A matter of the heart...

Greetings everyone,

It has been a while since our last update here. It has been a super busy summer, but once again pressing matters dictate that we let everyone know of current events.

On Tuesday, October 30, Sonny was running a high fever so the nursing home had him transported to the hospital. While en route, he had a seizure. Upon arrival at Northwest Hospital in Seattle, an EKG revealed abnormal heart rhythms...Sonny had experienced a heart attack. Mom and I (Lorrie) were already on our way there when the doctor phoned and asked permission to take Sonny straight into the cardiac catheterization lab, where she placed two stents into the large arteries supplying his heart muscle, effectively restoring blood flow where those arteries had been closed off...the coronary artery was completely occluded, the artery on the front of the heart nearly so.We are indebted to Dr. Hall for her skill and her quick work, wasting no time and quite possibly preventing more significant damage to Sonny's heart had the procedure been delayed for any reason.

Unfortunately a chest x-ray and laboratory studies revealed that Sonny also has pneumonia. He is being treated with IV antibiotics and is getting lots of fluids by IV. On Wednesday, he was able to swallow pudding from a spoon, though he has not yet been able to handle liquids from a cup as he usually does. He may simply be afraid of choking, so he is not being pressed too hard over the liquids, as he is getting plenty of fluids via IV.

When I left Sonny to come home on Wednesday evening, he seemed to be resting comfortably. I had sat with him for a couple of hours and he held my hand very tightly. He is very responsive, is making eye contact and occasionally smiling when we discuss things that he finds funny. I was telling his nurse about how he can pull his head up if we work on keeping his neck muscles massaged and more supple, and he lifted his head off the pillow and half-smiled at me. He couldn't straighten it all the way up, but he wanted us to see that he knew what we were talking about, and to show her that yes, he really COULD do what I was saying he could do. He smiled again when the first bites of food he was able to swallow were chocolate pudding...Sonny loves chocolate.

The staff have all been wonderful, and we feel that he is in the best place right now. His technical care is excellent, and the staff have been very attentive to his specific needs. We have been given much opportunity to share about his condition and to make suggestions for communication, and our input has been welcomed. I have to say, it is quite a switch from what we are used to where people do not seem to want to hear what we have to say on his behalf. (Oops...did I let that leak out??)

So, for now, we covet your prayers, positive vibes, good thoughts, dances around bonfires in the woods under a full moon, chants, songs, meditations...be creative, any healing energy coming Sonny's way is most welcome. Thank you so much to everyone who have sent emails and posted on Sonny's Facebook, we are grateful for all of you.

I will do my best to keep these updates current as we see Sonny's progress, so please check back. Of course you are also welcome to text or call Lorrie at 206.330.3269, or email JustLorrie@gmail.com directly.

"The sky is NOT The limit...there are footprints on the moon."