Summer Thus Far.....

Ahhh, the lazy days of summer....

no schedules to keep, sleeping in til your eyes refuse to stay shut, and lounging about until you feel like getting dressed. Well for the most part.

Even though we did not have any great vacation plans for this summer, we have been trying to squeeze in a bit o' fun.We celebrated the 4th of July at the Pisciotta's house with friends, carne asada, swimming, and fireworks. As usual we had a lot of fun.....



Lauren trying to parasail...





Jace shoots.... and he scores!!



We had lunch with a celebrity...

Ronald McDonald

 

Honed our bowling skills...

and thanks to the automatic rails, no one had to hang their head in shame because of a gutter ball

Jace was Rigby, he would want me to rub that in....

Of course there was a trip to the Galleria Mall...

They had some familiar looking mannequins in the window

Of course we had to check out the Hollywood rec center's new swim park

The kids had fun with their cousins and I saved a little girl from drowning.... all in a days work.

The Sunday before girls camp, Jason signed up for fire watch. So we decided to make it a family event. Our family and the Monson's (the other that signed up) went up to camp Stimpson and checked out the rope bridge, played games, chased chipmunks, found Lauren's tent, and made dutch oven chicken and potatoes. Everyone had a fun time!!

On August 3rd we celebrated my grandma's 81st birthday. You would never know she was that old!!

Happy Birthday Ma!!

Jason went to camp Arrowhead for a week in June with the Boy Scouts in our ward. Lauren went to girls camp at Camp Stimpson. Not to mention having friends over practically everyday and swimming whenever you want. So even though we did not get out of town we have still had some fun!!

My Heart Will Go On......(and on)

I abhor making decisions...

so of course I would have to make a major decision concerning the future of my heart and its desperately important job of pumping blood...

and not just two options, but four, for my mind to mull over.

Deciding on a replacement for your aorta valve is no simple task.

The first option: The Mechanical Valve

which would change my status to-

Half man/half machine, a cyborg if you will...

I could live with that.

A mechanical valve provides great durability, lasting 20 to 30+ years, I would be a grandma by the time I had to get it replaced. But like all superheroes, it has a weakness. It needs Coumadin (blood thinners) forever. That means monthly monitoring and increased risk of internal bleeding etc..

The second option: A Pig Valve; also known as a porcine valve and a bioprosthetic heart valve.
which would change my status to-

let's just face it..... Miss Piggy
would I still be comfortable eating a ham sandwich or would I then be considered a cannibal? If someone calls me a "ham" is it because I'm showing off in the spotlight or because they know I'm part pig? Would I begin to snort when I laugh? If someone says "Hey Babe" is it because they think I look hot or are they referencing the movie?


the best part about the pig valve is that there is no need for blood thinners, you can go about your life with no worries that your brain may be bleeding after you hit your head opening the cupboard. There is, however, a dirty side to the pig valve. They lack longevity, and only average 8 to 15 years of pumping your blood, at which point you are heading back to the operating room for another valve replacement surgery.

The third option: Human Homograft
which would change my status to-

Bipolar/ Split Personality
Would I develop new characteristics, tastes, or loves. Who knows.

The homograft is a valve removed from a donated human heart, preserved, antibiotic-treated, and frozen under sterile conditions. The good part is that they are well tolerated and require no blood thinners. But like the fatal flaw of being human, they do not last forever. Their shelf life is like that of the pig valve; about 15 years, especially in younger patients, which as far as open heart surgery goes, I consider myself to be.

The fourth option: Ross Procedure
which would change my status to

Mixed up and confused
switching important heart parts around just sounds confusing. Who would want to end up with two distraught valves when they were only born with one. Crazy talk. My heart won't know whether it is coming or going.

Step 1: Measurement of the aortic and pulmonic valves

Step 2: The aorta and pulmonary artery are opened and the aortic and pulmonary valves are carefully inspected to determine if the Ross is an appropriate procedure.

Step 3: The diseased aortic valve is removed. Then, the pulmonary valve (autograft) is removed and placed in the aortic position.

Step 4: The autograft in sutured in place and the coronary arteries are re-attached.

Step 5: A pulmonary homograft is attached to the right ventricle outflow tract.

Step 6: The aorta is attached to the autograft and the pulmonary artery is attached to the homograft - the procedure is complete.

The Ross procedure is usually performed on patients younger than ages 40 to 50 who want to avoid taking long-term anticoagulant medications after surgery. During this procedure, the patient's own pulmonary valve is removed and used to replace the diseased aortic valve. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with a pulmonary homograft.
The downside it that it is a longer and more intricate surgery that requires an enormously skilled physician and you are technically replacing two valves instead of one. Overall, 85% to 90% freedom from reoperation at 10 years. Approximately 75% to 80% freedom from reoperation at 20 years.The pulmonary autograft valve has a good chance of being a life-lasting solution for the aortic valve.

THE FINAL DECISION:

So which would you choose? Every choice has its pros and cons with no choice being the "perfect" choice. In the end I decided to go with the choice that my two highly skilled cardiologists recommended for me:
The Ross Procedure
I will be flying to Tucson, AZ for the surgery which will be performed by Dr. Michael Teodori on August 10th. I know it will all turn out great because there are a lot of things I still need to do like:

-hearing George Gray say, "Chandra Robb, come on down, you are the next contestant on The Price is Right!"
-Feeling dwarfed in the shadow of a Redwood tree
-Getting my picture taken in front of The Salford Lads Club in England
...just to name a few. Recovery won't be easy but lots of people have done it and so can I.

Wingtips and Bowties

I still doesn't seem real...

but it happened.

On June 1, 2012 My brother-in-law (married to Jason's fabulous sister Minty) passed away from complications of lung cancer. Our family will definately miss his wisdom, wit, and gentlemanly qualities.

The funeral was packed with his amazing friends and family.

The eulogy was perfection, http://www.micahpotter.org/about_micah_potter.html

Micah was buried in Cedar City on Saturday, June 9th. We all wore our Micah Bikah shirts in his honor.



Sam and Jace


 

Jason, Minty, Larry, and Lee



Born This Way...

You feel panic coursing through your veins, fear grabs hold of your senses, and your heart is beating out of your chest.....

then sudden relief rushes over you and calm takes the place of panic as you wake up and realize it was only a nightmare.

Only I'm not sleeping.

In January Jason and I flew down to Tucson, AZ for my annual heart check up. Only this time it was not the typical adventure that we have have come to expect- 1 hour flight, lunch, dr. visit where he tells us everything looks good for another year, shopping/touristy stuff, dinner, and then back on the plane to return home. Simple.

This time was different. Missed our plane, took next flight which stopped in L.A. on the way to Tucson, ate lunch at LAX, got to our appointment late, heart not looking so hot- doctor says it's time for surgery, too upset to eat dinner or shop, returned home. Complicated.

But, I've always known that surgery would happen someday because.....
I was born this way.
Congenital Aortic Stonosis is:

Aortic stenosis: Narrowing (stenosis) of the heart valve between the left ventricle of the heart and the aorta. This narrowing impedes the delivery of blood through the aorta to the body and makes it tough for the heart to carry out this Herculean task. A normal aortic valve has three leaflets or cusps, but a stenotic valve may have only one cusp (unicuspid) or two cusps (bicuspid) [THAT'S ME], which are thick. stiff and stenotic. Some children with aortic stenosis have chest pain, unusual fatigue, dizziness or fainting. Many children have few or no symptoms. The need for surgery depends on the degree of stenosis. Although surgery may enlarge the stenotic valve the valve remains deformed and eventually may need to be replaced with an artificial one. A procedure called balloon valvuloplasty has been used in some children with aortic stenosis. [I had the balloon procedure twice before which helped to prolong the need for valve replacement] Persons with aortic stenosis need medical follow-up all their lives since even mild stenosis may worsen over time and need treatment. (medicinenet.com)



So now you know for sure that I am not the least bit normal. Though it was something I was born with, I was not diagnosed with AS until age of five, when a loud murmur was heard at my kindergarten check-up. I have seen Dr. Goldberg, my pediatric cardiologist, ever since. I also have Dr. Evans that I see here in Las Vegas too. Both are amazing and I trust their judgement.

and they agreed.....

it was finally time for aorta valve replacement.
and thus began the fear and panic....
(which has begun to settle a smidge)

The date is set for August 10, 2012.
I had three choices for valve replacement that I will cover next time.....
which one did I choose??????

There is Only One Way...

These girls.....

Taylor and Lauren

are hysterically head-over-heels in love with these handsome and talented lads which call themselves...

ONE DIRECTION

I approve mostly because they are British- but somehow I am aware that one is Irish.

I hear daily of their likes, dislikes, and fashion sense.

Anyone for carrots, red pants, and bowling??

They performed at Planet Hollywood on Saturday, June 9th. Tickets sold out early on, but those two girls held tightly to the hope that they too would be in the crowd. A week went by trying desperatey to win tickets on the radio... I have not listened to that much hip hop in one week ever. But our dedication to the radio was all for naught.

Then it WAS Saturday.

They found tickets from a broker, a little over priced in my opinion, but these girls were DESPERATE to go.

and they did.

They ended up with front row balcony tickets that set them back $82.

They said it was worth every penny and I am sure that it was.



Lauren took this at the concert



1D will be gracing Vegas again August 2013- yes tickets are already on sale- and yes, Lauren is begging to go!!

CHEERIO!!

It's Elementary.....

Jace is not fond of practicing the piano, however he did a great job at his piano recital!

Procrastination often occurs here no matter what amount of intention we have. For example:

Jace had sufficient notice in which to manifest a brilliant science project that would awe his teacher and peers. However, true to our nature (Jason excludes himself from this), Jace, prompted only by the ticking of a due date, started his project two days before and finished (with my help and prodding) the night before. So it was not the masterpiece it could have been... but since we are professional procrastinaters here, he still managed to get an A.

It seems impossible that Jace will no longer be in elementary school. He passed 5th grade with flying colors (and some missing assignments) but overall ended up with all A's for his final grades. He had a great teacher, Miss Creuziger and an awesome principal, Mr. Hybarger. He received awards for A/B Honor Roll (the B is because of those missing assignments in the 3rd quarter, up until then he had straight A's), Promotion, GREAT Program, and Great American Award. To earn the Great American Award he had to:

• Know all 50 U.S.States and Capitals
• Recite the Gettysburg Address
• Recite, in order, the first and last name of all U.S. Presidents
• Write the Pledge of Allegiance in cursive with perfect spelling and punctuation
• Recite the first verse of Star Spangled Banner
• Recite the Preamble of the United States Constitution

and true to our nature, Jace waited until the last minute and passed off most of the requirements the final two weeks. He passed off the presidents last, at literally the last minute!

The day before the last day of school the 5th graders were rewarded with a party. There were games, ice cream and the fire truck came and soaked them with the fire hose. LUCKY!!



Jace and Brett



GIMME AN END- TO A YEAR OF CHEER!!!

May 25, 2012

The 2011-2012 cheer season is over. Now to celebrate!!

And they did, with a cheer banquet at Aliante Station, complete with decorations, food, awards, and dancing. Lauren received a few trophies but the most important one was for keeping up her GPA.

Lauren with her cheer friends Shelby W., Chelsea, and Shelby J.

Lauren with cheer friends Lauren and Sydney

On the dance floor....

One good thing about cheerleaders is that you know the dance floor will always be full!!

Lauren with her cheer coaches Mrs. Gourdine and Mrs. Collins

yes, they are twins (obviously)

and yes they can do the splits

Lauren has really enjoyed being on the cheer team. It really is a lot of hard work. They practice everyday after school until 5:30pm, compete in front of crowds and are judged, and cheer at all of the basketball games. She loves it though, enough that she tried out for and made the team again for next school year!