THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009 2:37 AM, CDT

Olin had a follow-up echo in LaCrosse on Monday. The good news is, the effusion didn’t reappear at all! The bad news is, the fibrooid on his right atrium is still there, although they said it will take awhile for that to reabsorb. His ejection
fraction is 40% where they like to see 60%, so he’ll be on the enalapril for awhile. He’s been home for a few days, and we’re getting in to the new routine. He’s definitely not back to his old self’ yet. He does alot of screaming and crying for no apparent reason, and crying inconsolably for hour-long periods of time. (Something that my kid is, historically, not known for.) It’s frustrating, because I’m fairly certain that it’s because he’s in pain, but I’ve talked to the surgeon, the
surgeon’s PA, every day nurse we had since Monday, Dr. Maclellan, Andrea her PA, Dr. Nesseim… Every health professional I run in to in the course of Olin’s care… about his pain issues, and no one will actually GIVE him a prescription for
anything better. It’s perpetually annoying.
My hope is that just a couple of days more, and that bone will knit, and he won’t be so miserable.
He tires very easily, and you can tell he’s not quite himself at times, but he doesn’t wake up in the night quite as much, and…
Well, we’re getting there, anyway. They say the time AFTER you’re out of the hospital is the biggest challenge – I can’t say I disagree.
He has yet another follow-up echo next Tuesday in LaCrosse, and by then we may be able to start weaning him off some of the meds. He will probably be on the enalapril for awhile, but I will be VERY glad when we can put those diuretics
behind us. They make him miserable. 🙁