a final thought... and some great pics!

it's been a while since our last post... and thankfully, because i've got my life back and have been busy. i'm now about 90% of my pre-surgery self, am back to work and 3 weeks into cardiac rehab!

i've had all of my post-op check-ups at this point, and have some great news to report:

1: my cardiologist said that this is likely the last open-heart surgery i'll ever have to have. this is due to the fact that clinical trials are currently underway for replacing heart valves thru catheters that are sent in thru an artery. this eliminates the need to open the chest, and since i've now got MY new valve in place, they can just pop the new one into the old one. cool, huh?

2: my surgeon said that the initial tests show that my lower right ventricle is already showing signs of shrinking. this was result we were hoping for, and the reason that we decided to do the valve replacement sooner than later.

so this will be my last post (other than the surgery pics). that being said, i'd like to send out a few thanks:
• to my husband, for being my rock
• to my family who travelled to be with me during my surgery, and especially my mom... for taking care of us until we were ready to take care of ourselves
• to my "home team" (you know who you are)... for visiting us in the hospital and keeping our spirits up
• to my fabulous co-workers for your support and giving me the time to heal
• to everyone else who prayed, sent warm wishes, and followed along on our journey with us thru this blog!

big hugs,
shannon and jeff

just opened up...
taking my leaflets out...

putting the valve in place...


my new valve in it's new home...

all done!

that's my new valve!

it looks like a little crown inside my heart!

counting sheep... finally!

i've had two full nights of sleeping thru the night! i haven't been able to do that since before surgery. i've noticed that i've had a lot more energy. yeah sleep!

i'm just over 3 weeks post-op now. i still feel like i'm making strides everyday. everyday i can do a little bit more, and i can feel myself getting stronger. i have my first post-op visit with my cardiologist this thursday, and i'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

getting tired of watching the sun rise

i haven't been able to get a full night sleep since we checked into the hospital. during our hospital stay i thought it was because of the constant interruptions. once we got home i thought it was because of the pain. now that the pain is gone, i'm stumped.

i've been waking up between 3 and 5 every morning wide awake. i come downstairs, so that i don't wake jeff, and turn on the TV. i'm wide awake for 2 to 3 hours, then am able to fall back asleep for an hour or two.

they say not to nap in the afternoon, and that should help with the insomnia. that's really hard to do when you're running on just a few hours sleep. also, any amount of physical activity causes me to sleep afterward. not napping is not an option.

it's now 12:30 p.m. and i've been up since 3:30 a.m. ugh!

on my own

i'm doing so well at this point, jeff has gone back to work full time. we also sent my mom home today. i thought it would be a little scary to be here alone at first, but it's actually very relaxing. it's nice to have my house back, and it feels even more like my life is resuming.

there is still a lot that i cannot do on my own, but i'll have to plan to do those things when jeff is home. i still can't drive, and it's going to be hard not to do so.

it feels good to feel more like myself again

the speed of my recovery continues to amaze me. i can do so much more at two and a half weeks post-op then i ever thought possible. being able to shower, get dressed (in real clothes), do my own hair and makeup makes me look and feel more like myself. i feel like my life is resuming... slowly but surely. i still need help doing many household things (cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping etc) but am enjoying letting others do it for me. for the next three weeks, i'll be doing my post-op doctor visits, then it's cardiac rehab time. i'm officially off all meds, even for pain. what little pain i have still is in my lower ribs. weird... i think it must be from the chest tubes. my incision is still tight but almost completely healed over, and i can feel the stitches underneath stretch and pull on occasion. every once and a while i'll try to do something and will be reminded quickly by my sternum that it is not yet healed. i still get some minor discomfort from that, and i still can't put my arms up on a table, but all in all i'm almost pain free.

it's new years eve and we're planning a really relaxed night at home. a fun dinner, some fun snacks and great friends. we're going to play games, drink (non-alchoholic for those with healing hearts) and hopefully laugh a lot. i'm looking forward to it.

have a safe and happy new year!
shannon