Disneyland

October 2012

With our annual passes expiring on October 21st it was imperative that we make one last trip to our favorite place. There was the new Cars Land to explore, redesigned Buena Vista Street and Carthay Circle in California Adventure to admire, and, of course, all of the old classics to revisit.



Our first stop was Cars Land. The attention to detail was amazing! We rode the new rides and lucked out not having to wait too long to ride Radiator Springs Racers. We made a special trip back at night just to see it lit up with the glowing neon lights.

Buena Vista Street and Carthay Circle were equally impressive with their Art Deco and Mission style architecture. We even bumped into Walt Disney and Mickey there. The Red Car Trolleys are also a new addition and these vintage reproductions are the perfect way to get to Hollywood Blvd. in style...

The rest of our vacation was filled with classic photos in front of the Ferris Wheel, visits with Mickey and Goofy, yummy churros and mint juleps, silly Toy Story glasses and a whole lot more!! I was worried that I wouldn't have the strength and energy to walk around as much as we did since I was only 10 weeks post op when we went. I was sure I would need to rent me a wheelchair- but I made it!! It helped that I couldn't ride the roller coasters, that way I was able to sit and rest while Jason and the kids rode them. I am sad that we won't be going back for awhile..... their price hike took us out of the running for annual passes. However, that won't keep us away forever!!  

THE END!!

The Great Outdoors....

Back in September......

Jace and Jason went on an 11-year old camp out to Camp Stimpson. There was climbing, cooking, lots of dirt, and a swinging rope bridge. Needless to say Jace enjoyed every minute....

 Jace and Erik ready to climb

 First aid....

Then back in October......

We took a little trip to the cabin on Cedar mountain. On the way we stopped in St. George for some Halloween fun at Staheli Family Farm. Jace and Jason decided to play it safe and go through the corn maze... they said that was a bit scary...

Lauren and her friend Shelby on the other hand, decided that they were no chickens- they would brave the Field of Screams.

Let's just say someone may have peed a little it was so scary....

I didn't venture into either, just relaxed and waited for them since I was still in the healing process.

 Jace, Shelby, and Lauren.

 Jace and Jason ready to go

Afterwards we walked around the farm, checked out the petting zoo and swings

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the leaves changing on Cedar mountain as well as some time with Jason's family

 Jace and Sam

Abby, Shelby, and Lauren

Back in August......

Back in August Jace attended his first Boy Scout Court of Honor and received his Scout Award. I was recovering and not able to be there so Jason got pinned for me.
Way to go Jace!!! 

 Then there was the the first day of school. Since I could not drive, Jason went into work late so that he could get the kids off to school on that all important first day. I asked him to get some photos, assuming he would know what to do. Instead I got these:

Lauren and Jace taking a picture of themselves, Jace taking a picture of Lauren, and Lauren taking a picture of Jace- in the truck on the way to school. My favorite, however is the quick snapshot of them on the curb as Jason drives by. True, they are better than nothing so I will keep the complaining to myself.....

The good news is that they are both at the same middle school this year, which makes it easy. Lauren is on the cheer team again, got student aide in the counselor's office as her elective, and is in all accelerated classes. Jace got guitar as his elective and is also in accelerated classes.

Here's to a great 2012-2013 school year!!!

Earlier in August I snapped a few action shots of Jace in the pool.

This is one crazy kid!!

Heartbreak Beat

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

-Albert Camus

Sometimes anticipation of the unknown is scarier than living the reality once it arrives. When it finally happens, you have no other choice but to pull up your bootstraps and carry on. The safety net of the hospital was rolled up and stored away, now the live show was about to begin. With nervous hesitation I took that first uneasy step. Each step that followed brought me closer to success, all the while a great crowd supported and applauded my progress.  At twelve weeks post-op the lights have dimmed, the crowds have thinned, and it is time to pack up and move on.  For me the risk was worth the success, my heart is stronger, I am stronger and for that I am grateful.

A Road called Recovery:

This road seemed to stretch for miles. And miles. In the spirit of tradition I will start at it's beginning.

It was Thursday afternoon when Jason and I drove our rented car away from the hospital. I hadn't been outside for almost a week and it felt good to be out in the world again. I clung to my heart pillow as we drove the streets of Tucson filling prescriptions, getting dinner, and a few supplies. One more night here then we would fly home. Friday we awoke and checked out of the hotel. Our plane wasn't leaving until later that night so we had some time to kill. We drove up the canyon and caught a wonderful thunderstorm, had lunch at El Charro, walked slowly around the mall, and watched the Batman movie at the theatre in the mall. Finally we made it to the airport and survived the plane trip home.

Over the next few weeks I was richly blessed and terribly tormented simultaneously.
Here are a few examples:

• Family and friends brought in dinner for about three weeks. We all know I despise cooking, so it was like a double bonus! - blessing
• I had to rebuild my lung strength (who knew heart surgery would affect my breathing and lung capacity so much) by inhaling with this blue tubed device- torment
• My mom came out most days and cleaned my house, took me to lunch, and out for my daily walk- usually at Target - blessing
• Could only sleep elevated on my back which caused my buttocks to ache during the night and my upper back to ache in the morning. I am a devout side and stomach sleeper and I dreamt of the blessed day when I would once again be able to sleep comfortably. - torment
• I begged Jason everyday for a back massage and he obliged. - blessing
• I am a sneezer by birth. A simple change of rooms, going from inside to outside, or a smell can provoke me to sneeze. Normally it is refreshing to cleanse the sinuses, however when your chest has just been propped open like a set of double doors, then wired and glued shut, a simple sneeze can be devastating. Think of shrapnel exploding through the muscles and veins in your chest- brutal. People talk of tender mercies in their life and it may seem crazy but NOT sneezing was just that for me. In six weeks of  recovery I am amazed to say that I only excruciatingly sneezed about five times. Yes, there were moments when I had to lick the roof of my mouth to ward off a sneeze, but I usually won the battle. Even Jason noticed my lack of sneezing. -blessing
•  My chest bone was sawed apart then wired back together, however we all know that bones take time to heal. In the meantime I tried my best not to make any moves that would render my opposing rib cages uneven, because when I mistakenly did, I could feel the two sides shifting, grinding against each other. And you thought nails on a chalkboard was horrific- this sensation was maddening. Also a major reason why side sleeping was not an option! -torment
• Those first couple of weeks I couldn't lift my arms high enough, let alone have the strength to blow dry and straighten my hair. Mostly I didn't worry about it, but one day when I needed to be presentable Lauren dried and straightened my hair for me. -blessing
• When I read a book I like to get super comfy on the sofa, or lounge around and be cozy. The problem was that my  "comfortable" was sitting up straight in the chair. I couldn't even slack off and slouch because it didn't feel right- and of course I couldn't lean or anything because I had to keep my rib cages even.  I did end up reading a few books- I had a lot of time on my hands after all- I just didn't get to read them as comfortably as I would have liked. -torment
• My heart pillow. It comforted me while walking, coughing, and sleeping. It literally went with me everywhere for those first six weeks. It was like an American Express, "I didn't leave home without it."  I did not care who thought of it as embarrassing when we ventured into public, I needed it, therefore I brought it. Even at home it traveled room to room with me, it sat with me, and slept with me. I love that heart pillow. -blessing
•  Driving. Life can get pretty boring and frustrating when you are not allowed to drive. For six whole weeks my comings and goings were dependant upon others. Lucky for me I had a few temporary chauffeurs that helped to keep me from going stir crazy. -torment
• Painkillers. I had read prior to my surgery about people who had become addicted to painkillers after having open heart surgery. I am not a huge fan of taking pills and I did not want to end up like them. So after leaving the hospital I took "the good stuff" just at night and Ibuprofen and Tylenol during the day. After a week I decided I did not need the painkillers and just took the other two. By six weeks I was really only downing 1 or 2 Ibuprofen or Tylenol a day. Since then I don't take anything but the blood pressure pill that the Dr. wants me to take. -blessing
  
                  

At three weeks post-op we ventured out to see "Bye, Bye Birdie" at the CSN theatre. The play was pretty long and I was a bit uncomfortable after awhile, but it was good to get out and have somewhere to go. Lauren's friend Taylor joined us.....

Progress at 5 weeks. Feeling good, dying to drive again, still healing one day at a time....

At 12 weeks I am feeling almost normal again. I still have a smidge of achiness in my chest and I feel spent after a long day, but lightyears ahead of how I felt 12, 9, or even 6 weeks ago. 

Drumroll please..... 

I can even sleep on my side and stomach again!!!!

The journey has been long and it will never really be over, but the briars and thistles are behind me and the sun is shining in front of me.

I have a scar, it is part of me now. I know the gawkers out there are dying to see it.

Taking a picture of the entire scar is a bit awkward, but here it is. Not so bad, huh. The little scar below the chest scar is where the drainage tube was....

                                 

THE END!!

Young at Heart

There are always two sides to every story and in this case I get to relate them both. So far I have been the patient, the main idea of this story if you will, but I could not have done it without my supporting characters. This segment of the story is about them....

While I was floating in outer darkness, oblivious to time, my family was waiting patiently in a room with fish. They survived the long day with an ipad and trips to the hospital cafeteria. As bored as they might have been, they stuck it out for me. I needed them there.

They spent their days strolling through the hospital, the kids especially enjoyed the children's wing. They had a little library there with a mini door for smaller visitors and a little Route 66 diner that I hear had soft serve ice cream. The cafeteria was a popular spot for them as well, especially the times they got ice cream!

One afternoon while Jason was tending to my every beckon call, my parents took the kids to Colossal Caves. They claimed it was pretty cool so I will just have to take their word for it.

My parents and the kids left me Sunday night and flew home to Vegas. I missed them, but I wasn't exactly the life of the party and I could not expect them to hang around the boring hospital forever. Lauren and Jace stayed with my parents until we flew home that Friday night. Besides Lauren losing her big toenail in a tragic bedroom door accident involving her cousin Hannah, all was well. They enjoyed swimming and playing with cousins all week- I am quite sure they did not miss Jason and I too much!

Heartbreak Hotel

6 nights and 7 days accommodations at the all inclusive University of Arizona hospital. It wasn't a cheap getaway but what I gained is priceless...

After the Ross Procedure was finished I was spoiled in the ICU. Everything was monitored and I felt protected. As I noted in my last post day 1 was pretty much a blur. I came to realize on day 2 that I did not realize on day 1 the simple fact that I had ultimately survived and had safely returned from the "nothingness" of surgery anesthesia. I will blame them pesky tubes and the morphine for my lack of acknowledgement for that blessing.

Day 2 (Saturday) became a treasure hunt of sorts. I knew about the two IV's in my arm, who could forget, and it was expected that I would have a large incision on my chest covering my broken sternum and newly stitched heart valves, but what were these other devices stuck inside of me? Here is what I found:

• not one, but two IV's in my neck: evidently one is a catheter that monitors how well the blood is flowing through my heart. So grateful those went in while I was knocked out.... there is NO way they would have succeeded if I were awake. Not happenin'!!
• catheter: this I did not mind because I didn't have to get up to pee.
• drainage tube: this tube protruded out of my stomach- about an inch below the bottom of the main incision. Pretty gross, but necessary to get all the extra fluid out.
• oxygen: this I liked. Pure, fresh oxygen delivered straight to my nose via lightweight plastic tubing. A breath of fresh air!!
•  A pulse monitor clipped to my finger. conveniently located on the same side as the IV's- who needs to bother using a left arm anyway??
• Electrodes: these I did not know I had until the doctor came and took them out on day 3. Here is their description- The Electrode-Set is a temporary cardiac pacing wire used to treat arrhytmias during and after open heart surgery. It consists of a twisted stainless steel, multistrand wire partially insulated with a sheath of blue or white polyethylene. Obviously they did not bother me while they were in, but taking them out..... ewwww!
• my heart pillow: not a device, but nevertheless it stayed attached to me. Remember how thirsty I felt? Well the first night out of sheer desperateness to quench my thirst I sucked down more apple juice than I should have. Tiny sips and pieces of crushed ice had been all I could tolerate, but I was so thirsty!! Two minutes later my stomach revolted against the advance of the apple juice. It came back up surrendering peacefully, not like a stomach flu heave, and covered my entire pillow in second hand apple juice. Needless to say the nurse replaced the soiled pillow with a fresh, identical one.

the nurses insisted that I go for a walk. With wires, drainage fluid and the mega-monitor in tow, I cruised the halls of the ICU in the hybrid walker wheelchair.

as expected I was awesome (haha) and when I returned to my room I lounged in the chair for a bit.

then I took a nap....

Day 3 & 4 (Sunday and Monday)

Sunday night I managed to eat half of a grilled cheese, up until then I just wanted to quench my thirst and let my throat heal from the irritation of the awful tubes. My parents and the kids flew home Sunday night, I would miss them but I wasn't exactly a ball of fun. I was just grateful they could be with me through those first difficult days. The nurses took out the arterial IV in my arm and the catheter, so now I had to get up to pee. Dr.Teodori and his partner Dr. Ross paid a visit and decided to take out the drainage tubes and electrodes. There was no special protocol, I simply sat in the chair while he pulled them out. Mind you I was not fully aware of the electrodes even existing and when he pulled I could feel them slinking through my cells like one of those alien worms that you see in the movies crawling under the skin of it's victim. Next was the tube, it was like pulling out the alien worm's supreme leader, all bulgy and plump fighting it's way through my fat cells. Once it was out Dr.Teodori pulled shut the wound with the pre-fab stitch that was strategically placed there awaiting this time. Finally, it was time to eradicate the nuisances in my neck. I had to lie down flat while they were pulled out and the nurse had to hold pressure there for 15 minutes to ensure that it closed up ok and I didn't bleed all over the place. Slowly but surely over those two days I had become almost tube and wire free!!


My dad and me. Is he napping or seriously bored??

The downside of freedom was my transfer to a humdrum average recovery room. I crossed my fingers that it would be full and I would be able to stay nestled in my security blanket, the ICU, a wee bit longer. No such luck! Late Monday afternoon my gurney was rolled out of the ICU and into reality. The only device that remained was my ordinary IV and when I arrived I was hooked up to a wireless EKG machine that monitored my heart. That first night I was lucky to have an empty bed on the other side of the curtain but that wouldn't last.....

Day 5, 6 & 7
(Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)

By now being a hospital patient had lost it's luster. Unlike the ICU, over here I had to swallow pills, have my blood pressure taken at all hours, be woken up early to be weighed, have blood drawn, and take a water pill early in the morning, then go back to sleep only to have my bladder wake me begging for release. It was alot of work.



Jason would accompany me as I walked the halls, by now I'm a pro and need nothing more than my pillow to make the trek. We even got permission to leave the floor and dine in the cafeteria- a treat when you have been corraled up in a hospital room. The prognosis was good that I would be checking out on Wednesday, the nurse even had the paperwork ready. Dr. Teodori came by to evaluate my condition, thought my lungs still sounded a little wet, and determined that I would need to stay for one more day. Bummer.
Thursday morning became Thursday afternoon and Jason and I waited with bated breath for Dr. Teodori to arrive and give us good news about leaving. He and Dr. Burt finally stopped by around 5pm. I passed the test and was cleared to leave. It was bittersweet though. I felt I would loose my mind and go stir crazy if I had to spend another second there BUT I enjoyed the secure feeling I had with the doctors and nurses monitoring me.

 



Finally leaving! Thank you Dr. Teodori & Dr. Burt!!

Then I was out.
We spent that night at the hotel. It wasn't so bad on the outside. I did just fine.
Now we just had to focus on getting home.....