“She did, however, suffer a short cardiac arrest (90 sec) while being moved from the OR table to the cart for transfer to Recovery.  Subsequent testing revealed that she needs an aortic heart valve replacement.  They don’t do that kind of surgery at Grady, so last Friday night we were moved to Riverside.

“Now it gets complicated.  There are many procedures required to prepare for the aortic surgery.  Several of these use dyes injected into the veins.  Some of these dyes can permanently damage the kidneys.  Since Bobbie only has one kidney, and it is weak, this is a real issue.

“It boils down to this.  If we don’t replace the aortic valve, Bobbie’s quality of life (stamina, energy level, general health, etc) will be severely diminished and probably shortened.  If we do the replacement, Bobbie should be much healthier but most likely on dialysis (4 hours – 3 times a week) for the rest of her life.

“We will be struggling with this decision for the next few days.  I think the choice is clear, but Bobbie isn’t in the decision making loop yet, and, of course, she must be.

FYI – Because of covid, hospitals only allow 1 visitor per day per patient (that would be me).  I think the same is true of rehab facilities.

“Keep the prayers and good thoughts coming.  I’ll keep you informed as I can. God Bless,

Geoff”