A-fib

So it looks like we're going to keep trying to control the A-fib with medication.  I'm happy with that - don't want another procedure!  Especially with the holidays coming!  So everything else is good - Doc even lifted ALL restrictions on the exercise - chest presses here we come!

Almost done

So healing continues well but another little problem has cropped up.  Turns out I now have atrial fibrillation.  This is when the electric system governing the atria (the smaller upper two chambers of the heart) is not functioning properly and there are periods of very fast (130bpm) rhythm due to the electric charge being out of sync.  Basically the atria flutter and shudder instead of pump for a few seconds.  This is dangerous for people not on blood thinners (which I AM) but also apparently takes a toll on the strength of heart. So I'm meeting with the cardiologist on Wednesday to discuss the solution -probably catheter ablation.  Not a surgery (whew!) just similar to a cardiac catheterizing where they thread one or two catheters to the heart through an incision in the groin and, using radio frequencies, kill off the parts of the heart delivering the incorrect electrical signals.  I THINK I'm actually awake during the procedure (sounds like fun).  So we'll know more after Wednesday.


Otherwise all is good, gym, work etc. etc.  Kids are great - Paul & Sam just finished Cross Country Season and Paul walked away with 5 medals!  David is enjoying retirement doing lots of projects around the house.


Love to all!


M

Sorry to all my followers - here's an update

So we're about 10 weeks post op.  Three weeks ago I returned to the gym (gently).  Pre op I was going 5 times a week.  Right now I'm up to 4 times a week: 2 sessions with the best trainer in the world @ 24 Fitness, 1 hour long spin class, 1 intense cardio/weight lifting class.  All I have to add is one more spin & I'll be back to normal.  I kept eating healthy the whole time I was down so didn't even gain a pound!  The biggest surprise is the 8 inch scar on my chest - it is TINY and smooth, there are even a couple of places where you can't see the scar at all.  I'll get David to take a picture so I can show it off.  The doc took me off the blood pressure meds last week so I'm only on 1 aspirin, 1 atenolol (keeps my pulse rate down) and my blood thinner (for life).
I had a little pericarditis (fluid around the heart-very common post surgery) 3 weeks ago & had to spend the night in the hospital.  Other than that I feel GREAT.  Back to work 100%, back to driving 100%.
What a wild journey this has been!

Good days/Bad days

Today I had absolutely no energy and could barely drag myself out of bed but the docs said that is perfectly normal.  I really don't have anything to complain about since I mostly have good days.  I think I'm going to start back to work (short days at first) next week.  I miss all my work peeps!

Am I bored yet?

Not quite.  My walking increases every day - today's morning walk was 12 blocks.  Went with Jesse for registration at the High School which pretty much blew my energy for the rest of the day.  I seem to get flowers every day - lovely lovely lovely.
Friends Frances & Carlos brought homemade green enchiladas for the family dinner.  I can't tell you how appreciated it is when people bring food by!
Scar is healing well - absolutely no infection - all that antimicrobial gel I made everyone use before they came in the room seems to have paid off.

SO happy to be home!

There is NOTHING like your own bed.  Healing well, just very tired.  Even going up & down the stairs one time is an effort.  Will take my first neighborhood walk today but probably not a whole block.  Jerrilyn in from Indiana - OMG the best omelet ever this morning!

Back on the Blog!

Thank you David, for taking care of the blogging duties for the last week.
I'm lying in my hospital bed for the last time waiting to be discharged.  David & Sam have come to collect me.  Wonderful nursing & medical staff at Kaiser Sunset - can't say enough good things about them!  So happy to be going home even though I'm not even allowed to lift something as heavy as this very computer.  Sorry kids, but that means you're on laundry duty for the next 6 weeks.
Jerrilyn comes tomorrow so Sam is looking forward to M&M's for breakfast & I'm looking forward to non-hospital meals.
Won't miss the constant attention - my favorite was the nurse that woke me at 2:00 in the morning by shaking my foot for 5 minutes to say "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"  I'm sorry, did I LOOK like I needed to go to the bathroom?
Hard to believe that  a week ago I was still in the operating room.
Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.  I'll be back on my feet in no time!

COMING HOME TODAY

WEDNESDAY 7 AM:  Just got word M is being released today. Gotta go, more later.....

JUST FOUND OUT THAT IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT YOU MUST GET A G-MAIL ACCOUNT...........who knew?

WANTS TO GO HOME

TUESDAY 7 PM:   Fun is fun but M is ready to go home.  Maybe tomorrow is the day.  The DR.s want certain blood thinning stability at the correct thinness. We are very close. Today was a very busy day with lots of walking, showering, and rowdy boys. Megan goes home tomorrow early and will be missed. Fingers are crossed for good readings of tonight's tests.

READY 4 HOME

SHE STAYS, WE ALL STAY

TUESDAY IS VISITING DAY

A note on a shower

There is NOTHING more glorious than a hot shower after being cut up, poked, prodded, stuck, taped, sternum broken and the general physical battering of open heart surgery.

Nothing

She's still not answering her phone!

MONDAY 1 PM: Can't go home yet! Thought today was going home day but M's blood is not yet thin enough. Otherwise M is READY for home. She is very bored & restless! I had to hide the car keys to keep her from escaping. Biggest news of the day - pacemaker out so she gets to shower (the other patients and the entire medical staff of the hospital are very appreciative). Oh & she might have snuck on here to do a little editing....

PARTY TIME IN ROOM 5787

When I showed up today M was dressed to Party:

SUNDAY  MID DAY:  Although M is feeling better and improving hourly she will be not be released yet.  We had hoped for today but...  Her blood work showed she needs a thinner blood and medical adjustments must be made.  This is not a major setback for sure.  But it will keep here in hospital until it is worked out.  With Megan in charge at the hospital I am taking a lazy morning with the kids with a hugh breakfast.  Will see M soon.  More moore to come.......

NOW IN THE HALLWAYS

SAT 2:30 PM: Another big improvement since last time. More major Tubes have been pulled and M can wander the halls unencumbered. Sister Megan is here from Mass. Her being here is a great comfort to M. Sorry but I still have the phones locked up. More soon......

Friday 9 PM: Nighttime finds M basically the same, she walked several times. John Temarkin visited this afternoon and left a collection of tabloids and M is in heaven. Paula Melis is coming to visit and spend the night. We are not leaving M here alone, the company and having an advocate seems to keep her on a fast and smooth healing program. more to come tomorrow.

Friday 5 PM Quite a day today. Most of the tubes have been removed and M is mobile. She is walking the hallway in the ward. She has been moved to the fifth floor. M is showing a little intreats in TV. A big difference from just this morning.......

RE: NEW VIEW

Dr. Op readjusts the flow

FRIDAY MORNING

9:30 AM:  Good news.  M has been moved to a recovery room and is OUT of ICU.  Many more of the machines have been removed and she is feeling ever better.  Will now attempt to attach a view photos from the last day or so.  She has been moved to room 5787.  Sorry, no flowers or calls yet.

5 PM Thursday: It's been over a day since the surgery. The rhythm of healing is sorting itself out. The pain medication and it's timing is still an issue but the hospital is working to get it right. The boys are on their way to visit and M is excited to see them. Seems like a week since she's seen them. Me too. Friend Sadia is bringing them up here and then going to spend the night & I will take boys home with me. maybe I can add some photos that can't be loaded from the Ipad. An early goodnight.....

10:30 AM big news here is pain doctor changed the meds and things look better then before. Also M skipped the clear fluids part of her diet and went straight to oatmeal. We are now waiting for lunch.

NEW VIEW

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Well that's a bust. Trying to show the view out the window from the new room. It is quite nice with palm trees and the HUGE scientology buildings across the street. The machine will not let me do that, yet.

7:30 AM & M is now in a chair! Getting better all the time

5:30 am  We all had a good night.  M slept like a baby, one hour at a time.  She got rest and is much more alert.  In a short wile we'll move to a new room.  The new room # is    3112      ,   more later

10 pm M is still woozey but doing much better. Just ate a good sized jello pellet. And is drinking water consistently. I think she will get some sleep now.

WED 6:3o PM: M gust had big forty minute nap. The good part is no pain tension while sleeping. Friend Oppie is visiting (he works across the stree) and is cheering M up.

The tube is OFF!!!!

AT ABOUT 3:45 they took out the ventilator tube.  Mel was extremely bothered by it.  She is breathing on her own. and so much more comfortable.  Yay!

Just got word. M is out of surgery and it went well. it is 1:30 now and she will be in ICU in about 30 minutes. Will give you all an update then. It will be a day or so before she is in a room. Remember no, flowers. Just good wishes. thanks, d

and... Toes as well....

The toes are for the nurses NOT for the doctors :)

The Bee keeper

Photo from a few minutes ago:

More Moore Later.........

Melissa ready for surgery !!!

For all of you out there who are wondering, already, how Melissa is doing here is a little update.

She just went in about half and hour ago with a smile on her face.

I went to pick her up this morning at 4:30am and were on our way to the hospital laughing already as she was driving her Prius, very smoothly (NOT), and made me wear  my cup of coffee instead of drinking it!

Thought I would just let everyone know that everything went smoothly this morning and her spirit was grand, as usual! :)

Will update as soon as the docs will talk to David and I.

Keep up the comments, please, as she will LOVE to read them all!!!!

Pie.

I am wonder woman!

Thank you all for your thoughts & prayers!
Love,

Melissa

Sunday bagel breakfast!

As promised....

David just sent me this pic

Prepping for Wednesday

A good weekend.  Very relaxed.  Got my haircut.

My friend Hedy said I should eat red meat before surgery (don't know if it's true but it's a good excuse) so last night we had a lovely family steak dinner.   We're having lox and bagels for Sunday breakfast - the family favorite breakfast.  Jesse and the twins are on their way to the bagel store to get fresh bagels.  Still can't believe Jesse is driving!

All I have left to do today is pack and get my rainbow nails!

See? No fear!

After getting the diagnosis I went on a wonderful day trip to Catalina with my good friends Paola and Taneetra where we went zip-lining!  SO much fun!  So heart surgery?  It's nothin!

Changed the name!

Sorry but cancer in the title of the blog was apparently a downer so welcome to heartingmyheart.

Today was the last day of visiting clients tho I'll be available by phone, text, IM, skype and this blog.  Looking forward to an easy few days before the BIG day.  Saturday I'm going to get my hair cut short short short.  I figure I'll be doing a lot of lying around (eating bon bons perhaps?) so a buzz cut will work.

As I did with my knee replacement surgery, I will paint my toes all the colors of the rainbow in order to woo the nursing staff.

Will bring cupcakes to the nurses Tuesday when I go in for pre-op, again a shameless attempt at attention and extra care.

David will spend the 1st night with me in ICU and my friend Sadia (who was a doctor in Pakistan) will spend the night the 2nd night.  Hopefully I'll be on the cardiac floor and out of ICU in 24 - 36 hours.

Bummer - no flowers in the Cardiac Care Unit.  What?  Too cheery?  Next they'll tell me I can't read a newspaper..

Hospital has wi-fi yay!  Trying to bring minimum necessary electronic devices but it's still a lot - iphone, kindle, laptop.  Hey I'm leaving the copier at home!  Give me credit!

I feel more psyched now especially since it was postponed and I've had more time to get organized.  I get the feeling it would be a waste to bring pretty pj's - oh well...

Very, very happy with my surgeon - well trained (Stanford & trained under heart surgeon rock stars) and very friendly (a rarity with surgeons...which is fine...I want the scientist.

Ooooo maybe I should get a facial too!

Surgery Date - yay!

So FINALLY all is healed and they are scheduling me for Wednesday August 4th.  Very happy to have the date since it's been a bit of a nightmare trying to schedule family, work and out of town visitors.  The docs say I'll be in the hospital for 5-7 days, I say 5 days.  I think everyone will be happy when this is behind us.

Valve Replacement

So now I have to have the valve replaced altogether.  Met with cardiologist who gave me the diagnosis.  Had an echocardiogram that confirmed the diagnosis.  Many, many blood tests for further confirmation.  Had an angiogram that both confirmed the diagnosis and told us my coronary arteries are clean as a whistle.  Surgery was scheduled for 5:15am today but in my pre-op exam on Friday, it was discovered the incision for the breast biopsy hadn't closed completely.  The chance of infection going into a heart surgery with an open wound is very high.  My surgeon put it bluntly, "If you get an infection in your heart, you die" so since I've learned to listen to surgeons, we've postponed the surgery until the wound closes.

No Cancer!

All turned out well - no sign of cancer but now we have another journey to undertake.....
I've had Mitral Valve Prolapse for my entire adult life.  It's a very benign condition,  I'd have to take antibiotics before any surgery and that was about it. Here comes the boring explanation - please skip ahead if your eyes start to glaze over. The mitral valve is one of two valves separating the 4 chambers in the heart.  The oxygenated blood leaves the lungs and travels into the heart being pushed through the mitral valve from the bottom left chamber into the upper left chamber.  Mitral Valve Prolapse means the leaflets (the thickness of pieces of paper) of the valve aren't closing all the way causing some of the blood to leak back into the lungs.  Apparently my leaflets have thickened into the thickness of cardboard and the valve is barely closing causing most of the blood to flow backwards BACK into the lungs causing a serious rise in the pressure of the lungs.  Additionally my heart has become enlarged (it's a muscle after all) since its now struggling to keep working.

Surgery scheduled

Saw the wonderful director of the Breast Clinic, Dianne.  We scheduled the lumpectomy for June 15.  Dianne said my chances of it being DCIS are still 80/20 - just like the Stereotactic Biopsy.  Easy surgery - in & out in one day.  Found out Kaiser doesn't do DEIP......but we won't go there yet.  Still very bruised and lumpy from last week's biopsy.  Had to hold the boob when I was on the treadmill!  Wish I didn't have to wait 2 weeks but this is a bad time - everyone is going on vacation, so it couldn't be earlier.

Good news!

Of the three biopsies only one came back slightly bad (ADH) - the other two are simply fibrocystic changes and microcalcifications.  Of course I'll still need to get a lumpectomy to get the ADH out but that that's a piece of cake!

How this?  When the tech called from the  Breast Clinic here's what she said: "Hi this is Jackie, I'm calling from the Breast Clinic because you told us you wanted to be contacted by phone with your results.  I'm sorry to say it is Cancer."  I kind of squeezed out some kind of response and she said "let me give you a chance to get a paper and pencil because I have a lot.....wait a minute.....oh dear.....I was wrong it's NOT cancer! I'm so sorry I read it wrong."  Wow, nothing like getting a little cardio workout from the phone.  Just goes to show you to read through your piece of paper before you deliver good OR bad news.

Jeez.

Sore booby!

Sleeping in a sports bra - not so much fun!  Very sore this AM - the term tit in a wringer comes to mind.  All ice packs managed to spend the night on the kitchen counter.....so I got nothing until I make DH bring me a baggie of ice chips.  Slept well tho - on my back.

There is a chance I might get results tomorrow - that would be nice to not have to go thru the weekend waiting....waiting....

Nice texts from the few friends I've told and my best gym buddy EVER,  Paola, brought me starbucks yesterday and this morning.  Oh, this is funny, Paola & I train together so since I skipped training this AM she was alone.  OMG  Tahneetra really put her through her paces - at one point making her climb stairs holding 50# weights.  Gee....sorry I missed it....NOT.

Resting today but back in the saddle tomorrow.  Not happy that I missed 3 days in a row at the gym but oh well, I'll make up for it on Saturday in the wicked Lift Class run by Tahneetra.

Trying to be positive.  Trying to stay off all my bookmarked BC sites.

Starting the Dance...again

And so here we go again....the music has just started so I'm not too far along in the dance yet. I thought 2009 was going to be my "year of too much surgery" and that 2010 I would get a break but no such luck....

In 2004 I went thru a bad mammo/repeat mammo & ultrasound/stereo tactic/surgical biopsy - in the end it was "just" ADH so just a quick foxtrot & done.

2009 brought my arthritis into play. Left knee was bone on bone - surgeon told me to put up with it as long as I could - which was April. Total Knee Replacement at 54 years old. Surgery went well (so I thought) but pain,pain,pain with swelling & instability (ever had your femur slip off your knee & go sideways? - lots of fun and excitement). Finally in October ortho doc admitted the plastic spacer was too small so ANOTHER surgery (just as complex) to switch out the 6mm spacer for a 13mm spacer (!!). Oh yeah, the icing on the cake was suspected DVT in the surgical leg requiring 6 months of Blood Thinners. Finished 2009's very long waltz.

Which brings us to 2010. April had my regular mammogram. Had 3 areas of concern. So back for repeat mammo & ultrasound then stereo tactic biopsy today (5/19). Pretty easy - no pain except neck since I had to keep it turned to the right the whole 2.5 hours. So now I'm resting for next 24 hours with a big ass bandage, ice packs. No gym or work tomorrow. DH waiting on me hand and foot - gotta love that! Might get biopsy results as early as Friday.

I research like crazy so I'm hoping it's ADH again but DCIS if not. Mentally prepared for bilateral with DIEP. Feeling like I'm doing a little tap dance right now.

Would love to hear from others in similar situations. Very interested in anyone who was able to continue exercising during treatment. I'm currently doing 35 min Cardio 5-6 times a week with 5 hours of weight lifting a week and loving it. I've dropped 40 lbs since January. Also any advice on nutrition - been looking on the internet for suggested menus before and during treatment.