You've gotta have heart, all you really need is heart

I learned that my new heart was showing the first signs of rejection this week but all is not lost. Not by a longshot.  These things happen and more frequently than not are a new heart speed bump.

I traveled Monday last to the U of MN for what I thought was a routine biopsy of the new heart.  There have been about 10 of those biopsies through the right Jugular vein so far and each was negative for rejection.  

That changed Monday afternoon when my transplant coordinator called as I traveled back to Fargo (actually more than halfway home). After a minute's hesitation, I returned to Minneapolis.

It developed that my new heart was being attacked by my body's immune system but it apparently wasn't something to be too concerned about, because the cardio team caught it early.  The counter attack by the docs involves a three day course of heavier doses of anti-rejection drugs and close monitoring of vital signs.  So I'm back in the U of MN hospital for observation and care.

Looks like a week long stay.

The strains of "Heart" from the musical Damn Yankees have been running around in my head: 

You've gotta have heart 
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin' you'll never win
That's when the grin should start
You've gotta have hope
Mustn't sit around and mope,
Nothin's half as bad as it may appear
Wait'll next year and hope
When your luck is battin' zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any for, there's nothin' to it but to do it
You've gotta have heart
Miles 'n miles n' miles of heart
Oh, it's fine to be a genius of course 
But keep that old horse
Before the cart
First you've gotta have heart

I particularly like the line "when the odds are sayin' you'll never win/ that's when the grin should start..."

Grinning is good.