Long time, no see

Hi everyone:

I think this may be the longest stretch without a new blog entry, simply because there has been almost nothing worth sharing. For the most part, Patty is doing well. One day, she may be very tired and sleep for many hours at a time; on the next, you would be hard pressed to believe she has a heart condition at all. We have been enjoying Colin's visit, and are looking forward to Devin's arrival in a couple of weeks. Kelly and Connor are camping with Steve; PJ stayed back because he is doing makeup for a summer play at his school.

My friend Rocky recently left a message citing some interesting research into the repair of damaged hearts using a special treated patch. We had asked Patty's doctors about similar, innovative approaches in the past (for example, some success has been realized in letting a damaged heart "rest" using a special mesh sling); unfortunately, Patty's doctors have said that her heart is too damaged, and too much time has passed, for such approaches to work. I always find this surprising; I keep thinking, "If her heart is such a mess, then why is she functioning as well as she is?" This is a question we keep asking her doctors, too.

Please keep the ideas coming, though...perhaps one day we'll find an answer that will work for Patty. You can find information about the patch at MedicineNet.

Love,
Brian