L
Liz
This is a posting for Liz from her husband. Thanks to all of you for your words of support and encouragement in the last 48 hours and for all your useful information in the last couple of months when Liz was regularly reading the posts. (She was in denial a bit that she was truly a member of the valve repair/replacement tribe.)
I'm happy to report that Liz's surgery went well today - very well in fact. Her doctor was able to repair rather than replace her mitral valve, which was the outcome she really hoped for. She did not need any blood although her doctor had previously almost guaranteed she would. The surgery lasted about 4 hours.
She began to awaken from the anesthesia about 10 minutes after they got her to the ICU. She was in and out of sedation the whole afternoon but her moments out of sedation were remarkable... communicating with sign language (more like charades, actually) and writing on a pad of paper. It was incredible as she drifted in and out of the morphine, but what was more amazing to me was that she remembered all of it this evening.
She's still in the ICU tonight, of course, but is resting fine. The breathing tube was removed around 6PM as were a number of IVs. Her breathing and heart rate are strong and regular. Her pain was under control when I left the hospital this evening, particularly once they gave her something other than morphine, which took the edge off but really sedated her. Her color is good, she's talking a bit now and drinking water, and her spirits are good. We're hoping she'll have a quiet, peaceful, uneventful evening and then will be transferred out of the ICU tomorrow.
As you all know, she has a long recovery ahead of her, but as of late on the day of surgery, so far so good.
Thanks again for your support!
Ken, Liz's husband
I'm happy to report that Liz's surgery went well today - very well in fact. Her doctor was able to repair rather than replace her mitral valve, which was the outcome she really hoped for. She did not need any blood although her doctor had previously almost guaranteed she would. The surgery lasted about 4 hours.
She began to awaken from the anesthesia about 10 minutes after they got her to the ICU. She was in and out of sedation the whole afternoon but her moments out of sedation were remarkable... communicating with sign language (more like charades, actually) and writing on a pad of paper. It was incredible as she drifted in and out of the morphine, but what was more amazing to me was that she remembered all of it this evening.
She's still in the ICU tonight, of course, but is resting fine. The breathing tube was removed around 6PM as were a number of IVs. Her breathing and heart rate are strong and regular. Her pain was under control when I left the hospital this evening, particularly once they gave her something other than morphine, which took the edge off but really sedated her. Her color is good, she's talking a bit now and drinking water, and her spirits are good. We're hoping she'll have a quiet, peaceful, uneventful evening and then will be transferred out of the ICU tomorrow.
As you all know, she has a long recovery ahead of her, but as of late on the day of surgery, so far so good.
Thanks again for your support!
Ken, Liz's husband
