AUEquine
10-21-2008, 07:09 PM
Some of you may have read my thread on h.com about my cousin, here it is so you don't have to double back and reread, and I don't have to retype a history:
I ask for all of your prayers and thoughts for my 22 year old cousin.
When she was 17 my cousin had to have a heart transplant due to congestive heart failure. She has always been a very selfish and needy child, but we all thought a second chance at life would turn her around and make her greatful to be alive. Unfortunatly we were all wrong. Since her heart transplant she has put herself into rejection at least 10 times (that I've been told of), not to mention a host of non health drama. We had finally thought things were looking up, she had met a wonderful guy, found a major and college she was happy with, her own apartment, etc. Unfortunatly something set her off again.
About 2 weeks ago she put herself back into rejection by taking too much medication. To save her the Dr.s had to practically OD her on steroids. Unfortunatly the steroids reacted badly to her anitdepressants and other psycological meds. This all came to a head last Sunday morning when she managed to sneak out of her apt (mother, brother, sil, and boyfriend were there watching her) and she walked barefoot in her pjs some 10+ miles to our church. Luckly when she got there one of the decons recognized her and called my grandfather.
She was admited back into the cardiac unit and was under 24/7 staff and family member watch. Meaning a staff memeber and a family member had to be in the room at all times. We thought things were looking up. However one day last week she went into another psycotic episode and began ripping IV's out, tearing things apart and trying to jump out the window. It took 3 security guards and 4 nurses to subdue her.
She's now in a psyciatric ward strapped to a bed, and has been there for over a week. I talked to my mother yesterday and she said it had been a slightly better day, meaning she had more lucid moments than non. Right now the doctors say it's just a waiting game to see if when the steroids work out of her system if she can recover.
So please pray for her that she can finally learn the value of life and that there are only so many chances you get. And please pray for our family, especially her mother, brothers, s-in-ls, and her boyfriend.
Well the news has become even more grim. She did get over the psycotic break, however her health has paid severly for it. All of her arteries are blocked, and unfortunatly this is not like normal blocked arteries where a bypass or a stint can help. Her entire artieries are clogged. They put one stint into the worst one in July, and it is no clogged and must be replaced. In addition they have 6 others to put in.
On monday my mother and my aunt met with the UAB doctors to discuss her prognosis. And it's worse than we tought. Due to her non-compliance, the antigens already in her body, and the steroids they'd have to use, she's no eligible for a 2nd transplant. Basically she is a walking time bomb. They asked what time they thought she had and the doctors said, 'days, weeks, months, it could happen anytime.' They did say that this would be her last Christmas. They will continue to do what they can with the stints, but it's just a matter of time before one of the arteries completely stops. The only good news we've heard is that when this happens she will collapse, and will feel no pain. A very small consolation to us as we ponder what's to come!
The doctors are discussing this week what to tell her. Because of her fragile mental state, she and her therapist have been dealing with this with denial. So they will have to determine how much she should know and how much is too much.
So please keep my family in your prayers, we are a very close family, and my cousin is closer to me than most people's sisters!
Right now we're praying for the next surgery to work, and then we'll pray for the next step. But in the long run, I just hope she can hold on for her brother's wedding next July! But the docs said 6-9 months tops!
Thanks guys, I'll try to keep ya'll updated!
***side note, I will need an LOA to go home this weekend to see the family!
I ask for all of your prayers and thoughts for my 22 year old cousin.
When she was 17 my cousin had to have a heart transplant due to congestive heart failure. She has always been a very selfish and needy child, but we all thought a second chance at life would turn her around and make her greatful to be alive. Unfortunatly we were all wrong. Since her heart transplant she has put herself into rejection at least 10 times (that I've been told of), not to mention a host of non health drama. We had finally thought things were looking up, she had met a wonderful guy, found a major and college she was happy with, her own apartment, etc. Unfortunatly something set her off again.
About 2 weeks ago she put herself back into rejection by taking too much medication. To save her the Dr.s had to practically OD her on steroids. Unfortunatly the steroids reacted badly to her anitdepressants and other psycological meds. This all came to a head last Sunday morning when she managed to sneak out of her apt (mother, brother, sil, and boyfriend were there watching her) and she walked barefoot in her pjs some 10+ miles to our church. Luckly when she got there one of the decons recognized her and called my grandfather.
She was admited back into the cardiac unit and was under 24/7 staff and family member watch. Meaning a staff memeber and a family member had to be in the room at all times. We thought things were looking up. However one day last week she went into another psycotic episode and began ripping IV's out, tearing things apart and trying to jump out the window. It took 3 security guards and 4 nurses to subdue her.
She's now in a psyciatric ward strapped to a bed, and has been there for over a week. I talked to my mother yesterday and she said it had been a slightly better day, meaning she had more lucid moments than non. Right now the doctors say it's just a waiting game to see if when the steroids work out of her system if she can recover.
So please pray for her that she can finally learn the value of life and that there are only so many chances you get. And please pray for our family, especially her mother, brothers, s-in-ls, and her boyfriend.
Well the news has become even more grim. She did get over the psycotic break, however her health has paid severly for it. All of her arteries are blocked, and unfortunatly this is not like normal blocked arteries where a bypass or a stint can help. Her entire artieries are clogged. They put one stint into the worst one in July, and it is no clogged and must be replaced. In addition they have 6 others to put in.
On monday my mother and my aunt met with the UAB doctors to discuss her prognosis. And it's worse than we tought. Due to her non-compliance, the antigens already in her body, and the steroids they'd have to use, she's no eligible for a 2nd transplant. Basically she is a walking time bomb. They asked what time they thought she had and the doctors said, 'days, weeks, months, it could happen anytime.' They did say that this would be her last Christmas. They will continue to do what they can with the stints, but it's just a matter of time before one of the arteries completely stops. The only good news we've heard is that when this happens she will collapse, and will feel no pain. A very small consolation to us as we ponder what's to come!
The doctors are discussing this week what to tell her. Because of her fragile mental state, she and her therapist have been dealing with this with denial. So they will have to determine how much she should know and how much is too much.
So please keep my family in your prayers, we are a very close family, and my cousin is closer to me than most people's sisters!
Right now we're praying for the next surgery to work, and then we'll pray for the next step. But in the long run, I just hope she can hold on for her brother's wedding next July! But the docs said 6-9 months tops!
Thanks guys, I'll try to keep ya'll updated!
***side note, I will need an LOA to go home this weekend to see the family!