Biopsy and Good Results

You cannot imagine how amazed I was to find so many comments awaiting me when I logged on!!

To know that so many of you dear ones took the time to pray on my behalf and to offer me encouragement was humbling and delightful all at the same time . . . my thanks to each and every one of you :o)

I've decided to give a little glimpse of what transpired yesterday.

When I arrived at the hospital for the procedure, you can imagine my feelings as I glanced at their board to locate my name and discovered that the interventional cardiologist scheduled to perform the biopsy was the very same one who had performed the biopsy through my jugular vein that had gone wrong back in September!

I kept reminding myself not to worry ~ after all, it is the Lord who is in full control.

The nurses had me prepared in plenty of time for the 8AM start but the doctor didn't arrive until 15 minutes later and even then, stood in a little antreroom talking to someone and apparently taking his time because a nurse commented about it to me :o)

Because I'm so used to these procedures, I decline the valium that is offered to calm a person beforehand and as a result, I am wide awake and aware of what's going on.

The doctor in this case wondered WHY they were going through the groin for an out-patient biopsy when the norm is via the jugular vein. I had to remind him of what happened back in September and it rang a bell in his mind and he then told me that such an event could happen either way! That would not have been very comforting if I hadn't already known that to be the case :o(

He carried on and managed to get the blood samples needed and then attempted to get some heart muscle/tissue samples for the biopsy.

After several attempts, he appeared to get a little frustrated and said that I was *challenging*! One of the nurses said with a little laugh, that perhaps that was not something the patient wanted to hear! He quickly said that it wasn't a problem, just a challenge! Apparently the biotome [the little thingy that *grabs* a microscopic piece of tissue] did not sit where it was supposed to and that was causing the problem.

A nurse asked me who had done the procedure the last time and whether or not there was any problem. When I answered and indicated that there had been no trouble - no problems -- this doctor said, "He's a better doctor than me then!" . . .

Several times I noted that my pulse went from 45 to 102 to 60 to 38 to 133 and asked the Dr what that meant?

I guess he had been so intent on getting *pieces* that he hadn't even paid attention to it because he glanced up at the screen and then said something to the effect that it was probably just picking up interference!

In his poking and apparent frustration at not being successful, I had a couple of episodes where I felt very light-headed but when the nurse checked my blood pressure, it was actually much higher than my norm, rather than lower! After the 2nd episode, I was left with a throbbing headache :o(

When I realized that this doctor was having *challenges*, I earnestly prayed that the Lord Jesus would guide his hands and help me to relax and not pay any more attention to the apparent bizarre heart rates on the screen .... I didn't even realize that I had stopped praying and must have closed my eyes and relaxed because a few minutes later I heard one of the nurses clap her hands and say that he finally got a good specimen!!

The procedure was finally complete once he had gotten 3 specimens and I was wheeled out to the waiting area where I had to lay on my back for 1.5 hours and then I was off to the Clinic for my visit there.

I received a phone call not too long ago telling me the wonderful results ~ GRADE ZERO which means NO rejection at all.

I had been praying that the Lord would keep my eyes and heart turned to Him so that I was prepared for anything ... Needless to say, I was overjoyed and thankful for this wonderful result.

When I asked if I could now decrease to 5mg of prednisone, the nurse hesitated and then said she'd wait for the full report and perhaps I could decrease to that dose around Feb 2 which is 1 month before my 4th annual check-up ~ if those results were as good, I could stay with that and if those results indicated otherwise, then 7.5mg would be my new dose of prednisone.

All the medications taken post-transplant are known as IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS -- they all suppress the immune system ... the key is to get them to suppress it just enough to prevent rejection of the new organ but not too much so that you catch every sickness going around :o)

You might think that 2.5mg isn't much of a difference, but not only can it make all the difference in the effect it has on the immune system to prevent rejection, but in the negative side effects it has on the body!

Blessings,