Pericarditis...

I realized a few days ago when I got a call from an old Friend that not ALL our friends know about Tory's health struggles. So I will write about it now. I'm sorry it has taken so long to post anything, but hopefully this will make up for some of it.

In the middle of October Tory got a bad cold, which turned into a sinus infection. He missed work a few days, went back a few days, and had to come home sick again. He just wasn't getting better, in fact he was getting worse. He was in bed what felt like "around the clock." I was worried, but some times it takes almost 2 weeks to get over being sick. 2 weeks came and left with no improvement. He went to an Express Care and got antibiotics for his sinus infection, but he was having chest pain. The Dr. didn't have any advice. It started dull but each day the pain just kept getting worse.

Friday night before Halloween after the kids were in bed, Tory and I were watching TV and his Chest pain was really bad. He went to lay down again and that did it, we had to rush to the emergency room. I called a friend from church who lives around the corner, to be with my kids and left without waiting for her to get there. With emergency hazards on I drove as safely and fast as I could to St. All's.

They got him in and treated him like a heart attack. (Nitroglycerin, ext.) The heart monitors were showing his heart was under stress like a heart attack, but that wasn't it. So to make a long story short; His sinus infection got into his heart. It caused inflammation in the sac-like lining around his heart which is called the pericardium: Pericarditis. (But that wasn't diagnosed until the next day.)

They admitted him into the hospital, monitored him over night, and the next day they did a surgery procedure to get a good look at his heart; they ran a scope up his arm from his wrist then down from his shoulder into his heart to make sure All the walls and chambers of his heart were ok, and they were. It took about an hour and a half. Chest x-rays, EKG or ECG tests, echo cardiograms... the Dr. was confident that it was either Pericarditis or Myocarditis. Myo- meaning the actual heart itself being inflamed not the lining around it. The treatment was the same no mater which condition it was.

So after just 24 hrs of anti-inflammatory medications he was already looking and feeling better than he had in weeks.

After a couple days in the hospital he came home. And again this story can get long but the short version is: He came home, his antibiotics ran out; he relapsed with the sinus infection which went straight to his fragile heart again and the week before Thanksgiving we were back in the emergency room. He didn't bounce back like he did the first time. His condition complicated because he wasn't done healing the first time. So now the Dr. believes he has both Pericarditis : the lining around the heart, and Myocarditis: the heart itself both inflamed.

He should be able to fully recover from this in 3-6 months. We are on month 4. The second round set him back a lot. He went on short term disability and was home from work almost 2 months. (financially we are fine for those who wonder). Tory went back to work after Christmas.

He is getting better, but it takes time to heal a muscle that is used 24/7. He was taking 2 medications but is now down to only 1. He still gets tired easy, and can't ski and hike this year, but is looking forward to easy nature walks, and camping when it warms up!

Thanks to all the friends and family and ward members for all the support, meals, and prayers in our behalf.