EARLY MORNING TOMORROW!
So after getting to my appointment at 10:15 AM, we finally left the medical center at about 5 PM! But, it was all for a good reason. During several different conversations with people in different areas of the hospital, we were told that Dr. David Ott (my surgeon for tomorrow) is without a doubt the best surgeon to do the procedure. Not only does he have an impressive success rate, he is very fast which is a good thing because the shorter I am under and on the bypass pump the better!
I was reassured very much from Dr. Ott about what the surgery is going to be like and how I may feel afterwards. He said, in comparison to my c-section, I will be in less pain. I kind of wondered if that was because of the wonderful drugs they will be giving me, but thought it best not to ask that kind of question =)
They also told me that they stabilize my sternum with wires to avoid an accidental break. I will have to be in the ICU for about a day, then taken up to a semi-private room (shitty insurance won't cover a private room, but I'm sure I won't care!) and they will have me walking around my room the next day. Kind of cool that I'll be up and walking after only 2 days in the hospital after HEART surgery but it also makes me feel better. The cardiologist we have also told me that each day the pain level and my overall feeling will increase substantially. We saw a cardiologist here in town because they will be the ones checking up on me in the hospital and following my recovery. My sister and husband were both with me when we met him and again, we are lucky to have a very friendly and wise doctor who is well-educated in my condition. I really love that!!
Tomorrow we will be getting to the hospital by 5:30 AM. Needless to say I will be going to bed shortly! I get to take two showers with Hibiclens and no food after midnight. I may chew my own arm off, but whatever I'll get to have yummy broth or something eventually! *yay*
The overall surgery is estimated to be a permanent fix to my condition, even possibly getting rid of the heart murmur I have had my entire life. They did suggest possibly treating my condition aggressively with medication but any treatment in that way would really only postpone the inevitable and as a mom I don't want to make those kinds of risks (increasing symptoms and whatnot) if we are just going to be back down here in a couple months or so. Especially since we know our insurance is covering it!
I will be given a little pillow to hold against my chest any time I need to cough or sneeze. Since I live in Lubbock, that thing won't leave my side!
We got so much information today that I'm not even sure I got all of it in here. I'm sure I'll add info as it comes. Really right now I want to shower and cuddle up with the Hubby and a pint of ice cream, so goodnight!! I will probably not get a chance to update the blog for a couple days. Love you all, thanks again for the well-wishes!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Houston, here we come!
Well, actually, we're already here. It took us about 9 hours from dropping the girls off with David's sisters, but we stopped for a lunch date and a bit of antiquing! Nice hotel location, with a shuttle service to the hospital. I have my husband, sister, mother and father here with me so of course the first thing we did was find a restaurant after getting checked in. Have to enjoy a few meals before a week of LOVELY hospital food, a restricted diet of hospital food at that!
I've been bugging Dr. Sister incessantly about the little details regarding the surgery. Again, my lack of patience reveals itself! I can't wait just a couple days to discuss the details with the surgeon actually DOING the procedure, nope I have to research it and nitpick over everything =)
I think the thing I'm having the most trouble with is the fact that the first broken bone I will have in my life is going to be my septum. Or breastbone...I think it's the same thing...I guess we'll find out tomorrow!! But in all honesty, I'm just ready to be done with the surgery. I know it will be painful and hard to recover but I'd rather be in pain and recovering (and HEALING) than waiting and worrying. And I'm already dying to get back to my girls! We hurried out this morning before dawn to avoid a big sobbing scene (David just can't handle his emotions sometimes, ha ha!) but I still welled up pretty good when Sophia just opened her eyes and looked at me.
And I really must take the time to mention that in the face of this critical surgery, I find myself completely in love with my friends, family, and coworkers that have been such an enormous help in all of this. Whether it's been just a phone call to reassure me that they are thinking of me or letting me ramble on about my fears or even asking for the details each of you have made this entire situation so much easier to deal with. I know it's scary for everyone but it's been an unbelievable help to know how much support and love we have behind us.
Until tomorrow, then!
Well, actually, we're already here. It took us about 9 hours from dropping the girls off with David's sisters, but we stopped for a lunch date and a bit of antiquing! Nice hotel location, with a shuttle service to the hospital. I have my husband, sister, mother and father here with me so of course the first thing we did was find a restaurant after getting checked in. Have to enjoy a few meals before a week of LOVELY hospital food, a restricted diet of hospital food at that!
I've been bugging Dr. Sister incessantly about the little details regarding the surgery. Again, my lack of patience reveals itself! I can't wait just a couple days to discuss the details with the surgeon actually DOING the procedure, nope I have to research it and nitpick over everything =)
I think the thing I'm having the most trouble with is the fact that the first broken bone I will have in my life is going to be my septum. Or breastbone...I think it's the same thing...I guess we'll find out tomorrow!! But in all honesty, I'm just ready to be done with the surgery. I know it will be painful and hard to recover but I'd rather be in pain and recovering (and HEALING) than waiting and worrying. And I'm already dying to get back to my girls! We hurried out this morning before dawn to avoid a big sobbing scene (David just can't handle his emotions sometimes, ha ha!) but I still welled up pretty good when Sophia just opened her eyes and looked at me.
And I really must take the time to mention that in the face of this critical surgery, I find myself completely in love with my friends, family, and coworkers that have been such an enormous help in all of this. Whether it's been just a phone call to reassure me that they are thinking of me or letting me ramble on about my fears or even asking for the details each of you have made this entire situation so much easier to deal with. I know it's scary for everyone but it's been an unbelievable help to know how much support and love we have behind us.
Until tomorrow, then!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
EEK!
So since I have the patience of a saint (note sarcasm) I decided to call the surgeon's office and see about setting up an appointment. Apparently they had my number wrong and had been trying to call me since last week after my angiogram. Turns out that they could get me in anytime to meet with my surgeon and go over all of the procedures and whatnot and get me in for surgery the next day. We arranged to have the surgery for Tuesday, the 31st of January. Like, in 6 days.
Needless to say, I'm a little freaked out. I mean, its one thing to go and research the procedures and surgery and doctor and all of that...its another to actually be putting the plans into motion, and I'm not sure quite yet how I feel. I think as soon as I can wrap my head around it and have a good cry (like any normal girl will do now and again) I will be just fine, but until then I'm keeping busy with work and the kiddos. Fun side note: the day I'm allowed to lift Sophia again (limited to 5lbs or less since the angiogram) is the DAY of the friggen' surgery. But I know my girls will be in good hands and I'll have good company with me in Houston.
For now I'm concentrating on what the heck I'm going to do for a WEEK in the hospital recovering after the surgery! I'm thinking between my laptop and borrowing my mom's Kindle I'll be pretty set. Plus big sis might bring her IPAD *hint hint* to show off and to continue my How I Met Your Mother Marathon I started on Friday. Although I guess I could just do that on my computer...but where's the fun in that??
In short: Surgery Tuesday
Prayers are welcomed at this point =)
Oh and feel free to ask any questions or leave comments, that was the whole point to this, guys!
So since I have the patience of a saint (note sarcasm) I decided to call the surgeon's office and see about setting up an appointment. Apparently they had my number wrong and had been trying to call me since last week after my angiogram. Turns out that they could get me in anytime to meet with my surgeon and go over all of the procedures and whatnot and get me in for surgery the next day. We arranged to have the surgery for Tuesday, the 31st of January. Like, in 6 days.
Needless to say, I'm a little freaked out. I mean, its one thing to go and research the procedures and surgery and doctor and all of that...its another to actually be putting the plans into motion, and I'm not sure quite yet how I feel. I think as soon as I can wrap my head around it and have a good cry (like any normal girl will do now and again) I will be just fine, but until then I'm keeping busy with work and the kiddos. Fun side note: the day I'm allowed to lift Sophia again (limited to 5lbs or less since the angiogram) is the DAY of the friggen' surgery. But I know my girls will be in good hands and I'll have good company with me in Houston.
For now I'm concentrating on what the heck I'm going to do for a WEEK in the hospital recovering after the surgery! I'm thinking between my laptop and borrowing my mom's Kindle I'll be pretty set. Plus big sis might bring her IPAD *hint hint* to show off and to continue my How I Met Your Mother Marathon I started on Friday. Although I guess I could just do that on my computer...but where's the fun in that??
In short: Surgery Tuesday
Prayers are welcomed at this point =)
Oh and feel free to ask any questions or leave comments, that was the whole point to this, guys!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
In Depth Details of HOCM
After reviewing the links I realized there are a lot of technical terms that are hard to get a good grasp on unless you are familiar with them.
For me, the first signs of the heart condition were noticed in the hospital. My heart was beating very hard and sounded concerning. The only symptoms I was having at that time was shortness of breath.
After I went home from the hospital with our new baby my feet and ankles swelled up to the point that I couldn't wear any of my shoes or socks because they dug in too deep. This, however, went away after about a week or so.
But unfortunately, about 2 months later, I started having dizzy spells where out of nowhere (no matter how hydrated I was or what I had eaten) I would get light headed and have to sit down. They would last about 5 minutes or so, but the scariest one was when I was getting my youngest daughter, Sophia, out of the car and I had to sit with her in my lap until it passed. Then at bedtime when I would lay down my heart would start beating extremely fast and I'd have to sit up to catch my breath. It started to get to the point that my chest was also feeling tight so I gave my cardiologist a call and moved up my appointment with her.
When I spoke with her, she decided to do the angiogram (which is where they thread a very small wire up through the femoral artery in your groin area and inject ink into the heart to see any kind of obstructions or blockage) to decide what our next step would be.
After the angio, one of the two options we had (the alcohol ablation or the septal myectomy) was, unfortunately, ruled out. I had no other real choice but septal myectomy, which is an open heart surgery where they cut out the obstruction.
After the angio I had a much more serious dizzy spell where I could hear crashing waves in my ears and my vision went white. My husband, luckily, was there to hold me up and make sure I didn't fall flat on my face on the concrete and dislodge the clot they put in place to keep the artery closed.
Since then I have been in contact with my cardiologist about getting on a medication that is supposed to help with the symptoms I have been experiencing, hopefully just until we have the surgery. As a very overprotective mother, I have ZERO intention of fainting around my children and will take any step to preventing that.
The problem with HOCM is that it's not something that will fix itself, it will just continue to get worse if left untreated until the person dies. And this girl has WAY to awesome of a life to let that happen!
After reviewing the links I realized there are a lot of technical terms that are hard to get a good grasp on unless you are familiar with them.
For me, the first signs of the heart condition were noticed in the hospital. My heart was beating very hard and sounded concerning. The only symptoms I was having at that time was shortness of breath.
After I went home from the hospital with our new baby my feet and ankles swelled up to the point that I couldn't wear any of my shoes or socks because they dug in too deep. This, however, went away after about a week or so.
But unfortunately, about 2 months later, I started having dizzy spells where out of nowhere (no matter how hydrated I was or what I had eaten) I would get light headed and have to sit down. They would last about 5 minutes or so, but the scariest one was when I was getting my youngest daughter, Sophia, out of the car and I had to sit with her in my lap until it passed. Then at bedtime when I would lay down my heart would start beating extremely fast and I'd have to sit up to catch my breath. It started to get to the point that my chest was also feeling tight so I gave my cardiologist a call and moved up my appointment with her.
When I spoke with her, she decided to do the angiogram (which is where they thread a very small wire up through the femoral artery in your groin area and inject ink into the heart to see any kind of obstructions or blockage) to decide what our next step would be.
After the angio, one of the two options we had (the alcohol ablation or the septal myectomy) was, unfortunately, ruled out. I had no other real choice but septal myectomy, which is an open heart surgery where they cut out the obstruction.
After the angio I had a much more serious dizzy spell where I could hear crashing waves in my ears and my vision went white. My husband, luckily, was there to hold me up and make sure I didn't fall flat on my face on the concrete and dislodge the clot they put in place to keep the artery closed.
Since then I have been in contact with my cardiologist about getting on a medication that is supposed to help with the symptoms I have been experiencing, hopefully just until we have the surgery. As a very overprotective mother, I have ZERO intention of fainting around my children and will take any step to preventing that.
The problem with HOCM is that it's not something that will fix itself, it will just continue to get worse if left untreated until the person dies. And this girl has WAY to awesome of a life to let that happen!
Let's start with the basics: My name is Katie Gonzalez, I'm 25 and I have a "super-special" heart. At the end of the summer, I gave birth to my second daughter via c-section. After the surgery, I had some fluid in my lungs (we are still not sure what happened there) but the most concerning situation was that my fairly normal heart murmur (that I have had since birth) was MUCH more pronounced, even from my last appointment with my doctor 4 days prior to the surgery.
After some pushing from one of my doctors, I was whisked away up to Cardiology and given an echocardiogram. This is basically an ultrasound of the heart (you know, like when you're pregnant and get to see the baby? Same thing, just higher up and WAY less exciting) and it revealed immediately that I had a very serious heart condition called Hypertropic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy. From now on, I will refer to it as HOCM since that is a very long name!
To get an idea of what HOCM is, I'll insert link here:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/heart/adam-200045.htm
I will now point out that there is a HUGE difference between HCM and HOCM, the obstruction makes my condition very rare, especially at 25 years old. HOCM is noted to be the #1 reason for young adults sudden unexplained deaths and is usually diagnosed on the autopsy table. To have lived 25 years without having any life-changing symptoms and to have had 2 BEAUTIFUL babies without having a more serious "episode" revealing the condition is an absolute blessing.
The procedure that they showed on the video was something my family and I were hoping would be an option for me, since it is a much easier recovery. However, after having an Angiogram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiography) it was revealed that not only do I have a very rare heart condition, but that my very rare condition was even MORE rare because my obstruction is not up higher on the septum like patients with HOCM are usually seen with. Mine is much further down on the septum, ruling alcohol ablation out completely and making for a very difficult surgery. Hence the "super-special" heart =)
So now, at 25 years old and a wife and mother of two I am now looking at having open heart surgery. The actual name of the surgery is septal myectomy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septal_myectomy) and as of this moment, we are waiting to hear from a very prestigious surgeon in the Houston area about whether or not he is willing to perform the surgery. My cardiologist had referred me to a heart surgeon in our area that she thought could do the surgery, however (seeing as it's so uncommon) he had never performed one and didn't want to risk trying me out as his "maiden voyage," if you will. Which, of course, is more than okay to me!
To give some history on me, I'm from the Lubbock area and have worked as a pharmacy technician for about 6 years. I met my husband at my current pharmacy (where we both still work) and were married shortly after. Although NOTHING about our relationship was normal or traditional (seeing as I gave birth to our first daughter 4 months after our wedding, you can do the math!) our meeting will forever go down in my book as fate. He came into my life when I wasn't even sure if I wanted to meet someone and boy did he sweep me off my feet! The worst part of this entire situation is that we just recently lost his father to cancer and now having to deal with the possibility of losing his wife as well...you can imagine the impact that can have on a man. But I'm a hopeless romantic and know (in my super special heart!) that we will make it through anything and this is just another, albeit BIGGER, bump in the road for us.
As for my girls *sigh*....they are the BEST thing I have ever done in my life. They are beautiful, healthy (my 2-year-old saw a pediatric cardiologist shortly after I was diagnosed and showed no signs of my condition...she could later on down the road, but we are very much silver-lining people and thank the Lord for that) and absolutely crazy.
Penny (the two-year-old) is totally a genius. Except when it comes to potty training! I have a sneaking suspicion she will be going into a career in the medical field when she grows up. Her aunt gave her an old stethoscope (my sister is a Family Medicine doctor...*proud!*) and it is without a doubt her favorite "toy." She listens to everyone's heart in the room. She will correct you, boss you around and will question any "order" you give her but when well rested and well fed (and not sick!), she's the sweetest girl I've ever met. She LOVES being a big sister and is always trying to help Mom and Dad out. After my angiogram (while I was hobbling around like a little old lady!) she tried to crawl into my lap and hit the area where the cardio catheter had gone in and I let out a little cry in pain (while swearing like a sailor in my head!). We showed her "Mommy's owie" and after that she was so gentle and sweet it nearly brought me to tears. Not that it's a hard thing to do [bring me to tears] because I'm, as my sister says, "a delicate flower."
Our newest little one, Sophia, is the happiest baby ever. She started smiling at about a week old or so and hasn't stopped yet! Her favorite teething "toy" is Mommy's fingers and attacks them with such gusto I fear that she's developed a taste for human flesh. But she certainly enjoys all the new baby foods we are trying so we'll assume she isn't a cannibal just yet! She's quite a lazy thing. She has ZERO interest in crawling and would much rather cry until someone picks her up than give it a shot with those chubby little legs. She is starting to roll over, but only when you catch her in the right mood. In other words, this little one is quite spoiled!
So that's my life! I wanted to start a blog to keep up with everything that goes on with me and the surgery. As unique as it is, it's sometimes hard to figure out how I feel about it, and I've always been better at writing (or typing, I guess) my feelings as a way of getting them out. And I think part of me has always been very open and I don't mind sharing the ugliness and beauty in such a crazy, life-changing situation. In the face of complete turmoil I've always seemed to rise to the occasion and take away some sort of life lesson. So far, I have been reminded just how many people I have that sincerely care about me and my family and to never let a moment pass without telling someone how important they are to you.
After some pushing from one of my doctors, I was whisked away up to Cardiology and given an echocardiogram. This is basically an ultrasound of the heart (you know, like when you're pregnant and get to see the baby? Same thing, just higher up and WAY less exciting) and it revealed immediately that I had a very serious heart condition called Hypertropic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy. From now on, I will refer to it as HOCM since that is a very long name!
To get an idea of what HOCM is, I'll insert link here:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/heart/adam-200045.htm
I will now point out that there is a HUGE difference between HCM and HOCM, the obstruction makes my condition very rare, especially at 25 years old. HOCM is noted to be the #1 reason for young adults sudden unexplained deaths and is usually diagnosed on the autopsy table. To have lived 25 years without having any life-changing symptoms and to have had 2 BEAUTIFUL babies without having a more serious "episode" revealing the condition is an absolute blessing.
The procedure that they showed on the video was something my family and I were hoping would be an option for me, since it is a much easier recovery. However, after having an Angiogram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiography) it was revealed that not only do I have a very rare heart condition, but that my very rare condition was even MORE rare because my obstruction is not up higher on the septum like patients with HOCM are usually seen with. Mine is much further down on the septum, ruling alcohol ablation out completely and making for a very difficult surgery. Hence the "super-special" heart =)
So now, at 25 years old and a wife and mother of two I am now looking at having open heart surgery. The actual name of the surgery is septal myectomy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septal_myectomy) and as of this moment, we are waiting to hear from a very prestigious surgeon in the Houston area about whether or not he is willing to perform the surgery. My cardiologist had referred me to a heart surgeon in our area that she thought could do the surgery, however (seeing as it's so uncommon) he had never performed one and didn't want to risk trying me out as his "maiden voyage," if you will. Which, of course, is more than okay to me!
To give some history on me, I'm from the Lubbock area and have worked as a pharmacy technician for about 6 years. I met my husband at my current pharmacy (where we both still work) and were married shortly after. Although NOTHING about our relationship was normal or traditional (seeing as I gave birth to our first daughter 4 months after our wedding, you can do the math!) our meeting will forever go down in my book as fate. He came into my life when I wasn't even sure if I wanted to meet someone and boy did he sweep me off my feet! The worst part of this entire situation is that we just recently lost his father to cancer and now having to deal with the possibility of losing his wife as well...you can imagine the impact that can have on a man. But I'm a hopeless romantic and know (in my super special heart!) that we will make it through anything and this is just another, albeit BIGGER, bump in the road for us.
As for my girls *sigh*....they are the BEST thing I have ever done in my life. They are beautiful, healthy (my 2-year-old saw a pediatric cardiologist shortly after I was diagnosed and showed no signs of my condition...she could later on down the road, but we are very much silver-lining people and thank the Lord for that) and absolutely crazy.
Our newest little one, Sophia, is the happiest baby ever. She started smiling at about a week old or so and hasn't stopped yet! Her favorite teething "toy" is Mommy's fingers and attacks them with such gusto I fear that she's developed a taste for human flesh. But she certainly enjoys all the new baby foods we are trying so we'll assume she isn't a cannibal just yet! She's quite a lazy thing. She has ZERO interest in crawling and would much rather cry until someone picks her up than give it a shot with those chubby little legs. She is starting to roll over, but only when you catch her in the right mood. In other words, this little one is quite spoiled!
So that's my life! I wanted to start a blog to keep up with everything that goes on with me and the surgery. As unique as it is, it's sometimes hard to figure out how I feel about it, and I've always been better at writing (or typing, I guess) my feelings as a way of getting them out. And I think part of me has always been very open and I don't mind sharing the ugliness and beauty in such a crazy, life-changing situation. In the face of complete turmoil I've always seemed to rise to the occasion and take away some sort of life lesson. So far, I have been reminded just how many people I have that sincerely care about me and my family and to never let a moment pass without telling someone how important they are to you.
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