Our Baby Cally

This is Cally with her "innocent until proven guilty" face. She is our baby who will be 4 in June. She was our 1st year anniversary present to each other. She is a doll and a monster. It's like living with a litter box trained 2 year old.


Cally was not a huge fan of her princess crown that Grandpa (deal with it Dad!) got her for my birthday. Yep, for MY birthday, Cally got a princess crown. I really am a mom! If no one will play with her, she will kick herself in her face and then attack her foot. Cannibalism or not, it's hilarious. She can't grip our wood laminate floors so we love to startle her and watch her run in place. She would walk into a fire for Chris, but if I ask her to "come here" she gives me a look that says, "you wish." But I love her!

Chris still lives here too!

So my mother (yay, another reader!) pointed out that I never mention Chris. There goes my nomination for wife of the year! Chris is doing great. He works at The Golf Channel (I know, a WHOLE channel devoted to golf) as a producer. He's very talented at it and meets all sorts of peeps. He is also playing on the NGA tour which is a stepping stone towards the PGA. I like it because most of the tournaments aren't far, but for those out-of-towners, thank goodness for cell phone family plans! He is still a joker, loves to give me a hard time, and treats me like a princess. Although I think he has a new little princess....

As the Village Turns

So thanks to Shannon for so politely pointing out that I am not free from blogging now that my surgery is over. I must warn you, when not under medical distress, my life is very boring. And since I can count all the readers of this blog on one hand, (Hey Martino's, Hey!!!) I have been waiting for something great and amazing to post. And, I don't have one! I am now back at work and thought I might share with you about the amazing place I work (if that's what you can even call what I do).

Give Kids the World is the most amazing place on Earth. Seriously. It's a resort for kids with life-threatening illnesses. Their entire family can come stay at our Village for a week and experience all the fun attractions Orlando has to offer (you know you are going to come visit me down here just for that eventually) for free.

Right now I work in the Village Vacation Planning Department. The ladies in there are my mother hens and we have WAY too much fun. Oh, and every day someone brings in treats. It's pretty much like pre-school. Only without the nap time. These are the treats I brought one day. I had to shotgun the brownie seat. You know me and my chocolate!

I used to work in the Entertainment department which was really fun only I eventually could not take it physically any more. I gained new skills there such as being able to name every Disney character: EVER, all the Nickelodeon ones too, the ever popular Peanut Butter Jelly Dance (if you don't know it, I will teach it to you and your kids will LOVE it, how to run a carousel, drive a train, clean a wishing well, I am now on a first name basis with Mary Poppins and Santa Clause (he promised me a ride in his sleigh), and I still think Dora the Explorer in person is the creepiest thing ever. Love the show, props for bilingual, but she should stay in 2-D format at all times.

We have a type of mascot at GKTW (like our Mickey Mouse, who is actually his best friend as they go golfing together every Saturday. No, I'm not joking, I'm serious!) who is a 6ft bunny named Mayor Clayton. Here he is pictured with his wife, Ms. Merry (there was an actual carrot exchange a few years back. Seriously.) and their new buddy Murphy the Gingerbread Man. Can you find me in the picture? I do expect some comments on guesses! And no, you cannot eat Murphy.

Anyway, that's a quick overview of where I work. Since that is pretty much our life right now, I'll start sharing fun anecdotes about life at the Village. And I promise to learn to post shorter blogs. I swear!

Series Finale

Well, it's been a good run. Ratings were dropping and the cast was demanding too much money so we have to shut down production of "Deya's of Our Lives". We only lasted less than half a normal season of television, but that's okay since this isn't television. All the fans, I just want to say thank you for the loyalty. We couldn't have done it with out you. So I suppose you might want to know how it all ends. There are a few ways to end a series. You can end in a cliffhanger so everyone can make their own conclusions. You can lead into a spin-off (it could be about Buzz and we could call it "As the Girl Burns" I have to give credit for that to Lake. Darn it.). You can do a cheesy, fast paced, unrealistic ending where all the story lines suddenly work themselves out and everyone has a happy ending. Or you can have the lame, unexciting one I am about to give you. Sorry. :0) Apparently this was not my final check-up. These will continue for a year but I know the ratings won't. Since I had assumed this was the final one, I had prepared a list of questions. Always a good idea when going to the doctor. 4 pages into my questions, (yes, I know, and there really ARE that many questions to ask) she looks at me and says, "Seriously, how many more do you have? Just so you know, when my other patients complain about me taking too long, I'm going to blame it on you." I was fine with that since they have no idea who I am! She repeated over and over while looking at my notebook that it was insane how organized I was. "Deya, how do you come up with these? This is why I treat children, adults are so much harder. Why are you asking me hard questions?" We were all laughing really hard, so it was all in good fun. After my final test, she commented there is still a teenie bit of fluid around my heart. "Don't worry about it. It just takes awhile for it to organize and become reabsorbed. I hope they aren't organized like you and ask a lot of questions!" The bottom line is that once I'm healed, I can live a basically normal life. Since I've already vetoed the life as a motocross racer, that is not a problem now. Maybe a few less roller coasters, but when we have kids, I won't be the one thrown up on. There is a bright side to everything. Mind you, I'll still have to clean it up. But what can you do?

The OC (Hey, technically Orlando is IN Orange County)

First of all, sorry for the loooooong gap in communication. In my defense, we made the big "mom swap" so we've been having fun over here. I had my final wound check (why does that sound like something for my dog?) this week. I have FINALLY passed with flying colors. Thanks to Buzz, those appointments lasted about a month longer than usual. Buzz's grave site was excavated and has slowly filled back in so we are doing well. Still using that stinky, manly soap though. One of these days, I'll get to be a girl again. I did, however, convince the doctor to let me use girlie lotion. I just get in trouble when there are traces of glitter around the wound site. What's a girl to do?
I did not pass my pacemaker inspection. Now before you go getting all excited, let me explain. I did study hard, but there were circumstances out of my control that did not allow me to get a passing grade. Okay, so I've never had to use an excuse like that, but I've always wanted to. I am using the pacemaker less than half a percent of the time. That's > 0.005 for you visual learners.
I have my final post-op check up on Monday. We have started a notebook of questions to ask her about how my life will be after this. Let's see how she likes the interrogations then! Just kidding, but we are compiling a list. If you think of any good ones, please pass them along. I know as soon as I get home, I will think of something I should have asked. So please share your pearls of wisdom. Or any other semi-precious gem of knowledge you might have.
One thing that will for sure change is I have to wear that medic alert jewelry that we've all seen at the Walgreen's pharmacy counter. Soooooo pretty! Thanks to my mom, we have found some actual pretty ones that don't even look like nasty medic alert jewelry. So if you know anyone who needs to wear this, I have a few great places to look. They have some really awesome ones for kids these days as well.
The big news is I will be returning to work on Tuesday! I know, so soon! It will actually have been 7 weeks at that point and I will be allowed to drive. Look out Florida, here I come. One more crazy driver on the roads can't make that much of a difference, right? I hope to go for all 8 hours, but we will see how I do. My work has been amazing and is very understanding in helping get back at my own pace. Can we have a shout out for Give Kids the World!?!?! If you ever come visit me, I will give you at tour, it's indescribable.
I can't believe how fast it's gone and I can't believe how much I have improved. Modern medicine has always been a friend of mine and we just keep getting closer!

Pacesions

February 28, 2007

My big "interrogation" was today. The cops drove me down to the precinct and threw me in a room with a two-way mirror, a card table, two folding chairs, and a single desk-sized heat lamp. That detective was straight out of Law & Order. No mercy. Ok, ok, so maybe it wasn't THAT kind of interrogation. A cardiac interrogation is actually how they check my pacemaker. Not nearly as exciting is it? They put a magnet similar to a computer mouse over the pacemaker. Then they right click to get the pull-down menu, and..wait...that can't be right. But it is connected to a special laptop that can measure how often I have used the pacemaker and I have used it less than half of a percent! In case you are a little lost, that is REALLY good. Although, in all fairness, how vigorous can my heart rate be when I spend my days on the couch with the occasional trip to the grocery store? Just to make sure the settings are not too high (meaning it's not kicking in when it should) I have to have another interrogation in a month when my activity level has increased.
I did ask the doctor about the limitations in my right arm and when those might go away. I would just like to say on record, that a doctor, to my face, admitted there had been a mistake. "I'm sorry, this is all our fault. See, you never needed to not use your arm. Because your pacemaker was given during open-heart surgery, we didn't have to thread it through your veins and there is no way you could've disconnected your leads." So my arm and shoulder aren't sore, they're just completely stiff. We are slowly going to start using my arm. But I figure if that's the biggest mistake they made, I can live with it. We have all be so impressed with the entire staff at the hospital and the clinic. They have been so attentive, available, and thorough. If you ever need a recommendation, I have one.
In good news this week, I washed my hair all by myself! This is sadly, the most exciting news I have had in weeks. But just in time to be able to shower before my sweet mother-in-law comes to town. I love her, but I don't think she needs to get to know that side of me. Mom leaves on Friday and Rhonie (Chris' mom) comes on Saturday. Chris is working Friday night so this will be my first "alone" time longer than half an hour. Should be interesting. If phones start ringing after 9pm Eastern time, I might be lonely and/or bored. :) Sorry Dad, I know those are your favorite words.

Buzz and the Beautiful
February 20, 2007
Apparently my affections towards my little friend Buzz were not mutual. He decided he was very angry at me last night and he threw up all over me. He cost me a trip to the doctor's this morning and a little pain afterwards. It turns out he (I'm really not sure how he acquired this gender, probably because I'm mad at him right now) was not a burst blood vessel but a blood blister. According to the doctor, it is not uncommon for these things to gather beneath an incision and gradually "work it's way out" and eventually burst. So after a slightly panicked call, Mom and I trekked up to the hospital one more time. After getting cleaned up, we noticed a small (about the size of mechanical pencil lead) hole in the middle of the scar. I will give you a glimpse of another fun conversation I had with the doctor at this point:
"Well, it's not as bad as I was expecting. I think if we just put some Silver Nitrate on it, it should just cauterize that right up."
"Silver Nitrate, that doesn't sound scary at all." At this point I am not wanting to admit I have no idea what 'cauterize' means.
"Oh don't worry, it will just seal up the hole so it doesn't bother you anymore."
"Oh, okay I can handle that. Will it sting?"
"No, no! This is what we use on babies to seal up the umbilical cord. It doesn't hurt them so I guess we'll see how tough you really are."
"Oh, cool, knock yourself out then." Surely I am more pain tolerant than a newborn infant right? "Wow, that feels like hydrogen peroxide. It kinda stings a little...no a lot....oh my gosh....oh my GOSH....um, OW!!!!!!!!!....Should I be having shooting pains in my chest, not around where you just put that stuff?"
"Where is the pain?"
"Over here" I know... that is helpful when you can't see what I'm doing...Ok, I'll be nice, I was pointing at my heart.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can tell where I am experiencing excruciating pain."
"Huh....(for the record, it's never good when your doctor says that)...You aren't allergic to Silver Nitrate are you?"
"I don't know, I've never had it. Would that be bad considering you just put some into my blood stream that goes right to my heart?"
"Um....." Also not a good thing to hear from your doctor. "Try taking deep breaths".
Long story short, it somehow hit a nerve that eventually calmed down and I am unfortunately NOT allergic to Silver Nitrate. And as far as being tougher than newborns, I would just like to point out that: how in the world would you know if that hurt them or not? Isn't the infant already crying by the time they fix the umbilical cord? And I don't think infants' nerves are completely developed at birth so I stand by my pain threshold. I will share one last thing the doctor said to me, though. "Don't worry, Deya. Even the patients that call me everyday eventually call me less and less because they start to improve." Was that encouragement or a subtle hint?
Now for the weekly medical term vocabulary lesson. If you know this one, you would have been more prepared for the above situation than I. 'Cauterize' literally means to burn. Yes, burn. Not with a flame, but something more along the lines of, oh let's say acid. Yes, acid. Turns out Silver Nitrate is a type of ACID. So now I have a charcoaled memorial to dear Buzz in the middle of my chest. It looks like someone smeared charcoal onto my chest. Burnt to a crisp. Poor little Buzz. But I am all better and even got a great story out of it!

February 24, 2007
After Buzz's cremation, we had planned to scatter his ashes (he didn't have any family for us to take him to) but Buzz had other plans. He decided he wanted his remains to be pushed back into my scar and excavate his grave into a much bigger hole. Yeah, he always was fun like that. Living on the wild side that Buzz. So after another round of calls to the doctor at 10pm last night, we made a midnight run to the pharmacy for antibiotics and met the doctor at the hospital this morning. He promised no silver nitrate and he delivered (he is not the same doctor who gave me the oh so wonderful acid last time. He is the one who made my scar smaller. I like him)!!!!! I'm not saying it was a walk in the park. Although I think we did discuss walks in the park with our dogs as he attempted to distract me during the "cleaning". I will spare you the gory details, although they are quite good if you are interested. So we are back to cleaning and dressing open wounds. It does figure this would happen just as my final chest tube sight was sealing up. So I have to wait a little longer before I can do any girlie things like use my Bath and Body Works (as opposed to the smelly Dial soap) or take a bubble bath (long live Lush!!). I suppose I will have to satisfy my inner (and outer) princess with nail polish and the occasional make-up. The doctor did joke with me about all of this and I explained to him the Law of Probabilities which states, "If the probability of this happening is small, it will happen to Deya." He just shook his head and said, "I live by that same law only I call it 'lucky'. Lucky that I'm still here after everything." Touche Doc, touche.

The Young and the Restless at Home
January 31, 2007

Well, Deya made it home safe and sound. She is having some trouble adjusting since our bed doesn't move like the hospital bed. Now, when she gets uncomfortable with however she is laying, it takes a group effort to move pillows and readjust the earths gravitational pull to make sure she is comfy. I will miss that hospital bed. a new position at the touch of a button. But that's ok, I would rather have her home. The food is definitely better at home, due mainly to the cafeteria chef at Casa Graham. Deya's mom has been doing a remarkable job of keeping everyone's bellies mostly full, (including the dog). Most importantly Deya's appetite is coming back to normal (I think the menu has a lot to do with it). Deya has been making great strides with her breathing. The little contraption they gave her to exercise her breathing has been put to good use and now she is even surprising herself with how much she can fill up her lungs with air. It still hurts mind you, but it's WAY better than before. She is still doing her daily walks. Today it was very sunny and about 70 degrees so she went for her first walk outside in a long time (yay Florida). The biggest trouble she is having is with her coughing. She still has fluid in her lungs which needs to come out by coughing and well, it hurts. She has been taking maximum doses of Ibuprofen and Tylenol, which really isn't much. The biggest downfall to the coughing is it costs her a lot of sleep. When she lays down is the worst so we prop her up but it is about as comfortable as sleeping on a plane. But we are keeping things in perspective, she is home, she is getting better, and she has a great support group. We go to the doc on Friday for a blood test and we will see if her blood thinner medicine is doing its job, so we'll hope for the best.

Thanks everyone for everything. We truly are blessed to have so many supportive people in our life.

February 2, 2007

Today I come with good news and bad news. Then some more good news, and some more bad news. So let's get right to it. The good news is, the tornadoes that touched down in Orlando today missed us by a good 15 miles. While we did get a whole lot of rain, and pretty decent lightning and thunder show at 5 am, the wicked witch decided we needed to stay here in Kansas a little longer. The bad news is.....Deya got a really bad migraine and fell down today. We went to the lab this morning so they could draw blood and send the results to the doctor and on the way home Deya got a pretty intense migraine. Then, when we got home, she had her eyes closed because she gets very light sensitive when she has migraines, and she went to sit down on the bed and, well...... she missed. Needless to say, it gave us all a pretty good scare, but after some semi-deep breathing, she regained her composure and carried on into bed. The down side, of course, was that now her head hurt and her chest really hurt. The other good news is, Deya's appetite and range of motion is improving more and more everyday. In fact she is able to laugh a little bit and sit up on her own without nearly as much help. So good job Deya! The other bad news is, we got the result of her blood work from this morning and her blood is WAY too thick. Right now she is on 1mg doses of blood thinner and the doc said she needs to take 5 of those pills a day for the next 2 days and then she will go back to the hospital on Sunday for another blood draw. Now, the doctors did warn us when she was discharged that it would take some time to get the correct dosage, but being off by 4mg is pretty big. But we are grateful the tornadoes went away so we could make it to lab this morning and hopefully we will get things straightened out.

Thank You everyone who has been so kind in sending Deya the wonderful cards and flowers. Our place smells so much nicer!!

And a big thank you goes out to Bethanne Freeland who went to Good Morning America on Thursday and held up a sign that said, "Get Well Soon Deya Love" for all to see. We all got a big kick out it.

February 5, 2007

Ok, so I just read all the (as Erica so wonderfully worded it) "Episodes of Deya". I was a little skeptical but it seems Chris did a really good job in informing all of "my peeps". Your responses were touching, appreciated, and hilarious. I am so comforted to know that people out there worry about their "Poor Pink Princess" and that they love my "stictched up little guts" :) See what I mean? Laughter truly is the best medicine. Chris has not allowed me (or I wouldn't allow him) to read these until now as laughter was more painful that curing until now. I have been so overwhelmed with everyone's support and love and prayers. I am once again living proof that prayers are answered so thank all of you for getting me home!

I guess you are now hungry for an update? Don't drool too much as it is not nearly as exciting as moose guts (for the record I did not nor have I ever come into contact with any actual moose guts eventhough I am married to a Cannuck). We went to the doctor today. My blood is still thicker than they would like so we continue to manipulate my home pharmacy. Tonight we are back to 5 pills. Please don't feel sorry for me as these pills are PINK! I am in no danger unless you count (I do) the needles from the blood draws. If any of you have ever accompanied me to a flu shot, you will be happy to know that I can indeed control myself and no longer hide under the chair when I see a needle coming straight for me. The fluid around my lungs has finally cleared (YAY) although there is a little fluid under my heart. Again, do not be alarmed. It is normal for post-op as my heart was enlarged and is now returning to a smaller size, (and this time I'll keep it off!) something has to fill up the space in my chest. Fluid would be the easiest thing for my body to put there so it does. But we are talking a very small amount. For those at the Village, similar in amount to a Jenna-sized sip. :) I am on a really fun pill that drains fluid from my body and gives me a first hand feel of what every woman whines about during pregnancy. So that pill will continue to help drain the fluid. As far as all my wounds, we are doing well. I can't remember if Chris mentioned this or not, but the Surgeon's PA (and my new best friend) cut out my old scar during surgery so now all I have is this skinny pink line about the size of a string of yarn. The bruising is starting to go away (No Touchy!) and I am healing. I have one chest tube hole (it really is that, a hole. There are two next to each other and they are above my belly button so I worry I might be confused with a bowling ball at some point) that is "oozing". I was afraid they would make me have stitches but the doctor seemed very unconcerned and loaded us up with more gauze and tape. Unfortunately during all the tape and other adhesive they have used on me, no one has opted to use my pink duct tape. I have offered and continue to do so but my home nurse is even less amused. I love you Mom! So I am going back for a blood draw on Wednesday and then a check-up on Monday. Woo Hoo!

I have been flagged to be reintroduced into society, so if you call first and I haven't tripped or fallen on my behind today, I just might be up for a visit. Feel free to give me a call and of course you can email. Chris finally broke down and we have internet at home now! YAY!!!!!!

Anyway, I love you all, I appreciate your thoughts and prayers and entertainment you have sent my way.

xoxo,

Your Little Trooper

February 12, 2007
So, I apologize for the large gap in informative emails, but you have to give me time to gather up my new material. We had another doctor's appointment today so here is the update:
Blood levels: We are slowly getting up to the levels that the doctor would like, but we just aren't there yet. In the words of a wise little blue train, "I think I can, I think I can." I am beginning to be on a first name basis with the phlebotomist ( I love all these medical terms, although "organizing" is my current favorite). We have made an agreement that if they try to be gentle and let Chris hold my hand, I will not kick or bite them. Sadly, this is not a joke, apparently adults really do kick the poor employees. They finally prescribed me higher mg pills so I no longer have to take 5 at a time. I have my little rainbow pill menagerie of pink, purple, peach, and white.
Fluid: Last week they found a little fluid under my heart. This week they found it is not increasing, but it is not going away either. the good news is that the fluid is "organizing." (Apparently, this does not mean that the fluid is forming into alphabetical lines and making picket signs preparing for the rally). I said this to Lake and he wanted to know if they were demanding higher wages or benefits. He also asked if the cells "organizing" was my twin and did that mean he would have a new brother or sister. All jokes aside, "organizing" in this sense actually means that it is getting ready to be reabsorbed into my body. This is a good thing.
My incision is doing very well. The scabbing is gone and it is a pretty pink and lavender combination that seems to coordinate well with most of my wardrobe. This isn't hard as my current wardrobe consists of 15 different pairs of pink pajamas! One more shout out...thanks Mom! The little bowling ball holes have finally quit bleeding. We have graduated to oozing other things which I will spare you. If you really want my graphic description, feel free to ask and I will send it to you. If you do ask, you were warned. :)

My valve is doing fantastic and my pacemaker ("pacer" is the slang term I have learned) will be "interrogated" in two weeks. I will leave you guessing and we can learn that vocab word next week. It's okay, If I want to keep your interest I must use some sort of suspense, right? The pacer is on my right side so that arm is a little sore. I can wash the left-side of my hair though! Mom was very excited to have half of her duties relieved. :) So we just pop a few more of my extremely un-potent IBProfen. I am a tough cookie (a pink chocolate cookie that is). I was told that I cannot return to work for 3 more weeks. Mom and Chris are very excited about entertaining me for 3 more weeks. Between games, coloring, crafts, puzzles, magazines, books, and movies, I just might make it. Thank heavens for the internet! I am sad to wait longer to return to the Village, as I feel mentally ready. If only my body would keep up. That is something I have always struggled with (you remember being mentally ready for a cookie but your body wasn't tall enough to reach one for you?) so it's not a problem.
I did want to say thank you again to everyone. I love all the emails, cards, packages, and phone calls. None are necessary but I really like the emails. This could be in part that I hadn't had access to email in so long that I might have experienced a few withdrawal symptoms. :) But we all have been so overwhelmed with feelings of love and support and I thank you. Most of all, thanks for all the prayers. That is all anyone can do to help me at this point so it is much appreciated.

February 19, 2007
****SPOILER****
I wrote "spoiler" on top just in case you were taping tonight's episode and didn't want me to ruin it for you. This is a suggestion from my brother as apparently that is what happened to him last week. Sooooo sorry.
I have enjoyed reading all your email responses and try to respond in a timely matter. Due to the fact that we have 2 computers and 3 humans deeply in need of cabin fever treatment, this is not always possible. Technically there are 3 computers, but "Chris' work computer is not to play on." Somehow that reminds me of something my dad used to say...
Anyhoo, I am doing well this week. I was even able to go to part of church on Sunday. I have had no more doctor's appointments which can only be good. There are two explanations to be fair: 1) I am improving and need less monitoring, or 2) They have finally had enough of me and are tired of my constant questions. I'm going to keep telling myself the answer was #1.
My blood levels have finally reached the goal, (I knew I could do it!). If I can keep it level for 10 days, I will not have to mess with it as often. If not, back to the drawing board. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day and it takes time to become perfect, right? The problem was my blood was too thick. Apparently, that is not something you can just water down. I have some friends that always tell me I have thick skin (if you knew me growing up, you can stop laughing now), but I am wondering if it was just the thick blood underneath. I guess we'll find out.
All this thinning out of my blood has started a new phenomenon, though. I have a funny black spot that is in the middle of my new scar. Slightly alarmed I called the doctor. Now, I must warn you, here is proof we are truly in the technology age when I tell you his response. Here is the conversation:
"Deya, from what you are saying I have to see it. How hard would it be for you to come down here?"
"Not too hard, I guess."
"Well, would you rather just take a picture and email it to me?"
"I can do that?"
"Sure, here's my address. Take a good one and call me when you send it."
He then sat there and talked to me while he looked at it. Since the picture is not great, it does look like a small beetle sitting under my skin. Chris has affectionately named it, Buzz. It turns out Buzz is nothing more than a small capillary leaking due to my blood levels finally being thin enough. The blood is just pooling there and will eventually go away on its own. Crisis averted! That was the big crisis of our week so I consider myself very lucky.
I have however managed to catch myself a cold. I know, I know, my doctor laughed at me too. Nothing a little Benadryl can't cure. So overall, we are doing pretty good here. I hope ya'll are all doing well and I know this is getting redundant, but I really do appreciate all the support, love, and prayers I receive every day. I could not have done this without any of you behind me.

General Hospital Days
January 24, 2007
In case I wasn't able to call you all, I thought I would do the easiest thing to keep everyone abreast on Deya's recovery. She came out of surgery at 6pm last night (only 4 hours longer than they had hoped) and they had a successful tricuspid mechanical valve replacement. While they were inserting the new valve they felt it was necessary to also give Deya a "demanding pacemaker" this basically means her heart will serve all its regular functions but if her heart rate gets too low or if it's not able to keep up with her activity level, the pacemaker will then kick in. She woke up this afternoon and is responsive. The doctor came by and said her new valve is working great and they are going to test the pacemaker once she becomes a little more active. But for now she is still VERY drugged and doesn't remember anything since they wheeled her into the pre-op. She will remain in ICU for as short a time as possible. They are estimating about 6-10 days, and then we will hopefully get to bring her straight home. She is resting right now, but she wanted me to tell everyone thank you for the well wishes and the prayers. I will try and keep everyone updated as she progresses. If there is anyone missing from this list please forward this along to all who might want to be kept up. We have had 2 or 3 people bring or send things to the hospital which we appreciate but keep in mind she is in isolation and so flowers and food is not allowed into her room. If anyone feels it necessary to send anything please send it to the house after we take her home and I will let you all know when that is of course.

January 25, 2007
Well I'm afraid our little patient had a tough day today. chest tubes came out and the pain medication is being lessened. She is having a hard time taking big deep breaths but she needs to because her lungs haven't fully opened yet. She sat up today which was great progress and this afternoon they are going to try and take for a long walk. When I say long, I mean about 10-15 steps, which seems like a long ways to Deya. She is MUCH more coherent today although she is still quite groggy and sluggish. The docs are doing a wonderful job and say she is moving along as expected. But in her words, "this isn't fun anymore." She is trying to sleep as much as possible because she is quite uncomfortable no matter how she is laying. A lot of the swelling is going down in her hands and face, and as soon as we get her up and moving the swelling in her legs and feet should go down. She is being a trooper and wanted me thanks you all again for your prayers and support.

January 26, 2007

Well today had its ups and its downs. The word from the doctors is, she is looking better and better each day. She was taken off of her morphine today which of course means a lot more pain and discomfort that she wasn't feeling before. She is still having a real hard time taking deep breaths and opening up her lungs which has resulted in some fluid settling in her lungs. And that fluid makes her cough which is very painful. It's a vicious circle, but if we can get her to grit through some pain and take some big deep breaths and open up her lungs all the way, she will be in much better shape. She went for another walk today. This time, all the way to the end of the hall and back (about 50ft each way!) the nurses were very proud of her. She still doesn't have much of an appetite. In her defense, the hospital food is about as appetizing as a bag of moose guts, but still, she could use a little more food in her system. All in all, I think she doing great. They are trying to cut her back to 2 naps a day (she was taking about 4 per day for the past 2 days). But she is having a real hard time staying awake. They think taking her off the morphine will help with that.

Thank you for all the wonderful cards we have received. Deya says hello to everyone and wants you all to know that I read all the emails to her each day and she says thank you for the support and love.

January 27, 2007

Well, another day goes by and Deya continues to improve. Today they removed her stitches that were in place after they took out her chest drainage tubes. She is still having a hard time eating much. The new painkillers she is on don't numb the pain nearly as much as the Morphine did so she doesn't get up much of an appetite when she is in a lot of discomfort. We got the results of the Echo Cardiogram they did yesterday and it showed some fluid in and around her lungs, so she is still having a hard time taking in deep breaths and her lungs have not yet fully opened, which is still our biggest concern. But she has been taking more and more walks to the end of the hall and back. (Her going record is down and back 3 times! she was really exhausted afterwards.) She has been sitting in her big comfy chair for much longer intervals (about 1-1 1/2 hours, 3 or 4 times a day) the rest of the time she spends resting in bed. She has an easier time breathing when she is sitting up in the chair but she gets very dizzy and nauseous after about an hour and a half, so she needs to lie down again. I think she is making improvements more and more each day. The doctors are confident that by the time they get her blood thinning medication sorted out (in about 3 - 5 days) she should be ready to come home. So lets keep our fingers crossed.

Thanks again for all the support and all the responses. One of Deya's favorite parts of the day is hearing all the emails that have come in, so thanks everybody!!

January 28, 2007

Well, I am sad to report we had a very tough day today. Probably the worst one yet. Deya woke up very early and felt quite sick. She called for the nurse and began vomiting, which was more than painful. She had 3 more vomiting spells which brought on some serious conversings among doctors. They decided it was the OxyCodone, which is the primary pain killer in Deya's pain cocktail. Which, unfortunately means, Deya's pain medication now consists of only Tylenol and Ibuprofen. That being said, she is being a REAL trooper. She decided the vomiting was more pain than the OxyCodone would take away so she is ok with the weak pain pills for now. Her chest x-ray looked much better today and there is even talk of sending her home tomorrow, if they can get her blood thinner levels figured out by then. lets keep our fingers crossed. This evening Deya is still quite uncomfortable but she is ok as long as she is distracted (yay Disney Channel!). I'm very proud of her, and am learning she is stronger than I ever knew.

Thanks again for all the wonderful replies and hopefully I will be telling you all she is going home next time.

January 29, 2007

Well..... I come bearing good news. Deya is coming home!! After careful review of her chest x-rays and heart echo's, the doctors decided she is fit to come home. She will be going back for many checkups in the next 2 weeks and months to come but at least she will hang out at home in the mean time. Today they interrogated her pacemaker (which means they stick a radio device on top of the pacemaker and it sends a report as to how much it has been used. So far she has used the pacemaker less than 1% of the time, which is a great sign and means her new valve is working perfectly. Of course when she gets more activity in her daily routine and her heart rate gets higher, she might use it some more, but for now, her heart is functioning wonderfully. Her chest incision is still giving her a LOT of grief mainly due to all the internal bruising in her ribcage and surrounding area. But that is completely normal, in open heart surgery. unfortunately, the best we can do for pain medication is over the counter Tylenol and ibuprofen. She also still has some coughing fits from some left over fluid in her lungs, which are not very pleasant. But other than that she is starting to return to herself. She's cracking the very occasional joke and she is getting a little sassiness back in her. (apparently the doctors couldn't remove that.) But we look forward to her getting better and better at home.

We can't thank you all enough for your prayers and support. We still have 8-10 more weeks until a mostly full recovery is complete but I think the 'scary' part is over. for me at least. Now the 'fun' part begins, but with a little patience and hard work, she'll be back to her old self before we know it.