Senior is being released this afternoon.

Hello family, friends, and fellow bloggers...
I am extremely happy to report Sr is being discharged from the hospital this afternoon.

Pam, Joel Jr, Sarah, and I met with his heart doctor this morning and received alot of helpful information.

Sr will remain on Coumadin (this anticoagulant should help prevent blood clots which can lead to another stroke) and he is back on 2 of the 4 medications (a beta blocker and al-bactil) and will slowly be weaned on to the other medications over the course of the next few weeks during weekly visits to the doctor.

In addition to congestive heart failure, Sr also has dilated, cardiomyopathy (a large, weakened heart causing difficulty to pump blood efficiently) with an ejection fraction of 15-30%. The progression of his congestive heart failure is associated with regression of his left ventricular. While this process is usually associated with a continuous decline in ejection fraction, please note that his heart condition has remained relatively unchanged over the past 2 years. So, his recent stroke did not cause much additional damage...positive news. The doctors described this condition as idiopathic - meaning that the cause is unknown.

Sr's pacemaker will help continue to help with his intraventricular conduction delay and his defibrillator will help with his heart's arrhythmia. Very fortunate!

The stroke cause a mild visual field deficit on the left side which doctors believe will come back over time. Daily home health visits from physical therapists will help Sr build up and regain strength on his left side. He is scheduled to met with his neurologist next week. Although a bit shakey, Sr was up, fully dressed, and walking this morning when we arrived.


Pam met with the dietitian and will be learning how to cook low sodium foods (salty foods cause excessive fluid build up and because of the congestive heart failure Sr's heart has a hard time getting rid of the fluids). Diet modifications should significantly help improve Sr's heart condition. So, that is great! When needed, Sr will be given diuretics to help increase the excretion of water and fluids around his heart.

We are ready to have him home and want to thank all of you for your love, prayers, and support.

Posts will be made as we have more news.

With Love, Michelle