A Small Escape, Not the Great Escape

We did escape for the weekend and had a great time with Kevin and Alisa down in Pahrump, Nevada, and also spent some time with Rog's brother, Dave and his wife, Connie. It was nice to go to warmer climes (in the 60's) with blue skies and the only snow was on top of distant mountains.

We came back on Tuesday, the 16th of February, and early in the morning (5:00 a.m.)Rog reported to the Timpanogas Hospital for what we think is the last test or procedure they will do this go round (other than monitoring medications). They did the electrical mapping of the heart, but couldn’t locate any arrhythmia, so no ablation procedures. The doctor said it was good to find his heart is all okay, but he probably would recommend that he stay on the medicines indefinitely. The doctors will make their recommendations in a report to the missionary committee so it’s a wait and see what the results there will be. We’re anxious to get going, so the wait is a challenge.

Doctors, doctors, doctors

I thought it was about time to post to let you know what is going on with us. We’re still in Provo and have finished almost all the testing. Rog had a brain MRI (he reported that he did have one, a brain that is) and a heart MRI which were both normal. They did discover some arrhythmia in one of the tests (wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours which records heart activity) which they are currently treating with a Beta blocker and that has fairly effectively controlled the arrhythmia. He also was prescribed some cholesterol lowering medication as since we’ve left the states and returned, the recommendations for LDL are a lot lower than was considered okay previously. He is scheduled for a catheter ablation procedure on the 17th. This procedure first maps the electrical system of the heart looking for trouble spots. When spots are discovered, they are then treated (ablated). If successful, this would mean no more medication and return to normal activities. Of course, you need to realize that Rog never did feel anything out of the ordinary concerning his heart.
The next step after the procedure will be to have all the doctor’s reports and recommendations submitted to the missionary committee. The decision will then be made to either return us to Armenia or assign us elsewhere.
After being so involved with the missionary work in Armenia, this period of “limbo” as I call it, has been one to try our patience or rather to teach us greater patience. It seems to take so long between appointments and tests, and we really aren’t in control. Hopefully, we’ll soon be on our way again and doing what the Lord has called us to do.
Inasmuch as it’s almost Valentine’s Day and a time to think about those you love and care about, we want to wish you a happy day. More later!