24 April 2012

Steady Eddie

It's hard to believe, but it has now been two weeks since Eddie's last open chest surgery. Since then, he has done remarkably well and we're keeping our fingers crossed that momentum keeps him going in the right direction.

We continue to have a bit of excitement with Eddie's anti-coagulant levels. Yesterday, the doctors decided to trial him by increasing his Heparin slightly to see how he would respond. Not surprisingly, even though the change was quite small, Eddie's chest drainage turned red within an hour and we had to put him back to his original levels.

At this stage, I think everyone is finally in agreement that we should just hold the course and only make changes when clinical evidence indicates a change is needed . . . in other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Eddie has made a few exciting field trips over the past few days, including soaking up some sun on the 4th floor patio yesterday. As you can see from some of the photos below, it takes quite an entourage to make these walkabouts happen, but it's so worth it.

For your viewing pleasure, I've attached some photos from the past several days. As you'll see, some have captions while others need no additional explanation. Enjoy!

A somber Eddie waiting for his field trip to see the fish
Entourage

Dwarfed by the Octopus



Eddie has left the building


Enjoying the afternoon sunshine (Well, at least Sarah and I did)




A visit from Ms. Huber, one of our wonderful town librarians!


The Harper boys



A visit from Lee Roy, Eddie's favorite therapy dog

7 comments:

  1. Eddie has one of the cutest grins ever and I love the picture of the three boys together! Keep getting stronger, Eddie!

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  2. Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!! We are praying hard for stability. So very thankful that the doctors have figured out what is working for Eddie right now. The pictures are great. Glad to see Eddie and all of you having some lighter moments! You guys are amazing. Hang in there!

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  3. I love that the storytime lady came to the hospital!

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  4. There are no words :)! Although being outside must have been a real treat, the pic of the three boys is definitely my very favorite!! I can't get over how old Isaac looks(or is)!! Maggie was saying her prayers last night and she prayed that Eddie could have a good "heart plant" soon. I had to smile. Love you guys!!
    ~Auntie Shannon

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  5. Oh my--I'm not sure what makes me smile the most, seeing that Eddie got to go outside, or seeing the Duvall Storytime lady there! That is SO COOL that she came in to read to Eddie! I love our community and I love Eddie and the Harpers!

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  6. Your story in Meridian Magazine is as well written as it is touching. Thank you for sharing. Our Hearts to Yours-as it were, Robert and Carma Brown, Salt Lake City.

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  7. Prayers and blessings out to the whole Harper clan. Thanks for sharing your story with all of us. Steph Callister Andersen

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