Almost 100%!

Wow-Its been a long time since I wrote!! I have hit the ground running! I went back to Dr. Murphy the Monday after Thanksgiving. I felt great! It was my first day of driving, so I really felt good. He basically gave me a high 5 and said he will never see me again-we hope!! Unless it is just to say hi! He said I am healing better than anyone he has seen so far and wants to put my photo in his brochure....my 15 minutes of fame in a daVinci brochure-and not even my face or name! It has been 5 weeks and I feel great. It is really life as normal for the most part. I am still sore and do get tired easy still. I am still having migranes, but every week they seem to come a day later. Right now they are a week apart. Dr. Murphy really thinks it is from the anesthesia and when it gets out of my system-these will end....I hope!! Although-I have become so used to them, I just take my pill as soon as i see that blurred vision and go about my day. No rest for the weary!! I rode the bike yesterday for 20 minutes and could have done more but Hunter was in the tub wanting to get out!! I took the dog and the boys for a walk for the first time this week too! Without problem!! My right arm is still pretty week. The "stab wounds" sill hurt and I still cannot wear a bra...i am starting to like that though-dressing can sill be a challenge...I am pretty much able to do anything! I almost forget that i had this surgery until I bump something or I get a migrane. I don't really notice any huge difference except I can take the deepest breathes!! I still get dizzy if I reach down to pick something up-which unfortunately is every few minutes with 2 boys and a dog...but that is getting better! I decorated almost fully for Christmas, did cards and shopping!! WOW! What a blessing I have had. I really cant wait to do my first cycle class and run...I am so blessed. Even with all the doom and gloom of the economy...I am on a little "high". It all seems so surreal to me now...I am so blessed with family and friends... I realize now how many angels surround me. I love my family-my husband is THE best! And my boys are just little gifts from God. My entire family, my Mom, Mom in law, Dad, Dad-in law, bros-sis's in law-just every one!! And my friends...I have realized that most of my angels are in the form of friends. I cannot even express how grateful I am for dear friends-they were there when i woke up. My girlfriends are my sisters and i have learned so much from them! This Christmas, i have received the best gift of all...a new valve, a new lease on life and a new realization of what faith is!

The mending of my broken heart..

Well, I went to my post op appt. on Monday. It went great! He told me again how well the surgery went and that they actually found a hole in my heart while they were in there and fixed that as well. I really may take up running. I could be a marathoner and never knew it! They took out my stitches and I was approved to finally take a "real" shower-hurrah! He also told me I was able to do anything I felt like! Except drive....because I am still on a narcotic. He said he will see me in two weeks to listen one more time to my fabulous ticker and high five me on the way out. Pretty impressive! All I have to watch for between now and then is a fluttering heart beat-I would have to take meds, or a pain in my chest when I breathe in-that could be a blood clot in the lung, but these would be very rare. Tomorrow will be my 10 day anniversary of my surgery. I am still kinda weak from the anesthesia, but I have not posted in 3 days because I have had the WORST migraines the last three days. Could not do anything but lay in the bed. Dr. Murphy did say that sometimes cardiac surgery can trigger migraines. When I called him after my third he said that 3 was weird, but he told me to double up on my pain meds if it happened again. It did not happen today!! I was able to go and see Cole's Thanksgiving skit at school today too for my first day out! He was an awesome Indian-so glad I got to see him. Especially after he told me this morning that he wanted to be class clown...at least he is working toward something. He definitely gets that from Michael-which is one of the reasons I married him. I was soo grateful to be able to see him, bascially just to be alive and lucky enough to be able to breathe! I keep taking these deep breaths because I can. It is amazing! God is good! I did see my stab wounds. There are (5) 2-3 inchers going from under my arm pit around my breast. They don't even hurt. Sometimes if I lay down fast, my lungs cramp still, but my heart feels great! My wounds dont even hurt except my groin. They appropriately called that wound sight the roll of dimes. I found out why today...the scar feels like that. Now that I have caused total heebie jeebies-yikes ! Hope that goes away! I do have to say that I am so incredibly grateful. I am so lucky to have been able to have this surgery and be close to perfect in the heart department now. I can't help but think of the women I just walked 60 miles for and how hard it would be to have a masectomy and not be "cured" and still feel like there are a million miles ahead of you. Or if it were 3 years ago and I had to get the full monty heart surgery and have a fake valve and have to take meds and click for the rest of my life. I think I have found my faith again-not that it was lost-but any doubts I ever had are thrown to the wind. I am so grateful for all the people who have been here and the hospital helping me and my family with everything, all the dinners, visits, cards, playdates for Cole and Hunter, notes on FB, calls, phew-people need people and I have definitely been blessed by some of the best in my life!

Home!!

I am home-thank the Lord! I can't believe it! I actually came home yesterday-a day early! I think they like to boot people out as quick as possible-little did they know they were sending me to little less than the Barnum and Bailey Circus!! I have not mentioned how amazing Mom has been during this whole thing. She has stayed here since Tuesday and had the place spotless, the kids as normal as possible, with lots of help from Mimi and really great friends-they barely missed a beat. The sight of them literally brought me to tears! The fridge was full and my bed was AWESOME!! It was just very hard to come home and sit and not be able to do a thing about the melting children, heating up dinner and the puppy....who has chewed everything and managed to revert back to before potty training days. She let me know how mad she was at me and escaped from her crate twice last night into my bed---yikes--not so good with stitches!! SO-after a negotiation...Michael wanted to send her to "camp" never to return again and I found Man's Best Friend..which she is going to tomorrow for two weeks of "training camp". Merry Christmas to me...ah Home Sweet Home. So good to be here. I feel good for the most part! I was finally able to kneel in the shower and wash my hair-I still can't shower fully. They took out all my tubes and IV's I have 5 wounds in my right side and one in my neck. I have not seen these-I would faint-Michael said they are about 2" long each. The one at my groin where the heart lung machine went into is the most painful now and about 3-4"long. My lung still feel a little uninflated and it still hurts to cough-only can with a pillow holding in my lungs. My fever is down-finally-amazing what a little blood transfusion will do for you. BP is still hovering around 100/50, which is better than the better than the walking dead of 74/30...So I am getting better. I realized stairs are not my friend right now and it is gonna be a long 2-3 weeks, but I know the end result is just amazing...I see the dotted line they drew before the surgery down the center of my chest "just in case" something went wrong and cannot believe how far things have come and how lucky I am to have made the cut. If I have learned one thing....Take care of your heart-it ain't worth risking what you could have to endure-not that I had a choice, but a lot of those people did I am sure!! I go back to Dr. Marvy on Monday so I am sure, hopefully I will get a great report. I am soo happy to be home with my babies...all of them-yes even the dog!

Feeling pretty good-First post surgery post!

Its me! I finally feel a little normal and decided to check up on my posts! Michael has done pretty well! I am feeling much better tonight. This am Dr. Murphy said he was sending me home this afternoon possibly, but after a blood test showed low hemoglobin, a fever of 100.7 and BP of 74 over 30, I had a blood tranfusion, so I am here another night. I haven't seen the Dr. this evening yet, but I think he might send me home tomorrow. I wish he was sending me to the Ritz, but that is not gonna happen! The surgery was of couse-not very memorable to me. I just remember waking up in ICU and seeing Michael. after the tube was removed, I was able to see Michael, Joyce, Steve, Greg and Ash, Coleen and Jennifer, and my Daddy! So great to see them after such a crazy day!! I was up all night in ICU-the beeping and talking and my severe thirst were awful!! The nurses really should not flaunt their Diet Cokes in the faces of thirsty patients. The next day, I was released to a room-thank goodness! Only, I had to trade in my Morifine to other pain pills which of course, I became allergic too. They gave me Benedryl and I slept for 7 hours waking to major pain. Now I have been introduced to Tylenol 3, my new best friend. I have walked around the nurse station 6 times and am in desparate need for a shower! So much for my new PJs I got-didnt know I needed a heart monitor pocket in the front. On the best note-I had an EEG today and was able to see my "new" valve-it is absolutely perfect with no leaking!!! I may take up running...but maybe not. I did see my regular cardiologist yesterday and she walked the 3 day too! She already signed up for next year-so maybe the tatas can have a new member. Michael just went to get me pizza. I am gonna miss his spoiling after next week. He has been awesome. Thanks for all the well wishes, phone calls, visits and prayers. I am overwhelmed with everyone's gestures. My family really appreciates it-as do I! Hopefully, tomorrow I will be seeing my boys-who I have been told are having the time of their lives with all the fun playdates. They might just wish Mama went for Heart surgery everyday. Getting tired but will post more soon....

thursday am

a little rough on wednesday in terms of pain but she had a good night wed and feels better this morning . they are talking about possibly releasing her as soon as tonite or tommorow. recovery could be long road but they say her heart sounds great which is the whole point.

Suz cant wait to take a shower. She is walking well around the nurses station but feels weak after a couple of laps.

Wed morning

I saw suz @ 7:30 am and she is doing great. The surgeon came in to check her heart w/ a stethocsope and said it was "perferct". Now she gets the numerous ivs in her arms and neck! out. We hope to move to a room late morning. Things could not be better. THanks to all for prayers and support.

10:00 pm update

much better. the effects of all the meds have worn off and things are improving rapidly. Breathing tubes have been removed and Suz has the normal complaints of thirst and pain in iv and stab wound areas . In no time she can set to work on becoming an old age burden on her children.
Suz is still in icu recovery and will be moved to an icu room tomorrow early in the morning. She has regained her personality and is able to sit in a chair for a while despite all the attachments. Most importantly she is very glad to have gone through w/ the procedure which says a lot for the first day of recovery. After a long day in the hospital some advice to all....... dont ever get old. Jennifer , Coleen , Stephen and Dr Cox and I had a nice wing/beer break between ICU visting hours.

Goodnight and god bless

i have seen suz

2:00 pm on Tuesday and I was able to see suz from 1:30 - 2:00. She is slipping in and out of consciousness. The nurse says the breathing tubes will come out soon (20-30 minutes from now) as she is beginning to breathe well on her own. She is responding to my voice and I think showed some improvement in our 1/2 hour together. 5:30 is the next visiting hour. I think the awful tubes willl be gone by then.
I have to say how sad it is to see her open her eyes and point to the stab wounds and the tubes . Luckily though she drifts right back to sleep.
5:30 post will be much better. We love you suz

post surgery

Great news! . No surprises and everything went well as planned. There was relief in the wating room as Ashley greg bill coleen, joyce and i had been waiting quite a while with no updates. Suz should be ready to receive some vistiors by 1:00 today . We will update this w/ her conditon soon.

Thanks for the numerous words of encouragement! Suz has many wonderful friends.

See you soon!

The Night Before Surgery

So, it's Monday night and I have a date with Dr. Marvelous, aka Dr. Murphy at 5:30 am. I just showered with the betadine for the second time and will again at 4 am before we leave for the hospital. I am super tired and ready to go to bed. I can't think about tomorrow too much, or I might run! I am pretty numb and not too worried, which I guess is a good thing. I think I have hit exhaustion...Michael will be posting after this and tomorrow. I think we all feel good today about the surgery. I am ready for this to be over! I am so appreciative of all the well wishes, prayers, offers to help with my boys especially. I realize how much I am blessed. I thank God tonight for my family and friends. I am sooo blessed. Nite for now!

Just a middle of the night wake up-4 days and counting

It's Saturday morning about 4:40 and I am pretty awake. I have been doing this-jolting out of bed with a thousand things on my list to do for the day. I keep forgetting I need to have everything in place, organized for me, my business, most of all my kids, and Michael. Make sure all the bills are paid, make sure all my clients are taken care of. I cannot believe how many people I have to call 5 million times to get one thing completed!! I have been a little irritable too, so if you need anyone roughed up-give me their number or email-I am not taking much these days...That is the beginning of another blog-but it made me think of one thing that everyone has been asking me....how do I feel. That is funny because, actually, I feel great! I run up the stairs 500 times a day. I lift a 36 pounder on my hip half the day in and out of a car seat. I even hold Cole still sometimes. I run after our new pup and I just walked 60 miles without issue. That is one thing Michael asked Dr. Murphy He said, "Doc, she just walked 60 miles, do you really think we need to do this?" He explained like this and maybe it will help to understand that now I am OK. When you have a valve defect, your heart is working extra hard. It will over time gradually get worse until your heart enlarges, they valve begins to harden and becomes diseased. Mine has not even begun to harden. At this point, it is just working really hard and the floppy leaflets on the valve are starting to stretch so much they are regurgitating blood back into the heart-instead of pushing it on through like it should. Deterioration does not gradually bit by bit get worse, it can go along steady and then significantly get worse in one day. We don't want that to happen, so this is going to fix the problem before major problems set in. So, right now-that is what is causing my shortness of breath, but really-I feel great and don't really notice anything-I have nothing to compare it to really! For this, I am blessed to have the opportunity to get this done before the major complications start. The anticipation is really the worst part.

By the way-you may have noticed the new commercials for daVinci surgery now at Wellstar and Kennestone for hysterectomies and prostate cancer. Everybody is doing it!

Day of Pre-op

OK-so I went to my pre-op today. They took blood, did an EKG, met with the anesthesiologist, and a chest xray. And, I met with my surgeon, Dr. Murphy. I feel a lot better-he made it sound like a piece of cake. I get there at 5:30, surgery is at 7:30, but they put me to sleep and basically for about 5-7 hours I will be out-which is great for me. They will put a camera down my throat first to see exactly what they are dealing with. This is a TEE, transechocardiagram. I have had one before and believe me, I am VERY glad I will be asleep! I wasn't the first time. I will have a tube in each side of my groin-one for the heart/lung machine and one for some kind of balloon they put in my chest. Also-2 IVs in my neck. All of this sort of makes me want to faint, because I am kinda fainty like that, but thank goodness I will be asleep! Michael will have to change my bandaids later! I am so glad I picked up some Mederma today. ughhh...They will put about 5 stab wounds in my right side through my ribs, collapse my lung, and the robotic little arms as well as a camera go into my chest and basically sew up the two failed leaflets on the top of my valve that are damaged from another side of the operating room-like a video game. How cool is that?? Michael asked if he could watch. Unfortunately, he basically said no. Guess they don't want to risk any fainters in the OR. If for some reason there is a problem, they will crack open my chest and replace my valve with a mechanical one. I really don't want that, so I am really praying for no problems!! After about 5 hours, I will be in ICU with a tube in my throat which will be removed when I can breath on my own. ICU will be 24-72 hours-more on the 24 side hopefully! Then in the room for about 4-5 days he thinks-could be less could be more. I am trying to find my spiritual self in all of this. Most of all I pray for my babies through all of this. I have to wash myself the day before and the day of surgery with these iodine sponges that will turn my skin orange. I was showing Cole because I thought he would think it is cool that my skin would be died orange. Instead he said, "I don't want you to die Mama". We had to explain what "die" meant-like orange die. Hopefully, they will barely notice I am gone-I am sure with Daddy around so much-they will be totally preoccupied. They probably will not miss a beat, much less me but I am hating leaving them for so long-now if it were to go to the Bahamas-that would be a totally different story. Michael just pointed out that Dr. Murphy looks just like Michael on The Office only with longer hair....he does! I hope he is not as goofy-or maybe I do-then it will be more fun and my blog will be more interesting! Until next time...

About Me and My daVinci Surgery

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

I have never written a blog before or read one, but figured I would write one now to document this crazy time in my life. On November 11, 2008, I am having the daVinci Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery to repair my mitral valve. Let me back up by giving the long boring details leading up to this. When I was about 12, I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse. This is actually a pretty common syndrome. A lot of people have it. My Mother and Grandmother have/had it. I also have a handful of friends who have it too. My only requirement was that I had to take antibiotcs before any dental procedure to prevent bacteria from getting into my blood stream, causing Endocarditis, an infection of the mitral valve. Well, when I was 26, I became VERY sick with flu like symptoms. I was convinced I had a rare disease, but Dad took blood and with his suspicions, sent me to an internal Med Doctor who confirmed what Dad thought-yep-the very rare, you will never get, Endocarditis. Five days in the hospital and 6 weeks of IV antibiotics later, I was cured. The valve was a little more scarred, but I could not tell any difference. On a funny note, I had just started dating Michael at the time. Can you believe what he thought about dating this sicky girl on IVs...and he married me anyway!

When I was pregnant with Hunter, I had a hard time catching my breath. I was diagnosed with anxiety and put on Prozac. If you have ever been on Prozac, you are on cloud 9 and I felt better right away. When Hunter was 6 months old, I was still having a little trouble with the breathing thing, so I decided to go check out my heart just to be sure since I had not been in a few years. I went to a Doctor on my plan who after an EKG told me I had severe regurgitation in my valve and would have to have open heart surgery and decide if I wanted a pig valve or a mechanical valve and there would be 3 months where I could not lift more than 2 pounds. Let me re-iterate-I had a 3 year old and a 6 month old. Needless to say I flipped out! A week later, I had a camera down my throat. The Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Emory told me it was not that bad yet and there was a new surgery coming out where they would be able to repair the valve with gortex stitches by going through the ribs on my right side. Here I am now-3 years later. The minimally invasive robotic surgery will be performed by Dr. Douglas Murphy at St. Joe's. You can go to their website and search the daVinci robotic surgery if you are bored enough or interested enough! I have been put in contact with my new best friend and "Leonardo Sister", Jane Robelot, who had the surgery 2 years ago and it is documented on the website too. She has been a huge help in telling me what to expect. It sounds like it will be a breeze -ha! If heart surgery can be a breeze.

Tomorrow I have my pre-op and will know more and post it. I know now that I will be in the hospital 3-7 days and in ICU for the first 24 hours because I will have a tube in my lung. They will stop my heart and have a catheter in my artery in my neck. Jane said her worst pain was a lung cramp when she first woke up and the "stab wounds" being right at the bra area. After that is about recovery. Dr. Murphy asked Michael to be off work for a week after my surgery, but I know I am expected to start walking immediately, so I will not be bed-ridden-I don't think. That was the part I was sort of looking forward to-being a Mom of a VERY active 3 and 5 year old-that sounds a little too heavenly. I am actually mostly worried about Michael and the boys. I have been on a girl's trip for a couple of days before and let me just tell you-he was ready for me to get back to work!! This is seriously going to be a crazy shake up in the Bryant house! I think he can handle it though (with a lot of help from Honey and Mimi)!