Cardiology is awesome, but I'm kind of selfish

As of last Friday, I am officially 5 months post-op! So what exactly has been going on since my last post? Well, for one thing, I turned 29. I enjoyed a fun birthday weekend with my friends and family.

I haven't been running as much as I should be, especially when I have a half marathon in 35ish days. I've been getting little runs in here and there, but honestly, it's been bad. Can I also say that I'm so excited that it's fall. I love summer, but fall brings football and tailgating. In September, I spent two weekends in State College with friends going to the Penn State football games. Of course, lucky me, it poured during both games. All that aside, I still had a blast, as always.

(Nita, Eric, Me and Matt before the rain set in for the day)

("Nails")

(Tailgating with my girls, Dani and Kristen)

(Home: 103,000+ Stripe-out under the lights in Happy Valley<3)

Okay, so that's been my last few weekends. Let's get on with my 5 month update. So like I said, Cardiology is awesome, but I'm a little selfish. As much as I LOVE Cardiology, I'd be lying if I said I didn't go into the field of Cards without my own interest in mind. Last week I was feeling a little short of breath and noticed my heart rate was hovering around 105 bpm at rest. I received my flu shot on Wednesday, so I thought maybe it was a side effect of the shot hitting me, or possibly I was trying to fight off a virus that was trying to set it. Nevertheless, I had my coworker do another echo on me to make sure that nothing was actually going on.

Here's what we found:

My new Pulmonic valve is in fact leaking, which annoys me. There's not much I can do about it though.

(Lovely Pulmonic insufficiency)

My pulmonary pressures are mildly elevated. However, if the RV is remodeling and function is improving, it is possible for my pulmonary pressures to be elevated due to the fact that the ventricle is able to produce a pressure. Makes sense, could also be explaining my shortness of breath.

The gradients through the conduit also seem elevated to me. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the mean and peak gradient for my RV-PA conduit should be for the size and type, and I've searched journal articles high and low for values, but come up empty handed. So that will be something I'll have to keep in mind when I go back in November. Hopefully someone will have an answer for me.

(Gradients through the conduit)

Either way, like I said, I'm supposed to have a follow-up with pediatric cardiology in November. I'll keep an eye on things, and if I continue to get worse, then I'll call them sooner.

Moving on. This past Tuesday, I went to RIT in the evening to help a friend out with a lecture he was giving on Pulmonic Stenosis with Intact Ventricular Septum pathology. Though my pathology is a little different, he asked me to stop by so the students could scan me. It was a lot of fun, and the lab at RIT is beautiful. The students took their turn scanning me which took about and hour. My friend asked them questions while they were scanning. "Why does that structure look like that." "What does this measurement tell us?" Etc... It was great to be able to help out and have the students see a little different pathology than I'm sure they're used to.

Any way, that's about all I have for now - nothing too exciting.

QOTD: What's do you like most about the fall?

Three Week Follow-Up; All Good Things, All Good Things

Thursday was my three week follow-up with my cardiologist, and it honestly could not have gone better! Since I have been staying at home with my parents, my mom and I had to drive back to Rochester for the appointment.

(Excited to head back to Rochester for the day)

Once I made it to the Children's Heart Center and checked in, the secretary asked me if I went to get my chest X-ray. Nope. No one made me aware that I needed one prior to my appointment. {sigh} The nurse still brought me back to get ready to see him. She did the usual vitals: height, weight, blood pressure and O2 saturation. Then she had me change into a gown so she could do an EKG. She then brought me across the hall to see the doctor. Almost as soon as I hopped up on the bed, my doctor was knocking at the door. He told me I needed to go get my chest X-ray first before he could see me. Makes sense, but I was annoyed that I wasn't told prior to arriving at my appointment. I changed back into my clothes and left the Children's Heart Center.

Mom and I made our way down to radiology. I checked in and got my wrist band, then we waited in the hallway to get called back. I waited maybe 20 minutes, not too bad. The tech took my first X-ray, and he came back into the room and asked, "There's supposed to be a valve in your heart, right?" "Yes!" I responded. Before I knew it I was headed back up to the Children's Heart Center. Minutes after I was put back into an exam room, my doctor was in there. He listened to my heart and lungs and said it was boring (which is good). He said the cardiac silhouette on my X-ray looked larger than he liked, and wanted to get a quick echo to make sure there wasn't any fluid around the heart. He didn't hear anything on auscultation, but just to be on the safe side. He gave me a gown to change into and I waited a few minutes for the sonographer. I love getting echoes at the Children's Heart Center, they have heated beds in the echo rooms, some of the ceiling tiles are painted, and there are TVs with VCRs so kids can watch movies while they're getting their echoes (The kids get all the cool stuff)! I laid there and talked to the sonographer while she did my echo, she had helped me the day I shadowed in the lab before sitting for my board exam. It was really nice to catch up with her.

After my echo, I met with my cardiologist once more to go over everything and discuss things in detail. There was no fluid around my heart, which I knew from watching my echo. Then I started asking him various questions. I wanted to know what my estimated time frame was until I could start running, lifting, etc. He said I could start running now, but not to overdo it. He said start out with brisk walks, then work my way up to a run/walk, then jog, etc. He also told me I could start doing yoga to regain my flexibility. No weight lifting of any kind until July sometime. I'm sure I won't be playing any tennis this summer either, or at least not until late summer. The best thing he said though was that I would be well on my way to running half marathons this summer! That was great news because Wine & Dine Half Marathon training starts in July. My cardiologist said I'm doing well, and I don't need to come back for 6 months. This would also be the last time I have an office visit with him as he is leaving for a new job. I don't yet know who my new Cardiologist will be, but they'll be hiring someone to take over his patients, and he said they would be an Adult Congenital Specialist. We talked for a while before I checked out.

After I checked out mom drove me over to work so I could see all of my co-workers. They were all happy to see me, and I was just as happy to see them. I am enjoying my time off, but I really miss work (A good sign that I enjoy what I do). I think I got to see just about everyone while I was there, and I ended up staying to visit for a little over an hour. Everyone commented on how great I looked, if only I felt as great as I looked (soon enough). After visiting with them, mom and I left to grab some lunch at Moe's. We stopped off at the mall to do a little shopping, then went back to my house to check the mail and mow the lawn. My mom actually mowed the lawn while I sat out in the sun and read magazines - I still have weight restrictions. My doctor told me to use my common sense when lifting things. If I don't think I can do it, then I probably shouldn't, and so on. Mom and I left my house to head back home around 6:30. It was a very good, but busy day, so by the time I got home, I ate dinner and headed to bed.

Today my mom and I went for my first real walk since my cardiologist told me I could on Thursday. It felt good to get out, move and get some fresh air. We also took Coco, mom walked her since I still can't (again, those weight restrictions).

(With my little bean just before our first real walk in 3 weeks!)

I'm really excited that things are progressing, and that I can start to do more. I have to call my doctor back at the end of the month to let him know how I'm feeling, and then he may lift my driving restriction. We really need to make sure that my sternum is healed before I drive again, If I get into a car accident, the airbag will crush my sternum. Once I get my driving restriction lifted, I can get back to Rochester and all my friends.

All The Cool Kids Are Born With *Some Assembly Required: Part 2

Remember how I said I felt pretty good Sunday night when I went to bed? I woke up Monday morning feeling like I got hit by a Mac truck. The nurses came in to get me out of bed at 6 AM, so I was ready for rounds and I was extremely nauseous. Around 4 AM the nurses had come in to do labs, and give me another dose of my pain killers, so I think the pain killers were finally starting to get to me. I've always had adverse reactions when taking any sort of narcotic. I sat in the chair for while, until I couldn't take it anymore. The nurse practitioner came in and said they hadn't seen my surgeon yet. I asked if they could give me some Zofran for the nausea, and if I could stop taking the narcotic since it was making me nauseous. She was fine with that and started giving me Tylenol instead. Of course the Zofran made me drowsy, and I could barely keep my eyes open sitting in the chair.

The nurse came in to check on me and I asked if I had to stay in the chair. They said yes, until the doctors came to round on me, they did not want me getting back into bed. The thing about that is I was almost positive my surgeon was in surgery, and chances are I would not see him until early afternoon. I text my parents to tell them not to rush to get to the hospital as I was not feeling well. I somehow managed to fall asleep in the chair, and I woke up around 9:30 feeling a little better, so I ate some yogurt and peaches, and drank an orange juice. Shortly after I woke, one of the cardiac sonographers I know stopped in to visit me. She brought me a small bag with some of her favorite snack bars! She and I chatted about running and her son for a few minutes, then she was back to work, it was busy for them especially being a Monday.

My nurse came in around 10, and I took more medication, then she asked if I would like to get a shower. The magic words!! I could not wait to take a shower!! The nurse took the dressing off my incision to take a look at it. It looked good, I was impressed with how clean the sutures were! Then she attached my telemetry to a longer cord so I could shower. This was my first time showering since my surgery on Friday, and of course it took twice as long for me to do anything.

(Feeling like a new girl after my shower!)

By the time I got out of the shower I was feeling much better than I was when I got out of bed at 6 AM. My nurse put a new dressing on my incision, and new telemetry patches on me. Shortly thereafter, my parents came to visit. Right as my family came the Physical Therapist came wanted to work with me. She watched me sit, stand, lay down and get out of bed. Then she walked with me around the nurses station and up and down the stairs. She told the nurse I was free to be independent, and the nurse was not surprised. This was great because now I didn't need to call the nurse to do everything.

I got back to my room and visited with my parents for a bit. They didn't stay long because I was still tired, and they wanted to do some things around town and at my house. Around lunch time two of my coworkers stopped by to visit. They brought me a nice little basket of flowers, and I filled them in on what was going on with me. They also filled me in a little about what was going on at work. They didn't stay long because they had to get back to work. I was still tired, and I had a headache, but my lunch came, so I ate some of that hoping it would make me feel better.

My surgeon came in early that afternoon, and he said it sounded like I could go home on Tuesday. I told him I was feeling horrible, and if I still felt horrible I did not want to go home. He did have much to say otherwise because I was doing really well, and he was happy with my progress. I told him I stopped taking the pain killers, and he was fine with that. After my surgeon left, I decided to crawl back into bed and take a nap. I was still tired from the Zofran and my headache was lingering. Shortly after I got back into bed, my moms cousin came to visit me. She brought me a small gift, slippers and Princess jelly beans!

She was telling me about her upcoming trip to go see her granddaughter out in San Diego. She stayed for about 45 minutes, after she left I took a nap. When I woke I still had the headache, so I started drinking more water, thinking that maybe I had the headache because I was dehydrated. That did the trick, after I drank a few glasses of water, I was starting to feel better. I got back in my chair, and turned on the television. Around 4:45 another one of my coworkers came to visit me. She brought me a thing of flowers as well. We chatted for about 15 minutes, and then she was off.

Now that I was free to move about on my own, I got up out of my chair and took my 6 walks on my own. Since I wasn't feeling well earlier in the day I still had about three to do. So I decided to take a walk after my coworker left. I had a small loop out I always did out to the elevators and back. Then I sat back down in my chair to watch some television and relax before dinner. I don't pay for television at home, so while I was in the hospital I was binging on HGTV. The rest of the night was low key and relaxing. I went for my remaining walks and then crawled into bed. Around 4 AM, the nurse and patient care tech came into take vitals and draw more labs. My poor arms and hands had had enough of needles. They could not get anything out of my right arm, and went to my left again. I had even been drinking a lot of water because of the dehydration earlier on Monday.

Tuesday morning, one of the Cardiology Attendings came in and woke me up around 6 AM and said he was going to get me ready for discharge. I was feeling much better than I was Monday morning, and I felt I was ready to go home. Shortly thereafter, my nurse came in got me out of bed and into my chair. she took my vitals and gave me some medication. She said I needed to get a shower, chest X-ray, and echo before I could be discharged. I had ordered an omelet for breakfast, and actually ate most of it. I sat in my chair and watched some television for a bit, and enjoyed the sun that was shining into my room. It looked so nice out, and I was ready for some fresh air.

(The beautiful sun shining on my flowers)

The Attending came back in. He was going to remove my drain tubes. Oh god. Everyone had been saying to me that getting the tubes removed was uncomfortable and even hurt. He was getting the dressing around and I asked him if it was going to hurt. He said it may at first, but it was probably going to feel more uncomfortable than anything. He removed the sutures around the tubes (I had 2 separate tubes), he twisted them to make sure they were lose, then he said on the count of three I want you to take a deep breath in and hold it. 1-2-3 {Inhale} as he yanked and pulled both tubes out at once. I gasped, and looked down... seriously, the tubes were each a foot long laying on the pad he had laid on my lap. I thought to myself, Where the heck did those come from?! He was right though, it didn't hurt, but it did feel really weird. 

After getting the tubes removed, the nurse came in to help me get ready for the shower. She attached me to the longer telemetry wires, and got me a new top to put on after. It felt great to move about without the drain tubes! While I was in the shower, the RT stopped up to take my chest X-ray. Oops, they would have to come back. Shortly after I got out of the shower, my parents and my brother stopped by. I told them I was going to be discharged, but I still needed a chest X-ray and echo beforehand. It wasn't long and transport was there to take me for my echo. Mom and dad stayed in my room while I went for my echo because they still needed to be interviewed and get lab work for a study that I had decided to be a part of. A study to see if there is a genetic link or mutation that causes congenital heart disease.

Once down in the pediatric echo lab, the sonographer came to get me and wheeled me around to her room. I knew the girls in the lab from either having my echoes done, or from shadowing there the many times that I had. She had me get on her bed and roll on to my side, it took me a few minutes. I told her I had stopped taking the narcotics because they made me sick, so I was just taking Tylenol. She agreed that the aching I was dealing with was probably better that the heaving from vomiting. While doing my echo we chatted, it was nice to talk to her again, and hear about what had been going on since I had shadowed that past fall. We talked about me passing my pediatric echo boards. She also said she was in the OR before and after my surgery to do the TEE. I thought it was great that she was also doing my baseline echo, and I loved seeing my new valve in actions. She even got an awesome shot of the valve where you could see the leaflets opening and closing! She had me roll into various positions, and she said she was amazed at how much I was moving about. She said she has had adults patients come down for their discharge echo still on narcotics, and they refused to roll for her, and here I was rolling around all over and only taking Tylenol. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, even my primary said that.

After my echo, she got me back in the wheelchair, and wheeled me back out to where transport would pick me up. A few minutes later, my cardiologist walked around the corner and saw me sitting in my chair hugging my cough pillow. He smiled and laughed, and we chatted for a few minutes. He asked if I was still taking anything for the pain, and I said only Tylenol. He said I could take Ibuprofen instead, but to make sure I took something before I went to bed at night to make sure I got a good nights sleep. Transport came and got me, and wheeled me back to my room. Just as I was being brought back to my room, my mom was coming back from the lab. She said my dad and brother went to run errands and said they would be back in a bit.

Back in my room, my lunch was waiting for me. I had ordered a turkey sandwich on wheat with lettuce mayo and mustard (that was quite the ordeal too, since I was only on a dysphagia 3 diet, I technically was not allowed to have lettuce for fear of choking. I told the diet tech I was going home today, and my nurse initialed the order saying I could have lettuce on my sandwich). I munched on my sandwich, and my nurse came in to go over some discharge paperwork. I told her I still had not had my chest X-ray, so she called them up STAT. They came, took my X-ray, and then after that I was able to get dressed to leave. I already had pants on, as I had been wearing them the majority of the time I was in the hospital. Mom helped me put a tank and t-shirt on. I decided to wear the T-shirt my parents had bought me while I was in the hospital.

(It reads, I'm stronger than you think)

Mom helped me pack up everything I had in my room. My nurse came back in to go over everything with me for the last time, that took about 20 minutes. For the first few weeks I'm not allowed to list anything over 10 pounds. I can't pick up Coco, or even walk her. Once we were done with the paperwork, transport was there to take me down to patient pick-up. Mom called my dad to make sure he was on his way back since they were wheeling me down. The woman who transported me was really nice, and we talked about how much we both loved the Golisano Children's hospital, and how much it had done for our families. Thankfully, there was a little waiting area that had a screen that showed what cars were pulling up in the circle. Once we got to the waiting area, she went behind the desk and brought me a carnation that had a little card attached and read, "Thank you for entrusting your health care to Strong Memorial Hospital." We sat there for about 5 minutes, and then my dad pulled up. She wheeled me out, and said goodbye. Mom helped me into the car, and she and my brother loaded my belongings into the car and then we were off!

The weather was beautiful, and I was so excited to get outside and breathe in some fresh air!! Once we got home, I sat outside with my family for a bit before heading to my bedroom to rest for a bit. It felt great to lay down in my own bed. I turned on Ellen, and ended up falling asleep about 20 minutes later. Even though I had not done a lot that day, it was still a busy day with testing and being discharged.

QOTD: Have any suggestions for things I can do during the day with my limitations? I have coloring books, cards, and Netflix.

How Many Times Can One Person Get Poked For Bloodwork In One Day?

It's been one week since my surgery, so I thought I'd post about how I'm doing. The strides I've made, and the setbacks I've had since getting home. As you probably know, I was discharged home on Tuesday (and I promise to get to the second part of my hospital stay soon). I've had my ups and downs. Today has not been one of my better days, so let's rewind.

Wednesday, my dad went back home so he could work. I was doing well, and we would talk everyday so he could get updates. I sat down on the couch to enjoy my first cup of coffee since my surgery and to see what was on television during the weekdays.

(Coffee and Kelly & Michael - I could get used to this!)

My home visiting nurse came out for the first time to check my vitals and see how I was doing since getting home. She asked me a lot of questions, then she took my blood pressure both while sitting and standing. She also listened to my lungs and heart, and took my blood oxygen saturation and heart rate both at rest and after walking a few laps around the house. She also checked the site where my drain tubes were to make sure they looked good. Then we set up a time for her to come back this morning.

My brother left around noon on Wednesday to get back home so he could do a few things before going back to work on Wednesday. Mom and I sat out in the sun for a while, then decided to grab a bite to eat. Mom asked me what sounded good, and since my brother had warmed up left over Buffalo Wild Wings for his lunch, I wanted that. Mom took me to Buffalo Wild Wings, then we went to Wegmans to pick up some groceries, and some things I needed since getting home. By the time we got to Wegmans I was already pretty exhausted. I know I just had major surgery, but it was just so hard for me to grasp the idea that I used to run between 9-12 miles a week and now I couldn't even make it through the grocery store. Once we got home, I collapsed into my bed to watch Ellen, but that turned into an hour and a half nap. That night mom and I made dinner and then relaxed and watched television. We started to watch Last Man Standing on Netflix, and oh my gosh, the show is completely hysterical! I was laughing so hard, and it really hurt me to laugh.

Yesterday I took it easy because Wednesday seemed to wipe me out so easily. When I woke up it hurt to take deep breaths around the lower lobe of my right lung. Every time I would take a deep breath, it felt like my lung was rubbing against my ribs and cracking. Almost to the point where if I could take a deep breath, it might pop, and the pain would resolve - obviously this would not happen. I monitored it throughout the day, and noticed that it ached more when I either laid on my back, or laid on my right side. When I was up and moving or laying on my left side I did't seem to feel the ache as much. I took it easy most of the day. I relaxed on the back deck for a while in the sun, while mom did some cleaning around my house.

(Hanging in the sun with my Coco)

After lunch we decided to run into town so I could renew Coco's dog license, then I had to run to the bank to cash a few checks. Once we got home I laid on the couch for a few hours and watched a movie. Just as I was drifting off to sleep there was a knock at my front door. Mom answered the door and I over heard the man say he had a delivery for me. Mom signed for it, and the next thing I knew she was coming up the stairs with an Edible Arrangement! She set it on the kitchen table and I came over the check it out. It was so cute, the fruit bouquet was arranged in a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse dish, and attached was a Disney Princess balloon. The small card attached read "Happy Healing, Rockstar!" signed by the secretaries at work!

(How Sweet!)

(Some of the pineapple were even shaped like Mickey!)

When we sat down last evening to watch some television, and I could feel the aching in my lungs again. I ended up falling asleep on the couch last night, and woke up in a lot of pain, so I dragged myself to my bed. I woke up once around 6 am, then again around 8:30 am. I still noticed the pain while laying in bed, and decided to get up and get a cup of coffee. I knew the home visiting nurse would be out to see me soon, and I would mention the pain to her. Then I also had a one week follow-up with my primary late morning. The nurse came and took all my vitals and everything else she did Wednesday. Then she took her time and listened to my lungs, after that she called my primary to tell him that I had crackles in my right lung.

When I followed-up with with him a few hours later, he listened to me and was concerned it could be 3 different things (and here is where I lost my entire day). He was most concerned that I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lungs). So I had to run next door to the lab for STAT lab work, and then he scheduled a CT Angio to rule out the pulmonary embolism. I went next door to get the lab work, and I knew this was not going to be pretty. The nurses had problems when I was in the hospital. You may also recall that I mentioned that 2 of my IV's blew while I was in the hospital. The phlebotomist called me back, she poked me twice and nothing. Then she had the other phlebotomist try. She also poked me twice and nothing. I knew my veins were shot from being in the hospital. I went back into my primarys office to tell him, and tell him I would try again later. He told me to get something to drink, but to do it soon because I was not supposed to have anything to eat for the CT Angio.

Mom and I went to Tom Wahl's, she ordered lunch and I ordered a medium drink. After that we ran home to let Coco out, and then headed to the imaging office for my CT Angio. For the CT Angio, I needed to get an IV for contrast. Thankfully, the nurse was great, and was able to get the IV in one shot, and I barely felt her poke me. I was in there for the test for roughly 20 minutes, and then mom and I headed to the lab to try my blood work again. I checked in and sat down, and then I was called back to the desk. They said I had no orders in my chart. I explained to the woman that I was at the lab earlier that day and they were unsuccessful at drawing labs, but that the orders should be there. After much waiting, and being called back up to the desk a few different times, they finally got new orders in, and I was called back. The first girl poked me twice with nothing, again. Then someone else came in to try. She also poked me twice, but by some grace of god, the second time she poked me, she was able to get a blood return. I sat there with my fingers crossed that we would be able to draw all four tubes of blood that they needed, and thankfully, we were.

Nine pokes today. NINE. It was now 4:30 in the afternoon and I was completely exhausted from all the running around I was forced to do. However, I had made plans to meet with Nita to get pedicures at 5, and I still wanted to go. I figured that would be relaxing, sitting in a massage chair, while my legs and feet were massaged and my toes painted. Before meeting Nita, I really wanted a snack, so mom took me to Wendy's and I got a small chocolate Frosty and a small fries to dip in the Frosty. Not the most nutritious, but it did satisfy the hunger I had since I was not allowed to eat before my test. The pedicure felt nice, but I was still so tired that it was hard for me to completely enjoy it. Though it was nice to catch up with Nita before she heads out of town next week. And I have to admit, my toes do look pretty cute.

Once I got back into the car from my pedicure, I had a voicemail from my primary's office. They said I didn't have a pulmonary embolism (thank god!), but I do have fluid on my lungs. The fluid is only a small amount and it should resolve on its own. I need to monitor my breathing and temperature all weekend, and then call the office back on Monday. The home visiting nurse will be out to see me Monday as well. For now, the only plans I have for the weekend are rest and relaxation. I really need to slow down so I don't have any more set backs. The next could be worse.

All The Cool Kids Are Born With *Some Assembly Required: Part 1

My assembly (surgery) was a success, and I was discharged to the comfort of my home yesterday. I will get to that in another post - I'm going to have to break up the past few days over a couple posts. This post is a long one, and it only covers my first few days in the hospital.

Forewarning: There are some pictures of me in this post just after surgery.

So yes, if you read my last post, Friday was the big day! I had to be at the medical center at 5:45 to check in and get ready for my surgery. I was scheduled to be the first procedure of the day. I got checked in and called back almost immediately to get ready.

(Last "selfie" with this broken heart of mine)

After I got ready, they took my vitals, asked me a bunch of questions and then brought my parents back. At that point they wheeled me over to the pre-surgical area. I spoke to the cardiac anesthesiologist, and the cardiac anesthesiology fellow, and then I sat there for a while as I watched one by one everyone leave for their procedures. We finally met with my surgeon one last time, went over everything, and made sure we were all in agreement. Then it was time for me to say my final goodbyes to my parents. I started crying, but thankfully, right after I said goodbye, the anesthesiologist gave me some "happy juice" and honestly, I only remember seconds after that. I don't even remember being rolled out of the pre-surgical area.

Remembering Through The Haze:

The next thing I remember is "kind of" waking up in the ICU. I still had my breathing tube in and I was fighting it. I also heard someone crying in the background saying they could not see me like this.

The next thing I remember is people yelling at me to breathe, that was before everything went black again. I remember being told that in order to get my breathing tube out, I needed to breathe without assistance for an hour. Since I could not talk, I remember one of the Attending's I work for stopping by to see how I was doing, and I was motioning to my mom to talk to him. She said she had already met him earlier in the day. I remember 2 of the mid-level providers that I work with stopping by, both of them had previously worked on the floor I was staying on, and they wanted to make sure I had the best possible care.

I also remember REALLY struggling and fighting the vent. My aunt said my hands and feet were outstretched, and she said she really hated seeing me so upset. I also remember motioning for the nurse to suction the vent because I honestly felt like I was going to choke (even though I know I won't), at the time, I wasn't able to tell myself that. I remember Angie coming in and leaving. Even though Angie was there the entire day with my family, she had tired to leave, but decided not to because I was still on the vent. So she sat back down in the waiting area. She ended up leaving before I was able to get off the vent, but I remember her leaving. I also remember my mom and Angie showing me 2 really cool pictures that the surgeon took of my heart during surgery. He had printed them out and given them to me! (I LOVE that kind of stuff, I can't wait to get a frame to put it in!)

I remember my uncle and cousin coming in, and me waving to them. I was finally with it enough to stay awake for the length of their stay and I was breathing on my own. The nurse came in and said he was just waiting for respiratory to come in and help remove the tube. I waited FOREVER. I'm not going to lie, I was getting REALLY annoyed. I also felt very warm, and I kept fanning myself. My cousin went out to the nurses station to see if they had a box fan for me, but they didn't. So instead, he took a sign off the wall and started fanning me. I was so thankful for that! Finally, the nurse and respiratory therapist came in and removed the tube. Oh thank god. It was very hard to speak, but at least I could squeak out a few words with my family who were there to see me. They also let me have some ice chips.

Finally (Somewhat) Coherent:

I didn't get my breathing tube out until around 7:30. Later, I found out that I had started to wake up during my surgery and I was told I was kicking my feet, so they had to give me more anesthesia to finish up. So, I assume that's why I had such a rough time getting off the vent. I was also told that they tried to let me breathe on my own about 4 times, but each time I would fall back asleep and stop breathing. My family left to let me get some rest (and I'm sure they were all exhausted as well). I slept a little longer and then I woke up and was pretty with it around 10 pm. At that point I felt nauseous from the ice chips. I decided to turn my phone on - I had multiple messages to respond to. Then, just as respiratory came into help me with my breathing exercises, I threw up all of the ice chips I ate. My nurse came in and gave me some more anti-nausea medication. That made me drowsy, and I napped again. Around midnight I woke up again, so I sent a selfie to my friends to let them know I was alive.

(Still swollen from surgery)

I slept on and off all night, so between naps I was watching either HGTV or ABC Family. When I woke up Saturday morning, Young and Hungry was on TV, so I watched most of the episode before drifting off again. My nurse came in and cleaned me up a bit, since I was still covered in Iodine from the operating room. I finally got my arterial line and catheter out around 10, then I had to lay flat for about 2 hours before they could get me out of bed and to the chair for the first time. Timing was perfect because I was able to eat something for the first time at noon!

(First meal! I'm still so swollen)

Angie dropped by for a visit after the heart walk. I was bummed I couldn't join my coworkers at the walk that morning, but they kept me updated with a lot of pictures! When Angie got there, mom went to grab a bite to eat and I sat there to catch up with Angie. She was filling me in on how Friday went for them out in the waiting room. Soon, my nurse came in and wanted me to get up and go for a walk.

(Going for my first stroll around the ICU)

We decided to take 2 laps because I was doing so well, then I got back in my chair. They were all joking that I must have set a record for speed around the unit because I as cruising right along. One of the Fellows I work with was out at the desk and he was cheering me on. We joked that he should go get me an ultrasound machine and I would do some portables. He then stopped in my room to see how I was doing before leaving the unit. He was amazed at how great I was doing so soon after surgery. Angie stayed for a few hours, and she also introduced me to the lead cardiac sonographer at the Medical Center. Angie was also able to catch up with my mom when she got back from getting a bite to eat.

Shortly after mom got back, my surgeon stopped by for a visit. He was in surgery all morning with an emergency. He took one look at me and said "Did we actually do open heart surgery on you yesterday?" He was really happy with how well I looked, I was sitting up, had been up walking, was talking and smiling. Angie had even made me laugh, which really hurt, but I didn't care. Laughter is the best medicine! We talked about my surgery and he told me how well it went. I also thanked him for giving me a couple pictures of my heart that he had taken during surgery, and I asked if he had more. (Haha, I'm such a nerd, I love things like that!) He must have been reading my mind when he gave the pictures to my mom, Angie and I had joked that we were going to try and get him to wear a Go Pro camera during surgery. He told me how important it was for me to get up and walk and work on my breathing exercises, and I told him I was but would continue.

After Angie left, I went for another few laps around the ICU, then slept in the chair for a bit. My aunt and uncle came by to visit me, they were going to go out for dinner with my parents that evening. Mom and dad went back to my house to feed our dogs while I sat and caught up with my aunt and uncle for a while. Once my mom and dad called them and said they were on their way to the restaurant, they headed out. I ate dinner, and then got back into bed to relax. The nurse was kind and closed the curtain and door for me so I could get some rest, and didn't come in to bother me unless I was awake. He came in to flush my IV's and give me my pain medication around 4 am, and lucky me, the 2 IV's I had in, BOTH blew! Not going to lie, that was excruciating! He took both out, and gave me an ice pack for my hand because it puffed up and hurt so much. After that he brought me a heat pack to soothe it. Then of course, I needed a new IV. Luckily he was able to find something and get a new one in, then draw my labs.

Sunday morning, I ordered breakfast, but I wasn't too hungry. I ate the yogurt and peaches that I had ordered. I also had text my friends that were running the Flower City Challenge to wish them luck. I was supposed to run the 5K that morning (when my surgery was still on Monday). The sun was out, but my parent said it was cold. My cousin sent me a picture of them at the race - I was happy they still went even though I couldn't. My surgeon came in to see how I was doing. He said I was still doing great, and that they were just waiting on a bed in the step down unit to open so I could move. He also increased the amount of walks or laps I had to do. I was supposed to do 3 on Saturday, and I did 4. Sunday he increased the amount of walks to 6.

While I was sitting there watching some television that morning, one of my friends from Team RWB stopped in to visit and drop off a card and some balloons. She works at the Medical Center, so she was able to sneak away quickly to drop them off. It was SO sweet of my team to think of me. She said she was able to see some of the half marathon runners from her patients rooms that morning. The card made me smile and the balloons brightened up my room (even though, technically, I was not allowed to have them in the ICU).

(Definitely brightened my day!)

That afternoon my aunt and 2 of my uncles stopped by to visit. As luck would have it, shortly after they came, I was moved to a private room on the step down unit. So they helped carry some of my belongings down to my new room. I used the cart they had in the ICU and walked myself down to my new room (that counted towards one of my 6 walks). The nurses got me settled in my room, and they were so kind to bring in some chairs for my family to sit. My family sat and visited for a while, and still remarked on how well I looked for only being two days post op.

My family left, and I relaxed and watched some TV and finished up my walks for the day. Nita, Mel and Matt all came to visit me that evening. Nita brought her medal from the half marathon that morning, and she told me about the race course and what not. Hopefully I'll be able to run it next year! I filled them in on everything that had been going on with me in the hospital (things that I hadn't already text them about), and we chatted for about and hour or so. Nita and Mel both had to laugh that I sent them the selfie at midnight the night after my surgery. It was great to see all of them, definitely made me smile to hear about their weekends and life outside the hospital.

I crawled into bed and put a movie on. Later that evening another one of the Fellows I work with stopped up for a few minutes to say hi and see how I was doing. We talked about what I remembered from coming out of surgery, especially with the breathing tube. He asked if I remembered starting to wake up during surgery (thankfully, no). I also told him about the really cool pictures that my surgeon gave me from surgery. We also chatted about work for a few minutes, and then he was off to save some lives and I was off to dreamland.

Little by little I was losing my connections. I no longer had to wear oxygen, or a blood pressure cuff around the clock. However, I was still on continuous telemetry, and had my chest tubes. I still had to rely on the nurse to be in there to get me out of my bed or chair, to walk me to the bathroom, and they still had to help me with my walks. I can honestly say, you don't know pain until you've had your sternum sawed in half, and chest cracked, and then you either cough, vomit, sneeze or laugh. But, I had to admit, I felt pretty good, and every one's positive comments were very encouraging.

Don't Take The Little Things For Granted

As you're reading this, I am more than likely fast asleep in the operating room with my chest cracked and heart exposed. I left my last blog post stating that this week would be much of the same; filled with family and friends before my surgery on Monday. That was until I received a call from the Pediatric CT Surgery office on Tuesday. They said they were able to move my surgery up to today. I was back and forth on the phone with them for about an hour, and it was decided that I would go in for my procedure today.

That being said, I now had 3 less days to get everything in order - which I think I covered all my bases. As for the rest of this week... Tuesday at work (before I talked to surgery), my friend Melissa came back to our work area with a box. It was our t-shirts for the heart walk this Saturday! I was so excited, though I had no idea what they looked like. To my surprise...

(#TeamStacey)

They ordered them with our team hashtag: #TeamStacey, in support of my surgery on Monday!

...And then I got the call from surgery that afternoon. Surgery was moved to today, and pre op was moved to yesterday. Wednesday evening I went to Nita and Matt's for dinner, Young and Hungry and to catch up. Nita and Mel also put together a nice little care package for me for when I'm in the hospital, with things to make my stay a little easer. Kleenex, lotions, etc.

Yesterday was a big day for me. It was my last (half) day at work and I had my pre surgery appointment. I got to work and met up with Doreen and Martha for coffee one last time. When I went to clock, in a few of my coworkers came around the corner and they were wearing our heart walk shirts!

(Natalie, me and Maureen!)

(Natalie organized a lot of this - she's the best!)

I had decided to wear mine because I was now unable to walk on Saturday. Must be they had all coordinated to wear them too, which was so sweet! The morning flew by pretty quickly, and before I knew it I was on my way to lunch. The group had lunch catered at Aladdin's (one of my favorites), and they had all put together a huge gift/care basket for me. I can't even put into words how grateful I am for everyone's kindness and support throughout this entire process.

(This picture doesn't do it justice)

(Natalie, Braintwin {Angie}, and me)

I left for my pre-op, and Martha was so kind to give me a ride to the ramp garage so I wouldn't be late. I think I walked in 3 minutes late. When the nurse brought me back, my heart rate was sky high and my blood pressure was elevated. Oops! We gave it a minute to regulate, and we were good to go. My pre surgical appointment went well, then I had to head to the lab for blood draws, and radiology for a chest X-ray. After my appointment, I went back to work to hang out for a bit and say my final goodbyes. A few of my coworkers so kindly helped me carry my goodies to my car, and I gave them all a ride to the ramp garage, and then headed home.

Yesterday evening I spent with my parents, and prepared for today. I packed a few bags for my parents to bring to the hospital for when I am able to get up, get dressed, and move. Which brings me to the point of this post. Not taking the small things for granted. There are many things I was able to do last night that I will not be able to do for days, weeks and even months after my surgery. From little things like getting up out of a chair on my own to driving. I've been very mindful these past few weeks of enjoying the little things I am able to do on a daily basis. Yes, I may not be able to do them for a while, but I will eventually. However, these are also things that some people may never be able to do. I'm very fortunate that things have turned out for me in life the way they have. I may currently be going through open heart surgery, but in the end, it was a blessing in disguise. On that note, I will post more about my surgery and recovery when I am feeling up to it. At this point, I honestly have no idea how I'm going to feel.

QOTD: What are some things that you may take for granted on a daily basis? Always be thankful! <3 

Success Occurs When Opportunity Meets Preparation

I rarely talk about my career on here, mainly because I work in a hospital, and I don't need ANYTHING coming back to bite me. However, I am going to take some time to talk a little about my career because this past weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone to do something that I never imagined doing even in my wildest dreams.

As you all know (if you've been following my blog), that I was born with congenital heart disease, and in a matter of a few weeks will be undergoing my third (and hopefully last) open heart surgery to repair the remainder of my defect. You may also know that I am a cardiac sonographer - I know I posted a time or two about my pediatric echocardiography boards last year. So, yes, I am a Cardiac Sonographer, registered in both pediatric and adult echo. Having been born with my congenital heart defect, I had yearly echoes growing up, and they sparked an interest and I went with it. I honestly love what I do, and in a way it's been useful in knowing what's going on with myself. I understand the echoes, I know how to read them, and I get what the Cardiologists and Surgeons are saying to me when we discuss everything. But enough about that, let's rewind...

Back in January, I received an email from the Cardiac track coordinator at the school I graduated from with my Diagnostic Medical Sonography degree, asking if I would be interested in presenting at the Sonographer Symposium they hold each spring. She mentioned that she saw I had passed my Pediatric Echocardiography boards, and was hoping I could give a talk on Congenital Heart Disease. I, of course, was honored that they had thought of me, and I gladly accepted. At the time, I had no idea when my surgery was going to be, and honestly, timing could not have been better.

I worked on my presentation a little each night for months, and ended up working on it at work in the evenings because my computer kept crashing, and I was terrified I was going to lose everything I had worked so hard on. I started out by brain dumping all of the information I wanted to get across on slides, and then fine tuning and eliminating slides from there, until I was happy with it. By the time I was ready to leave for the Symposium last Thursday, I had 88 slides and about 10 congenital defects to discuss. On top of that I had video clips of the defects to supplement the slides.

Friday came, and I went into the school to make sure my presentation was going to work. As it turned out, I was unable to leave my presentation to get to the clips to show. At that point, I had to embed the clips into my presentation. No problem, but it did take a little time. I did a few there to make sure they would work, and then borrowed one of the DMS Faculty members laptops to finish it up. I'm so thankful I went in to check because had I not, Saturday would have been a TRAIN WRECK. After I finished, I had to head to a get together for the DMS Faculty and presenters, at which point I returned the laptop I borrowed. It was nice to get out that evening and get my mind off of the symposium because by that point I was TERRIFIED. I can honestly tell you though, I was not myself. The evening flew by, and before I knew it I was on my way back to get to bed.

Saturday morning came quickly, even though I didn't sleep well. I got up and got ready, and headed towards the school. My coworkers had made the trip down for the conference, and I had been in contact with them all morning. I had to stop and get gas in my car, and then I wanted to grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. By the time I left Sheetz it was already 7:30, and I was feeling the pressure of being late. I rushed to the school and walked in with minutes to spare (If you know me, then you know this is not like me at all). I am typically always early for everything - and even Angie and Laurie mentioned it was not like me to be late.

I met up with my coworkers who so kindly saved me a seat, and took my breakfast sandwich out, but by that point, I had lost my appetite, and my nerves were taking over. The first presenter was wonderful, and opened my eyes to what is available to sonographers, we just need to think outside the box. After that lecture we had a technical showcase which allowed us to travel around the school and see shortened lectures and presentations on machines, contrast, and other sonography related tools.

Once the technical showcases were done I was up. Yikes! I was the first to present for the cardiac track. I began to get set up as people started to trickle into the room. 

(Yeah, that's me hiding behind the podium)

Before I knew it, Beth was introducing me and I was off. I was EXTREMELY nervous, and I know it showed. I stumbled over a few things, and got ahead of myself at a few points, but over all the presentation went well. Unfortunately, when I got to my first set of echo clips to show, they did not work as they did the day before! Beth came up to help me, but we could not get them to work as they once did. So instead, I was stuck clicking the clip to replay each time to point out different structures and defects. Oh well, it could have been worse.

Before I knew it Beth was heading up toward the front of the room. I paused to ask her how we were doing on time, and she then told me I was 10 minutes over. Oops! I had just been so into the presentation I hadn't even taken into account how long I had actually be talking for. Beth had told me before in the e-mails we exchanged that I had an hour time slot, but to plan on speaking for 45-50 minutes and leave some time for questions. Unfortunately, there was no time for that. Not to mention, I was the last presenter before lunch, so I'm sure everyone was annoyed that I kept them there late when they were probably starving!

I cleaned up my materials as the room cleared for lunch. As I was cleaning, I was introduced to one of the current Cardiac students and her clinical instructor. She was interested in a job that was posted within the medical center that I work for, so I chatted with her about the job, what the area was like, and then promised I would get her in contract with someone from the practice she was interested in. I finally made my way downstairs. I grabbed a sandwich and a bag of chip and sat down with friends to chat with them as I hadn't had much time to see them that morning. I still didn't have an appetite, and I was still trying to process everything.

At least I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. My presentation was now over and I could relax and enjoy the rest of the days lectures. I really enjoyed the rest of the lectures, and before I knew it the day was over. After the symposium, South Hills held a DMS Alumni Reunion for classmates to mingle and catch up over drinks and appetizers. It was really nice to sit back and unwind, catch up with the faculty and my friends, and I even won some South Hills swag!

After the reunion, my coworkers and I had a few drinks then headed to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in State College, the Ale House. Well, since I had hardly eaten anything in nearly 48 hours, I went a little crazy. I ordered a Bison burger (which came with fries) AND a side of mac and cheese. It was delicious.

(#FatKid)

Sunday morning is when the entire weekend slowly started to sink in. I met up with my coworkers one more time to introduce them to all the glory that is The Original Waffle Shop. On my way to meet them I could not help but break down in (happy) tears at the thought of all I've accomplished at this point in my career. I had just given my first professional presentation, I have a great job, I own my own home, and I can afford to enjoy doing the things I love. I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I'm still truly blessed to be where I'm at. Not only that, the presentation had been such a wonderful distraction that I didn't really have time to think about my surgery. I'm now just days away from my surgery, and I can't believe how fast time flew by.

Earlier this week I had exchanged a few emails with Beth regarding a variety of things, including the symposium. She said she would get back to me with feedback from the evaluation forms. She did include in one of the emails a kind comment that another alum had made about me. They mentioned how impressed they were with my congenital and pediatric knowledge after only having been out in the field for 4 years. It was very heartwarming to hear something so kind from someone who does not know me. I really look forward to hearing what other feedback I may receive. It will only help me to improve. I have already learned so much just by doing this one presentation, things I would do differently, etc. I did tell my coworkers, if given the chance, I would definitely do it again. It was nerve-racking for sure, but the only way to grow is to step outside of your comfort zone.

QOTD: Have you ever stepped outside of your comfort zone to do something you never imagined?