We have received our "get out of jail" card (note I did not say, "get out of jail FREE" card
)
We are watiing until 3:00 for some lung function tests - but a kindly pulmonary doc that we have never seen before came in to tell us if they hadn't come to do the tests by 3:00 to ask the nurses to call about them, and if they weren't here to get him by 3:30, to go ahead and go on home and we can do the tests in the clinic next week. WHEW! It is rare that you get someone to be that coordinated and efficient. One time, we had to stay in the hospital on Christmas day because the discharge order was buried and no one saw it. GRRRR
So, this level of efficiency is surprising!!!
A really great thing about being evaluated for a transplant is that we get to transfer to the "heart failure clinic". At the clinic all the nurses are advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists) specializing in heart failure, and we can call 24/7 and a nurse will answer or call us back to talk with us. We'll see the same doctor, but will have expert nursing care and since I'm a nurse, I can tell you this is invaluable. This clinic is for persons with severe heart failure (which hubby does not have severe failure, yet) or those on the transplant list. It really good to get to go to this clinic - it will really help me since I function as his private advanced practice nurse (which i am, in reality, by the way - I'm a gerontological clinical nurse specialist) but I will have immediate assistance in evaluating symptoms and adjusting medications. The nurses in this clinic can prescribe and adjust his meds - so cool - don't have to wait forever on the doctors!!!
Well, I'm just babbling on, hubby is asleep and we are just waiting for the darned lung tests!!!