Today the First Mate has an angiogram/heart cath procedure that moves us one step further in the transplant process, and so I'm working from the hospital for at least part of the day. We're hoping that she has had no further occlusion than she did two years ago, when they saw about 50% narrowing of the cardiac arteries. If they do, they'll either perform an angioplasty or insert stents while she's on the table. That will mean an overnight stay; if she doesn't need any intervention, we'll head home this afternoon.

I'm logging into the Internet through the guest network that Fairview has thoughtfully provided for its patients. It works very well; even after I rebooted my laptop twice this morning, it didn't force me back through the login sequence. I may be very productive on the blog today as a result, or I might just catch up with my reading. The only downside thus far is that I have to listen to the music in the waiting room, and that meant enduring the Wham! monstrosity of a Christmas song, "Last Christmas". What the hell were we thinking in the 1980s?

I suppose I should also remind readers that voting begins today for the 2006 Weblog Awards. Be sure to vote for your favorites in every category, and don't forget to pick at least one new blog every day to read!

UPDATE: The doctor just informed me that the occlusion had gone to a point where a stent insertion became necessary -- between 80-90% at one point. Thankfully, it wasn't in a branch area, so the stent insertion should have no complications, and it should resolve the situation. We will be able to proceed with surgeries after four weeks, which is about what we had thought, anyway. During that period, she'll have to be on blood thinners that will preclude any kind of surgical procedures.

Unfortunately, that means that the FM will spend the night in the hospital, which she absolutely detests. I'm expecting that she will be in a rather foul mood for a while, but at least we have the issue under control. It could have been much worse, of course.

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