Hi Abigail Here. Again i apologize for not updating as much as i would like to. finally packed up Dad's house, got it into storage, cleaned up and now just a few things left to do like replace all the smoke alarms and patch some holes in the walls, and then I'll be totally finished.
when i got here the rheumatologist was here and i forgot to ask him if he had talked to Dan Furst. He just seemed worried and asked me a few questions about the family. He had looked over Dad and i assume made some notes on the computer.
the dialysis machine is in the room and he has the process done 'as needed'. they drew some blood to see if he is really getting enough oxygen. they are going to put the tight face mask on later today to provide better oxygen.
He is very sleepy today, due to the pain meds they gave him according to nurse Mika. she said earlier today he was more awake, knew his name where he is and so forth. when he does wake up intermittently, he smiles.
Kris: Sorry to hear about Bill. There are 4 types of heart block. Type 1 doesn't need a pacemaker. Type 2 is split into two categories: Mobitz type I and Mobitz type II. Type I doesn't need a pacemaker but type II does because it can progress to a complete heart block. How long would it take for this to occur is dependant upon each person.
ReplyDeleteFrom your paragraph, it seems that they believe the scleroderma has affected all of Bill's organs. They attribute his prolong hospital course and hospital events to the scleroderma and that because of the wide systemic involvement (multiple organs affected) that he would not be a good candidate for a pacemaker. They believe that the scleroderma has already damaged the heart and lungs (ILD stands for interstitial lung disease). Thus a pacemaker, which would prevent the heart from going into complete heart block (stopping all electrical conduction and thus stopping the heart) would not be viable. I believe they are looking at his recent cardiac events and assuming that his heart is weakened by the scleroderma. And despite a placement of a pacemaker, his scleroderma would continue to weak his heart even more and thus negate the effect of a pacemaker.
This is my interpretation of the brief paragraph you sent, I hope it helps. Sorry to hear about Bill's recent events. Lee Perez