Amanda's Posts

Hi Everybody, Today marks 6 weeks since my valve repair surgery and time certainly has flown! The recovery has gone quite well and I am having more and more days that resemble my pre-surgery days and energy level. On Monday, the cardiologist gave me the green light to drive so yesterday I drove for the first time in 6 1/2 weeks. The biggest challenge has been trying to maintain my INR level. My first blood test one week after surgery was 2.6 which was perfect and I thought this INR thing was going to be a piece of cake. Then it fell to 1.9 at three weeks, 1.0 at five weeks, and 1.3 most recently. I've changed over to the non-generic blood thinner and kicked up the dosage even more so we'll see on Monday. The downside of my 6 week milestone is that this morning my mom packed up and returned to her ranch in Fallbrook. My mom told me from the beginning that she'd be here for 6 weeks, though I originally thought it was overkill. Well, I am grateful for every day she was here. She helped me through the early, rough days and when my energy began returning, she gently helped me transition into the daily life of running a household. Along the way we also cleaned out closets, fixed things around the house, bought things I've needed for years, watched Bachelorette, and cracked each other up. She got a little choked up when she was walking out the gate and, so as not to be rude, I did too. The kids, dogs, and I will miss her. I start cardio rehab next week at Torrance Memorial Hospital. I'm signed up for 3 days per week for 12 weeks and I'm really looking forward to supplementing my walking and returning to a respectable level of fitness. I'm also looking forward to golfing at 9 weeks. I've really missed golfing with my friends. To all my HVJ friends preparing for surgery, I wish you courage and peace. To all my HVJ friends recovering from surgery, I wish you a bump-free road to a healthier life with your new valve. xxoo, Amanda

Hi All, It was my 3 week mark yesterday and I'm feeling stronger everyday. I went to see my cardiologist, Dr. David Cannom, on Monday and we got mostly good news. Apparently all the arrhythmias I've had in the past were linked to the leaky mitral valve; as the leak grew worse, so did the funky beats. Now that the mitral valve is fixed, my heart beats, for the most part, normally. What a miracle. My left lung has fluid in it so Dr. Cannom prescribed lasix and wants me to cough and deep breathe, still not so fun, even while clutching the pillow. My mom is still with me but I'm hoping she can return to Fallbrook and her busy social life. She is keeping this house running, driving me around town, and providing comic relief so I will miss her when she leaves. My friends are still stopping by with dinners and that is a huge help. My brother and Molly are coming by tonight to visit and they will bring dinner. Matt's birthday is tomorrow so we will have birthday cake, too. Yaaaay. Have a safe and sane 4th!! xxoo, Amanda

Hi Everybody, It was a happy day today. My mom and I went to the surgeon's office for my post-op appt and though the surgeon himself was on vacation (totally well-deserved, I might add), it was a nice reunion with his physician assistants. One of them named, funnily, Audie, proudly declared that he extubated me after surgery. He said, "Wow, I saw the look in your eyes and I could tell, you wanted those tubes OUT." Haha, I remember it well, you can't talk with the tubes so I had to put all my feelings into my eyes. Apparently I was successful. Hector was also there and we hugged twice, which is a lot for me, but I love that guy. He gently took out my chest tubes when I was in the hospital, and I will never forget him. Today he took out my stitches from where the chest tubes were and again, it was painless. They were also laughing because they told me why they weren't going to let me leave the hospital on the 4th day, but they finally did. It has to do with English Cinema and I'm happy they found it so amusing. I was mortified; they were cracking up. In looking back, the surgery is so strange because you go into it with one simple IV, and you come out with so much paraphernalia hanging off your body. There is an additional IV in your jugular, pacing wires partially imbedded in your rib area, two chest tubes coming out of your upper stomach, and, as a bonus, a ventilator tube down your throat. One by one, they want it all back and although it is very liberating, some items are less fun to give back than others. During one of my repayments I heard, "I'm going to need that blade over there." WHAT??? And I never heard the important follow up statement, "I'm going to need that syringe of Novocain to numb the area before I cut her with the aforementioned blade." Well, today we are even. I gave them the last of what I owe, the thread from my stitches. Yes, we are now even. The other big event is that I have transitioned to the bed. My mom came home yesterday with a wedge pillow (thank you, Mark in TX for that suggestion), and I was able to ease myself down with minimal pain onto my back. I think I slept 7 hours with only one wake-up. Shoot, that's better than before surgery!! Tonight Audie is coming over to bbq some dogs and burgers. We were watching the Dodgers a couple nights ago and I told him I was craving a Dodger Dog and so tonight, I get the next best thing: hot dogs while watching the Dodgers on tv (apologies to all my vegetarian/vegan friends). I will sit down to eat with my mom, my kids, and Audie while Henry and Dixie sit and beg, and love every minute of it. Cheers, my friends!! xxoo, Amanda