No improvements, stiff ventricle

Riley with Burton Belt (temporary name)

Despite getting another dose of Vasopressin, Riley’s blood pressure is still hovering in the upper 60s and low 70s. He is getting some FFP (fresh frozen plasma) now and like albumen, blood products that are protein-rich are supposed to draw fluid from his tissue into his vascular space and then into his kidneys in addition to raising blood pressure. It seems that the doses of this and that are short-lived. And unfortunately, Riley’s kidneys and liver suffered some damage during surgery and aren’t working too great just yet. He is have low urine output and is still quite puffy.

Also, doctors speculate that part of the reason his blood pressure is so low is because his ventricle is stiff from surgery, and as a result, it just isn’t working that well right now. It’s sort of like when you twist your ankle and it swells up and isn’t flexible. Same idea with the ventricle, it’s stiff from being so manhandled. As a result, he is expected to be on the ventilator until mid-week. His recovery is just going to take longer than expected because he did have a long and extremely complex operation.

He is answering questions by nodding slightly. Just now the nurse asked, “Is this position comfortable?” To which Riley shook his head ever so gently back and forth. She is now trying to help find something that makes him more comfortable.