You Gotta Have Heart

Today was the appointment with the cardiologist. Dr. Brown has been the cardiologist since the major staph infection in Terry's heart in 2004. He's been equally frustrated with Terry's refusal to take his meds. He told him last summer that in his experience, patients who did not take their medications for 2 1/2 years or more had a 50% higher mortality rate. Terry has not taken his heart medications since February 2007.

Dr. Brown looked at the results of the last ECHO he had, which was in July of 2009. He said there had been a decline in his ejection fraction, down to 20-25 from 25-30 at the one prior to that. Now...when he had that test last July, I didn't accompany him to the appointment. Big mistake...BIG mistake....

He came back from that ECHO telling me the ejection fraction had been at 30-35, and the technicians who ran it told him everything looked great and he should keep doing what he was doing....when what he was doing was nothing. And I remember feeling frustrated at the time that despite his lack of attention to his own health, he was being given validation that he was doing everything he should.

That was negated today when we learned that he has had decreased function for the last two scans he's had. He's been so consumed with his nausea and pain that he's completely lost track of the fact that he's first and foremost a cardiac patient. He does not see the forest for the trees, even though it feels like I'm yelling "timber!!" on a regular basis. It confirms for me that making the decision to back away from work is the right decision. I think I have my work cut out for me.