Week 25 ~ Good News for Tim's Heart

I almost didn't write a wrap-up this week. There doesn't seem like that much of interest for me to report, at least on the homeschool front. I also really didn't get any decent pictures to share. We are plugging along and made good progress this week in the assigned subjects. That is a relief.

The most important part of our week was getting Timothy (adult son) to the Congenital Heart Defect Clinic at Duke Medical Center. I am so glad we made the switch. It was like coming home to return to Duke. They just know what they are doing. They were so pleased that we had transferred Tim on our own instead of waiting for the local hospital to transfer him, since historically local hospitals usually wait until the heart is in such bad shape that there are less options for treatment. Instead, they felt that there was lots they could do for Timothy and that they would have him in better shape within 6 months to a year. He will be starting on one medication and eventually end up on a cocktail of cardiac medications which will help his heart. There is a host of possibilities on why he has entered the earliest stages of heart failure (which can be reversed), and they will be exploring what the cause is over the next few months. The most likely one is that he has had a pacemaker for 28 years and that has allowed his heart to get lazy. This happens to anyone who has a pacemaker for more than 15 years. However, he needs a pacemaker to live since he has been in full heart block since he was 6 months old. He may need a more advanced pacemaker in the coming year or so. I can deal with all of that. The trip is an exhausting one and will have to be done several times over the next year, but we are so blessed to have Duke. I am so grateful to live in a place and time that can keep my son with us.

The rest of the week was simply a balance of rest, out-of-the-home classes, schoolwork and housework. I am trying very hard to get my family rested and back on track after a long, hard winter.

Blessings, Dawn