Cody Katen Update - Chapter 2

Christmas morning 2004 Cody was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Seattle after his implanted defibrillator went off multiple times and his heart stopped at least once. See Cody Katen Update - Chapter 1 for the details of the story of faith and recovery.

Chapter 2 begins on 5/4/2005 when Cody's name is put on "the list" of those awaiting a heart transplant.

Updates on his condition will be posted to this page as they become available with the most recent updates toward the top. The time listed is when status was provided, not the time of posting.

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5/21/2005 12:30 PM

Cody is doing very well. He was able to leave the hospital Friday evening and the family is staying at the house on Beacon Hill through Monday. Cody is taking approx. 33 meds/day! They are all adjusting to the medication schedule and following doctors orders about avoiding crowds.

Mrs. Amack flew home to Texas this morning.

Please pray for Cody's continued healing, for his new heart and for the medication schedule and doses to become a smooth transition.
 

5/18/2005 10:00 PM

Cody is doing fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is now free of his last remaining IV port so all medications are given orally. He is doing very well with the reduction in fluid retention. He, along with Jason and Amy, are taking classes these next few days to get ready for life away from the hospital. There have not been any signs of rejection or infection. Praise the Lord!

The doctors are still saying he will be going home (to the temporary Beacon Hill house) on Friday!

The area that appeared hard on his heart (from the echocardiogram) has not continued to be a problem. Praise the Lord! Cody says "I can feel a slight difference in my new heart; it doesn't race at all."

Breanna is feeling better! She had a brief hello with Cody along with Lacy, his medical service dog (Cody wore a mask).

Please continue to pray for the health of all the Katens. Pray for the acceptance of his new heart and for the memorization of all his meds and their schedules and doses.
 

5/16/2005 9:30 PM

Tonight's update is brought to you straight from Cody himself: "Praise the Lord for the heart transplant! Pray for Breanna (Cody's 1 year old sister) as she is not doing so well. I have to learn all my medications and their schedules. It is really important. They sent physical therapy up here and had me walk up a few stairs and after 5 min. here they wanted to know why they were sent up to see me."

Cody's blood pressure has dropped into normal range. Praise The Lord! Cody continues to do so well. Praise the Lord for His mercy and goodness!
 

5/16/2005 1:30 PM

Cody is experiencing marked high blood pressure, 180/116. Please pray for this condition and for the doctors wisdom in medication selection. He has been successfully moved out of ICU.

Please pray for Amy today and her ability to process all the information and to cast all cares and anxieties on the Lord.

Pray for continued strength and endurance for the Katens as week two begins. Pray for good sleep for all of them.

Praise the Lord for His mighty works, and great love displayed. May He be glorified as the testimony of His love continues to grow!
 

5/16/2005 11:00 AM

Cody is doing very well! The chest tube removal went very well. He is taking all his meds orally so all IVs have been removed with one IV port remaining. He is being moved out of ICU to a private room this afternoon and the doctors are still considering Friday as a possible day for going home.

Please continue to pray for the acceptance of the new heart. Some time in the near to somewhat distant future his body and heart will "introduce" themselves to each other, and this is the point where some kind of rejection reaction will occur. Please pray that all will continue to go smoothly. There still is a great risk to Cody catching something and this risk will continue for quite some time. Please consider this risk and continue to pray.

Family news: Jason's parents are traveling back to Nebraska. Please pray for safe travel. Penny Amack is staying and taking care of Breanna who is still not feeling well. Please pray for the health of the family.

Jason and Amy are doing well. Today, they begin class to familiarize and memorize all of Cody's medications and dosing/schedules.

Jason would like to make known a prayer request for a family they have met in ICU. A family of 4 whose son Dez suffered a severe bicycle accident. Dez is 10-years-old and with no coincidence his accident occurred in front of a neurosurgeon's and paramedic's house. He is still intubated after 2 weeks with a secondary lung condition from the initial head injury. He was wearing a helmet. Please pray for Dez and his family.
 

5/15/2005 10:00 AM

Cody is doing very well, according to his surgeons. He still has some fluid retention but he is getting the chest tubes out this morning. This next week is one of the more critical weeks for rejection. Jason and Amy start classes tomorrow to learn about his many medications, their dosages and schedules among other critical things important for going home.

Breanna is sick and being well cared for by Grandma Penny. Gary Amack has left for home and Mr. and Mrs. Dale Katen leave tomorrow. They will be driving their motor home back to Nebraska.

Please pray for the reduction in fluid retention, and that rejection will not occur. Please pray for Breanna’s health and the health of the entire family. Please pray for the ability of Jason and Amy to retain and memorize Cody’s various medications and their doses and schedules.

Cody tentatively is scheduled to go home Friday, May 20.

 

5/14/2005 11:00 AM

Cody is still having stomach and bowel cramping. He is still having fluid retention and they would like to have him drinking more water so that his body will naturally reduce the fluids, but just drinking water causes cramping. If the fluid retention starts to go down he can have another chest tube removed (drain) so that is a big goal right now.

Cody was able to leave his ICU room and walk around ICU twice along with his 4 IVs and other wires, but it was a huge lift to him. He is now down to 4 IVs from six! He will be having his external pacemaker removed today. There is a slight chance of being moved out of ICU tomorrow.

Please continue to pray that his body will begin to function without the cramping and that the fluid retention will go down.

Please pray that he will not catch any infection as his immune system is suppressed.

 

5/13/2005 11:03 AM

Cody had an okay night. He is experiencing some stomach cramping and fluid retention; please pray for these conditions to end. He would like to eat but the cramping makes it difficult. They are going to stop some of the IV drugs and start administering them orally today. They will also be starting an anti-rejection drug today. Please pray for the choices of medication and for wisdom for the medical team.

 

Jason's parents and brother Jarell arrived last night.

 

Please pray for the health of all the Katens.

 

5/12/2005 1:00 PM

The doctors are going to keep Cody in ICU through the weekend.  He is doing very well with the decreasing morphine, and is currently sleeping but has been awake and watching some TV.  They did remove his chest drain tubes so a few less tubes!They also removed 2 wires leading into his chest. Please continue to pray that Cody not catch anything as his immune system is basically gone now.  Please continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors as they make the decisions on the many medications Cody will be taking.  Cody has started huge doses of Prednisone.  Jason's parents arrive today from Nebraska.  Jason's words are how he has been amazed at God's grace upon grace, things are going so well.

 

5/12/2005 9:00 AM

Cody has gotten out of bed and sat in a chair for a little bit but then was exhausted and went back to sleep. Doctors are starting to take him off pain medication slowly and have already started to take him off other medications. He will remain in ICU today but might get out tomorrow. According to one of the lead surgeons that did the procedure everything is going "perfect".
 

5/11/2005 1:30 PM

Cody has had the breathing tube removed and is resting.  He will have another echocardiogram tomorrow that will reveal more about how the hard area of the heart is doing.  His lactic acid level rose last night and then started to fall and has leveled off at 1. Normal is 1 - 2.   Cody is currently sleeping.  The family is doing well.  Please pray for continued healing of the new heart.

 

5/11/2005 6:38 AM

Praise the Lord!  Cody's lactic acid level has come down to 1.  It did continue to rise last night and then started to decline.  He did not have to have the pump procedure done.  Cody still has the breathing tube in and it will come out when they feel he is a bit more stable.  There is a chamber of his heart that appears somewhat hard on echocardiogram.  Please pray that it will heal.

 

5/10/2005 10:11 PM

Cody's lactic acid level is continuing to climb up.  The lactic acid (muscle enzyme) is a response to the surgical removal of the donor heart and the transplant. Cody's lactic acid level is 4.6. If it climbs to 6 the doctors will be installing a pump to help the new heart squeeze harder. Please pray this is a procedure Cody will not have to undergo and that the lactic acid level will drop. The breathing tube is still in and is very uncomfortable for Cody.  Please pray for endurance.  Please pray for endurance for the night for the Katens. 

 

5/10/2005 8:03 PM

Cody's vital signs are all good. His heart rate is 100 which is also good. Prayer is requested concerning his elevated lactic acid level. This is one of the normal post-op reactions. This needs to come down before the surgeons will recommend removing Cody's breathing tube.

 

5/10/2005 3:15 PM

Six hours after surgery, Cody opened his eyes and requested that his breathing tube be removed. The answer was most likely not for another six hours.  He requested a pencil and paper and wrote a note thanking the doctors and nurses for his new heart.  His new heart is beating and keeping a steady rhythm at about 100 beats per minute without the pace maker pacing.  Yes, there is a very temporary external pace maker for now.
 
Cody's surgeons are thrilled with the surgery calling it a "piece of cake" and a "chip shot."  They have commented that the new heart is a "great heart."
 
Jason and Amy saw Cody after surgery but have not seen him again today.  Jason has seen him from afar.  The nurses have said that sometimes the patients think they can get the parents to help get the breathing tube out and etc. So they have stayed away so Cody stays calm.  Cody has gone back to sleep and is doing very well.
 
Jason was able to get a few hours of sleep in the hospital and Amy and the girls did get some sleep today at the Beacon Hill house.
 
They are eager to see Cody.  They are filled with praise for God's amazing grace! 
 
They are so thankful to all from TCC who have helped them in so many ways. They are so thankful for their family of believers.

 

5/10/2005 6:32 AM

The transplant was a huge success!  The hardest part of the surgery for the surgeons was removing the implanted defibrillator.  Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy! 
 
Cody is doing well, but he will be sleeping for the next couple of days. They will now be completely suppressing his immune system. It is important that he does not come into contact with viruses or bacteria during this time. Only parents and grandparents will be allowed to see Cody.
 
The Katens will be needing all the rest they can get today.

 

5/9/2005 11:45 PM

The heart has still not arrived but is on the way.  Cody is to be prepped for surgery at 12:00a.m. and the transplant should take place about 1:00a.m.
 
The Katens are still in good spirits but the wait has been exhausting.  They are well encouraged knowing God's timing is always perfect.

 

5/9/2005 9:30 PM

Cody is still in his room. He'll probably go to prep for surgery within an hour. The donor heart is still on it's way to Seattle. The transplant surgery will start about midnight and be done at about 2:30 to 3:00 AM. After surgery Cody will probably sleep for about 2 days in ICU. He will be allowed no non-family visitors during that time. He will be on immunosuppressant drugs and will be very vulnerable during that time.  The Katen family are all doing well. Cody, Jason, and Amy are all in good spirits.  Amy's parents are arriving tonight. Jason's parents arrive Thursday. The Katen's will be staying in a home on Beacon Hill for about 2 weeks. The house has been well stocked, cleaned, and beds are ready when needed. They have clothing with them for the 2 week stay.

 

5/9/2005 2:53 PM

Cody has not gone into the operating room yet. Probably not until 7 or 8 tonight.

 

5/9/2005

This morning the Katen's got a call from Children's Hospital that they have a heart for Cody on route. Things are on track for a transplant to be done today.

 

5/4/2005

The results of Cody's tests are in and his name is put on the transplant recipient list. It could be a 48 hour or many month wait. Cody and the rest of the Katen's must be ready at all times and prepared to move quickly.