Chris’s Story

Site created on December 26, 2018

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement.  Chris was admitted to Mountain Vista Medical Center hospital on Tuesday, December 18 for a heart attack. They did an angiogram that night, and determined his blockage on one side was 90% and on the other side was 50%. It was determined that open heart surgery, a bypass, was the best option for him. He had surgery scheduled for the following Friday. Surgery was canceled late Thursday night, because he came down with shingles. We had to wait for these sores to dry up before a new surgery date could be set. Once that cleared up, surgery was scheduled for Monday the 24th. We were literally in the holding room and they were taking his glasses off his face, when the doctor walked in and said the liver enzymes were too high and we had to cancel surgery again. The liver metabolizes the anesthesia,  we could potentially  be inducing hepatitis if we continued. It was determined that his cholesterol medicine, Lipitor, is what was increasing his liver enzymes. They have taken him off that medicine and are now watching his levels decline. I’m not certain what level we need to be at before they re-schedule the surgery. But that’s where were at right now, waiting. 

Newest Update

Feeling Good!

Journal entry by Julie Benjamin —

Slowly but surely!  Just thought I'd let everyone know that Chris released from the hospital for his diverticulitis on Tue 1/8. That seems to no longer be an issue at the moment. We know that once you have this you have it forever, just like his coronary artery disease.  We went to the cardiologist yesterday he said Chris is doing well! We'll see him again on the 16th for a Holter monitor (measures the heart activity) and then 2 weeks after that for a follow up.  Doctor said he'll be visiting with a cardiologist 2x a year for the rest of his life.  We're headed to his PCP today. But right now we're at the barber shop!!!  Gotta keep him feeling good and looking good right?!
Read More of the journal titled "Feeling Good!"
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