Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Grandpa Ottley: Update 4

The heart pump was removed yesterday and he has been stable without it. They are going to slowly ween him off any sedation to try to get him up and alert. He has been a bit agitated during this process when he realizes there still is a breathing tube attached. That should be the next big step to have that removed and it may take a couple of days. The nurses say it is very uncomfortable for them to have in, but it is another way to help his body take some of the load off his heart. It is still not a good time to visit yet. It probably will be better once he is out of the thoracic ICU.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Grandpa Ottley: Update 3

Today he has been resting well. They felt he was doing well enough they were going to try and remove the balloon in his heart, but he was not quite ready yet. They will try again tomorrow. His medications have been coming down so that means his heart is getting stronger. If the balloon is removed, that will be a big step toward him gaining consciousness again.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Grandpa Ottley: Update 2

Today, Grandpa Ottley has made some progress. He is becoming more stable and is starting to show positive signs. They reiterated today that he has been very ill the past couple of days and that he has been their sickest patient. However, he looks much more comfortable now and seems to be doing better. Tomorrow, they would like to start working on scaling back using the balloon that has been placed in his heart. It inflates and deflates with each beat of his heart. It is there to take a lot of the load so his heart can heal and strengthen. He is still unconscious and sedated most of the day but has shown some response. They still ask that visitors be limited so they can continue his improvement. After speaking with the doctor today, he may be there for at least three weeks before he is released.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Grandpa Ottley: Update


Grandpa Ottley had triple bypass surgery yesterday and is still in recovery. Overall the surgery went well, and the procedure took 5 hours. He has been in the Thoracic ICU and will be there for the next few days. He has been slow to recover. They are struggling to keep his blood pressure stable and they say that due to the heart attack and surgery his heart has taken on a lot of stress and trauma. They say he has made some improvement this morning and would like to keep that improvement going for the next couple days. If they can get him stable, they can remove the breathing tube, heart balloon, and also reduce his medication intake. As of now they keep him very sedated and he is unable to communicate verbally. Visiting at this time would probably not be beneficial. The hospital staff and doctors say visits are allowed but they would like to keep them brief until he is more stable and alert.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Family News: Not pertaining to Lauren

We have had another family medical situation come up and I thought I might be able to use Lauren's blog to spread the word to any family or friends that may want to know. Lauren's Grandpa Ottley suffered a moderate heart attack yesterday. He has been admitted to the Murray, Utah IHC hospital. After numerous tests, it was determined he would require immediate triple bypass surgery. He is currently in surgery and will be in recovery for the days to come. I will try to update the blog as much as I can.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Let's try this again

Hello All. We just got home from yet another jaw surgery. Luckily, it was just to remove the wiring and splint in her mouth. It was all out patient and we are home already. She is FREE again. We don't know what will happen with her jaw. We will visit with the orthodontist next week to see what he thinks. After that, next month we will visit with a jaw specialist in California who is a friend of Dr. Lewin and get a second opinion. We are pretty frustrated with what has happened with her jaw and are looking to get some better answers. Moving forward the best part is she can EAT again. Thanks to everyone again for all of your support.