They found a heart!

It's a go!  Roughly around 9 tonight Levi will be getting a heart!  The docs haven't seen it yet so that's the only hurdle but it's a match!  We're thrilled and excited but prayerful as we move toward major surgery.  And it will be a tougher recovery so pray for him and his doctors!

Also, he will probably be out for a while and on support so pray for our family since we will be making decisions and being here.

Since Levi's impella continues to have suction, basically breaking up blood cells and damaging his kidney, the doctors are going other ways. They came to fix it and have decided that by Monday, at the latest, they will put in an ECMO, this time in the chest wall so he can walk. It's nicknamed a sport ECMO and would take him back up to a 1 on the list. This is what we want and hope for it sooner rather than later. Levi is a bit frustrated and wants to get it done so pray for peace and endurance for all of us as we wait for the doctors and for rest.

A few different updates today. Levi is walking more and more which is great! 

The Impella is not working properly and is going into suction. This just means it’s not creating good flow so the doctors are watching and may transfer Levi to a more mobile version of the ECMO. This would go through his chest wall so he can move around about as well as now and it may work better. They are still conferring but pray! 

Also, they are getting calls about hearts but his antibodies are an issue so we may have a longer wait. I feel the struggle in both of us. Pray for peace, a good holiday together, and endurance as we wait and he may have to go through yet another surgical procedure. God is good!

November 27th

So, it turns out Levi's antibodies are a little high which is making it harder to find a donor.  Levi is in great spirits, sleeping well and regaining strength.  

Pray for a heart still and that we will trust His power!

November 26th (posting a day late)

Levi is sleeping well, finally!  There is a minor issue with the impella machine when it moves position, etc.  They are working on a solution for that.  Pray for wisdom!

Levi walked around the ICR four times today!  Two in the morning and two in the afternoon. 

The doctors have put him on nitros oxide to help his right ventricle work properly.

Keep praying for more and more strength and that everything will keep going smoother and smoother.  Pray for a heart.

With the ECMO out, Levi was able to walk to the bathroom and sit up without any pain in his feet and feels so good!  We're so grateful for mobility and for him to have more energy! 

He also received two liters of blood and one of platelets.

He loved today and is so excited to be up and not waiting for a heart in bed!

This morning, one of his connections was faulty and came loose and he gushed some blood so the hospital is calling the manufacturer and making sure that doesn't happen again. He's fine and doesn't feel weird or anything. 

Apparently that's the only cord that could have done that without taking in air which is majorly bad so praise the Lord for that!

The ECMO comes out at 11 today so he will lay flat for a while after that then it will be done which will be good so he doesn't keep losing blood. He'll get some transfusions today and some platelets.