Debbie's Journal

Deb has been dealing with pulmonary edema for the past couple days, which delayed her discharge from the hospital. The Lasix is helping somewhat and the plan is for her to go home tomorrow. She's still really breathless, but hopefully this will get better soon. She is looking forward to a good night's sleep in our own home. Deb says thanks for all your encouragement and comments and she'll be signing on here herself soon.

Today they removed the central line and the pacing wires. Her BP has been a little low and still battling some nausea and she actually feels more tired than she had been before. More resting and more healing. All in all though, our Deb is doing great.

Hey guys. Deb had a rough night with a lot of nausea and vomiting, but she was better this morning. They removed the Swan Ganz catheter, her A-line and the foley. She's still got the chest tube, which may come out later today. She was doing great with no pain thus morning on a Fentanyl drip, but they switched her to PO Norco and her pain went up to a 6 and she says she feels like she can't take a deep breath because of the sternotomy pain. Hoping they can get it under control for her. With the pain comes nausea. She did get up and walk the hallway this morning. She got very lightheaded and had to stop and sit. She was dizzy and we put some wet washcloths on her face and neck. She was a trooper and was able to make it back to her room, but it's been a tough afternoon. She's a trooper and I am hoping that by tomorrow she will be feeling a lot better. Baby steps, I guess. She has a slightly elevated temp but that can be normal after such a big surgery. Well, that's about all for now.

Deb's surgery went well today. This is her wife, Amy, posting. The doctor implanted the mechanical valve and there were no surgical complications. She was moved to ICU at 12 noon but is still on the vent. We are hoping they can take the tube out soon but we are waiting till her body is ready. We continue to wait and pray. Thanks for your support. She has told me what a wonderful group of people you all are and how much she appreciates your support and understanding. It really is what gave her the courage she needed to walk through the hospital doors this morning. I will post more as she heals and hopefully you will hear from her soon. Xo, Amy

Hi everybody. This time FOUR days from now I will be in ICU and the surgery will be behind me, but for now, I'm just a bundle of nerves. I went to the doctor last week for final pre-op testing and he told me that there is a chance that I might also need what's known as an aortic root replacement. Hopefully, that won't be the case, because that's a bit more extensive a surgery and would involve replacing the section of aorta around the valve where it connects to the heart. It all depends on how much scarring he finds when he gets in there. Fortunately, he said he will probably not need to do it, but he had to inform me of the possibility. So just one more thing to worry about for now, I guess. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to keep busy with work and getting the house ready for visitors. I want to say thanks to everyone for all the comments, love and support you've given me. The outpouring of love has really cheered me up -- and I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming. They are really appreciated! xo Deb

I'm having surgery in less than a month and I am SO stressed out! I feel like I am both depressed and anxious all in one! I am taking it out on my wife, who is the most supportive person EVER! I am usually a very outgoing person but everyone is telling me that they see me "off" lately. I want to scream and say HELLO! I'M HAVING HEART SURGERY, I'm FREAKIN SCARED! But I really don't want people to know I'm scared. Is that crazy? Am I overreacting?