A Good Saturday (from Ray)

I am happy to report that Missy had a really good day today! Good appetite, good BP readings, lowering pulse - all good improvements.

I think it's been a day or two since we've posted, and we have had some news. The doctors think that, since Missy's pressures are not getting better with medication, so the next step is a Left Ventricular Assist Device, or an LVAD. From what I understand, it's kind of like an internal bypass for the left side of Missy's heart, which allows her heart to rest, which in turn should bring down all of her high pressures. Her left side will still receive blood, but the LVAD will help the blood along. The LVAD is a "bridge to transplant," meaning that this is an interim step to bring the pressures down, which will in turn make her a perfect transplant candidate.

The LVAD is about 5 pounds and made of titanium (I haven't seen it or held it yet, but Missy has). It also has to connect to a computer and battery pack, which means there will be a wire leading from inside Missy's body to the packs. The batteries have about 6 hours of juice, so she'll have to be plugged in whenever an outlet is available. The LVAD also comes with a saw (to facilitate the open heart surgery that's required) as well as about 6 hours + of anesthesia. Oh yeah, and an additional 3 weeks in the hospital for recovery.

As you can imagine, this news was met with very mixed emotions, but, in the end, is the best option that will lead to the best results. Missy's expected LVAD timeline is about 6 months, although many people decide against a transplant because they feel so good with the LVAD and don't want to go on the myriad of anti-rejection and immunosuppressant medications that are required. In our case, though, we're definitely pulling for a transplant, because the LVAD is only designed for about 5 years of use.

Definitely keep us in your prayers - we're certainly going to need them in the upcoming weeks.