UPS AND DOWNS

What an eventful week Delcy has had! Monday he had his first post surgery appointment with his cardiologist, and everything looked great. His heart and lungs both sounded really good, and his incision is healing very nicely.  The doctor told us it was okay for Delcy to start getting out and about again and enjoying Omaha as he's able.  We're starting off slow, but looking forward to showing him some more sights as he starts feeling stronger.

Wednesday started off on a great note with Delcy's first day of cardiac rehab.  Nick went with us to help translate, and that proved very helpful. Delcy enjoyed his "exercises" and was amazed at what he was able to do just 9 days after surgery.  He went with me to work at church for a little bit and then relaxed at home for a few hours that afternoon.  That evening, Bill and I took Delcy out for dinner and we all enjoyed good food and each other's company.  After we got home, we decided to relax and watch a movie ("Something's Gotta Give" dubbed in French) and after about an hour or so Delcy told me that his heart was beating very fast.  We took his pulse, and indeed his heart was racing! I called his nurse practitioner and he said that it was possibly no big deal, but that we should take Delcy to the ER just to be sure. The doctors decided to admit him so that he could have more tests in the morning, so Delcy and I spent the night in ICU (there were no beds available on the cardiac floor).  After 20 hours we got Delcy back home Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.  Turns out he has a little fluid around his heart but not enough to be really worried about...it should resolve itself fairly soon.  And Dr. Langdon said that it will take 2-3 months for Delcy's heart rate to get down in the normal range and stay there.  In the meantime, he should simply sit and relax if he feels his heart rate speeding up a lot. I think he finally understands that this is normal and he shouldn't be alarmed when it happens.
Since then, Delcy has been back at cardiac rehab and is doing very well.  He's enjoying being able to exert himself a little bit after living so long with such restricted physical activity.

Over the weekend Delcy met two of Bill and I's best friends, Marg and Rod.  We all had dinner together on Friday evening and they were very taken with Delcy (as everyone who meets him seems to be!).  Delcy is looking forward to going to their house on the lake for a visit soon.  He said that he would like to have a ride on their boat when we visit, but we explained that it's a little too early for boating in Nebraska!  Sunday evening we had a family birthday for Aly and Delcy got to meet the family members that he hadn't met yet.  He fit right in with our crazy family, joking and telling stories around the table. He even played Geoff's guitar and sang a song to Aly as her birthday gift.

Bill and Delcy spent some quality time together on Tuesday and Wednesday as I had an overnight staff retreat in Nebraska City.  Delcy accompanied Bill on visits to his job sites and even helped Bill take one of our dogs and our cat to the vet for an appointment.   Rehab has continued to go well this week and he's progressing very nicely.

Yesterday was a big day, as Brittany Galvin, Delcy's friend who volunteered  in Haiti for two years flew in to spend three days with us!  Brittany is currently living in Boston, so it's wonderful that she was able to see Delcy while he's in the United States.  As we speak, we're waiting to see one of Delcy's cardiologists to talk about the echocardiogram he just had.  It's a follow- up to last week's overnight stay in the ICU.  Hopefully we'll hear that the fluid around Delcy's heart is being absorbed into his body.  More news later...

Margie