First of all, I've known all my life that eventually my aortic valve needed to be replaced. Fortunately for me, it lasted as long as it did and I've really only suffered with symptoms over the last few months. Most aortic valves look kind of like a Y. The valve opens and closes, allowing oxygenated blood to return to the body. My valve looked like an S curve because of a birth defect. Thus, it had to work harder than a normal valve and it sometimes allowed some blood to leak back into the heart.
Well, after all those years of pumping extra hard, the valve calcified and couldn't work very well anymore. And on top of that, because my heart was pumping with such force to keep the blood flowing, I developed an aortic aneurysm, like a bubble in a hose, which was threatening to burst. Since Dean's dad died of an aortic aneurysm that burst, this was more frightening to me than the valve itself.
Well, after a few hours, my very talented surgeon, Dr. Mitchell, replaced my heart valve with a human tissue valve and repaired the aneurysm. The only downside was that my heart decided not to fire correctly after surgery to keep my heart pumping. Along with a new heart valve, I am also the proud owner of a pacemaker now. Not something I anticipated but considering the alternative, I'm grateful. Modern medicine is pretty amazing, you know?
All is well. My family and my friends have been amazing. They have cleaned my house, chauffeured me around to cardiac rehab and doctors' appointments, fed me, kept me company and kept my spirits up. Every day, I feel better and get a little more of my stamina back. Thanks everyone!
And now, if you don't want to see the pictures, stop here. But if not, continue. These aren't the best--they were taken with a cell phone. But for posterity's sake, here they are.
For this first picture, I must thank Ben Leininger. At church, Dean was telling the kids in his Sunday School class about the surgery and Ben drew this picture for all to understand. And yes, the first thing Christian said to me when he saw me after surgery was, "I'm sorry to tell you Mom, but they had to open you up and spread your ribs." Yes, Christian, I am painfully aware of that. Don't ask me why, but this photo made me laugh.
This next photo is my actual aortic valve.
Dr. Mitchell positioned the valve to show how wide it would open. This is all the wider my heart valve would open. It should have been completely open. No wonder I was dizzy and light headed a lot of the time. The penny is just there to give you perspective as to the size of a heart valve.
And here is my latest friend. This pillow is here to keep me from coming apart when I sneeze, cough or laugh too hard.I truly am grateful for the doctors, nurses, and so many other people at the hospital that got me through this. And even though I said it before, I need to say it again. My family and friends are the best. At night, when I lay in bed and no longer can hear my heart murmur, I have to remind myself how lucky I am. Life is good, a little painful at the moment, but very good.
