Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Awesome appointment!

Matt had his follow up appointment with his new cardiologist Dal-Bianco at MGH.  Matt's levels are all going in the right direction.  The inflammation marker (for his pericarditis) is trending down.  His red blood cell count was very low in the hospital (8.7) it should be around 14.5 - as of last week it was 11.8 so they are very happy with that improvement.  Although Matt is a long way away from being able to play sports, he did get an ok to start walking more briskly, slowly jogging and being able to exert himself more.  The doctor said for him to listen to his own body and judge it by how he is feeling. 
A lot of people ask if a bypass is needed - and the answer is no.  He's not a candidate for a bypass because the surgery would not make a difference in his blood flow.  His heart is functioning well ~ I don't know what this number means, however this is what we are told:  The cardiologists like to see it at 50....and Matt's is at 56.  If that makes any sense.
He will be able to start cardiac rehab after the new year.  His medications will remain the same for another month and he will be able to slowly wean off of a couple. 
I am extremely optimistic that he will make a full recovery and will be on the lacrosse field by next summer!  There is no keeping him down! 
THANK YOU all so very much for taking the time to read the blog, send us a positive email, text, note, card etc in the last 8 weeks.  It is so amazing how many people care and we are truly blessed by our friends and family.


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