Tim

Well, we have gotten a reminder that you have to be in charge of your own health, that you cannot rely solely on health care profesionals. Most of us know this, but I guess we forget.

My mom's long-time significant other, soon to be spouse, is pretty sick. His doctor has been blaming his breathing problems on adult-onset athsma, even as it got increasingly more difficult to breathe over the last month. Tim, as well as most of the family, has felt that there must be something more going on, but the doc was sure that it was just a problem with his lungs.

Turns out the problem is his heart. Sometime recently he had a heart attack and didn't realize it, and he has had a worsening case of CHF, that is why he hasn't been able to breathe! Grr! He went to the ER in Ruidoso one night a week or so ago, and they immediately shipped him up to the Heart Institute in Albuquerque. From there, they shipped him to the University of Utah Medical Center where he is awaiting a LVAS heart assist device and hopefully a heart transplant. His heart is too badly damaged for medications to do any good at this point.

My mom is up in Utah with him, and his kids have been taking turns going up there when they can. If all goes well, he will have the surgery to implant the LVAS Monday morning, and then will have to stay in Salt Lake for a while to heal.