Cassie's Journal

I was excited to go to my appointment with Dr. Thorne today. (cardiac surgeon) I found out the results to my heart echo. (ultrasound) It was really great news so I thought I'd share the before and after results. Before Surgery: Mitral Valve = Severe Regurgitation (leaks) Aortic Valve = Moderately Severe Regurgitation Tricuspid Valve = Moderate Regurgitation Moderate to Severe Pulmonary Hypertention (lack of oxygen!) Moderate Aortic Enlargement 18 Weeks After Surgery: Mitral Valve (bioprosthetic): Normal Function Aortic Valve (mechanical): Normal Function Tricuspid Valve (ring): No change - Moderate Regurg. Mild Pulmonary Hypertention Mild Aortic Enlargement YAY!!!! All improved except tricuspid valve. I can walk up stairs and not feel out of breath half way up or feel like I am going to pass out. Dr. Thorne said "You look great! I didn't even recognize you!" My mom has recently told me I have color back in my face so maybe that is what he was trying to say. LOL I meet with my cardiologist in August and then with Dr. Thorne in one year. My cardiologist said my next goal is to lose weight so these "fixes" can last longer! I agree with him! I've started with being more active, tracking my steps and watching what I eat. Hopefully he'll be able to see a difference by August. Hope everyone has a great summer! Thank you all for your support! ~ Cassie

I cannot believe its been 12 weeks. I am starting to feel "back to normal" with a few exceptions. I still get tired when I clean my house (who doesn't?) or walk alot in a day. I purchased one of the FitBit bracelets that tracks your steps. My average steps during the week is about 4,500. Last weekend I got up to 7,100 steps! My goal is 10,000 steps a day. I need to start walking when I get home when I get home or walk on my lunch break to reach my goal! Being back to work is bittersweet. Everyone was so excited for me to be back (I've been back four weeks now.) but my friend/coworker was not there she passed away in March while I was on the mend from surgery. I still have my bad days . . . I miss her alot. I still have times where I think I need to go talk to her about something or I think she is going to walk thru my office door. Somedays I wish my surgery would have been postponed so I could have said goodbye to her and other days I am glad my health is improving and wish I would have done the surgery earlier. Tomorrow will be an especially hard day. . . it is an annual meeting she used to work her butt off for and stress alot about. I ran into her husband at the store tonight, he thanked me for volunteering to read a family statement on his behalf at the meeting tomorrow. He also told me how much she used to stress and stay awake at night before the meeting. I think she worked her magic from Heaven tonight to make sure that he reminded me to stress! LOL I am not worried, I think it will go well and she'll be in my thoughts tomorrow. Other than that, I have an appointment next week with my "electrician" to check my pacemaker. Then in June I'll have a cardio echo and see my cardio surgeon after he gets the results. I am looking forward to some great news! Thanks for all your support. I feel very blessed to have great support and love from everyone . . . family, friends and coworkers. ~Cassie

I've said it before...and I'll say it again....I cannot believe I had valve replacement surgery only a few short weeks ago! Seven weeks to be exact. Today I was walking up and down my front steps and the basement stairs with ease! I got slightly out of breath but only at the end of the climb, not halfway up. That is PROGRESS! For some reason my INR is not where they would like it. I am not sure if I am eating too much vitamin K or whats going on. Last week my INR was 2.0 and my range should be 2.5 to 3.5 so they increased my dose by a full pill once a week. Today my INR was 2.1...still needs some adjustment. I'll get checked again next Wednesday before work. I've heard that it is a delicate balancing act! I am up to almost 40 minutes at cardiac rehab. I only have one day left, this Friday. I will continue my training at home with my eliptical machine and a few small free weights. Well that's all for now...not much of an update. I will be headed back to work in one week. It will be bittersweet but I am ready! ~Cassie

Wow...time sure does fly! I cannot believe its been six weeks since my heart valve replacement surgery! CrAzY! I found out the results of my blood test...I am still anemic. I have started taking my iron pills again and it seems to help my energy! :) I am doing well, feeling stronger each day. Today I went to cardiac rehab and was feeling really tired. Not sure why. My blood pressure before starting the treadmill was 123/72. . . about half way thru the treadmill the nurse came and took my blood pressure and it was 88/60 so they kicked me off! I sat down for a while and it only got back up to 102/65. Not sure what happened. Tried the bike for a while but my pressure was still low so the nurse told me to call it a day. I was pretty bummed I couldn't finish my routine (first time saying that phrase!) I went home, rested a bit and got ready to see the cardiologist for my follow up. He had me lay down for five minutes and said my blood pressure was still low about 105/70. He couldn't figure out why. He said I didn't look dehydrated or pale like I was low on blood. After an hour an a half appointment and an EKG they sent me home. I ate lunch and made sure to drink plenty of fluids. I've been monitoring my blood pressure and it seems to be back to normal. I am so thankful for the nurses at cardiac rehab that monitor me...I felt tired on the treadmill but not like I was going to pass out. I wonder if the nurse hadn't checked my pressure if I would have continued my workout and passed out! That would have been scary! This is exactly what the cardiac rehab is for and why they create workouts especially for each patient. Our two daughters started soccer this past week and I was worried about walking to their field for their games on Saturday. I just made sure to stop and rest every few minutes and I did fine! I wanted to stand up and cheer and yell like I usually do but I figured that would wear me out so I became the "quiet" parent and will probably take that approach for a while. Don't want to over do it! One game is only 32 minutes and the other is an hour so its not too long for me to sit and enjoy. I really love watching them play! I attended church on Sunday as well and I think I over did it....a little too much walking and sitting for three hours straight. I was really tired when I got home. I have to admit, it was great to get out of the house this weekend and see the outside world! (Besides working out at cardiac rehab three days a week with elderly men who like to flirt with me and the nurses!) Well I hope all the heart valve patients are recovering well! Have a great rest of the week and weekend! ~Cassie

I've had many doctor appointments this week, along with three days of Cardiac Rehab...I've been one busy woman! Tuesday I had my annual check up with my oncologist. Normally I would not see her annually after being in remission for 16 years but since I am having after effects of chemo and radiation, she would like me to see her annually. She ordered some blood work and I am waiting to hear the results of those tests. Other than that, she said she highly doubts I will ever get Hodgkin's Lymphoma back again. I'll mainly be dealing with the after effects of treatment. She wants me to start getting mamograms when I am 40. On Wednesday I had an appointment my "Electrician" Dr. Eifling. He checked my pacemaker. My pacemaker has not been needed since it was put in. He said my heart didn't have any electricity after surgery which is why they installed the pacemaker. Now that my heart has healed it has its electricity back, which is great. I have nine years of battery left on my pacemaker and it only needs less than a volt to pace my heart when needed, which he also said was good. He paced my heart rate up to 120 and I couldn't tell the pacemaker was doing anything. (Wierd!) He asked if I had any questions about it and I asked my restrictions. He told me about the scanners at the airport and a warning about the Hoover Dam (who knew?). Then I asked him about rides such as rides at Disneyland and such because I always see warnings for heart patients. He said those warnings and restrictions are not for valve replacement or pacemaker patients and I'd be fine. Disneyland...here we come! (We'll maybe next fall!) My third and final check up this week was today with the Cardiac Surgeon. He told me I looked fabulous! He checked my wound and said it looked great. He did notice my left leg was still a bit bigger (swelling) than my right because of the vien they took out. He told me to elevate it at night and take a lasix pill if I ever feel like I need one. He told me that it was great to have a healthly patient and said I am on the path to being released for work at 8 weeks. (April 16th) Cardiac Rehab is going well. I am up a few minutes on each machine. The weird thing is I am sore only on my knees from the bike and between my shoulder blades. I think I've been hunched over for so long after surgery that working out helps me straighten up my posture and it was working my back muscles! I am glad I am getting these muscles back in working order before I head back to work. I still get out of breathe towards the end of the day, but I know that will come back. Hope everyone has a great weekend! ~Cassie

It's been 30 days since my double valve replacement surgery! Every day I get little stronger and feel a little better. I still get tired easily but that is to be expected. This week was a tough week for me emotionally. My friend and coworker passed away on Monday from brain cancer at the tender age of 50. Her funeral services were Wednesday and Thursday. Lots of hugs = sore arms. Lots of tears = red eyes and exhaustion. I did really well during the services except one time when I had to leave to get some fresh air. I think my emotions got the best of me and I got a little overwhelmed. Currently I participate in Cardiac Rehab three times a week. (M, W, F @ 8:30am) I LOVE it! Although I have to say it is so odd to be the youngest person. The nurses and therapists were so excited that I was up and moving around at home! Monday I will be up to 12 minutes on the stationary bike, 10 minutes on the treadmill and 4 minutes on the arm machine. (Pedal a bike with your arms.) I feel so much better knowing they are watching my heart on a monitor and taking my blood pressure periodically. I even get a summary of my heart rate at the end of the session. They make sure my heart rate is back down to where it was when I started before they let me leave. All the nurses and physical therapists are really nice and helpful. As far as restrictions at home, I can do the dishes and some light housework. My husband still has to do the laundry because of my lifting restrictions. (No complaints from me there! I loath laundry!) We have ordered one more cleaning session next Tuesday from a professional cleaning company to do the deep cleaning (toilets, bathtubs, vaccuming, mopping, wipe down cabinets,etc) After that I will have only three more weeks before my restrictions are lifted. I have to say, I was skeptical about a cleaning service but it was WONDERFUL to have four ladies come in and clean for 90 minutes. All the work they did would have taken me an entire Saturday to complete. We had the first service right before my mom stayed with us because I didn't want her to worry about cleaning. I wanted her to focus on helping me and visit with me. (Even though I ended up not needing her assistance as much as I thought!) It was so nice to have our house cleaned professionally, even if it is only for a couple of times! My estimated return to work day is April 16th, if my doctor releases me. He told me 8 to 12 weeks of restrictions and told me 8 weeks was a great goal. We shall see how I continue to progress. Have a great weekend! Remember to take time to stop and smell the roses. Life is too short to be rushed. ~Cassie

I can't believe its been three weeks since my double heart valve replacement surgery! I am doing well. . .not in a lot of pain. Sticking to Tylenol when I do feel pain but it is not often. My INR was checked today and it was 2.7 which is the low end of my range. YAY! Waiting for my new Coumadin dose schedule for this week. Getting stronger everyday. Sunday afternoon Chris (hubby) took me and our two girls to the park. I watched as they played soccer. I walked quite a bit and it felt good to get out of the house. My first Cardiac Rehab day is next Tuesday at St. Mark's Hospital. I am very excited to get this started. I feel like I am being released from jail or lockdown! I will also be allowed to drive next Wednesday (4 weeks) so that will also increase my feelings of being "free"! Have a great rest of the week. Hope everyone is doing well. . . hope Cami and other recent valve replacement patients are recovering well! ~Cassie

Today's appointment with my cardiologist went well. Now that I am off the water pill he wants me back on the beta blocker. Apparently a full/normal dose is 100mg and I am on 25mg, so it shouldn't cause me any problems or drop my blood pressure too low. It was the combination of everything that I was taking that caused my low blood pressure. As for the blood thinner, I am waiting until Wednesday to be tested again. Friday's test was too thin so they cut my dose I half. We asked about having a home tester and the cardiologist said it is too risky to monitor it myself. If I was on blood thinner just for A-Fib or another reason it would be as risky. Since I have a mechanical valve, he felt it was important to be monitored closely. Can't argue with that. He also said I can get tested at a lab closer to home which would be nice. Time for Cardiac Rehab! The cardiologist said now that my pressure is up, it is time to start working out! Yay! He said they will start me out slow but I am looking forward to being hooked up to a monitor and see how my heart does when I walk on the treadmill. Can't wait to get my endurance back! I get tired so easily these days, but I know it will get better. I just need to have patience. ~Cassie

First the good news: I had a great week with my mom here to help me. She went home yesterday and took the girls with her for a weekend stay at Grandma's house in Southern Utah. It is my grandmother's birthday (their great-grandma) and they had fun surprising her this morning. More good news! I am now 3 lbs away from my pre-operation weight! During the first two days after my valve replacement surgery, I gained 22 lbs of water weight and have been taking lasix (water pill) to help lose it. Once I am at that weight I can stop taking lasix. I still have to monitor my weight daily. If I gain more than 3 lbs in one day or 5 lbs in a week, I have to call my cardiologist because it is a sign of possible congestive heart failure. Set back #1 - Today the home health nurse came and took my blood to test my INR to make sure I am on the right dose of blood thinning medication. Last Friday, my INR was 3.3, exactly in my range of 2.5 to 3.5. Today it was 5.3!!! TOO THIN! TOO THIN! It is exactly what I worried about all week when the doctor told me the new dose schedule of medication. The home health nurse is going to tell my doctor and get back to me this afternoon. Most likely I'll skip tonight's dose and get on a lower dose schedule. I am so NOT a medication person....the less meds I have to take the better, but I know I will have to take this the rest of my life so I better just get used to it as my new normal. Set Back #2 - My husband was going to schedule cardiac rehab therapy for next week. It is at St. Mark's Hospital and there is a therapist that monitors my heart while walking on a tread mill three times a week. However, with my blood this thin I will have to postpone this therapy for another week. Ugh. I was looking forward to starting to get my strength back. For now I will stick to walking around my house and in the backyard. Well despite two small set backs, I am feeling great and taking this one day at a time. I will post on Monday after my appointment with my cardiologist. Hope everyone has a great weekend!! ~Cassie

Yesterday I ventured out of the house with my mom for a doctors appointment. It was an appointment to check my pace maker. I spent more time walking to the doctors office than I spent at the appointment being checked out. I felt well enough that I asked my mom to stop at the grocery store to get a few things. I hopped in on of the electric carts (after wiping it down with anticeptic wipes!) and away we went. It was kind of hard to reach things on a tall shelf . . . I was sitting in the cart and my mom is only 5'2" but we got it done! We came home and had some lunch and then I was out for a two hour nap. I needed the rest because the home health physical therapist who stopped by around 5pm. He evaluated me and told me that most of his patients are "80 plus". Yes, I understand I am young. He showed me some leg excercises and told me to walk in the house until I get tired. Then rest. That is how I will get my endurance back up. I love a challenge! :) Today I woke up and my left "donor" leg feels SO MUCH better! I think it was a combination of walking to my appointment in the hospital and the phyiscal therapy. I will be working walking until I am tired today! Anything to help my leg feel better! My blood pressure has stablized, I think. It mostly stays around 113/78. It still drops sometimes but no longer into the 80/50s. My home health nurse will be here Friday to test my INR (blood thinness) and I am curious what the results will be. Thanks for all the phone calls, flowers, cards and support! Love, Cassie

Wow. I can't believe its been 10 days! Every day I get a little stronger. My hubby laughs at me because everyday after I take a shower I have to have an hour nap. That's how easy I get tired these days. Hopefully that will go away soon as I get stronger. I have been working on three issues since I've been home. . . first, my blood pressure. I was on 1/2 a pill of a blood pressure (beta blocker) both morning and night. Every time I took it, my blood pressure would drop. The home health nurse called my doctor about it and he said I shouldn't take the pill if my blood pressure number (top / systolic) is under a 100. Well that is GREAT information to know. I was just instructed to take a 1/2 a pill at breakfast and dinner. Once I stopped taking that pill, my blood pressure became a little more stable. I feel so light headed and dizzy when it gets around 80/50 and right now it hovers around 100/75 without the medication. :) Second, the coumadin has been a pain to regulate. It has been skip a dose, take a 1/2 dose, take a full dose, and so on and so forth. The home health nurse tested my INR (thinness of blood that should be 2.5 to 3.5) on Thursday and it was 4.1, then she took it again on Friday and it was 3.2. Now they gave me a schedule of what it should be for the entire week and are not testing until next Friday. I have the number to the Heart Center/Coumadin Clinic and will call them Monday to find out why we are waiting so long to test. It makes me a little nervous. Last, my "donor" leg has been giving me problems. They took a artery out of my leg to replace the damaged artery on my heart. The trauma and swelling caused by the surgery makes it stiff and painful to move. The coumadin makes it worse and has made it turn black and blue. The physical therapist will help me on Monday with getting this leg better. I have two wonderful little nurses that make sure i have enough water and ask to push the button on the blood pressure machine. My parents and brother came last night. Its been fun catching up with them. My mom will be staying with me this week while my husband goes back to work. Thanks for all the love and support! Taking it one day at a time! Cassie

It feels so good to be home today. The girls are on their way home and they will be so excited that their mommy is home! And I am so excited to see them. Just a few small updates - - my blood was in the normal range this morning, which is why I was able to be released. - home health will come by and check my blood levels tomorrow. - my cardiac surgeon's assistant told me since I was so young to ask my cardiologist about home/self testing INR. You can take it when you travel, etc. much easier for a busy mom! I will talk to him about it. She said she only knows of one other patient that was approved to do it and she was a young mother as well with a hectic schedule. (I was taught how to give my own weekly shots when I had chemo to boost my white blood count. I feel confident I could do this testing too.) - pay attention to what helps you feel better in the hospital, for instance, we got home and I felt a little light headed. I remembered the feeling in the hospital. My husband took my blood pressure (we have a battery operated cuff from Walgreens) and my pressure was 86/63. I thought about a time my pressure dropped in the hospital and they gave me an IV of saline. My husband got me some apple juice and some water. Finished both glasses and instantly started feeling better. On the way home I should have had some water but didn't. Took my pressure again and it was up to 96/69. Continued to drink, rest and sleep and it is now 110/70 and I feel so much better. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers! Love, Cassie

Well it's been six days since my heart replacement surgery. Honestly, the pain is not as bad as I thought. My hubby walked me around the nurses station twice today and I thought I would be more sore tonight but I am not too bad. The cardiac rehab said I should get up and walk every two hours if I can especially when I get home by starting out with short distances in my house. Then I'll start cardiac rehab in the hospital in the treadmill next week. I was hoping, wishing and dreaming of going home today but alas I was disappointed! My blood was too thin to send me home. Luckily, I will have home health checking my blood levels when I go home so my sitters/tenders will not have to worry. My cardiologists partner came to check on me (I now have a cardiac surgeon, a cardiologist and now a pacemaker doctor that calls himself the "electrician"). He said "you had chest radiation for Hodgkins" I replied yes. He said "when? When you were 2 years old?" I laughed and told him no, I was 21. A few years off. He said they are finding more and more Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors with radiation to the chest area with heart damage. My initial two thoughts are "great! Lots of survivors!" and then "wow! I hope they stop radiation around the heart!" For those reading this before there heart valve replacement surgery, please remember that everyone's experience will be different. I wish I had taken more time to study up on taking blood thinners and having a pacemaker just in case. I feel kind of blindsided with those two issues that will become my new normal. Thanks for all the flowers, card, prayers and positive thoughts! Hopefully tomorrow at this time I'll be updating you from the comfort of my own home and in the presence if my cute little family! Love, Cassie

Friday before Dr. Thorne left for the weekend he came in and rubbed my arm. He looked right into my eyes and said "you know you are gonna be alright girl?" I said yes and he said "okay, everything is gonna be alight" I loved this reassurance for two reasons, first it showed he cared, he could tell I was upset about the pacemaker. Second, he calls me girl because I am one if his youngest patients. I am not gonna lie, this weekend was pretty rough. Sunday before my hubby brought our girls for a visit, my heart went into "afib" where your heart squeezes to fast on top and not fast enough on the bottom. (Feel free to google. LOL) my heart rate was double what it should have been, about 160, so they gave me some medication to slow my heart down. The visit went great. Kylee kept telling me she hoped my heart gets better and would love on my arm. I teared up a little just seeing them, I didn't realize how much I would miss them. After they left, my pressure dropped and I got really faint. My pressure was about 80/40. Pretty horrible feeling. I texted my hubby and asked him to come back. Finally about 1am they got it back to 113/63. They told me the blood thinner and the medicine for the afib didn't like each other. (Ugh! I hate blood thinners. I remember them from 16 years ago when I had a port a cath for chemo. It is what it is.) I did learn a lesson, I don't have to be strong all the time. Sometimes you need to rely on others strength to get you through. My hubby came and reminded me how my body always takes time to get rebalanced. I need to keep that in mind. Once I find my new balance it will be my new normal. I was grateful for him last night and always grateful for him in my life. I spoke with the cardiac surgeon this morning and he said I should be going home tomorrow! Yea me! I need someone (hubby!) to be with me at all times for the first 24 hours. The girls will still follow their routine and my cousin Mindy has volunteered to get our youngest to and from preschool/daycare. I'll post when I'm ready for visitors. I think a lot rest will be best for the first few days. Last note, I believe my Heavenly Father has kept me here on earth for many lessons and reasons. Most of all I want my daughters to know that they are special miracles and they are very blessed to be here given my difficulties bringing them here and what my physical body has gone though. My hubby and I talked last night and we want to make sure that they know they are very special and the sky is the limit. They can do anything they want to do. At the same time, we want them to learn to be compassionate, positive, kind and serve others. You never know what another person may need or be going thru. Life is too short to be hurtful, mean or negative. If you ask some people I have come in counter with over the years they would have never guessed that I a cancer survivor. Unless they ask about a scar or it comes up in conversation, I simply don't dwell on it. I never dwell on the trials in life, i learn from them, move on and I try to focus on the future however long or short it will be. Enough reflection for today because I know I am gonna be alight. (And I've probably made my mom cry several times during this post and will get a phone call from her shortly!) Love, Cassie

A few accomplishments to report from yesterday. First, I was up and walking twice. Second, I got moved to a regular room (3S02) on the 3rd floor south wing. And third, I went from four IV points down to two. One in my left hand and one in my neck. Hopefully the one in my neck comes out today! Finally, my pacemaker has not been needed since it went in. The nurse showed me a patients' EKG when the pacemaker is used constantly to keep your heart beating and then she showed me my EKG that hasn't used it to pace my heart. They told me it was just a back up plan and the battery will last 10 years. Technology is amazing! Well I have a few goals today, walking around the nurses' station once! And getting this IV out of my neck. Then Chris will bring our girls to visit. ;) Thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts! They are definitely felt!

This is Cassie! I feel much better today. Day 2 and t 3 were pretty scary. I already wrote about what happened on day 2. I'll give a little more detail on day 3. Even hour the nurses come in to monitor my glucose levels. The one at 3:30 came and the nurse asked if I felt my heart racing and I told her yes. I started to get really hot and then it wake up with four nurses looking at me. My heart stopped for six seconds and I passed out. When there is more than one nurse in the room you know something is wrong. The gave me some medicine and two pints of blood because my blood count was off. I went back to sleep until Dr Thorne came to see me. He was referring me to Dr Effling, the electrician. Dr Effling said he was a year younger than Chris's cousin Dr. Ed Minor and Ed even convinced him to move here. Small world. At 12noon the took me to the cath lab and put in a pacemaker. Typically they put it in the non-dominant side. However, radiation screwed again and the veins on the left side were too damaged. Stupid radiation! Some patients receive a pacemaker to permanently pause their heart, mine is just a back up system. If my heart skips one beat it shocked it back to rhythm. Today I will be moved to the cadiac floor and out of ICU. Yea! I've walked pushing a wheelchair once last Igbo, once this morning and have another schedule walk after lunch. I've gained 20 lbs of water in my legs but the more LASIK they give me and the I walk, the more water weight I will lose. Ta ta for now!

(by Chris) Still in ICU, possibly moving tomorrow. A slight scare this morning as her heart rate went down around 40. Out of surgery Cassie's heart was beating regularly, unassisted. As a general precaution they leave some wires attached to the heart for pacemaker assistance--to be removed later. After the drop in the HR this morning, they hooked up a temporary pacemaker to fire, if the HR ever drops below 80. The pacemaker only needed to assist the one time, when they hooked it up, but will continue to be attached for a while as a precaution. The doctor's were surprised that she had not needed the pacemaker until then. They mentioned that the drop in HR is common with the inflammation and cutting during surgery--electrical communications in the heart can become disrupted or disconnected. They removed the BP monitor wire from the artery in her wrist. They also removed the swan(?) line in her neck--carotid artery down into her heart. I guess this measures pressures in and near the heart. Last, they removed the 3 pericardial drainage tubes. These removals are all good signs of recovery and progression. They are going to start the coumadin(blood thinner) drugs next later in the night. This is needed forever with a mechanical valve to eliminate clotting on the mechanical valves surfaces.

This is Cassie! I made it through to my second night in ICS. Not without scaring my parents and brother this morning. I was eating breakfast and visiting with them when all of a sudden my heart rate dropped to 40. (Normal range is 90) nurses rushed the room and my parents where rushed out. All I remember us hearing the nurses say "firing" as the hooked up my pacemaker wires to the pacemaker. Then I came out if it. The nurse explained it was normal because when they do both a mitral valve and aortic valve replacement, the electrodes in your heart gets cut and sometimes they need help getting back in rhythm. Scary but glad I was still in ICU where they are seconds away and always monitoring me. Later this afternoon the removed my chest drain tubes and my swan catheter in my neck. I will be in ICU one more night as they monitor my blood pressure medicine and blood sugar levels. Start the blood thinner tonight and will get a visit from a nutritionist tomorrow about my diet restrictions. One restriction is green leafy vegetables! I am so disappointed, I love my salads! I will also get a second visit from the cardiac rehab therapist. Not walking yet, just working on standing. Well that's the update for tonight. Hopefully I will not have anymore scares!

This is Chris (husband). The surgery began at 8 am around 2 pm. Dr said it would be 4-6 hours in the consults, so this was on the 6 hour side. Doctor came out once surgery was completed to talk to the family. Results were a bio mitral valve, a ring around the tricuspid valve, a coronary bypass, and a mechanical aortic valve. We had always wanted bio valves if possible, to avoid blood thinners. Dr said that the aortic valve was so narrow that in order to get proper flow it requires a mechanical. I presume the aortic valve was the last done. He said that if he had known that would be the case he would have done all mechanical, especially on chemo/radiation cases. We knew that mechanical was a possibility, as is anything, once the get in working on the heart. Cassie looks good in recovery and is resting. She is currently recovering in the ICU/Critical care unit. She is a little cool to the touch. I guess that as part of surgery, they drop the body temperature. Right now they are working to elevate and stabilize the BP as part of the recovery process

Okay. . . down to 9 hours! My surgery is tomorrow at 7am and I will be at the hospital at 6am. Today was such a busy day. . . it started off at the hospital with registration, blood draw, EKG and a chest xray. Then it was on to work to tie up some loose ends . . . making sure I assign everyone my responsibilites while I am home recovering. This surgery came at the worse time during the middle of our budget season but I know our finance/budget team ROCKS and will hold the fort down while I'm gone. On my way home I picked up some dinner for my family, including my mom, dad and brother. They are here from Southern Utah to support me tomorrow during the surgery. The cashier asked if I was having a party tonight. Hmmmm, I guess you could call it that. :P Our oldest Courtney (8) got a little worried after my parents and brother left for the night. She asked how long I would be in the hospital. I could tell she was a little teary eyed. I told her a week and she started to cry. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I am going to miss you Mommy." My hubby Chris and I sat down with them and explained that this was to help my heart and I was going to be okay. We also told them that we would Facetime each other while I am in the hospital. (Just like we Facetime with grandma and papa when they are home in Southern Utah.) It seemed to help and she stopped crying. Our youngest Kylee (5) told us that my cousin Mindy would be her "pretend mom" while I was in the hospital. I thought that was pretty cute. Both of them went to bed after lots of hugs and kisses. Well the next post you'll see will be from my hubby or my mom letting you know how the surgery went. :) Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes!!!

Today was a relaxing family day! I took a few hours this morning to visit with my cousin Belinda at a coffee shop. We had a fun visit! This afternoon my husband's brother and his family went to Boondocks and played mini golf with our family. Our youngest Kylee is so funny. She was the first to hit the golf ball in the hole six out of 18 times and she was keeping track! So funny. Then we went to our house for pizza afterwards. Definately a fun day today! Yesterday I received a blessing from our Bishop at LDS church. It was very reassuring and definately calmed my nerves about the surgery. We came home after the blessing and had a great lasagna dinner. Even made enough to add to my freezer meal collection. Then we had a family friend bring over a freezer meal for this week too! Stocking up in advance feels awesome. . . less stress for my hubby and I later after I come home from surgery! T-Minus 36 hours (give or take an hour) until surgery. Tomorrow I will have my preop appointment at St. Mark's Hospital. They will take blood, conduct an EKG and take an x-ray. Then back to work to finish up some last minute assignments. My parents will be here tomorrow afternoon as well. My girls are excited to have to see their grandparents in the middle of the week! Usually they visit on the weekends. On the day of the surgery, my cousin Mindy will come over in the morning to make sure the girls get to school and daycare and then pick them up afterwards to go to dinner and the new Lego movie. Hopefully that will keep their mind off worrying about their mommy getting her "owies fixed on her heart." Love, Cassie