THE BIG SQUISH HOW TO
THE BIG SQUISH UPGRADE

I owe significant thanks to my family, friends, and co-workers who have supported me physically, emotionally, and financially. Those may not pay the bills but they do make me feel better! IвЂ™m also open to all good wishes and prayers. I greatly appreciate any amount you can donate. Unfortunately, the bills have continued to arrive. Fortunately, my employer has held my position open for me. IвЂ™ve been unable to work since last September.

THE BIG SQUISH HOW TO

IвЂ™ve been hospitalized multiple times while trying to get the right medicine cocktail and have been in physical and occupational therapy to regain my strength and learn how to compensate for extreme shakiness in my hands. As of March 4th, IвЂ™m still thereвЂ¦hoping to move back to Baton Rouge in the next couple of weeks. I spent another two weeks in the hospital and was then sent to an apartment across the street from Ochsner, because I lived more than 50 miles from the hospital. Two weeks later, on December 16th, I received my heart transplant. I was moved to ICU and then on December 3rd I was listed. So sick, in fact, that the transplant team started working me up for an actual transplant. On November 13th, I was back in the hospital and incredibly ill. I was again in and out of the hospital after being shocked. My ICD was still active by necessity and refused to play nice with my LVAD.

After a lot of time, I was discharged in October. Surgery went well but there were some complications during recovery. On September 9th, we received the news that I had been approved for a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) and the surgery would occur the next day. I had the procedure on September 4th and was admitted to the hospital immediately upon completion! The surgeon told me the choice was either admit me for a pre-transplant work-up or send me home to die. But, they scheduled me for a right heart catheter the following week just to have baseline numbers for future comparison. My mama took me to my first appointment with the transplant team on August 28th, which ended with me being told I was not actually sick enough yet to warrant further care from them. Luckily, this institute is only 1.5 hours away from my home in Baton Rouge.

THE BIG SQUISH UPGRADE

In February 2019, it was decided that I needed an upgrade to the Cadillac of ICDs that included a pacemaker.Д«y August of last year, after being hospitalized repeatedly, my cardiologist sent me to the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute in New Orleans. My mind was eased (dripping sarcasm) when I got to the emergency room and was told by the doctor: todayвЂ™s technology is amazing вЂ“ if this had happened several years ago, IвЂ™d be having this discussion with you in the morgue!! During the next 18 months, my health continued to deteriorate and I was hospitalized multiple times after being shocked. I found out just how well the ICD worked in October 2017, when I passed out at work mid-stride and received a shock in the process. I was also put on a whole host of medications. In February 2017, I received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). Everyone commented on how young I was for such a diagnosisвЂ¦I was 47 at the time.

In November 2016, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) attributed to a virus. Any monies earned through this fundraiser will go to pay for medical bills, therapy, medications, and at-home-care. I am seeking any help I can find to alleviate some of the financial burden IвЂ™ve incurred as a result of a heart transplant.

The big squish