So....headed back to the hospital today. They wanted to drain the fluid from around my lung. I headed in at 12:45 for a 1:00 appointment. After waiting for half an hour and watching two pregnant ladies come and go I headed to the lab to get blood drawn. They needed to check my INR and make sure it was at or below 1.5. Of course it took forty minutes to get the results back. We headed down to radiology, where they were going to do the procedure to wait. After about an hour they came back with my results and sure enough my INR was 1.5 on the nose. It was game time.
They took me back into the room with the ultrasound. They use the ultrasound to see where the fluid is and to guide the giant needle into my back. I was sitting up on the edge of the bed with my arms resting on a table. The doctor was behind me and telling me what was going on. After he did a cursory check with ultrasound to see where he was aiming things started to get fun. First he took a lidocaine needle that was described to me later as "not that bad" and ran it around a couple inch circle to numb everything. The doctor described it as a pinch and burn. It definitely pinched and burrrrrned for a few minutes. Once everything was numb things were much better. Now that he was done with the lidocaine he took a second needle that was around five inches long and ran it into my back into the fluid sack around my lung. He then hooked a hose to the needle and put the end of the hose into a bottle that was vacuum sealed so that it would suck the evil liquid from my body. And boy did it suck. After probably only a minute or so it really started to hurt. It started to hurt because there was no fluid left for it to suck and it felt like it was trying to suck me through the needle. So they pulled the huge, giant needle from my back and all i got to show for the whole deal was a little band aid. They did show me the fluid afterwards. It was something like 650 ml. Over half a liter. Think of a one liter soda bottle half full. That all came out of me. It's crazy to look at. You wonder where in the hell there was room for all that.
Things are pretty much back to normal now. After the whole deal I was a little sore while my lung tried to expand into the new space. Feels like a knot inside your back. Not a knot in the muscle but deeper than that. My back is still pretty tight but that should go away soon. Just one more adventure in what is becoming a long list of trips to St. Joes.
Hopefully that is the last trip I have to make besides follow up appointments and cardiac therapy that starts next week. They say it's not all that uncommon to have to be drained more than once but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be a one and done patient.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
And the hits just keep on comin....
So here we go again. Back to the hospital. I Was hanging out enjoying the sun yesterday and all of a sudden I started draining fluid from one of my chest tube holes. I couldn't believe how much fluid I was losing. I hadn't even been bleeding, the incision was starting to heal and then wham fluid everywhere. It drained so much I went through three huge gauze pads and all the way threw a towel that was folded over twice. Luckily I wasn't bleeding it was just clear liquid. So we headed back to the surgeons office and took some chest x-rays and sure enough I have something like 500 ml of fluid around my lung again. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! I just want to get better. All these little setbacks are becoming frustrating.
Anyways in order to get the fluid out they told me to stop taking my Warfarin so that my blood will clot better. I have to get my INR down to 1.5 which will probably take until tomorrow. Today it was at 1.8 so I should be able to get it down. The plan right now is to head into the hospital tomorrow at 1:00. They will run some labs to make sure that everything is in order. Then they will stick a big 'ol needle in my back and drain the extra fluid out. They will do it all while looking at an ultra sound machine so that they can hit the fluid sack and not something else. Hopefully once they drain this fluid my body will stop producing more fluid.
I wish I knew why this was happening. All the doctors say there really is nothing I can do about it. It just happens. It's not all that uncommon. Some people's bodies just deal with massive surgery different than others. The fluid comes from inflamation caused from the two surgeries. Hopefully after tomorrow my body stops producing so much fluid and I can get on with getting better and stay out of the hospital.
Anyways in order to get the fluid out they told me to stop taking my Warfarin so that my blood will clot better. I have to get my INR down to 1.5 which will probably take until tomorrow. Today it was at 1.8 so I should be able to get it down. The plan right now is to head into the hospital tomorrow at 1:00. They will run some labs to make sure that everything is in order. Then they will stick a big 'ol needle in my back and drain the extra fluid out. They will do it all while looking at an ultra sound machine so that they can hit the fluid sack and not something else. Hopefully once they drain this fluid my body will stop producing more fluid.
I wish I knew why this was happening. All the doctors say there really is nothing I can do about it. It just happens. It's not all that uncommon. Some people's bodies just deal with massive surgery different than others. The fluid comes from inflamation caused from the two surgeries. Hopefully after tomorrow my body stops producing so much fluid and I can get on with getting better and stay out of the hospital.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Home Again
So I got out of the hospital for the second time Saturday afternoon. It's amazing how much a few little chest tubes can set you back. I mean when they describe the surgery to you it seams like nothing compared to the first operation. A "small" incision under my man boob to make a pericardial window and then two small holes for the drain tubes. Easy right? Not so much. Those three small holes hurt way more coming out of surgery than having my entire chest opened up. Granted it didn't take me as long to come out of this surgery....it just hurt a lot for a few hours, until they could get some drugs in me. The pain was so bad because the doctor basically spreads your ribs (no breaking though) and shoves a couple tubes between them to help with drainage. I got to keep those tubes for a day and a half. Every time I would breathe I could feel the pain in my ribs from those tubes moving around. It was really frustrating to have to be going threw all of this again. Not only was I frustrated to be going through another surgery so quickly but when I came out of this one I was sore and cranky.
Getting the chest tubes out is pretty fun too. I didn't realize how long they were each tube was probably 8-10 inches long. The doctor who removed them told me to breathe in and out three times and on the third one he told me to bare down. Sure enough on that third big breathe I felt a couple of tubes snaking their way out of my abdomen. At least he pulled them both at the same time. Getting them removed didn't hurt as much as I thought they would put its a pretty weird feeling.
Once those tubes were out I got to stay in the hospital for another day of observation and x-ray to make sure there wasn't any more fluid building up and then they sent me on my way again.
Again I have to say that the people at St. Joe's Hospital are pretty amazing. I was actually in the same room with the same nurses after my second surgery. They are all amazing people and took great care of me. Hopefully I never have to do anything like this again but if I should have to I know where I'm going.
All is well for now and things seem to be healing up nicely. Talk to ya later....
Getting the chest tubes out is pretty fun too. I didn't realize how long they were each tube was probably 8-10 inches long. The doctor who removed them told me to breathe in and out three times and on the third one he told me to bare down. Sure enough on that third big breathe I felt a couple of tubes snaking their way out of my abdomen. At least he pulled them both at the same time. Getting them removed didn't hurt as much as I thought they would put its a pretty weird feeling.
Once those tubes were out I got to stay in the hospital for another day of observation and x-ray to make sure there wasn't any more fluid building up and then they sent me on my way again.
Again I have to say that the people at St. Joe's Hospital are pretty amazing. I was actually in the same room with the same nurses after my second surgery. They are all amazing people and took great care of me. Hopefully I never have to do anything like this again but if I should have to I know where I'm going.
All is well for now and things seem to be healing up nicely. Talk to ya later....
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I'm alive...again
Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop a quick note and let you all know that I flew threw another surgery today. Got a chest tube to drain out all the fluid that was around my heart. This tube hurts like the dickens when I breathe but it's nothing a few percaset can't take care.
The goal right now is to be out of here tomorrow, assuming all goes well. They will remove the chest tubes in the morning which will eliminate the majority of the pain, then I will be out of here early afternoon.
Thanks again for all the love and support.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
The goal right now is to be out of here tomorrow, assuming all goes well. They will remove the chest tubes in the morning which will eliminate the majority of the pain, then I will be out of here early afternoon.
Thanks again for all the love and support.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Round 2!! DING!!
So things got pretty exciting this morning. Had a little episode. Woke up around 2:45 in a whole lotta pain. Really had no idea what was going on. Apparently I passed out from an extremely fast heart rate. Dad had to call the ambulance and they whisked me off to the hospital.
When we got here they starred taking blood and running all kind of tests. Come to find out I have a lung that's not working so well cause it's got some mucas in it and there's some excess fluid around my heart.
What's this mean? Oh boy were having surgery again. Don't worry it's nothing like last time. There gonna give a little two inch incission between my ribs and use a needle to take the fluid away from my heart. After that there going to put a tube into my left lung and suck all that mucus out so I can breathe a little better. It's a pretty simple procedure but I will be in the hospital a few days again.
Thanks for all the support Surgery should be around 12:00 and I'll let everyone know when I'm out.
See ya on the flip side!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
When we got here they starred taking blood and running all kind of tests. Come to find out I have a lung that's not working so well cause it's got some mucas in it and there's some excess fluid around my heart.
What's this mean? Oh boy were having surgery again. Don't worry it's nothing like last time. There gonna give a little two inch incission between my ribs and use a needle to take the fluid away from my heart. After that there going to put a tube into my left lung and suck all that mucus out so I can breathe a little better. It's a pretty simple procedure but I will be in the hospital a few days again.
Thanks for all the support Surgery should be around 12:00 and I'll let everyone know when I'm out.
See ya on the flip side!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
All abouit the small things
People always say life is all about the small things but what does that really mean? I don't think most people know. What are the small things? Well I think I am beginning to figure it out. Being laid up around the house helps you realize a few things. All the things you can't do with a broken sternum make you realize that life really is all about the small things.
For instance....putting socks on. How many people get up in the morning and need help putting socks on. I do! Especially the fancy compression socks I get to wear everyday. The Dr. wont even let me try to put those on by myself.
Another small thing....taking a shower. If you're anything like me when you get in the shower each morning your a little groggy and take it for granted. You just jump in enjoy the hot water and jump out to start your day. For me, now, it's not quite so easy. To start I need help getting the shower turned on. Then trying to reach around and clean everything is nearly impossible. It takes forever and I can't even dry my own back when I'm done. It's getting better but is still pretty rough.
The last one to point out is probably the most basic however. Before you read the rest of this take a big deep breath. Go ahead do it.....
That is probably one of the smallest things in the world that we take for granted everyday. And while yes I can breath, its tough sometimes. I can't take a big deep breath. I can maybe take in half what the average person can. To yawn I take three quick breathes and hope it's enough. When I walk up the driveway and stairs into the house I have to sit down and catch my breath. Believe me when I say it's tough. I definitely don't take breathing for granted any more.
Now please don't take this post as me complaining or ranting. My life doesn't suck. It's just a little more difficult now than it usually is. I am happy to have all the things that I do. My family, a place to live, a good job, I mean I could go on for days. In a lot of ways I am lucky to be alive and I know that. I just think that going through this process has made me realize how important those small things really are. Being able to take that big deep breath is something to be thankful for. I envy that big yawn you just took.
In conclusion, my point to all this is that I just want other people to understand how important the small things really are. Just be sure that everyday you say "thank you" for one of those small things. Just pick one thing, person, place, or whatever it may be everyday to say "Thank you" for and see how that makes you feel. You'll begin to realize how good life really is. When times are tough and work is stressful remember there are still things in life to be thankful for.
So "Thank You"
For instance....putting socks on. How many people get up in the morning and need help putting socks on. I do! Especially the fancy compression socks I get to wear everyday. The Dr. wont even let me try to put those on by myself.
Another small thing....taking a shower. If you're anything like me when you get in the shower each morning your a little groggy and take it for granted. You just jump in enjoy the hot water and jump out to start your day. For me, now, it's not quite so easy. To start I need help getting the shower turned on. Then trying to reach around and clean everything is nearly impossible. It takes forever and I can't even dry my own back when I'm done. It's getting better but is still pretty rough.
The last one to point out is probably the most basic however. Before you read the rest of this take a big deep breath. Go ahead do it.....
That is probably one of the smallest things in the world that we take for granted everyday. And while yes I can breath, its tough sometimes. I can't take a big deep breath. I can maybe take in half what the average person can. To yawn I take three quick breathes and hope it's enough. When I walk up the driveway and stairs into the house I have to sit down and catch my breath. Believe me when I say it's tough. I definitely don't take breathing for granted any more.
Now please don't take this post as me complaining or ranting. My life doesn't suck. It's just a little more difficult now than it usually is. I am happy to have all the things that I do. My family, a place to live, a good job, I mean I could go on for days. In a lot of ways I am lucky to be alive and I know that. I just think that going through this process has made me realize how important those small things really are. Being able to take that big deep breath is something to be thankful for. I envy that big yawn you just took.
In conclusion, my point to all this is that I just want other people to understand how important the small things really are. Just be sure that everyday you say "thank you" for one of those small things. Just pick one thing, person, place, or whatever it may be everyday to say "Thank you" for and see how that makes you feel. You'll begin to realize how good life really is. When times are tough and work is stressful remember there are still things in life to be thankful for.
So "Thank You"
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Recovery
Whoever decided to call this part of surgery recovery didn't know what they were talking about. To me recovery means laying around and getting better. Well after heart surgery just lying around is a small part of the deal. Really if you ask the nurses lying around isn't even a part of the equation.
I used to joke with people and tell them I had the easy job, while I was laying there the surgeon would do all the work. Well what a big fat lie that was. The past few days have been full of pills, 7 min walks that feel like a mile, and a breathing device to help reinflate my lungs that feels like it's sucking my will to live. Recovery is a lot of work.
My big accomplishment for the day was my walk to the end of the street. I made it all the way there and back in 6 min. Just for reference the end of my street is two houses away. Tomorrow I'll work on getting up the driveway and stairs without taking a break to catch my breath. After my first of three walks I got my new pill box. It allows me to split each day into four different times so I take my pills when I'm supposed to. Came home from the hospital with seven scrip bottles and one multi-vitamin that have to get divided up. After that I used my breathing device. It's a small tube that you inhale through and move a valve up to measure the volume of air that your taking in. I got it up to about 1375 ML today, the average person will top it out at 2500 and hold it there easily. I was proud of myself but there is still some work to be done.
That's pretty much my day. Pills three to four times a day not counting my pain pills, three walks that make me feel like I'm training for a marathon, and "breathing" every hour. In case anyone was wondering this is no vacation.
Every day is getting better though. I can walk a little farther and breathe a little easier. Putting work in gets results out. It's nice to feel a kittle more alive. I just need my bones to heal (only five weeks left) and I'll be doing great.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
I used to joke with people and tell them I had the easy job, while I was laying there the surgeon would do all the work. Well what a big fat lie that was. The past few days have been full of pills, 7 min walks that feel like a mile, and a breathing device to help reinflate my lungs that feels like it's sucking my will to live. Recovery is a lot of work.
My big accomplishment for the day was my walk to the end of the street. I made it all the way there and back in 6 min. Just for reference the end of my street is two houses away. Tomorrow I'll work on getting up the driveway and stairs without taking a break to catch my breath. After my first of three walks I got my new pill box. It allows me to split each day into four different times so I take my pills when I'm supposed to. Came home from the hospital with seven scrip bottles and one multi-vitamin that have to get divided up. After that I used my breathing device. It's a small tube that you inhale through and move a valve up to measure the volume of air that your taking in. I got it up to about 1375 ML today, the average person will top it out at 2500 and hold it there easily. I was proud of myself but there is still some work to be done.
That's pretty much my day. Pills three to four times a day not counting my pain pills, three walks that make me feel like I'm training for a marathon, and "breathing" every hour. In case anyone was wondering this is no vacation.
Every day is getting better though. I can walk a little farther and breathe a little easier. Putting work in gets results out. It's nice to feel a kittle more alive. I just need my bones to heal (only five weeks left) and I'll be doing great.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Friday, March 12, 2010
Home sweet home!
Rolled in the front door about a half hour ago. What a long few days it's been. If you've never stayed in a hospital you have no way of knowing how long five days, four nights can really be. I know I didn't have a clue.
The hospital is a pretty trippy place to be. The first day they have someone coming in every hour to take vitals. And I mean every hour, midnight, 1 AM, 2 AM and so on. Once I left the "ICU" (I put it in quotes because I never changed rooms, just levels of care) they started coming by every four hours. Which was awesome, just as I would get to sleep they would come wake me up. Sleeping in a hospital is not as easy as you would think. They would tell me to rest and then constantly be waking me up. But it's all for my well being. Making sure my temp is ok and making sure my O2 level is high enough is pretty important.
All in all staying in the hospital is pretty rough. But coming home is a little scary too. At the hospital you know there is always someone watching out for you. You don't worry about your heart rate or blood pressure. Now I'm on my own. Sure my family is here and taking great care of me but I have to know what's going on with my body. No one is here to check on me every few hours. Until I have this things a few weeks behind me I think there might be some anxiety. So that's the hospital...
As far as people in the hospital they are amazing. I couldn't have asked for more caring nurses and skilled surgeons. Even if I just needed someone to help me out of bad they would come in the room and be more than happy to help. Nurses are a special group of people. They make the 4 AM wakeup and the uncomfortable bed seem not so bad. They really make it a barable expierence. Really they make it more than that, those are people that will have a special place in my heart (literally) forever.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
The hospital is a pretty trippy place to be. The first day they have someone coming in every hour to take vitals. And I mean every hour, midnight, 1 AM, 2 AM and so on. Once I left the "ICU" (I put it in quotes because I never changed rooms, just levels of care) they started coming by every four hours. Which was awesome, just as I would get to sleep they would come wake me up. Sleeping in a hospital is not as easy as you would think. They would tell me to rest and then constantly be waking me up. But it's all for my well being. Making sure my temp is ok and making sure my O2 level is high enough is pretty important.
All in all staying in the hospital is pretty rough. But coming home is a little scary too. At the hospital you know there is always someone watching out for you. You don't worry about your heart rate or blood pressure. Now I'm on my own. Sure my family is here and taking great care of me but I have to know what's going on with my body. No one is here to check on me every few hours. Until I have this things a few weeks behind me I think there might be some anxiety. So that's the hospital...
As far as people in the hospital they are amazing. I couldn't have asked for more caring nurses and skilled surgeons. Even if I just needed someone to help me out of bad they would come in the room and be more than happy to help. Nurses are a special group of people. They make the 4 AM wakeup and the uncomfortable bed seem not so bad. They really make it a barable expierence. Really they make it more than that, those are people that will have a special place in my heart (literally) forever.
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Monday, March 8, 2010
Here we go!
Headed to the hospital and still feeling surprisingly calm this morning. I think this might be one of those knowledge is power situations or it could be that I'm not physically possible capable of being nervous at 4:30 in the morning. Either way, I have spent so much time talking about this with Drs and friends that it seems like "old hat" in a way. I know what to expect and what is ahead of me. I mean I don't think there is really any way to know exactly what is ahead of me but I feel as prepared as I can be. I'mchangeable lot of this may change in about 20 min when I get to the hospital, but for now I'm good.
Thanks again for all the kind thoughts and wishes. I'll talk to you all in a few days.
See ya!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Thanks again for all the kind thoughts and wishes. I'll talk to you all in a few days.
See ya!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Quicky about visits
I know many of you have said you may come visit and I can't wait to see each and every one of you. With that being said I was told to give fair warning that the first 24 hrs after surgery when I am in the ICU I will not be allowed to have any visitors other than immediate family. So....if you do plan on coming to the hospital, Wednesday or Thursday is probably a better time to do it. I should be out of ICU and I will be much more lucid and able to actually visit.
I can't express in words how much all the support I have been receiving means to me. Please know that it really does make a difference and I do appreciate all the kind thoughts and words that have been sent my way the past few weeks. The will to get healthy will carry me farther than anything else during this process. And friends and family like YOU are the people who give me that will to want to be healthy again. Thanks!
I can't express in words how much all the support I have been receiving means to me. Please know that it really does make a difference and I do appreciate all the kind thoughts and words that have been sent my way the past few weeks. The will to get healthy will carry me farther than anything else during this process. And friends and family like YOU are the people who give me that will to want to be healthy again. Thanks!
Human Guinea Pig
Monday is getting closer and closer with every passing second. I can feel it approaching. After yesterdays pre-op testing it started to feel more like reality than it has in the past.
I showed up at the hospital at 8:00 AM. I rarely show up anywhere at 8:00 in the morning. Arriving to the hospital was a little odd too. It wasn't just another Dr's office it was "The Hospital." But, looking on the bright side they do have valet parking...and it's free. I'm sure they might appreciate a tip but as a patient getting ready to shell out some serious dough to that place I didn't feel too bad when I stiffed the guy...but I digress.
As my pre-op appointment started a very nice lady walked me through all the paper work. Normally when you get to the Dr they make you fill out sheet after sheet of paper work. In this case they actually walked me right through it. They put most of it into the system electronically and when I was finished they printed it out and had me sign it. In the past two weeks I have signed so many documents I'm pretty sure the hospital owns my house or my first born child, I had trouble deciphering all the legal jargen. You also get to have a super fun conversation about a living-will and durable power of attorney. Trying to figure out who should make the call to take me off life support should that be an issue or, do I want to be fed intravenously should I not be able to eat and make conscious decisions are not things you really think about as a healthy 27 year old. As a 27 year old getting ready for open heart surgery it all of a sudden becomes a very real decision to consider.
After the check in nurse was finished the anesthesiologist came in. Not the one I will see on Monday morning but one that could ask and answer a few questions. She walked me through where they would place the four IVs that I would have. She also filled me in on the fact that I would probably start to wake up with an intibation tube down my throat. That didn't sound like a lot of fun. She did however promise that I would be so drugged up that I probably wouldn't remember any of it so I guess it's nothing to really stress about. Sounds like I'm gonna be hi as a kite for a few days actually.
After all the paper work was finished I went back to a screening room for a few tests and more conversation. They took my blood pressure and, since I am having heart surgery, they did another EKG. They also tested me for MRSA. It's some crazy infection that can kill you and they want to make sure it's not present before you go into surgery. That test was the worst part of the day. They took a cotton swab, think long Q-Tip, and ran it up into my nose until it stopped and then twirled it around five times. Just as my eyes began to stop watering they do the other nostril. After a few minutes of not being able to see because my eyes were watering it was all fine. From there I was sent to the lab so they could take a urine sample and draw blood. They took six vials of blood to run every test you can think of. You know all those fancy tests they scream out as a patient rolls in the emergency room on ER or Greys Anatomy, I got those. Once they were done pillaging my bodily fluids I was sent to X-Ray. Two quick shots of my chest and I was out. All said and done it was close to three hours. Not too bad and it will stream line everything Monday morning. With all this out of the way I just head straight to check in on Monday and no paper work for me.
One more day of "normal" and then I'm gonna be the bionic man!
I showed up at the hospital at 8:00 AM. I rarely show up anywhere at 8:00 in the morning. Arriving to the hospital was a little odd too. It wasn't just another Dr's office it was "The Hospital." But, looking on the bright side they do have valet parking...and it's free. I'm sure they might appreciate a tip but as a patient getting ready to shell out some serious dough to that place I didn't feel too bad when I stiffed the guy...but I digress.
As my pre-op appointment started a very nice lady walked me through all the paper work. Normally when you get to the Dr they make you fill out sheet after sheet of paper work. In this case they actually walked me right through it. They put most of it into the system electronically and when I was finished they printed it out and had me sign it. In the past two weeks I have signed so many documents I'm pretty sure the hospital owns my house or my first born child, I had trouble deciphering all the legal jargen. You also get to have a super fun conversation about a living-will and durable power of attorney. Trying to figure out who should make the call to take me off life support should that be an issue or, do I want to be fed intravenously should I not be able to eat and make conscious decisions are not things you really think about as a healthy 27 year old. As a 27 year old getting ready for open heart surgery it all of a sudden becomes a very real decision to consider.
After the check in nurse was finished the anesthesiologist came in. Not the one I will see on Monday morning but one that could ask and answer a few questions. She walked me through where they would place the four IVs that I would have. She also filled me in on the fact that I would probably start to wake up with an intibation tube down my throat. That didn't sound like a lot of fun. She did however promise that I would be so drugged up that I probably wouldn't remember any of it so I guess it's nothing to really stress about. Sounds like I'm gonna be hi as a kite for a few days actually.
After all the paper work was finished I went back to a screening room for a few tests and more conversation. They took my blood pressure and, since I am having heart surgery, they did another EKG. They also tested me for MRSA. It's some crazy infection that can kill you and they want to make sure it's not present before you go into surgery. That test was the worst part of the day. They took a cotton swab, think long Q-Tip, and ran it up into my nose until it stopped and then twirled it around five times. Just as my eyes began to stop watering they do the other nostril. After a few minutes of not being able to see because my eyes were watering it was all fine. From there I was sent to the lab so they could take a urine sample and draw blood. They took six vials of blood to run every test you can think of. You know all those fancy tests they scream out as a patient rolls in the emergency room on ER or Greys Anatomy, I got those. Once they were done pillaging my bodily fluids I was sent to X-Ray. Two quick shots of my chest and I was out. All said and done it was close to three hours. Not too bad and it will stream line everything Monday morning. With all this out of the way I just head straight to check in on Monday and no paper work for me.
One more day of "normal" and then I'm gonna be the bionic man!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Last Day...
It's all starting to get very real now. Today was my last day of work. It's weird thinking I wont be around for a month. I can't express how much it means to me to receive so much support from all the people I work with. Pre-op testing tomorrow and then one last weekend before surgery on Monday!
Here we go.....
Here we go.....
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Nitty Gritty
So what is actually going to happen to me? That's a great question.
The Doctors:
Let me start by saying I have a great team of doctors looking after me. My cardiologist really knows his stuff. He puts everything in ways that even your average ski bum (me) can understand. And my surgeon has been implanting artificial valves like the one im getting since before I was born.
Dr. Bilnoski (Cardiologist) has been practicing since 1984. I was one year old then. He puts everything in a way that makes sense to an average guy like me. No big doctor talk. And no matter how silly the questions I ask may seem, he always approaches them in a serious manner and gives me a straight up answer, whether I want to hear it or not. And his staff is phenomenal. They really look out for me and make it personal. They want me to be healthy and succeed. A big thanks to Rene for keeping a close eye on me. Having an ally on the inside is great and I can't say enough good things about her and everything she has done for me and the family.
Dr. Luber (Surgeon) is brilliant. We can just leave it at that. He was the first to implant a St. Jude Valve in a patient. (That's the valve I'm getting) He did that back in 1981, at least I think that's what he said. He has done "hundreds" of these procedures. He makes what I am sure is a fairly complex procedure sound like he could do it with his eyes closed. And he said he would record the whole thing for me. That's right, movie night, you bring the popcorn and I'll bring the open heart surgery.
The procedure:
According to Dr. Luber the procedure is pretty straight forward. Once they get to my heart through my breast bone they will put me on the heart lung machine and evacuate all the blood from my heart. At that point they will put a fluid in my heart to make it cold and stop it from beating. They will then remove the bad valve and replace it with a mechanical St. Jude Valve. Dr. Luber will also be looking at my Aortic artery that has began to enlarge due to the leaky valve. Depending on how large it is and where the enlargement is he may replace a portion of it or just remove a small vertical piece and sew the artery shut to make is normal size again. It's a "game time" decision. After that they will make sure everything is sewn up and allow blood back into my heart. They will put a small pin hole in the bottom of my heart and tip my feet above my head to let all the air out of my heart. Air bubbles in your blood are no good. Once that is done they will get my heart going again and close everything up. Including my breast bone with stainless steel wires. Sounds fun huh? The surgery should only be about four hours long. You can get some more info from the Clevand Clinic's Website. Or if your feeling really adventurous feel free to Google image search Aortic Valve Replacement. Warning it may be a little much for those of you who are a bit squimish.
Recovery:
After the surgery is complete they will take me up to the ICU and I will spend the next four to seven days in the hospital for observation. I should be up and walking the day after surgery. I'll be down for four to six weeks at home. A full recovery will be somewhere around six months. However, once I'm back I'll be running at 100%. The only really down side is that I will be taking Coumadin or some other anti-coagulant for the rest of my life. But hey that's a pretty small price to pay for a healthy heart.
Keep an eye on this blog and I will do my best to keep everyone updated. I appreciate everyone who has been supporting me through this process. I'll do my best to make another post before surgery and then I should have plenty of time to post once I'm out of the hospital.
The Doctors:
Let me start by saying I have a great team of doctors looking after me. My cardiologist really knows his stuff. He puts everything in ways that even your average ski bum (me) can understand. And my surgeon has been implanting artificial valves like the one im getting since before I was born.
Dr. Bilnoski (Cardiologist) has been practicing since 1984. I was one year old then. He puts everything in a way that makes sense to an average guy like me. No big doctor talk. And no matter how silly the questions I ask may seem, he always approaches them in a serious manner and gives me a straight up answer, whether I want to hear it or not. And his staff is phenomenal. They really look out for me and make it personal. They want me to be healthy and succeed. A big thanks to Rene for keeping a close eye on me. Having an ally on the inside is great and I can't say enough good things about her and everything she has done for me and the family.
Dr. Luber (Surgeon) is brilliant. We can just leave it at that. He was the first to implant a St. Jude Valve in a patient. (That's the valve I'm getting) He did that back in 1981, at least I think that's what he said. He has done "hundreds" of these procedures. He makes what I am sure is a fairly complex procedure sound like he could do it with his eyes closed. And he said he would record the whole thing for me. That's right, movie night, you bring the popcorn and I'll bring the open heart surgery.
The procedure:
According to Dr. Luber the procedure is pretty straight forward. Once they get to my heart through my breast bone they will put me on the heart lung machine and evacuate all the blood from my heart. At that point they will put a fluid in my heart to make it cold and stop it from beating. They will then remove the bad valve and replace it with a mechanical St. Jude Valve. Dr. Luber will also be looking at my Aortic artery that has began to enlarge due to the leaky valve. Depending on how large it is and where the enlargement is he may replace a portion of it or just remove a small vertical piece and sew the artery shut to make is normal size again. It's a "game time" decision. After that they will make sure everything is sewn up and allow blood back into my heart. They will put a small pin hole in the bottom of my heart and tip my feet above my head to let all the air out of my heart. Air bubbles in your blood are no good. Once that is done they will get my heart going again and close everything up. Including my breast bone with stainless steel wires. Sounds fun huh? The surgery should only be about four hours long. You can get some more info from the Clevand Clinic's Website. Or if your feeling really adventurous feel free to Google image search Aortic Valve Replacement. Warning it may be a little much for those of you who are a bit squimish.
Recovery:
After the surgery is complete they will take me up to the ICU and I will spend the next four to seven days in the hospital for observation. I should be up and walking the day after surgery. I'll be down for four to six weeks at home. A full recovery will be somewhere around six months. However, once I'm back I'll be running at 100%. The only really down side is that I will be taking Coumadin or some other anti-coagulant for the rest of my life. But hey that's a pretty small price to pay for a healthy heart.
Keep an eye on this blog and I will do my best to keep everyone updated. I appreciate everyone who has been supporting me through this process. I'll do my best to make another post before surgery and then I should have plenty of time to post once I'm out of the hospital.
Here come the Dr's.
So with my CTA scheduled I could see the Dr. appointments already stacking up. I had my CTA and was supposed to have a follow up two weeks later. The theory was that no news was good news and the CTA only confirmed what we already knew. We knew I had a leaky valve but in general was no worse for ware. I could still run and ski with no real concern. However, they did tell me as I left the CTA that if there was a issue the Dr. would call me and let me know ASAP.
Sure enough, no more than 3o minutes after getting home I got the call. Things were not as we had hoped. My aorta was somewhere close to 6 cm in diameter. Full blown aneurysm! Apparently anything over 4 is a problem. So no more fun for me. No skiing or running or any strenuous activity until we fixed this deal. Of course this news set off the alarms for everyone. Mom got scared, more than before. My dad went from concerned to OMG. Why could I ski and run still a few days ago but now I was told to basically sit on my ass. Was my heart going to explode? No one really knew. We moved my follow up in from two weeks to that following Monday. That CTA was followed up by by a Surgeon consult on Tuesday (today). Which leads me to the big day. Open Heart Surgery will be Monday March 8th at 8:00 AM.
Sure enough, no more than 3o minutes after getting home I got the call. Things were not as we had hoped. My aorta was somewhere close to 6 cm in diameter. Full blown aneurysm! Apparently anything over 4 is a problem. So no more fun for me. No skiing or running or any strenuous activity until we fixed this deal. Of course this news set off the alarms for everyone. Mom got scared, more than before. My dad went from concerned to OMG. Why could I ski and run still a few days ago but now I was told to basically sit on my ass. Was my heart going to explode? No one really knew. We moved my follow up in from two weeks to that following Monday. That CTA was followed up by by a Surgeon consult on Tuesday (today). Which leads me to the big day. Open Heart Surgery will be Monday March 8th at 8:00 AM.
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