The Only Child Diaries Podcast
The Only Child Diaries Podcast
The Brochure on Long Awaited Possible Discharge
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A stent can sound straightforward until kidney function enters the chat. I’m sharing a real-time update from day 56 of my husband’s hospital journey, where a nuclear stress test and an abnormal EKG point to heart narrowings that may benefit from stents, but fragile kidneys make the “next obvious step” feel anything but obvious.
We talk through what the doctors found, why a treadmill stress test wasn’t possible due to fluid retention, and how treatments like a heparin drip and Lasix fit into the bigger picture alongside lingering blood clot concerns. I also unpack a fear that a lot of families carry quietly: the worry that dialysis automatically means the end is closer, even when medical voices in our circle push back and say it can improve quality of life.
Then I zoom out to the caregiver reality that doesn’t show up on a chart. The hour-long drive, parking, metal detectors, badges, bad hospital food, and chronic sleep loss become their own kind of marathon. I’m also trying to prep our home for what comes next, including the possibility of home oxygen, while keeping pets cared for and the house navigable.
If you’re navigating caregiving, heart health decisions, kidney disease questions, or the mental load of hospital life, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe to Only Child Diaries, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find honest support.
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Welcome And The Big Question
TracyWelcome to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Wallace. Have you ever felt like you didn't receive the how-to brochure on life? That you didn't get enough guidance about major life issues? So did I. You don't have to be an only child to feel this way. In my podcast, we'll explore some of the best ways to better navigate adulthood while doing so with humor and light. Welcome everyone to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. Today
Day 56 Health Journey Update
TracyI'm going to talk about the next leg of our journey for my husband's health. Today is day 56. I'm a little bit behind. I'm cutting it close to the bone. Tomorrow, when this uh episode drops, it'll be day 57. But I'm hoping that he might be home either today or tomorrow from the hospital. Since the last episode that I recorded, a lot has happened that I haven't been able to update everybody on. You might remember that we transferred to Cedar Cyanai and he was getting a lot better care.
Stress Test Results And Stents
TracyHe's been feeling better, but he did ended end up having his stress test. It was a nuclear stress test because he's not physically able to do one of those treadmill stress tests because he had some fluid retention, some swelling in his um legs. And they suspected oh, well, he also had an abnormal EKG. Um and so they found that parts of his heart are not working as they should, and uh there are some narrowings that would benefit from stents, which in and of itself, uh having an angiogram and putting stent or stents in is not it's not a big deal. Um, his mom had a stent put in her heart when she was in her 80s, and it was it was an emergency situation for her. She was short of breath, she was a very active person, and she was short of breath, and she you know went to the doctor and they said, Oh, you have to go right now. And it was right before Christmas, and she said, But it's Christmas, and they said, No, no, you gotta go right now, right today. And they did the stunt. She felt great, and she, you know, she got a lot more out of life after that. So the stent procedure, the angiogram, it's not open heart surgery, it's just putting in a uh maybe two or three stents would help him a
Kidney Risks And Dialysis Fears
Tracylot. The issue is that he has fragile kidneys, and he has had that for quite a while, as long as I can remember, actually. And they use dye to find the space or put the stent in, or however that works, I'm not sure. And that would impact his kidneys even more, and it would lower his kidney function. And he doesn't want to go on dialysis. Um I think he has some ideas in his head that that would lead him to an earlier death. Um, despite the fact that we have a friend who's in the medical field who said that's not true, you might feel better. Um, it would help him in other ways. But I understand it's it can also be hard on your body. Uh so anyway, um, they have said it's not an emergency and uh uh he can go home on medication. He
Blood Clots Meds And Fluid Loss
Tracyhas the blood clot issue still in his leg, although his legs are not swollen. They don't look as swollen. I mean, maybe they're a little swollen. It's hard for me to tell. But they don't look like they did. And he still has the blood clot probably in his arm because it still hurts him a bit. The arm was never swollen that I could tell either, but that's neither here nor there. So um he's been on the heparin drip, heparin IV. He's been on LASIKs to um pull the fluid off, and that's worked pretty well. And his kidneys in general have rebounded some from it, it was like a month ago that he went into the ICU for pneumonia, which the pulmonologist said was not actually probably a true pneumonia. It was probably the beginning of whatever happened with his um heart, because it wasn't like a bacterial um pneumonia. There was no bacteria in his lungs. Anyway, um that's where we're at. I can
The Caregiver Grind And Home Prep
Tracytell you that going back and forth to the hospital, which is about an hour door to door for me, uh, the drive, the parking, the walking up, the going through the metal detectors, the getting your badge, the eating issues. Because I just discovered that eating there is is just not a it's not a it's not a good thing. There's no food. Uh getting my sleep is really challenging. So I'm always tired. Um but it's become like a rhythm. Uh trying to deal with the pets. I haven't spent enough time at home trying to clean up, clear the path uh for him, make it easy. I think we're gonna need to have, I'm pretty sure, we're gonna need to have oxygen at home and to get that here, find a space for it. Because I I know from past like 10 years ago, the home oxygen units are pretty big. And I don't know exactly how that's gonna work, but I've I've been doing what I can do. It's also super hot outside, so uh it's just it's been a drag. I've been walking the dog every day, and what I've found is that walking the dog, it's about probably three-quarters of a mile around the block in the heat, and um walking in the hospital has helped my back a lot. And um so just pushing myself to do that is important anyway.
Walking The Dog And Closing
TracyUm, to be continued. And yeah, that's that's what I've got for today. I guess I better go clean something. Um next week we'll tackle another topic together. I hope you'll join me. If you like this episode, please follow the Only Child Diaries Podcast on Apple Podcasts or other platforms you might listen on. And consider rating Only Child Diaries and writing a review. It helps others to find us. Please share it with a friend you think might like it as well. Visit my Instagram page, Only Child Diaries, or Facebook, Only Child Diaries Podcast. Thanks for listening. I'm Tracy Wallace, and these are the Only Child Diaries.
