…can now survive outside the human body. Of course, this doesn’t solve the problem of where to get the hearts. We need to be able to grow them.
Faster, please.
5 thoughts on “Hearts”
Comments are closed.
…can now survive outside the human body. Of course, this doesn’t solve the problem of where to get the hearts. We need to be able to grow them.
Faster, please.
Comments are closed.
That kills the market for suborbital point-to-point organ transport, which many (myself included) figured would be a game-changer. Where to get them? North Korea, of course, where there are camps just chock full of prospective donors!
They can have mine… it isn’t worth much. I’ve been to the ER twice this week. Went to visit my doctor today and he immediately called the ambulance for the third time.I told him I’m not leaving w/o a solution. Part of that solution should arrive tomorrow.
I wonder how much a new heart would cost (w/ installation?)
Ken, sorry to hear about that. I had a bout of atrial fibrillation earlier this year, requiring shocking me back into normal sinus rhythm. Now I’m on blood thinners. My heart and arteries are actually in great shape – it was an artifact from an extreme case of the flu. But it was really, really debilitating.
I read an article last year about a young Latin American man who had an assistant artificial heart installed to take the load off of his own heart while awaiting a transplant. He disappeared upon discharged from the hospital, and apparently went back to his home country. A couple of years later, he was admitted to the emergency room in the same hospital from which he had absconded, with an unrelated injury. The record search instantly identified him, and doctors immediately examined him for cardiac issues. Turns out, the mechanical assist pump had run out of power some time before, but his own heart had regained full strength. So there is some hope for healing a heart by taking some load off, without the cost and risk of a full transplant.
I wish you well.
I’ve had some of the same reasoning. Biology can self repair and our understanding is quite limited. Taking oxygen for example: One technician told me his experience was that people on O2 slowly lose the ability to function without it… so I’ve not fully been following doctor’s advice. I only use it to sleep or during the day when I feel the need. It gets real low when I sleep and I want to avoid that.
I drove to Phoenix (about 200 miles) w/o oxygen a few months back, but will not be doing that again. I was totally wiped out by the time I got back. I’m pretty sure I was unconscious for some of that trip (the brain doesn’t make good decisions when deprived of oxygen!)
It’s been a roller coaster. Some days I have a lot of strength. Other days, I’ll sit in one position for hours, thinking about putting my socks on.
Latest news, the new oxygen company my doctor got me with will get me a POC (portable oxygen concentrator) but I have to wait for somebody to die (estimated in about 3 months on average.) They cost about $5000 if I just bought one (which I don’t have.)