In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas in memory of Lori Barta, 3710 Cedar Street, Austin TX 78705-1450 ...Read more
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas in memory of Lori Barta, 3710 Cedar Street, Austin TX 78705-1450
www.dsact.com
We appreciate your prayers, support and thoughtful actions toward the family of our unique, special Lori Michelle Tullos Barta.
Mon. 8/23/10, Visitation- 6-8 PM, Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX
Tues. 8/24/10, Memorial Services - 2:00 PM, Episcopal Church ...Read more
Mon. 8/23/10, Visitation- 6-8 PM, Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX
Tues. 8/24/10, Memorial Services - 2:00 PM, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 3201 Windsor Rd., Austin, TX. Reception following in Parish Hall.
The family will be meeting tomorrow to arrange a date for the funeral. We appreciate all your support and prayers and please know your thoughts are being felt. ...Read more
The family will be meeting tomorrow to arrange a date for the funeral. We appreciate all your support and prayers and please know your thoughts are being felt. The girls are with their daddy and we hope you will understand they need their time and privacy right now.
Adam went with Jennifer and Mike to get a drink. He\'s either in ICU getting a report, or out walking off the stress. The silence from this end is truly that ...Read more
Adam went with Jennifer and Mike to get a drink. He\'s either in ICU getting a report, or out walking off the stress. The silence from this end is truly that we do not know anything! Love Susan
I told Emma that Lori was very sick. She cried and said she wished Mommy never had the surgery. I said me too. Then she wanted to tell Sarah.
We cried for about ...Read more
I told Emma that Lori was very sick. She cried and said she wished Mommy never had the surgery. I said me too. Then she wanted to tell Sarah.
We cried for about 10 minutes. Then Sarah found a paper heart on the ground....Then we started talking about all the birds. Uncle Mark said that Emma and Sarah were sister eagles because they have great eyes and can look after other. Mommy would be a flamingo because she is so beautiful and maternal. I would be the wise owl. I liked the way the first talk went.
More Lori updates when I know some information.
Last night Emma was very anxious. She was clutching a picture of Lori and saying she did not know what her Mommy looked like after surgery.
So my brother and ...Read more
Last night Emma was very anxious. She was clutching a picture of Lori and saying she did not know what her Mommy looked like after surgery.
So my brother and father and I took Emma and Sarah up to Mount Bonnel. This is Lori\'s favorite spot in Austin. I told them stories of her studying there in law school.......con\'t
Lori has had ups and downs. DIC last night that threatened her life but she recovered. We are particularly concerned about her brain because her pupils don\'t ...Read more
Lori has had ups and downs. DIC last night that threatened her life but she recovered. We are particularly concerned about her brain because her pupils don\'t react to light and are very dilated, and she has no cough reflex. I am praying for God to help me keep hope.
We left for Seton Main Hospital around noon today. The facility is better suited to deal with the VAD and the multi organ failure.
Sister Gertrude spent arranged ...Read more
We left for Seton Main Hospital around noon today. The facility is better suited to deal with the VAD and the multi organ failure.
Sister Gertrude spent arranged to have the priest give the sacrament of the sick to help Lori heal. It brought back memories of 6 years ago when Lori and I watched as the baptized little Hannah the night before she had esophageal atresia surgery. I vividly remember the intense pain that only a mother and father can share when their child is seriously ill.
Now I am faced with having the most difficult conversation of my life. It is time for me to start preparing the girls. I plan to tell Emma tomorrow
that her Mommy is sicker than we first thought. I ask all of you to continue to pray that Lori can recover. Love Adam
Isn\'t it ironic. Lori said the one thing she was looking forward to with open heart surgery was weight loss. Well Lori has officially gains 37 PBS since Friday ...Read more
Isn\'t it ironic. Lori said the one thing she was looking forward to with open heart surgery was weight loss. Well Lori has officially gains 37 PBS since Friday morning!
Ofcourse with dialysis, mother nature and more time she will probably leave the hospital losing 10-15 lbs.
By organ systems: Heart showing a little more activity. Kidneys have failed for now. Acute liver failure which should be temporary. Lungs stable on ventilator. Brain in deep sleep. Feeding through tube will start today into small intestine to limit risk of vomitting.
Anticipate transfer to Seton Main Hospital tomorrow.
Love Adam.
505AM. Lori now has an urgent need for dialysis based on her last blood test. I just gave consent and they are coming in to put in the catheter and they should ...Read more
505AM. Lori now has an urgent need for dialysis based on her last blood test. I just gave consent and they are coming in to put in the catheter and they should start around 7AM. Adam
Lori needs dialysis. I am frustrated because the kidney doctor on call is trying stop gap measures until the morning. If the next round of blood tests is worse ...Read more
Lori needs dialysis. I am frustrated because the kidney doctor on call is trying stop gap measures until the morning. If the next round of blood tests is worse I am going to lose my temper. I told the nurses to warn the kidney doctor.
Otherwise things are steady as she goes. Many of you don\'t know that Lori almost died from an asthma attack in law school. I know because I saw the blood gas numbers from the ER records. She is going to pull through again.
Lori\'s bandages were just changed. I am the first to see the sternotomy scar that \'she could not live with for the next 40 years\'
My good friend Kyle says ...Read more
Lori\'s bandages were just changed. I am the first to see the sternotomy scar that \'she could not live with for the next 40 years\'
My good friend Kyle says his sternotomy scar makes him look tough. Well Lori you are tough; and you will live at least 40 more years with me and the scar.
Love Adam
Lori had a stable night. Her blood is starting to clot properly now so they can start heparin to hopefully keep the VAD (mechanical heart) from clogging up. ...Read more
Lori had a stable night. Her blood is starting to clot properly now so they can start heparin to hopefully keep the VAD (mechanical heart) from clogging up. Her kidneys continue to worsen. I think her color is better. So far she has received 34 units of blood!
I realize that I will need a live in nanny for 2-3 months. Kaly may be able to do it but if not does anyone know where our Mary Poppins is.
Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down. Love Adam.
The girls are all in bed. Emma is sleeping over with friends on lake Travis. Sarah demanded that aunt Erin sleep with her. Hannah easy as usual.
We just turned ...Read more
The girls are all in bed. Emma is sleeping over with friends on lake Travis. Sarah demanded that aunt Erin sleep with her. Hannah easy as usual.
We just turned Lori and cleaned her up. Her blood pressure is holding steady on the VAD. She has gone into acute renal failure. This is upsetting but I thought it would happen given how sick she is. I would bet on dialysis tomorrow. This should be transient.
Any visitors who have a nice picture of Lori? I would like to decorate her room tomorrow.
I plan to go sleep now. The next update in the morning God willing.
Love Adam.
545PM. Lori has stabilized for now. More fluid around heart and right lung may require another surgery tonight.
I just watched the afternoon echocardiogram. ...Read more
545PM. Lori has stabilized for now. More fluid around heart and right lung may require another surgery tonight.
I just watched the afternoon echocardiogram. This really helped me calm down. To me it looked like her beautiful heart is just sleeping. This is my inspiration for talking with Emma if she wants details. It is honest yet sensitive (I hope).
I am feeling more hopeful that it will start to wake up soon. I will also try to continue with my one finger typing updates.
Love Adam.
Lori is back in surgery to remove a clot around her heart so that the heart can resume beating. They will leave her open & put in a transparent shield so they ...Read more
Lori is back in surgery to remove a clot around her heart so that the heart can resume beating. They will leave her open & put in a transparent shield so they can go back in if needed. Prayers and good wishes are needed and very much appreciated.
530 AM They had to tale Lori back to surgery round 230 AM to stop bleeding and relook. Dr. Dewan came out with The first reassuring look in 12 hours! I can ...Read more
530 AM They had to tale Lori back to surgery round 230 AM to stop bleeding and relook. Dr. Dewan came out with The first reassuring look in 12 hours! I can feel the calm of hope returning.
The blood is starting to clot properly, lungs and kidneys seem okay. I will see her for the first time since this nightmare began in a few minutes.
Thank God for some good news. Love Adam.
Susan (Nana) writing: I\'m home now, with the girls innocently sleeping upstairs, and the dogs sleeping around me, snoring and not barking!
I left just after ...Read more
Susan (Nana) writing: I\'m home now, with the girls innocently sleeping upstairs, and the dogs sleeping around me, snoring and not barking!
I left just after 12:00 AM, with Adam and a few of his \"Tulli\" family, Jerry (Pa), cousin Cyndi, Aunt Margaret and Bryant, Aunt Elnora and Gary, and family friend Loretta Black due to arrive any second. (Plus, Mike and Erin\'s arrival by 2:00 or 3:00 AM.)
At approx. 11:45 PM, the surgeon stepped out to tell us Lori was in ICU and that there were certain factors (bp/blood/chems/coagulants) that were fluctuating. (My layman\'s memory of what said.) He and others of her team will remain with Lori until they have a level of satisfaction (stabilization?) so they would be with her awhile longer.
Lori was in surgery for 12 hours. She has her youth and healthy heart condition, including the now repaired \'leaky valve\'. Susan
10:00 PM The surgeon spoke to Adam. The VAD is in place and they are preparing to move her to ICU. The surgeon thinks the cold liquid used to slow her heart ...Read more
10:00 PM The surgeon spoke to Adam. The VAD is in place and they are preparing to move her to ICU. The surgeon thinks the cold liquid used to slow her heart might have stunned her heart. He thinks up to two days on the device will give her healthy heart a chance to recover.
Lori will have a tube into her lungs for the next couple of days as well.
This is the best news we\'ve had so far. Adam will stay here tonight. Lori\'s brother Mike and wife just crossed the Red River coming from Bartlesville OK. Six friends/coworkers and 7 Tullos family with 5 more on the way have filled this waiting area. This hospital has only two floors. Small, intimate and convenient to the House. A little sense of relief, thank God. Susan
715PM. They still can\'t get Lori off bypass. She will now need an open sternotomy to put in a ventricular assist device to keep her alive. The surgeon hopes ...Read more
715PM. They still can\'t get Lori off bypass. She will now need an open sternotomy to put in a ventricular assist device to keep her alive. The surgeon hopes the heart will recover over the next several days.
Adam
2:50 PM - Adam has five family/friends (Jerry, Sondra, Cyndi, Jennifer and me) helping to pass the time. The nurse called down an hour ago that everything was ...Read more
2:50 PM - Adam has five family/friends (Jerry, Sondra, Cyndi, Jennifer and me) helping to pass the time. The nurse called down an hour ago that everything was going just fine, though Lori was still on bypass. Surgery started earlier, at 11:20.
Well surgery started at 1120AM. I just was told they are on bypass and all is well. It is 1257PM and I do not feel well. The thought of Lori\'s heart not beating ...Read more
Well surgery started at 1120AM. I just was told they are on bypass and all is well. It is 1257PM and I do not feel well. The thought of Lori\'s heart not beating is really bothering me more than I anticipated. The waiting is hard. I think I have to pace the halls a bit. Adam
Dr. Joanna Chikwe is a world-renowned cardiac surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques.
