Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010

Hello again!
Well, I have been home for a week and two days now. I feel stronger every day! I am still learning about things I said or did while "under the influence" (anesthesia or pain pills, don't know which). Melanie has been sharing all kinds of fun stories and the like. Pretty funny, I'd say. I do want her to add them to the blog because I want all the notes chronicled in one place. Some day, I am sure I will try to deny the wildest stories! ha!
Evelyn and I have been reading a lot. We are really full of pep and vinegar - ha! She is on her seventh book and I am about to finish up my second book. We read and then sleep for awhile, and read and sleep, etc. She does make me eat every now and then. She is really a good cook and I am sure I will have that recorded for time and eternity, too.
Melanie has come over two times so Evelyn could run some errands and it is fun to visit with Melanie. Tomorrow, Evelyn will take me over to Sarah's to visit with Melanie and Seth while Evelyn goes down to the Salt Lake Temple. Should give Evelyn a much deserved break.
It has been fun to have visitors. Chris comes after work often, Cory came on Saturday after teaching at the Community College. Beth and Frank and then Frank and Brenna stopped in one day. Merri, Leon and Shelby visited us on Sunday. We have had four different PH members visit - and Jean came over last night and told me she is moving TODAY. Don't know if that will pan out or not. It might get really quiet around this neighborhood.
Today was a busy one: the home health nurse came by, then the physical therapist, then the oxygen man, Melanie and Chris - busy,. busy day for two old ladies!
Guess I will sign off for now. Thanks again to all for the phone calls, emails, cards and letters - all are greatly appreciated.
Love to all,
Carol

WooHoo we've been home a week now! - By Evelyn

WooHoo we've been home a week now! Carol is amazing, she is improving each day and you can even see the changes. She's a good patient and is now ready for visitors, so I'm taking the STOP sign down today.

Day 4. Another great day. - By Evelyn

Day 4. Another great day. Carol is doing really good, doing her exercises and walking around. She isn't a complainer, not on any pain meds or anything. She is looking great too. We are enjoying the quiet, just hanging out reading, reading, reading. She appreciates all the cards and calls.

Day 3 of being home. - By Evelyn

Day 3 of being home. Once we got home from our little adventure yesterday, all went well. She had a good nights sleep, and is not using her walker or needing help getting out of the chair. She is even sneaking by me at times, quiet as a mouse. I think that's her intention to tell ya the truth. She has eaten a good breakfast, taken her vitals and all is GOOD. The PT is to come at noon to give an assessment. I'm amazed at how well she is doing.
Aunt Ev

Day After the Day After I got home from the Hospital

I am sure Evelyn brought everyone up to date about our experience yesterday. Never a dull moment around here. However, Evelyn reminds me that she did NOT sign up for hazardous duty! I have had similar SVT episodes before and I guess it is not uncommon for patients to have some Afib after open heart surgery - but this time it was ME! When I went from the office of my cardiologist to the Same Day Surgery at the nearby hospital, my heart rate was 198 so they waited for my doctor to arrive and then gave me a shot of Denizene that stopped my heart and then it picked up on the correct rythym. I relaxed for about 1/2 hour and then we came home. End of story. Except, I was exhausted because they said it was like I was running a marathon for those 3 hours that my heart freaked out. So, today, I am tired but still up and running. The Physical Therapist came today and we did allowable exercises and of course, there is always my blue breathing inspirator! Yuck! Just can't seem to make much progress with that thing!
Have a wonderful day! Carol

Tuesday - By Auntie Ev

Evelyn said...

Tuesday--day 2 at home. Carol is NOT using her walker and has been up and about several times, even getting up out of her chair herself. The biggy was taking a shower alone. After all that she is ready for a nap. We are waiting the Home Health nurse right now. I think once that is over with she will be enjoying a LONG NAP. She is doing great, even slept well last night.
Aunt Ev

February 16, 2010 10:08 AM

Evelyn said...

Tuesday day 2 at home. How fast things change, by 11:10 am Carol experienced a racing heart SVT super ventricular tachocarty, my spelling is awful I know. She had just made her 2 week appointment with her cardiologist, so called them back, they wanted her to come into the office for an EKG. The home health nurse arrived at the same time and confirmed Carol's thoughts. She helped me get her into the car. Off to the Dr., whose EKG machine wasn't working but the Dr. was in the office and checked her. He sent us to the ER rtight next door so he could do a procedure. They ended up giving her a shot in an IV that stopped her heart then it began beating like it was supposed too. Scarey for me, not being around anything like that before. Anyway she is now home again and just fine. He did put her on Denizen once again, upped her potasium, and magnazium. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

At Home Day 2

Okay. As another day draws to a close I am visiting with Beth and trying to see what's on the blog at the same time. Today, Evelyn took Hannah back to BYU. While she was gone, Leon (Merri's husband) came to "momma-sit". We had a good visit, then I snoozed awhile. Leon had a good visit with Gloria and before we knew it - Evelyn was back. She had the opportunity to visit with a group of friends this evening - so Beth came over to "momma-sit" while she is gone. I read, doze, read, doze, etc. - living on the edge, ha!

It has been wonderful to receive cards and get well greetings from all our family and friends. Thanks so much for the thoughts and prayers. Well, until tomorrow - love to all. Carol

Looking Swell

If I were smart enough to add music to this blog it would be to the tune of Hello Dolly....Hum along..."Hello, Momma, Well, Hello Momma, its so nice to have you back where you belong"!!!!!It is nice to have her back home in familiar surroundings.

( It is also very nice to have Aunt Ev here for a few weeks. What a kind and loving sister she is! Hanna came up from BYU for the Presidents Day weekend to spend some time with her Grandma Ev.)

It was fun to see Mom back at home today. She looks so good...just like her same old self. Except for the oxygen tube and walker she keeps near her "just in case"...you would hardly know the ordeal that she has been through this week. I told her that she has set the bar very high for all of us should we find ourselves in a similar situation down the road. Of course, she still has alot more healing to do before she is ready to go jogging!! She will be taking it VERY easy for 6 to 12 more weeks. It is a good thing that she has Aunty Ev to help pass a few of those weeks! It is also a great blessing to have some favorite hobbies that she may get to when she get some energy back.
But for now, she is settling down for a "long, winter's nap/rest/recoup/siesta/etc.".
Here is a picture proof that she is looking good!!
Love you, Mom. So glad to have you "back where you belong".
Beth

Ode to Barbie

Dearest Barbie - Sissy-poo,

I wanted to use this public forum to tell you how much I appreciate all the selfless care you gave, and continue to give to Mom. The round the clock attention had to be exhausting!!! You are amazing! Thank you!

So many helped to care for Mom during her hospital stay - thank you all!

I love you,
Merri

Home, Home, What a Place!

Determining the right vehicle for the ride home reads a little like Mother Goose wrote it... Mom's Expedition, Barb's Landcruiser, and Leon's Z71 are 'too tall'. Mel's RX5, and my Sebring are 'too short'. Bill's Avenger was deemed the perfect height to be the carriage to return the queen to her castle, so Mellie was the driver.

Mom asked that Chris meet us to be her strong helping hands up the front porch steps. She made it up the steps just fine. Inside, Aunt Ev had yummy smelling vegetable soup warming on the stove, and chicken salad for easy sandwich makin' at the ready! We settled Mom in, Becky tucked her in 'snug as a bug in a rug' just the way Mom likes it. She is ready for long, undisturbed rest - no poking, prodding nurses, aides, or Drs.

Home healthcare beat her home and the home oxygen is all set up and ready to go. They will be back tomorrow to start physical therapy, and to watch her diabetes and other vitals. Thank you Aunt Ev for taking care of our Momma!

Sunday Going Home

Ok It is 11:00 am and Dr. Powers came in with the "word" and we are getting ready to go home. Wow!! Happens fast!! We are gathering our Kaggie Goes home crew...... I am certain she will be enjoying the whole aspect of not being bothered every couple of hours. And that she will rest really good for a few days once she gets home. I am going to turn the blogging duties over to Momma and those who pop in for a visit. Will try to get something posted about the move home.
Happy VALENTINES DAY!!! Love love love love, Becky Sue

Sunday Morning

It is Becky Again...... Momma says we are watching for Dr Doty today, or Dr. Caine, Or any other good looking guy that comes through the door, who can send her home...... She was up and rearing to go at 5 am. .... Needless to say...,, I was NOT!! She just had breakfast and was ready to go for a walk..... so we got her walker ready to go. She asked me about taking her oxygen canulae with us on the walk.... and I tried to unplug it from the wall, but we had nothing to hook it to. So we left the room without it, we got just about to the elevators when we ran into a nurse looking lady, and momma asked her, "are we supposed to have oxygen when we do this?" just so happens the young lady was from cardio rehab and she asked mom, "what level are you on?" to which mom replied "4".., the little lady said "Well YEAH!" an quickly escorted us back to the room and put a pulse oxymeter on her finger. Her levels quickly came back from 71 into the 90's. The respiratory therapist is in now. she got to 1000 in the spirometer. She is going to take a walk with the professionals (Mallory) as soon she gets off the potty. Still hoping to make it home today, she may be taking a oxygen tank with her. FYI: her potassium levels are now normal. They prefer to see them higher on this floor, She report NO pain, See how much can happen in the course of a blog??? Needless to say, I think we will have to think about readying the "Take Kaggie Home" crew for this afternoon. Stay tuned!!
Signing off for now.... Becky Sue

Saturday Evening

This is Becky here using Barbies account. Barbie has finally gone home after a 5 day vigil at Mommas beside. Barbie I salute you and Marvel at the love and care you have given our sweet momma. I know she must be a little nervous to have a newbie on duty.... but i will do everything that Barbie taught me. Momma is enjoying a sack lunch for dinner and is really happy to not have meat and potatoes again. She is really regaining her humor, and I personally revel in her sassyness. Have a great night!! Momma says "Tell everybody I said Hi".
Signing off for now.... Becky Sue

Saturday

Mom and I were both up before breakfast and she was sitting in her chair when it arrived. She has taken a long walk (full loop) already this morning and is now taking a nap. She loves her naps!! Thank you all for your patience on the visitations. We appreciate everyone allowing her the rest she needs to recover! she is doing so much better. She even said that she'd like to post her own comments and the blog so watch for that. :0)
Last night we watched the opening ceremonies but they gave her her meds shortly before they lit the torch so she never did get to see it. She is almost walking with out assistance but needs something to hold on to for balance. She is getting around really well and improving in all areas everyday. Her lungs look better but is still doing/needing her breathing exercises.
Love you all,
Barb

Friday Afternoon

Doctor Doty came to see mom this afternoon and said mom is recovering really well but to my relief she will NOT be going home tomorrow. She needs to be more mobile before going home. She needs to be able to "make her self a sandwich" before she can leave. Getting around better is the key to her leaving.
Updates to come,
Barb

Good News!

Mom is doing so much better today! after yesterdays sleeping and being "out of it" most of the morning, watching her wake up with a clear head has been a total relief!
Mom has had all but her oxygen removed. Free at last!!! She got up early this morning, fed herself, had a bath, had her hair done and had some visitors. A big improvement from yesterday I'll tell you!
Merri just pointed out to me the errors in my blogging, I put Wednesday instead of Thursday. So you all have to excuse me and my Punch drunkerd-ness!! hee hee. This lack of sleep thing is a crazy feeling!!
Better to blog with errors than to not blog at all I always say.

So the doctors say she might go home tomorrow! If Aunt Ev and I have a say in the matter she'll stay until Sunday when she's able to get around on her own better!

She is very tired and seems to need rest more that anything right now. She loves to take her naps and doesn't like it when the nurses come in to take her vitals.

Love to all,
Barb

Thursday Evening

This afternoon momma enjoyed visiting with Auntie Ev. She did a whole lap around the 3rd floor!! She is coughing a lot and working with the incentive spirometer. The coughing is important to clear her airway. And the spirometer helps to increase lung volume. She is getting oxygen through nasal canulae at a tidal volume of 3. (oh, Becky the medical girl added that) She remains pretty sleepy, and is looking forward to sleeping tonight. Barbie just asked her if she wanted to sleep or do the breath exercises, Momma said "how about some Ice Cream". Ha Ha Ha! That is a good sign. We had a good laugh. (Barb again) But I promise she WILL do her breathing exercises after her ice cream. Her smile is lovely and we are enjoying the awake time with her. This evening I see my mom. Halleluja!!
Love ta all

Thursday Early Morning

Dr Doty just stopped by to check on mom. I asked him about her chest x-ray they took yesterday and he said that the right lung needs work. (Needs to do her breathing exercises and coughing) He said that she might go home this weekend and that the catheter will stay in another day until we can get her producing more fluids.
I thought I'd better post this before I forget what the doctor said.
The lack of sleep has made me, as Mel says, Punch Drunk and my memory...It were crap (line from the Full Monty)
***look Melly I figured out how to add the pic****
Love you

Wednesday Night / Thursday Morning

Good Morning,
Mom is still asleep. They came in a couple times during the night to give her some meds. but for the most part let her be. She has been coughing most of the night which they say is a good thing. Every time I would hear her I would wake up to check on her. And then she didn't cough for a while which made me wake up (in a panic) and I had to check on her. When she wakes up for the day we will continue to work on her lungs/breathing and liquid intake. I think they'll remove her cath. today too which would be great and allow her the mobility she needs to exercise those lungs.
I'll keep you posted,
Love you,
Barb

Drainage Tube Removed

The drainage tube was removed at 2:30 pm Wednesday. I swear within 10 min her color looked better and her eyes brightened. They took her in for a chest X-Ray at 5:00pm and will let you know what it looks like when we hear anything. She is sitting up right now eating a steak dinner. We'll work on breathing exercises after dinner and keep her full of fluids.
Love you guys,
Barb

at the moment we have mom sitting in a chair to help her lungs! Her lungs have not been recovering as well as they have wanted so sitting should help the process. She just had lunch and ate quite a bit. The nurse, Annalee, has been concerned about her not drinking enough. I promise I will be better at keeping her hydrated. I will also be diligent about doing her breathing exercises!
Love you all,
Barb

Morning 3 Update

Mom was able to rest REALLY good.  Last evening, purposely there were less visitors.  This allowed for much needed rest.  We will want to continue to restrict visitors for the next few days.  In addition to the caregiver, maybe only one visitor at a time. A phone call to the green phone for a verbal update is preferred (801-739-1680). We all want Mom to recover quickly and rest is a big part of that! We read the blog comments and emails from all of you to Mom often and they warm her heart!  Her spirits are good, but your warm thoughts are always bring a twinkle to her eyes!  Keep them coming!  She is looking better everyday.

Day 2 Afternoon Update

The hospital gives the family member who is staying with the patient the title "Partner in Healing". Barb has been that partner through the last two nights and has happily gone without sleep in order to be Mom's eyes, ears and advocate. This afternoon, with Mom settled back into a normal room, they are bothing trying to get a little rest.
So I thought I would do them the favor of giving an update per our conversation a few minutes ago. Sounds like she has had multiple tubes removed which makes her much more comfortable. She had a little toast to eat and will get some dinner soon. She walked a bit this morning and has another walk scheduled for this evening. Getting up and moving about has been good for her lungs and she is getting better at making the spirometer (breathing toy!) hit the mark that the respiratory therapist has set for her.
Jared and I went over to her house this afternoon and did a little furniture moving in preparation for her return home. A comfy recliner has been strategically placed in her bedroom to allow her the chance to be away from daily noises and distractions. It will also allow her and Ev to be near to each other through the night.
We are also thinking about putting a sign of some kind in her front window to let neighbors and friends know when she is up to having company and when she is not.
Signing out for now...Beth

Wolfe Kids in 2008

I stumbled upon this photo taken at Dale's 50th Anniversary party, I believe. It is kind of fun to the Wolfe kids together!! Thought the blog followers might enjoy seeing Mom with some of her siblings. They are, from left to right, Evelyn, Glen, Keith, Dale and Carol.

First Night

Mom had a rough first night as expected. Her pain level was high and required attention every 1-2 hour. The group in the ICU was kind enough to let me stay with her ALL night. I was so glad due to the attention mom needed. I don't think her call button was working because everytime I pushed (8 or so times) not once did a person respond. I know, right? Her lungs need major exercise and we as Partners in Healing" need to encourage her to use her breathing apparatus hourly.
The good news is she is already out of ICU!!! The Superstar is now on the third floor in room S-321
AND walked part of the way to her room!!! No joke. We are so proud of her and how brave she has been!
Love you,
Barb

late night update

I just spent the last hour with Mom in her ICU room. She is sleeping really sound right now because of the pain meds they gave her a couple hours ago. I talked to her nurse (Dale) to ask how often she can have pain medicine and it is every hour. Her body core temp is a little high right now 102, so they pulled down the covers and turned on a fan to bring it down. I will let you know of any changes throughout the night if there are any new developments.

Easy Email Service at Hospital

Add email service to the long list of amazing services offered at the Intermountain Medical Center where Mom is a patient!!! Go to the link below to send her an email that will be given to her by the hospital staff. Here's the address:
https://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/imed/contactus/Pages/EmailaPatient.aspx

What a difference a few hours makes in the healing process! Several of us got to be with her for a bit in the ICU about 1-1/2 hours after the surgery ended. It was a bit unsettling to see so many tubes and contraptions going in and out. Because of the breathing tube she was unable to talk but did nod yes or no to our questions. The teardrop by her eye let us know that she was not having fun yet. But... by 8:30 p.m. when we were allowed to go in after the nursing shift change, she was able to talk, had fewer tubes and contraptions and was in good spirits.

As we chatted she recounted the phone calls and words of concern and kindness she had received the night before surgery from many family members and friends. It was obvious that even small gestures of thoughtfulness and get well wishes do so much to ease the burden and provide comfort to her. Thank you to all of you for helping our Mom make a speedy and successful recovery.

Super Star

Mom has surprised everyone in the ICU! Her tube was removed hours earlier than anticipated and was sitting up in a chair by the afternoon! I've been told she will be moved from ICU tomorrow morning! Yeah! I can be in the room with her and continue our slumber party instead of me being in the waiting area.
Gotta run, time to see Momma!!
Love to all,
Barb

1st Family Visit in the ICU

Mom is all settled in the ICU.  They allowed us a very short visit with her.  She is doing good and looks GREAT!  She has a temporary pacemaker to keep her heart rate up, her oxygen level is good, her blood pressure is good.  She has a breathing tube that prevents her from talking.  She's very groggy at this point and will remain so for the next couple of hours.  They are hoping that the breathing tube can be removed by early this evening. Until then, she will continue to answer us with nods and head shakes and hand squeezes.  Beth lead us in a prayer of gratitude that brought long suppressed emotions boiling to the surface.  We do such a good job of putting on a brave face, but we are all a bunch of softies! 

We will be able to visit her in the ICU one-two family members at a time and only for a total of 10 minutes per hour.  Some one will always be in the ICU waiting room, even over night (thanks Barbie!), patiently awaiting our turn to check in on her.  We are hoping she leaves the ICU tomorrow.  Then she can have 'round the clock bedside visitors to help her heal and pass the time.  We love you Mom! 

Merri

Now I will go home and let all of this catch up with me and be a big pile of goo for the next several hours!

Heading for Recovery

Dr. Doty just reported to the family in the waiting room - she did great.  She is heading for recovery.  It will still be an hour or 2 before she is ready for visitors.  More later.  Merri

Update

Just got our first update...Doing good. On the heart and lung machine and going to start the valve replacement. Expecting next call in a couple hours. Will update when we hear anything new. :0)
Love you all,
Barb

Moms First Night

We made it through the first night with out any issues. Last night they came in at about 12 ish to put in an IV and had a little difficulty, they had to try 3 times before the got it. She seemed to sleep well after she finally took a Benadyl at 1-1:30.
They woke her up at 5:00 to shower and gave her 2 Ativan to keep her calm during her wait. At about 6:30 they came to put in her Art line. Eww! Don't worry they numbed the injection site really well.
At 7:00am they took her down to surgery. We said goodbye at the "see you soon corner"and are now waiting in the ICU waiting room for the next 4 hours.
We'll keep you posted.
(sorry for the short and sweet version but mom sleeping well does not mean Barbie sleeping well)
Ha ha
Love, Barb

Laughter is the Best Medicine

There is always something to laugh about when Leon is around!!! I wanted to have a picture of Mom to post and thought it wise to get one while she was up and about. (She might not appreciate picture taking for the next several days!) Just as I was ready to snap this shot, Leon popped in to the bed! What a clown!
While I am blogging, I need to say how very proud I am of my sibs and the way the are united in helping out. Though none of us would choose this kind of health problem for Mom, it has given us the opportunity to spend some time together visiting and working out the logistics of taking care of her. This is truly evidence of the her great example and teachings.
No doubt there will be more moments of laughter and levity during this journey.....especially when Leon is around!
Signing out for now....Beth

Settling in for the night

Bex here!.... I just got home from the hospital, Both Barbie and Momma are ready to reel down the day and get some sleep.
At about 5 Merri came and picked me up. When we got back to the hospital, Melly was there, Leon came a little while later and then Beth and Frank arrived. after getting caught up with each other, Frank gave momma a blessing followed by a sweet kiss on her head. Then the shaving crew arrived, marking the time for us to depart the room. Merri and Leon left as did Frank and Beth. And I waited until the crew was done and Barbie arrived before going back into her room. Evidently the Shaving crew was not needed as momma has never had chest hair. hehehehe. So Barbie and I hung out with momma until it was apparent it was time for me to get home and get to bed. Momma had wanted to nap through out the day but never got a chance, so I am certain she will sleep well tonight. Prayers & happy healthy thoughts and blessings for Momma. Have a good night and we will see you all in the 2nd floor ICU waiting area tomorrow. Love to all, Becky Sue

Pre-Op Day

Mom is at the hospital now.  All settled in.  We arrived shortly after 11 this morning.  The hospital staff has been great.  They are very informative.  We/she may be on information overload.  At 7 tomorrow morning, she will go down for surgery.  The Dr and nurses will update us periodically throughout the 4-5 hr surgery.  Watch for posts!

Mer

The number to call to check on Mom.

Hi family, I just wanted to let you all know that Mom's cell phone numnber will be the number to call to get status checkups on her. Her cell phone will be handed over to from one wondrous watcher to the next as shifts change. This way we will not have to go through the hospital switchboard. Barbie will be in possession of the "Green Phone" for the next few weeks. It will be with her at all times. The number is 801-739-1680, please make a note of it.
l Love you all,
Becky Sue

Sitter Schedule and Updated Cell Phone List

Siblings - Watch your email for the schedule of who will stay with Mom during her hosptial stay. This was compiled from the information you sent earlier.
The email will also include a list of each of our cell phone numbers. Please reply to me quickly so we can have updated and CORRECT information before the start of our "journey"!
Love you all!!
Beth

Thursday PM

Reporting in: Thurs. 6:52 PM
The appointment with Dr. Doty went well today. Both Barb and I really liked him. He answered all our questions and was most helpful. He, too, was disturbed by the identity mix up last week and will investigate and tell me what happened when I meet him in the hospital on Sunday. A PA (Terry Powers) that helps Dr. Doty also came in to give us information.
Answered questions:
Length of surgery is 4-5 hours.
Time in ICU 1-2 days
Hospital stay - about a week 5-7 days.
Visitors - unlimited. ICU visits are more limited but someone can be right outside the ICU room all the time. I will be moved to a room in a day or two. He even said they can put a bed in my room for someone to spend the night. Oh yes, no children can visit.
Tubes: two drain tubes in lower chest as well as two pacer wires in the same area. They get removed 2-3 days.
Hole in heart will be repaired during valve replacement - no big deal.
Laying flat won't be a problem - they would prefer me to be propped up anyway.
He said it will be six weeks before I get my energy back.
The entire visit was very satisfactory.
One humorous incident happened last night:
I had pulled my list of questions out of my purse - the next time I turned around I noticed Smokey Joe was eating a piece of paper with red, white and blue on it. Of course I freaked - he had eaten half of my Medicare Card. Pure panic! Then I remembered that I had made copies of all my important cards before I went to Europe - so all I had to do was find it. Called Beth because she and I saw them the other night but by the time she called me back - I had found the copy. Sooooooo today, I took all the parts and pieces in a baggie and took the copy with me Fortunately, the doctor's office accepted the copy. Whew! (I sure did not want to wait for the rest of card to come through) Yuck!
By the way, the anger is now gone - my attitude is much improved. Love to all, Mom

Laptop at the Hospital

Hi Family!
I intend to take my laptop to the hospital on Sunday, and to go through all that needs done to have it up and running for easy updates to the blog, game playing, internet surfing and emailing for vistors and family. It is my hope that as she changes rooms and such her wondrous watchers will make certain to keep it with them. If there are special notes for logging in and whatnaught I will try to make sure they are kept with the laptop. I will also create a word document to leave on the desktop so that any special notes or medical staff instructions can be easily logged, for the next wondrous watcher on duty. One thing to note, with my laptop, it is best to keep it plugged in, and used only on a flat dry surface (to keep it cool). No setting it on a pillow, blanket etc. I will try to take a tray to keep it on. with that in mind please use it. Sometimes the hospital wi-fi's can be a bit sketchy, so I would not suggest any banking or vital info exchanges if the network is not secure..... Oh Poop, how obvious is it that I am married to a glorious geek??
OK That all said.... I sure love you guys, and sure feel blessed to have you as kith and kin.
Peace & Blessings,
Bexie

Mom's two cents

Just thought I would take a minute to say that I have the best kids in the world. They are all taking such good care of me and helping in so many ways. Beth came over Sunday and Monday evenings and helped me get some major projects completed in the house - she took me to my appt. today and stayed here at the house until evening. Merri has been helping even though she travels and is out of town often. It was Melanie and Merri that shared my frustration last Thursday when the surgeon was not in the office and they didn't even have my name right. Awwwgggghhhh! Becky and Barb are taking care of Smokey Joe while I am in the hospital and convalescing at home. Cory and his family came up on Saturday and helped me get some things done before taking me out to dinner. I am telling you they are all the BEST!

Today, Dr. Anding asked me how I felt. I said, "I am angry!" His comment was: "It is not a good idea to go into surgery angry, you need to be calm and peaceful" (postpone if necessary)...... easy for him to say! So---------my job is to get a change in my attitude before Sunday. All prayers and good thoughts will be appreciated.

Thanks to all for the good wishes I have already received. Love to all, Carol

An Invitation

We thought it would be a good idea to join our faith and prayers on Mom's behalf by fasting for her this Sunday, February 7.
As you know, Mom is a woman of great faith. She has always found strength to endure her trials by relying on the Lord. She has expressed the need for an extra dose of peace and comfort to help her through the surgery.
So, you are all invited to participate. Bonnie Brown informs us that she and her family will be joining us in this effort.

The Angiogram and EEC

Mom is home from having her procedure this morning. All went well -though she would have preferred to be completely unaware of the experience! Even though they gave her a whole long list of drugs that were supposed to relax her and make her unaware of what was happening - they didn't do what they were meant to do. The nurses said that she talked to them through most of it. Following the angiogram (camera sent up into the heart) and the ECC (Esophogial Echo Cardiogram - camera down the throat that ultrasounds the back of the heart) Dr. Anding told us that he was very pleased to see that her arteries were clear. The valve does need replaced and he found a very tiny hole in her heart which will be repaired at the same time that they replace the valve next week.
She is home taking it easy though she has had no pain at all. I will stay with her until later this evening.
This is Beth - signing out for now.