strong and clear

As each day passes, my body becomes stronger, and my head less foggy. I am still healing at a great pace!

I have to make myself walk slower...I feel up to walking quickly, but I know my recovery is supposed to be gradual...so I will work up to a quicker pace. I'm not shuffling along...my Mom is thankful because I am now walking at her pace...but I have had open heart surgery! Pre-surgery I had to slow my pace a bit when walking with her...I am just a naturally fast walker. I think she will be sad when my pace increases again!

We took the kids to the Legislature grounds yesterday. They have beautiful pool and fountains to play in. I love taking the kids there in the summer. It is so much fun! And it's not stressful...a great place to go while in recovery! We went on a Saturday, so there were lots of weddings to check out (a lot of people go there for photos). My sister is getting married next spring, so we were looking at dresses and hairdos. Sara is going to be a flower girl, so she had fun looking at all the little flower girl dresses. The day went very well. I wasn't tired at all. My Mom is now saying that I have made the transition from recovering patient to tourist....I want to plan all these fun things to do. Back to my old self, I guess..I like to get out, see and do things. Don't worry, I won't push myself too hard...

one week ago...

...about this time, I was waking up after surgery. I'm amazed at how far God has brought me in my healing process, and how much I have been blessed with a swift recovery. I'm sure that a big part of this has to do with the many prayers that have been offered up for me from all of you. Again...thank you so much. The Body of Christ is so connected, and so powerful!

I'm supposed to be sleeping...

...but I'm just not tired...so I thought I would write a quick update.

Then I thought...hmmm...maybe I should post a photo of what I look like now...the new and improved me...then I thought, well, that might be too eeew for some people...then I remembered that our laptop has a built in camera...so then I thought I would just try and take a picture and see how it looks...then I remembered that the camera software has all these cool effects...so I had to play with those...I had so much fun that now it would be a shame to not share the photos...

And after all is said and done I will probably get in trouble for not napping...

still healing well

Hi all! I have been home for one full day now, and things are going well. It's still crazy to think that the only pain meds I'm on are regular tylenol...and I haven't even taken any since this morning...how can my body go through all this and only need tylenol??

I think we are going to venture out tomorrow. The weather is cooling a bit, so we will have a break from +30. We may take the kids to the zoo or a small amusement park...just get out for a bit. For the past week Derrick has been here at my parents' place, or at the hospital...he's itching to get out. 

I am feeling slightly less foggy today, which was nice. We are starting to form some plans for our time here. I am being treated to a mom and daughter pedicure this week which will be fun, and I will be going out to a movie with my sisters. Derrick and I would like to get out on a date while we have free live-in sitters! So, all is well.

Yes, I am resting and relaxing too...and taking an afternoon nap everyday. I'm not pushing it...

Take care everyone!!

home sweet home

Ahhh...home...well, my parents' place, not my home...

I was let out this morning and arrived home at 11:30. Dr. Ross and his resident popped in to see me after breakfast, answered my questions, and gave me the official ok to go home. Hooray!!

My day has been nice. Relaxing, hot and sunny. Along with relaxing, I am getting used to having the kids around full time again. I forgot how crazy and busy they are...and I forgot how funny and sweet they are. Being away has made me appreciate them just that much more. I am able to tolerate their whines and demands easier...but that could also be credited to my general feeling of fogginess left over from the anesthetic! Dr. Ross said that I would feel foggy and may experience some short term memory loss for 3-4 weeks. So, I will get used to my fog. It's not that I feel totally out of it...just that I couldn't handle planning or being really organized. Anyway...it will pass..

The good news is that I am home and still doing very very well. Yay!!

And...no more hospital food!!!!

released

I'm sure Shawna will want to write more later, but I just wanted to let everyone know that she was released from the hospital today. Sara and I went in to pick her up and she was waiting in her room, all dressed and ready to go. Amazing that 4 days earlier she was still in the OR. We are very happy that everything has gone incredible well so far. Let's pray things continue to go this well.

getting better every day!!

Hi everyone! It has been 3 days since surgery now, and I can't believe the difference each passing day has made. As far as I know, I will be going home tomorrow, and will be coming back in soon for an echocardiogram, to monitor how my heart is doing with the new blood flow.

Yesterday I flet much much more awake, and I couldn't even really sleep at rest time. Still good to rest though...it's not called sleep time, just rest time. My roomie and I have been sharing meals together and chatting alot. She and I are the only women on the ward right now. She's 57, and still quite young compared to others here. We are the party room!! She went home today though...sigh...so I will have a new roomie tonight. I went for a lot of walks yesterday, and ventured outside the hospital to enjoy the weather. I felt like I was playing hookie...sneaking out!! But, I am allowed out...I wasn't sneaking. No worries! It was great to enjoy some sun and sit at a picnic table! I went out again for an evening stroll last night. Ahhhh...getting out makes such a difference!

Today, Derrick, the kids, Joelle and my parents came to visit, along with Tanya, a friend of mine. We went outside again, chatted and had a picnic. It's so good to feel almost back to normal. I showered completely alone today, standing up, and washed and combed my own hair. It wasn't hard or painful at all...I was expecting it to be quite hard.

So, I think I will need very clear instructions when I go home about what I can and cannot do. You are not allowed to overdo it, and judging by how I feel now, I can see myself leaning towards overdoing it, without meaning to.

One thing that I heard can hapen, and I have noticed, is a bit of short term memory loss. Not really huge...but I just feel scattered...like I'm not all there! I was thinking of it as we were eating our picnic today...I can't fathom having my wits about me to plan a picnic!! So, that will take getting used to, and hopefully won't last long. I was laughing, thinking of anyone who might overhear mine and my roomie's converstions...we probably repeat the same stories over and over to each other!! Maybe that's a taste of what happens when you get old and are in a home... hee hee

It was so nice to see the kids. Jacob came up and hugged my legs, and they both wanted to site beside me. It's cute to see them express their affections in their own little ways.

So, next time I write, I will hopefully be home in Sherwood Park. Thanks again for all the prayers and kind wishes. I'm open to visitors, so I hope to see some of you soon!

from my hospital bed to you

Hi everyone! I thought I would write a quick note to everyone to let you all know how I'm doing. What crazy couple of days! It's so hard to believe that I was in surgery only 2 days ago, and am now comfortably writing to you all. I am recovering quickly, and so far with no problems. I tire fairly easily, although today even that is much better. The only pain I have is my general chest area. I thought the pain would be sharp, incision related pain, but it's not. It's just a general ache over the whold front of my chest...caused by the surgeons cutting muscle and pulling apart my rib cage. Eeeew!!! Sorry, that's kinda gross. I have all my tubes and bandages off. My chest incision has no bandage, so it's healing in the open air. I have one small bandage over the stitch where my chest tube came out. Also, I have one precautionary IV still started in my arm, in case of emergency meds. I am able to get out of bed and walk on my own, and have gone for short walks. I took a shower this morning...hooray!!! and I was able to wash and comb out my hair alone. So, small steps...but considering I was in surgery 2 days ago, these small steps are pretty big and impressive....not to brag!! ha ha

Well, I should sign off. My afternoon nap is calling me. Thanks sooooo much for all your prayers and encouragement. It has certainly helped!! I still have a long road ahead, but each day gets easier! I look forward to reading all the nice messages! Keep them coming!

I will post again when I'm able...

FAQs

Thank you everyone who has kept Shawna and the family in your thoughts and prayers. We very much appreciate everything! Thanks also for your well wishes and comments via email, through the guestbook, or blog comments. As I'm sure you can appreciate, I have not had an opportunity to go through everything, and may not have the opportunity to respond to everyone individually. I hope you understand.

In an attempt to respond to common questions, I'll do it here. Again, sorry if I missed anything, please be patient.

How long will Shawna be in the hospital?

Ideally, only 4-5 days. Average is 4-7 days, but we just have to take things day by day and see how she is doing. She is young and healthy, so that is a definite advantage. If the last day and a half is any indication, we should be on track of the 4-5 day range.

Are we able to visit Shawna?

The number one priority right now is recovery. This means she needs lots of rest. She gets tired very easily and very quickly, so all visits are quite short. I'm sure she would love visitors, but the reality is she needs some time for herself right now. We'll see how things go the next day or two and if she can see more people than immediate family. We plan on being in Sherwood Park for a while, so please be patient. If a hospital visit isn't prudent, I'm sure there will be time for a visit at the Alexanders.

How long will we be in Sherwood Park?

Probably a couple weeks, but like everything else right now, that depends in how recovery goes.

Thanks again for all your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers. May God bless you all for your support.

no more tubes

Shawna had a less than perfect sleep last night. I can only imagine how hard it is to sleep with 9 other people in the room, all hooked up to machines that beep and make other noises, and all that needs to happen in ICU to ensure the patients are doing well.

The morphine (to help with pain) was pretty hard on her stomach, so she is off that and on tylenol 3 (with codeine). Throughout the morning they were removing wires, IVs, tubes etc. The breathing tube came out yesterday (shortly after I saw her in the afternoon). As of about 2:00 pm she is out of ICU and into the cardiac ward in a semi-private room. We are hoping to get a private, but they are at a premium and we probably won't get one. With any luck she won't be there long enough for it to matter a whole lot. By the time she was moved to her room all she had was one line in the wrist for an IV in case they needed to give her anything - no machines, wires, tubes... anything. Her colour is good in her face and there is only a little bit of swelling in her hands in wrists - none in her feet or legs, which is a very good sign.

The kids got to come and visit a bit today. Sara was happy to see Mommy; Jacob was happy, but has a shorter attention span and just kept saying, "Go." Shawna went for a very short walk around the ward this evening, but she is doing extremely well for one day after surgery.

that's a long 3 1/2 hours

After what was a surprisingly good (albeit short) sleep last night, we were up before 5 am and at the hospital for 5:30 am. Some final prep, some waiting - just so you can think more and get more anxious about the surgery - and then Shawna was wheeled away to the OR.

I decided to go for a walk and get out of the hospital for a bit. I have no idea where anything is, all I know is I'm on the U of A campus. So I just walked, hoping it would be easy to find my way back. After a few blocks, I noticed a building with stained glass windows - it turned out to be St. Joseph's college, so I went inside, found the chapel and spent some time with the Big Guy. Very nice surprise to be able to spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament while Shawna was in surgery.

A couple loud cracks of thunder got my attention and I thought I had better get back to the hospital before it started to rain.

About three and a half hours after being wheeled into the OR (~ 11:10 am) Dr. Ross came out and said everything went very well. They were able to move and reattach the artery, and blood flow was normal in the artery. He mentioned Shawna's heart is slightly enlarged, but that will correct itself now that she has had surgery to correct the artery position.

After a couple hours I was able to go and see her while she was being warmed up (they lower the body temp to about 25 C for surgery, so they have a little air mattress over her that has warm air pumped into it to warm her back up). She started to regain consciousness and desperately wanted the breathing tube out, but she had to wait. It's quiet time at the cardiac ICU unit right now, so I'm back in Sherwood Park. I'll get back to the hospital later.

Well, part one is done, now it's recovery. Dr. Ross figures she should be able to come home in 4-5 days - hopefully he's right. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming please!

T minus 10 hours and counting

We spent pretty much the whole day at the hospital today for the pre-admissions clinic. We watched a video about cardiac surgery, got a lot of info, spoke to the surgeon, respiratory therapist, and anesthetist, had an ECG, blood tests, chest x-ray,... pretty much the full meal deal to prep for surgery.

Shawna got the first slot for surgery, so that means we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am and surgery is at 7:20 am. Yes, that is early. But, like the anesthetist said, it doesn't matter if you get a good night's sleep, it's important that Dr. Ross, and all the doctors and nurses get a good night sleep.

We did find out that the surgery will be a little bit different than we were lead to believe. We were under the impression that an extra vessel that was stealing blood from the heart into the pulmonary artery (going to the lungs) would be tied off. Well, as we learned more from the surgeon, that is not really what will happen.

Warning: The following is our understanding of what will happen. If anyone (aka Dr. Booker) is offended by our inaccuracies or improper use of terms, or if you don't get the little bit of anatomy, we apologize.

The aorta that supplies blood to the heart splits into two sides - left and right coronary arteries. Subsequent arteries "split" off of these to supply the whole heart with blood. In Shawna's case, a "secondary" artery coming off the left artery called the left arterial descendent (LAD) is not attached to the artery at all, it is attached to the pulmonary artery that takes blood from the heart to the lungs. This is essentially robbing the heart of blood since the pressure in the pulmonary artery is lower. Shawna's heart has compensated for this to an extent by forming little vessels that come from the left and right arteries to ensure the heart gets enough blood, but over time the defective (or rather incorrectly located) artery will most likely enlarge and steal more blood from the heart, causing damage over time.

So, they are going to detach the LAD from the pulmonary artery and stretch it over to the aorta and attach it there (if it cannot stretch enough they will "tunnel" over to it). Ideally, blood will flow through the newly moved LAD and all will be great. If blood does not flow through the newly moved artery (which may be the case because Shawna's heart has kinda adapted to supply the heart with blood without it) it may clot and the artery would essentially block itself off. This is also a very good thing because it would no longer be stealing blood from the heart and siphoning it to the lungs. Either way would be considered a success, but the former is preferred over the latter.

Well, we had better call it an early night. Please keep Shawna, the Dr.s and nurses, and our family in your prayers.

greetings from long lost me

Wow, is time ever flying! I can’t believe it has been so long since my last post. Sorry to keep you all hanging…

Surgery is booked…for July 16th…Jacob’s 2nd birthday. So, yes that is only 2 days away! We are on our way to Edmonton right now. Tomorrow I have to attend a pre-admission clinic at 8:00am. I will be there most of the day. Then, July 16th I go in for the big slice and crack…sorry for anyone who is squeamish!

The past month or so has been a blur. I was busy with design work right up until we left for Ontario on June 21. ..after a flurry of packing… Ontario was great. We visited my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was nice to see everyone and do a bit of sight seeing iin the area. The main reason for going to Ontario was to visit my grandparents, who aren’t able to make it out west anymore. I treasure my time with them so much, and it was so nice to see them for a good chunk of time and to be able to take them out on outings.

When we flew into Toronto, we drove north of Toronto to visit Derrick’s cousin and aunt and uncle. We went to Canada’s Wonderland..woo hoo!!!! (well, it would have been an even bigger woo hoo if my cardiologist had said it was ok to go on the huge coasters…sigh…) I did go on some smaller ones that Sara was able to go on…so I had some slight coaster satisfaction…sigh again…

We took a trip down to Erie, PA to visit friends that we knew when we lived in California. Back in those days, these 2 girls were my housemates, and one was my roommate. Now, we are all “grown up”, married with children…and there were lots of children!! We stayed in house with 6 adults and 10 kids. It was busy, but sooo good to see them again and meet all their munchkins!

We flew home on July 9th. Friends of ours visiting from Calgary stayed with us the nights of July 9th and 10th. They left the morning of the 11th, and then Derrick’s Mom came the afternoon of the 11th and left the 13th afternoon. It was nice having the company when we came home…a nice transition from holidays back to life at home. It was a busy few days, and I found myself frazzled last night…hardly having packed anything yet. The laundry was done, that was good. I also wanted a good nights sleep, which I hadn’t been getting much of. Need to stay healthy, or no surgery for me! Jacob woke up with a fever the day we flew home. We hoped it was teething related, but now it has developed into a cold. So, I really need to be careful!

So, that brings me to today. Driving in the car to Edmonton…anxious, but thankful this is all coming to an end and it’s finally getting taken care of. Hopefully all goes well, and that I bounce back from the effects of the anesthetic quickly…and that I heal swiftly…and that feeling my chest “click” when the broken bones rub together doesn’t creep me out too much!!!

Derrick will post on the blog to let everyone know how I am doing. Feel free to leave comments or sign the guestbook if you want to contact us.

Thanks for all the prayers and kind thoughts!