Charlie's Journal

It is hard to believe that this time last year we were waiting for Charlie to have his aortic valve replaced. Each day his breathing would become more and more labored, waiting was the most difficult! This year....we just came back from a 15 day journey in Europe and was walking up mountains in Bavaria, and my man, Charlie was not out of breath! To our HVJ families both patient and caregiver who are waiting or who have just had the surgery, it will get better. When Charlie first came home, just getting out of his recliner was tough and a cough or a sneeze was the worst. You will make it over that mountain to the other side and faith, family & friends will get you there. Everyday we thank God for being by our sides for support. August 9th we will see Dr. Rosselli at the Cleveland Clinic for his 1 year checkup. We cannot say enough about the Clinic and its staff of fine people. God Bless y\'all and thank you for being there for us. Julia & Charlie :-)

It is hard to believe that 6 months ago Charlie was undergoing open heart surgery. It is hard to believe that today he is working out at the gym three to four times a week, is not out of breath, has regained his \"gun\'s as he calls his muscles, and his skin color is a beautiful shade of pink like his pig valve! Grateful, thankful, blessed all seem to be not enough words for how we both feel about his recovery. How we couldn\'t have done it without you, our guiding light, Jesus and all of our HVJ friends, our families and friends too! Thank you all for being our anchors and getting us through the most difficult year in our marriage life. How we both cherish each other that much more and how we appreciate each day in our lives together. God Bless you all. May your journeys in life bring much happiness and good health. All our love, Julia & Charlie :-)

It is amazing how Charlie is healing. After the last journal, Charlie was dancing at a wedding and the last two weeks he has started playing golf. He hasn\'t completed 18 holes, but I find truly a miracle that he is out there swinging away. PAIN FREE! No back issues! Thank you Dr. Gordon of Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Pathak of New Hanover Regional in Wilmington, NC. Both doctors told us when the infective endocarditis was gone and he was totally healed he would not have a back problem. They were right! Also, I know he is feeling better...like a kid he is starting to be a bit sassy! Guess that\'s a good thing. Now on the road to some normalcy in life! Whatever that means! God Bless all of you HVJ family who are awaiting surgery, which is sooooo difficult the waiting, and those recovering. You are always in our prayers. Thanks again to all the doctors, nurses, staff, friends, & family involved in Charlie\'s health crisis this year. We could not have done it without your support, expertise, strength and prayers. Also, to our higher power, Jesus who has held our hands throughout our journey. Many lessons have been learned. God Bless....Julia, Charlie & Sophie too! :-)

Today was Charlie\'s visit with Dr. Roselli at the Cleveland Clinic....our Rock STAR! All of Charlie\'s tests were good....he is healing well. Dr. Roselli said that being only 8 weeks post op....he was more like his patients that were 12 weeks. Charlie will see him next August for his final visit with Dr. Roselli before he releases him. Told Charlie keep up the good work....and do things that don\'t cause him pain! Now wish me luck on keeping him from going crazy! Thanks again everyone for all your thoughts, prayers, support and being there for us during his ordeal of a year! We have many blessings! God Bless....Julia & Charlie (Sophie too!)

Can’t believe it is 7 weeks tomorrow that surgery took place. My recovery has been going well, but two weeks ago I had a rogue sneeze that I was not prepared for with my pillow and I hurt my sternum. After the sneeze I am now experiencing pain around the chest, under the arm, around the back area….I am assuming its all my muscles I bruised from the sneeze? Or is it just the healing of the muscles and bone? Anyone else having these issues? Have this drip thing going on for weeks…like post nasal that makes me cough. So with hurting myself with the sneeze and my cough from the drip it has set me back a bit where at times I have to revert back to sleeping in my recliner. Have been to my local GP and even did an xray of my chest. No pnenomia or fluid in my lungs. So still not sure what this drip things is…anyone else experiencing this issue? Started cardio rehab two weeks ago and doing really well. Actually, too well and now they are pushing me big time! No upper body rehab just working on my legs. Exhausted after rehab and nap afterwards does me the world of good. My energy level and stamina are still slow in coming up to speed. Trying not to get discouraged. Don’t have much of an appetite and my wife has been feeding me all my favorite foods to put on 5 pounds. Not working! Guess that is normal too? Next Friday we have an appointment with the Cleveland Clinic for follow-up and I am hoping that they can figure out what this post nasal drip and cough thing might be and put a stop to it. The coughing is just slowing my recovery. After our appointment at the Cleveland Clinic, we are taking a little vacation to Wisconsin for a wedding. Hoping that all our driving isn’t too much on me…but we are taking our time. Thanks again for all your continued thoughts and prayers. Sorry that we haven’t been good at keeping up with my post op care. A big thanks to my wife, Julia who has been an amazing caregiver, don’t know what I would have done without her love and support. Best of everything to everyone and continue healing….God Bless. Charlie Messineo

It is hard to believe that it is 12 days since we have been home. Sorry to leave y’all hanging but we were trying to get into a routine and just catching up on everything. (ie. Bills, housework, laundry, phone calls etc.) Plus I was just exhausted…mentally & physically. Charlie is doing GREAT! Mind you over the past twelve days he has been in pain from his sternum, shoulders, & upper back area. He has had trouble sleeping in bed, so his recliner has become his best friend. Charlie says he dares not to cough, hiccup, burp or sneeze because it hurts like (*^&%&^^*^! He has gotten off the pain pills and is just on tylenol. Unfortunately, he has a little bit of postnasal drip, which makes him cough and that hurts big time! Our visit to the cardiologist said it could be from the tube being down his throat during and after surgery. So we have cough pills to help. Charlie had blood work done last week and his white counts are down, his uric acid is normal (no gout issues) and his blood cultures are good…no infection. His echocardiogram was good too! Our next visit will be back to our GP at the end of September, early October to Cleveland Clinic for a follow up and end of October for our cardiologist. His appetite is not up to par but that’s normal after surgery. He is walking three times a day and he is up to ten minutes each walk. We (myself & Sophie) walk with him. She is a great dog….she walks a bit ahead of him but checks back to see how far he has gotten and stops. She knows he is not up to par…she hasn’t started teasing him yet, but spends all day and night with him in in the man cave. She is my eyes and ears. Afterward a walk, a nap is in order for him. That is pretty much the routine. Cleveland Clinic has called us at least three times to check in to see how he is doing. Even the head of infectious disease called Charlie personally. They are amazing! We cannot say enough about Charlie’s wonderful care at Cleveland. They go beyond the call of duty for the patient and the caregiver! You couldn’t ask for more! It truly is hard to believe that it is three weeks from today that he was in surgery. We are so blessed with his great progress and for our faith, family & friends. HVJ family…our thoughts are never far from y’all during your waiting time (which is tough), surgery and recovery. God Bless y’all. Julia…Charlie’s wife ☺ PS....Charlie is not fond of riding in the back seat, but Cleveland Clinic\'s orders...if the airbag should inflate...well...I don\'t even want to go there! So I just told Charlie to call me James!

Yes…it is wonderful to be home! Our plane trip yesterday, all things considered went pretty well. We arrived to a beautiful WELCOME HOME banner hung from our home. It was from our friends and the four-legged friends in our community. Thank you Ann Mary for being one to make it happen. It made me cry, it was just so thoughtful. Charlie tried to be a brave man and not take pain meds for our trip home…ended up giving him Tylenol. Not sure what the macho thing is all about….I’m into less pain! He said he was in less pain right after surgery…but he was on good drugs and still the anesthesia. He just doesn’t like the oxycodone. Can’t blame him there. The pain for Charlie has gone from his sternum area, to his shoulders and now to the top of his incision. He is now wearing the incision shield as recommended by Adam Pick in his book! Adam your book has been so informative…if you haven’t read it and are going to have surgery…do! It helps both patient and caregiver tremendously. Today…Charlie walked the stairs, did a couple of little laps in our family room and then came out for a walk with Sophie, our golden retriever. We walked to one of our neighbor’s mailbox and back. So the plan is to go a little bit further each day. Purchased a blood pressure machine that has his heart rate too! Keeping a journal to pass onto our doctors here and of his weight too! Charlie’s blood pressure was lower than mine…and mine is usually 102/68…not today! Also, received a phone call from the Cleveland Clinic checking on Charlie….they are amazing. We did get blood work done this morning to check for his white cells in particular. They were a little high upon our exit visit with Cleveland. Tonight…Charlie is already resting in bed after a shower. I am determined to get this into the journal. It’s been a long day but accomplished a lot. Unpacked our luggage, laundry & bills were the agenda today. Will finish up tomorrow. But…it is good to be home. There is nothing like it! Many blessings to all HVJ families waiting for surgery, undergoing surgery or recuperating, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Lots of love…from the warmth of our home in Supply, North Carolina….Julia, Charlie & Sophie too! ☺ PS...thanks y\'all for the phone calls, cards, & goodies left for us..it was so appreciated.

Yesterday morning had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, two walks out in the sunshine and then a restful afternoon for us before we start our journey home. We are so looking forward to our own bed and the greeting from our golden retriever Sophie when we pick her up on Monday. We have so many people to thank for our journey. All of the staff at Cleveland Clinic from the people who cleaned Charlie’s room, the administrative staff that we met along the way, the nursing staff, nurse practitioner , CNA’s, the dentist, Infectious Disease doctors and our rock star…Dr. Roselli. We cannot say enough about the wonderful care Charlie has received. The infectious disease doctors read the March 16th MRI and they said he had the infection at that time in his L2 – L3 area. Most likely on March 7th when this all started with Charlie in agony getting out of bed that morning …that was the infection…not a back problem from exercise. Charlie was misdiagnosed. Charlie had his infective endocarditis for over 10 weeks. The doctors here said he was a very lucky man…we would say more blessed. My girlfriend said today…Charlie is a true miracle…we know he was in GOD’s hands. Also, to our wonderful family, friends and HVJ family who prayed and gave us strength throughout our roller coaster ride of a year – we love you all. A million, million, million thanks. Please continue to pray for Charlie’s recovery and that he listens to his doctors orders & his nurse (me)! Today as we board the plane it will be a bittersweet goodbye to Cleveland. Charlie is apprehensive…but ready to be home. Our journey still continues but the two of us have truly become a bond of one in our marriage, our faith in Jesus Christ and our journey that is yet to come that He will lead our life. Thank you GOD for our blessings. There is a part in Psalm 91 that reads - He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. . For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. AMEN!

We were off early this morning for testing at the Cleveland Clinic. Our final testing before boarding that plane on Sunday was an EKG, X-ray, & blood work. All were great….blood work a bit elevated. Will do blood work on Monday when we get back to NC to double check. Already made our appointments for our GP doctor and our cardiologist. We had breakfast afterwards at the Intercontinental Hotel connected to Cleveland Clinic. Charlie’s appetite is not so great, but that is expected after his surgery. Afterwards, a long nap after all his walking. So glad we have a suite…he slept, I did my cross stitch. He was such a trooper today. His pain in his chest and rib area has increased. Told him it must be really black and blue on the inside. His pain meds are helping, but he is not taking a whole lot of that either. It’s slow going and that is tough for an “A” type personality. He is really being a great patient. Tonight we went downstairs for dinner at the hotel just could tell he was in pain. I went up to the room to get him his pain meds…tomorrow room service for sure. Told him we just have to do some walking. We have an R&R type day…other than walking a bit. Will pack for our trip home. We both can’t wait to get home and also pick up our Sophie on Monday. We miss our golden girl so much. Thanks for all your phone calls, thoughts and prayers. Think of our HVJ family. Many, many thanks our Lord for my man being back with me. Missed him so…never sleep well without him. God Bless y’all. Julia & Charlie ☺

So today at 2:30 p.m. Charlie was released from the Cleveland Clinic. Hip , Hip, Hurray! After all the IV stuff and stitches from his chest tubes were removed today, Charlie was able to take a shower and get dressed into street clothes. Our journey to the hotel was by shuttle…he even climbed up rather than being rolled in the wheelchair. By the time we were in the hotel room, he was exhausted. Upon arriving into the room he immediately sunk into the recliner. A nap was in order. Tonight we will stay in and have room service. Tomorrow morning we head back to the Cleveland Clinic for blood work, EKG & X-rays. Will chill at the hotel afterwards. It just so good to have Charlie with me tonight….my man is back! Thank you GOD…you answered all of our prayers. Again….we continue to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Now prayers for a good recovery are in order….one day at a time. God Bless everyone…..Lots of Love, Julia & Charlie ☺

Well I guess even Cleveland Clinic people are human. Charlie’s MRI on Monday was of the upper part of his spine instead of his lower lumbar. By the time we found this out on Tuesday they wouldn’t let him blow this pop stand! He had to get an MRI of his lower lumbar. Of course, that didn’t happen yesterday. So here it is Wednesday at 4:40 p.m. and they just took him for his MRI. The nurse practitioner just stopped by and apologized for the whole mix up. He won’t be released until tomorrow, but she will try to get him out early. Oh…well tomorrow he will be able to get all his IV stuff off and take a shower and be a new man. Also, early this morning he decided to take a stroll and ended up in A-Fib (heart beating irregular). Again, this is very normal and could happen up to 6 months after surgery. So they had to up the amount on certain drugs to help his heart go back into rhythm. It shouldn’t hold him up from getting out of here. Beth left this morning…thank you, thank you Ms. Beth. You were an angel helping us out and getting us all moved into the new hotel for Charlie. Also, being a wonderful support system to both of us and a dear, dear friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our HVJ families preparing for surgery, undergoing surgery, or in recovery. Again…thank y’all (family & friends) for your thoughts and prayers for us. We couldn’t have done it without you. All our love, Julia & Charlie PS...Charlie is hankering for a burger with lettuce, tomato & onions…mmmmm don’t think he’ll get that here!

Last night too tired to update.... Things are looking real good, many, many blessings. Many, many thanks to our family, friends, HVJ family and our higher power, Jesus for holding our hands through Charlie’s bicuspid aortic valve transplant. Charlie said while he was in the operating room before he was sedated, he felt so calm…he felt our Lord’s presence. AMEN!! Yesterday, Charlie had lots of things happening at the hospital from echocardiograms, cat scans, x-rays, biopsy of old aortic valve was negative of infection, all of his blood cultures were negative and this morning an MRI. Cleveland Clinic is amazing…..we are just awed by this wonderful place. They are crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s! Dr. Roselli was here too yesterday and spoke to us in regard to all of his tests. Everything looks good. Dr. Roselli is an amazing man. Doug called him the “Rock Star.” He is very compassionate, honest and good at what he does and loves it too! His infectious disease team are just double checking his back with the MRI to make sure there is no infection in his back. Beth & I are preparing to check out of our current hotel and move to a new one about two blocks down so Charlie will be more comfortable. They will even have a recliner for him. Charlie will be discharged tomorrow because we won’t have the results on the MRI today and Beth heads home tomorrow. Will miss her dearly…but onto our next phase of recuperation for Charlie. Charlie & I will chill out at the hotel. Friday is follow-up day at the Cleveland Clinic and fly home on Sunday. Lots of Love from Cleveland….Julia, Charlie & Beth too! PS...missing our Sophia!

Last night decided to stay at the hotel…Charlie was feeling good. Thought Doug & I would get a good night sleep…but our next door neighbors youts or yewths (youths) across the way decided to have a party half the night…until the front desk came up to give them a piece of her mind. In the morning I left a note under their door ….SHAME ON YOU, there are sick people who are staying here…Grow up! So, now I think I have bags under my bags. Today…Doug headed home…Charlie & I will miss him greatly. He was such a big help having a youthful brain, compassionate, in tune to his father’s needs, and a great son. I headed to the chapel for church service, Charlie couldn’t come because he is still hooked up to machines to monitor his heart. Many prayers of thanksgiving for Charlie’s wonderful surgeons, his great recovery and our continued support from family, friends and HVJ patient & caregivers….God has blessed us. Charlie’s blood pressure is back to normal, he is out of A-fib, and his oxygen level is good. So far his blood cultures are good, we are waiting for his biopsy from his aortic valve but his platelets are low and haven’t moved upward just down. It could be from him being on the heart/lung machine. Tomorrow is Monday…it should be a busy day with doctors. He is starting to have more pain in his chest area, but thank GOD for pain meds. Coughing, hiccups or sneezing are painful…but he is working through it. He looks great…wonderful color, doing laps in the hallways (small ones) & naps afterwards. Beth arrived, my next anchor…we walked the hallways with Charlie, watched golf and had a nice relaxing dinner together. Hoping to hear good news from the doctor’s tomorrow…maybe he will get released mid week. God bless y’all….until tomorrow. Julia, Charlie….and our new anchor Beth ☺

Last night I slept in Charlie’s room, because he was experiencing Atrial fibrillation/A-fib and his blood pressure was very low. A-fib is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat). It is very common in heart valve patients. Through IV meds last night and this morning they worked on getting it back to normal and his blood pressure too! Charlie was a bit out of sorts, so I thought it best if I stayed. We both felt more comfortable being together…I would have never slept back at the hotel. Both of us didn’t have much sleep because we had all sorts of nurses and technicians in and out, but they made things happen. Today Charlie & I rose early at the hospital to different doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, etc. all telling him how well he is doing. By mid morning his heart was beating regular. The cardiac rehab gentleman was in to get him walking. So Doug, Charlie & I took a stroll down the hall. The rehab guy said remember how ever long you walk….you have to walk back too! The nurse practitioner talked to us about when Charlie might be discharged. If Charlie keeps up his quick recovery…he could be out as early as Tuesday. We still need to find out about the blood cultures & biopsy of the aortic valve to make sure there aren\'t any infections. If Charlie isn’t ready to be released, we will talk to the staff. Once released the plan is to stay at another one of the hotels that will be more accommodating with a recliner chair for Charlie. The nurse also took off the bandage from the incision…yes, I would say it is quite large…his new zipper. Doug says its about ten inches. It is stapled and actually looks pretty good. Today we were taught how to clean the incision, know how to watch for infection and know that some days will be good days…and some days there will be set backs. Also, that it is important for Charlie to cough or hiccup with his arms crossed in front or use his heart pillow. We don’t want any staples popping! Met a lady up in the laundry room today. Her husband had mitral valve replacement at 77 years old but not in good shape. She nearly lost her husband. We are so blessed. Charlie is in good shape. He has a great support system. We are able to be together through this whole health issue. Other families & their spouse might have to work or couldn’t afford to be here throughout their loved ones journey. So today…we are counting are blessings even more. Thank you GOD…for all our blessings. Tomorrow our anchor, Doug heads home. Charlie & I will miss him so much. He has been such a help to us both…mentally, spiritually and because he is just such a great, caring, loving, understanding, compassionate and easy going man. He truly knows how to go with the flow! Can’t call him a kid anymore…he truly is all grown up! Thank you Doug…we love you so very much. Thanks Sarah too! Tonight…I’ll sleep at the hotel so I can rejuvenate myself…my next anchor arrives tomorrow, Beth. We know we keep being redundant, but no words can truly thank y’all so much for all your “cheerleading” support, love and kind words and prayers….from the USA, to England to India and beyond….thanks again, and again, and again. We love you all! God Bless you…those HVJ patients, caregivers….keep on tickin! Julia, Charlie & Doug PS….Photo posted with Denise, Ric, Charlie & I from yesterday’s visit!

6:30 a.m. received a call from Charlie’s nurse that he was doing really well and asking for me…felt guilty that I wasn’t there, but tried to get some rest. Needless to say, not much…my mind was going still 150 miles an hour. 8:00 a.m. Off to see Charlie, my man with Doug. Just couldn’t believe how GREAT he looked. No breathing tube but all other tubes were still attached to him. Charlie said he was in no pain, but we told him to push the pain med button to keep him level. No pain…he would heal quicker. Also today we met Denise & Ric Kirchner a patient too of Dr. Roselli. She was in for a check up and oh how wonderful meeting a fellow Heart Valve Journal patient. We had coffee together and off to check on Charlie. When we got to ICU they told us they moved him! That was at 1:30 p.m. today….can you imagine only in ICU for 17 hours! GOD truly was there holding his hand…..so many blessings! Denise & Ric took photos of our visit. Will try to post them when Ric sends them to us. Doug & I spent dinner with Charlie…actually he had lunch at 3 o’clock and then dinner at 6 p.m. He was starving….he said “well I haven’t eaten in almost 48 hours! He sounded like me! We also had him cheat…we brought him a cannoli…. delicious! Tonight decided to stay with my man in his room. They have a couch that slides out. Again….thank y’all for your prayers and your wonderful guest wishes. Charlie enjoys when I read them to him. Thank you for giving us the strength to make it through….and GOD as our guiding light. God Bless all those HVJ patients….you are in our prayers always. Lots of luv…Julia, Charlie & Doug too!

Just a quick note...we finally got a chance to see Charlie in ICU...he is still sedated...but moved his eye brows when we talked. He was restrained because he was trying to pull out his tube in his throat. Doug & I decided to leave him be for the night to get his rest. If I am awake will call to check on him at 11 pm......nurse will call us at 6 a.m. before the shift change to tell us his progress. Many blessings to be grateful for....Thank you, thank you GOD, Thank you Dr. Roselli and thank y\'all my Anchors... Lots of love, now for some sleep....long long day....long long year! Julia, Charlie & Doug

6:30 p.m. Met with Dr. Roselli about a half hour ago. They are just closing Charlie up and we will be able to see him in about an hour and a half. Charlie was only on the heart/lung machine for under an hour....that\'s a great thing! The doctor told us that he gave Charlie a pig valve not a cadaver valve because the pig valve is treated with medicine to prevent it from breaking down so quickly and to prevent infection. They gave him the pig aorta because it is all one piece. Doug said basically they did a plumbing job on him. Cut out the bad piece and put in a whole new piece. On his old bicuspid aorta valve one part was full of stenosis or calcification and the other part had a huge hole in it. The hole most likely happened from the infection eating away at it. They are doing a biopsy on it just to be certain there is no infection. We will see Charlie….my man probably about 7:30 tonight. He will probably be out of it….but Doug & I are just anxious to see him. We will eat some dinner and then go back to see him to see if they have taken the breathing tube out. Again, thank y’all for your prayers….and support. Thank you GOD for taking care of my man. AMEN! Julia☺ & Doug PS….thanks Evelyn and Beth for telling me to bring my cross stitch…couldn’t concentrate on reading so it really came in handy!

Finally….the day has come… We were up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. Charlie had to continue his ritual of giving himself another shower this morning with antibacterial wash, his nose stuff for infection and brushing his teeth and using Listerine afterwards. He was nervous but in good spirits. At 9:00 a.m. we met with Dr. Roselli…all three of us loved him. He told us he loved what he did, he had a great family who understood they had to share him with his patients and if Charlie was nervous that was good, but he wasn’t. Charlie is getting a cadaver aortic valve not a cow, partially because they also found a small aneurism. 10:00 a.m. he was brought into preop and at 11:00 a.m. we went into see him and say our farewell and young man who is studying to be a priest said prayers with us. He was cute….we were curious as to how long he had to study before he became a priest…anywhere from 6-9 years. He said he was a Doctor of Faith. We all thought that was so cool. We know Charlie is in partnership today with our GOD…holding his hand through his surgery. One of our friends, Jon Roethke gave us some words of wisdom of faith…“you can’t, He can, let Him”. Think Doug & I held up pretty good…got Charlie laughing with the nurse about his tattoo. It truly is heart wrenching to watch your loved one, my man being wheeled off for surgery. Your heart just aches is all I can say! My love, my best friend…my everything. I now know what my Mom went through with my Dad in 1986 when he needed a triple bypass surgery…my Mom the rock wasn’t the rock…she needed us kids to be there for her. Thank GOD, I have my faith and Doug is here….and all of our family, friends and our HVJ Family have been so, so, so wonderful! WE BOTH…Charlie & I thank you so much for your support throughout our Health Crisis Year! Would love to answer all your guestbook messages... 2:30 p.m. Just heard from the nurse coordinator…they are making the first incision to my man! Think I’ll go get a cup of java…the rooftop pavilion where I wanted to be is closed this afternoon. Will update again…later. Julia:-)

Just have to start out by saying the Cleveland Clinic is AMAZING, IMPRESSIVE, and EXCEPTIONAL. Charlie was right that we needed to come here for his surgery. The unbelievable staff…from receptionist, nurses, “RED COAT” people (they give you directions if you are lost), doctors, and technicians etc. just all go beyond the call of duty. It is patient first! This is even before the surgery. Today we started out with preoperative care. Met with a physician assistant, the anesthesiologist and finally a dentist. When we arrived on Monday he ate a piece of potato pancake and there was something hard in it and broke his tooth….his wisdom tooth. Yes, can you believe it! We couldn’t either. We thought it was his filling. Anyway, this afternoon they repaired it and all is good. It truly is one stop shopping here….AWESOME! In regard to meeting Dr. Roselli, well the man was still in surgery as of 4 p.m. so we won’t get to meet him until tomorrow morning at 8 a.m…..surgery scheduled for 10:00 a.m. It should be a 5 to 6 hour tops surgery. Didn’t ask today if they have WIFI at the clinic, but I will bring my computer with me and hope they do somewhere in there. Otherwise….close family members and some friends (will try to get friends to call friends to keep everyone in the loop) and I will blog at the end of the day. Tonight Charlie has to put stuff in his nose, take a shower with an antiseptic solution tonight and tomorrow morning and hopefully get a good night sleep. Thank you all y’all…our friends, family and HVJ family for signing his guestbook. Each night I am reading it out loud…some are just so touching! We wouldn’t have made it this far without all your love and support. Of course, we know that we have Jesus at our side who has been guiding us this year through all our trials and tribulations. Where would we be without our FAITH! THANK YOU GOD for being there for us. God Bless….Julia & Charlie & Doug

Well…..tried to get this into the HVJ Journal last night but the blog had issues….emailed them about it….since this has been my life line to other HVJ’rs (Heart Valve Journal Patients & Caregivers and now family and friends). Thank you Adam for getting it back up and running! Guess there are a lot of us blogging these days…Hearts out to y’all! TESTING DAY….August 7th…. We were Up at 5 a.m……off to the Cleveland Clinic at 6:30 a.m. The in room coffee maker didn’t work….the deli downstairs didn’t open until 7 a.m…..no coffee until like 8 o’clock…mind you I drink decaf…but its just the idea! But….I promise you…I wasn’t grumpy! Charlie couldn’t have any soooooo felt I was being a good wife! Thought it would be an even longer day than it was But, things moved rather smoothly. Charlie had an electrocardiogram, chest x rays, blood work, CT Scan, & an echocardiogram. Our day finished at 4:14 p.m. WHEW! Back at the guest house….he took a nap….I tried to blog on our site and of course, couldn’t update it! Oh well. Gotta love/hate thing going on with the computer! When it works…they are great! Doug , our ANCHOR arrived around 7 p.m. and then we were off to Little Italy for dinner. It was an early night, but the good thing we don’t have to be at the Clinic until 9:00 am. Will keep you posted as to our journey today….finally will get to meet Dr. Roselli. I know GOD made his hands just for this purpose…to make miracles happen. We have only heard wonderful things about him yesterday throughout our testing. We know that God is journeying with us and that we are in GREAT hands. God Bless y’all for your prayers Julia, Charlie and our ANCHOR Doug (Charlie\'s son)