Coral's Journal

Hi there everyone, Well it's been 12 months today since my surgery. Time has gone bye so quickly. It took the best part of 6 months to really start feeling much better. I worked really hard at my recovery, rehab & then exercises at home including dieting. Sold our house, bought a new one & moved in January this year. Don't think I could have done these things if I hadn't had my surgery. So much more energy although sometimes I forget to stop. I don't think about the surgery much any more only when the heart flutters am I reminded of what happened. New granddaughter born in July which brings a total of 4 grandchildren now. They bring so much joy & give plenty of reasons to live a long healthy life. So anyone reading this about to have their surgery, you'll be ok just be patient & you too will be living life again sooner than you think. Bye for now, Coral

Hi Everyone, Sorry for taking so long to start adding some info. Boy what a journey & I want to thank Kathryn so much for helping to keep people informed about my progress. Well after my surgery which I have bounced back from pretty well I decided to go to re-hab, so glad I did. Re-hab gave me the confidence to move forward, so much extra support & friendships with others in similar situations. I am still attending outpatient re-hab 2 afternoons per week & can\'t imagine making it through otherwise. Pain is not an issue as it seems to be under control although deep in my chest still aches from time to time, I think it\'s a reminder when I do something wrong. Energy levels are hard to manage, nearly everything is followed by a rest but you learn to know your limitations pretty quickly. Psychologically there are so many things to deal with but hopefully will get there soon. I really can\'t believe what a life chaning experience this is on every level. I would also like to thank everyone for their support with messages, Kathryn kept reading them to me & they meant so much. Anyway, bye for now & I will update more often from now on. Coral xx

Hello hello everyone, I had left this journal for a few days because mum said she wanted to try and log on to update it herself. She hasn\'t had much success but I will try and help her log in soon to say hello. Everything is going well and she has moved to rehab today. You can now find her at Cedar Court in Camberwell. She will be there until Next Wednesday 20th March. There is not much else to report now except that mum is getting better each day and beginning to get her energy back. Mr Skillington - mum said that you were reading this journal so I would like to take a moment to thank you and your team on your fantastic efforts both in the lead up to the surgery and also for successfully operating on mum\'s heart. You have done a fantastic job and have been a pleasure to deal with at all times. I will sign off now and try to get mum to log on soon. Kathryn xo

Hi everyone, Yesterday was a great day, mum had lots of energy and was her usual chirpy self. Again, the hospital is very happy with her progress. We did a few laps around the ward to keep her muscles going and she was up eating her meals. Today she was a little weary (I think she wore herself out yesterday). However, she was still up walking around and talking coherently but rest is still very important. I don\'t think there is much else I can write on this blog now. Everything seems to be running smoothly and it may even be mum that updates the next one. Stay tuned....

Mum is a lot better today, she has been moved from ICU to a ward and doesn\'t feel as ill. She has been having some sustagen and isn\'t in any pain. We didn\'t stay long as she is still exhausted and needs to rest as much as possible. Still a long way to go from here but each day there has been improvement. Kathryn x

Now that the big day is over and everyone knows that Mum is ok and on the road to recovery, I thought it might be an idea to give you a bit of a run down from yesterday. First of all, the surgeon couldn\'t do The Ross Procedure which is the one that mum had hoped for. Her pulmonary valve was too weak. This meant that he had to make a decision whilst he had her open. He chose to replace her aortic valve with a donor one and also had to replace a bit of her aorta. As you know though, this all went smoothly. Secondly, she is still in ICU and will be for another day or so. Thirdly, even more good news. She has been up eating today. Only a little bit though, she still feels very sick from the drugs and is still groggy. The nurses are happy with her progress and we have been told that we will see some improvement tomorrow. Thank you all for your messages and texts, feel free to ask any questions at any time and I will try and answer them as best as I can. Keep your warm thoughts coming, I\'m sure Mum will appreciate them when she begins to feel better. Kathryn xx

We have arrived back at the hospital for the last visiting hours for the night. Mum is awake, they have removed the tube from her mouth and she wants a drink. Everything is running smoothly with her recovery and we will visit again tomorrow. Kathryn

Hello everyone! Mum\'s surgery went well and she\'s now in ICU. The surgeon (Mr Skillington) was very happy with the results. We are now on our way home to leave the medical staff to do their jobs and will head back to the hospital in a few hours to wait for her to return to consciousness. Thank you all for your kind words, keep them coming but please sign your name at the end of your messages so I know who they are from. Kathryn xx

Good morning everyone, it\'s Kathryn here, Coral\'s daughter. It\'s 5.30am on the day of the surgery and Dad and I are on our way to the hospital to see Mum before she goes in. We are both pretty quiet as we know there is a huge day ahead of us. I will be updating this throughout the day as things progress. Please keep Mum in your thoughts, this is only the start of a long recovery. Kathryn

Hi there everyone, Well the time has come my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday morning 5th March. Although I am very anxious I am really looking forward to feeling better & enjoying my new life. What a nice surprise to read Adam\'s latest email with my surgeon Peter Skillington featuring on it. He is an amazing man & I have full confidence in him. During my first few days my daughter Kathryn will update my journals for me so stand by for the ride. Bye for now, Coral