Christmas...

has come and gone.  It was a pretty good Christmas.  We missed having mom around to celebrate the holiday, but other than that, we enjoyed our day.  The kids woke us up at 650, and we begged for 10 more minutes of sleep, but they were too excited.  So we got up, and they loved their presents.  We went to David's brother's house for dinner and it was good as well.


I really don't have much to update y'all on about my heart.  I'm still wearing this monitor, and to be honest, I can't remember how many more days I have left to wear it.  When I get rid of it, I'm not going to know how to act without something being attached to me!  I still have so much soreness going on, and I don't know why.  It seems like one day, the soreness just came back for no reason.  I'm still on the same medications, and I've met a lot of customers at work who've had some kind of heart surgery.  They always want to compare notes bc they can't believe a person as young as I am had to have open heart surgery.  What they don't realize is that there are lots of babies that have heart surgery all the time.  Some have it as soon as they are born.  I am lucky to have lived this long before having the surgery, and I couldn't imagine having my babies go through this.  It just goes to show that you can be any age, healthy or unhealthy, and still have some curve ball like this thrown at you.  If I could get rid of this soreness though, it would be great.  I wake up so stiff every morning, and it takes a little while to be able to get up and move around.

Anyway, I will update when I have something :)

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I'm hoping for a great 2013 since the last 6 months of 2012 pretty much sucked.

So heartbroken...

I can't help but to mention the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT yesterday.  A guy (whose name I will not mention bc he doesn't deserve the publicity) killed his mom, went to this elementary school, and shot and killed 20 1st graders, the principal, school therapist, and teacher.  This is the most unfair, cruel, evil thing anyone could ever do.  He took the sissy way out, and killed himself afterwards.  I have no sympathy for him, I can't bring myself to understand why he did this.  I believe that there are psychotic illnesses out there, but there is absolutely NO excuse to go shooting innocent babies.  There are no words to what I feel for their families.  I couldn't imagine losing a child, especially in such a violent way.  Those parents shouldn't have to feel pain like that.  The teachers did what they could, and I commend them for it.  I just know there has to be a special place in hell for him.  All I could do when I heard this, besides cry, is pray.  I wanted to go pick up my kids from school and hug them so tightly.  And after I got them from school, that's what I did.  They thought I was a little nuts, but I told them that I loved them and that I was allowed to hug them as much as I want.  I don't know what I could say to the parents that lost their beautiful children.  I hate so much that someone did this.  It's one of the saddest things I've ever seen or heard of.

Little of this, little of that...

I received my new heart monitor in the mail.  I have to wear it for 30 days.  Oh joy!  Anyway, I have 3 leads I have to attach and wear all the time, with this almost Zach Morris phone looking thing that lets me record an event or read new messages.  At least it's not as bad as the portable defibrillator I was wearing.  It's supposed to be my last "test".  I pass this, I shouldn't need the defib implanted.  Fingers crossed.  Work is going ok, I am glad I was able to start back, but I am a little apprehensive when I'm there.  I've been behaving though, not lifting anything too heavy, but still working hard.  

I had a rough moment today.  I got out of the shower and had to change the batteries in the monitor, and charge the other part of it...then I put on a shirt that wasn't very low cut, just low enough that one could see the straps, wires, leads, and my zipper.  So I was aggravated, and had to put on a tshirt over it.  So self-conscious and aggravating...I sent David a pic and asked him if I was sexy, haha...he said, "yep", lol.  Just that word from him was enough to make me stop crying and feel a little better.  I keep meaning to talk to my doctor about this, but I keep forgetting.  

Well, I'm going to finish this boring little post with a last thought...it's so sad to see that reality shows need subtitles now...for English!  Or whatever they call that...I swear!

And in case anyone either wasn't alive or didn't own a tv "back then", here is a pic of Zach with his phone.  Gotta love Saved by the Bell!

Zack Morris...thanks google images!

Week 1 down...

Week 1 at work is down.  I'm out of my Metoprolol, which wasn't exactly planned...hopefully, it'll be ok until tomorrow.  I've felt some flutters this evening, since getting off work.  I hope everything is ok.  I'm sure it is; probably just tired.

Anyway, there was a write-up in the paper today about my surgeon.  He is pretty awesome, and apparently, smart, haha.  Here it is:

minimally invasive MVR repair

I think this is just one of the many advances in the future for heart surgery.  Less invasive equals a quicker recovery for otherwise healthy people.  Dr. Hunter told me that if my problem had only been MVR (mitral valve regurgitation), then he would have done that surgery on me.  But since I had the ASD to go along with it, there was no choice but to do open heart.

There's also another article about new heart procedures for high-risk patients.  Here is that link:


new procedure for high-risk patients

The coolest thing is that this group of cardiothoracic surgeons are the ones that took care of me.  I never doubted their ability to do what they needed to do for me, I only doubted my body's ability to handle it.  These guys are part of Augusta, GA-basically, home…15 minutes from home for me.  I didn't have to get sent off to Emory or the Cleveland Clinic for a heart transplant.  Dr. Hunter came here from the Cleveland Clinic, and I've been told he's one of the best.  My cardiologist said that he came here to introduce the minimally invasive MVR repair.

Well, it's only 951, but I've got to go to bed.  I'm super tired, but I just needed to boast!  Night!

Busy week

It really has been a very busy week.  It was my first week back at work.  And it was super busy...I can definitely tell that my endurance is still low.  I know it'll get better, but it's taking a while.  The week back at work wasn't too bad.  I am happy I could go back, and I'm happy I got to see the people I work with (even though I shop there all the time), and the customers have been awesome.  A lot of them thought I quit, some asked the employees and they told them I'd had surgery, and some just thought I was on a long vacation.  Some vacation, huh...

Anyway, I haven't gotten that monitor yet, but the company called yesterday to tell me that it will be here Tues.  I'll have to wear it for 30 days.  Thank goodness it's not 3 months, which is what Dr. Lane originally told me.  Sometimes, I get pains or soreness in my chest, and I wonder if something is going on.  I hope this monitor confirms that I'm going to be ok.  I still have thoughts and nightmares that this isn't over.  I am still experiencing anxiety, and I need to let Dr. Lane know.  I keep forgetting to call.  I'm scared something is going to happen.  It's kinda stupid to feel this way, probably.

So this semester is basically over.  I just turned in a big paper.  I've always made As on her papers (this is the 4th class I've had with her), but with all that I've had going on, I don't think I did as well.  In one of my Kinesiology classes, I made an A, and in the 2nd one, I was 8/10 of a point away from an A.  Seriously, an 89.2, ugh!!!!  I just had to get one more question right on my final, and that would have been an A.  I'm kinda bummed about that, as he'd already told us that he wouldn't round up.  I wish I could get credit for finishing the class early.  Anyway, I don't know where I stand in my 3rd class, the one I just wrote a paper for.  This paper is worth 300 points, so it can make you or break you.  I hope that I can get out of there with a B, but we'll see.  It's been a tough semester, trying to keep up, making up stuff.  The other day, we had a pop quiz on our readings.  It's always 2 questions, and they are worth 10 points each.  Guess what I made...a big, fat goose egg.  Guess why...bc I read the 3 articles, but they were the wrong ones.  I apparently jumped a day ahead.  So the readings that were due for that day were skipped over for some reason.  Oh well, thank goodness they aren't worth much.  I'm so ready to be done!!!!

Well, this was a BORING update.  Just thought I'd log in and post something, rather than neglecting this blog.  By the way, a quick prayer for my grandparents would be awesome right now.  Grandpa was in the hospital just over a month ago, and now, Grandma just got out of the hospital.