all of you.
Medical "interventions" are so horribly frightening to an entire family. Not only will I pray for a positive outcome for all of you, but it is also my prayer that Lex will begin some sort of cardiac exercise program that will optimize his heart function, if he hasn't already, and that all of you will invest in a good blood pressure cuff and stethescope and make strategic efforts to monitor Lex's BP 2-4 times a day until his BP is determined to be "under control" consistantly - if you haven't already. (I don't always trust those BP devices that are automatic - too much chance of error) The news of Lex's wake-up call will also wake up others who know they are hypertensive to be vigilent in monitoring their own BP daily...I know, I've "been there, done that" with my OWN monitoring - I've been as "lax" as Les sometimes as I forget to check MY BP even tho' I've been on meds for 7 years successfully, BUT if I hadn't been checking it daily, I would not have seen a climbing trend that occured over several weeks which prompted another stress test, which I HATE. They don't call hypertention the "silent killer" for nothing. If it makes Lex feel a little better, I shall say that a good friend, a medical Dr. no less, suspected...no, KNEW he was hypertensive but failed to begin taking meds for years...now he's in danger of other complications along with the irreversible changes to his heart...atrial and ventricular enlargement, and the loss of eleasticity as well. I pray that Lex will begin listening to his body and NOT let this problem stay a silent one. I was under the delusion that "it happens to thee and to thee, but not to me!" WRONG!! From a lifetime of being HYPOtensive, I followed the "genes" at 55 (mother, grandmother, all my mother's siblings) to HTN (our abbreviation for hypertension) which was the same age everyone ELSE became hypertensive. Genetics have a lot to do with this condition - I don't want to be too hard on Lex. But I can't begin to tell you how many people I've encountered who said they USED to have HTN, and then after taking meds for a WHILE, they stopped because they really believed it was "cured". Lex is uncomfortably "lucky" - God gave him a "sign" - and I know GOOD things will happen for him now as he becomes proactive...and compliant...as he works himself back to good health. Everyone wins that way. I shall also pray for whatever "rotten news" your brother said you had recently...whatever it is, I know you will deal with that too, prayerfully. And it might be a good thing to check Avery's BP...again - genetics is involved. Teens with hereditary HTN is not uncommon - it's just not caught in time. Make your monitoring a family affair!! Now...I have to go and check my OWN BP...haven't done that for a few weeks. Oh yes, if you don't mind, a strong word of advice...learn what meds he's taking...make an effort to find out what KINDS of meds are used and why...beta blockers vs anti-angiotensin vs calcium channel blockers, vs loop dialators vs...the list goes on and on...learn their NAMES (the one(s) Lex is on.) and keep a list on you at all times. God forbid, but some nurse may ask you what they are in some ER. Did Lex have an angiogram or a cardiac echo done as well? I've never had the stress test that used the meds...(Persantine?)...that had to be wierd for Lex! It's going to take time and patience by all...just do what you need to do, and go slow and easy. I expect that in a year or so, he will be a new man! Even some of the alternative things help - meditation, yoga, etc. I will pray that he has kind, compassionate doctors and caregivers to assist and advise Lex toward a different lifestyle...a new mindset, because we ALL want to keep him around for a LONG, LONG time. He knows what he needs to do...
This isn't a "comment"...it's a long e-mail, sorry, but I care, and love you guys, and I pray for confidence for you all to get over this hurdle. God Bless!
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