40th anniversary

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Debbrn

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
439
Location
southeast
In a few hours it will be 40 years since my parents sent me into the OR for my TOF "repair".

I am not one to celebrate surgical anniversaries. After all I have had 4 heart surgeries. Which one do I celebrate? I figure the less I think about my heart disease the more I am able to live life. But I think this one is special. When I new it was going to be my 40th anniversary I had to look up the exact date. Mom said I was pink for the first time in years after my "repair".

Since my last PVR a couple of years ago I feel great for me. I work almost full time. I have more endurance than I have in years.

Debbie
 
Debbie, Thank you very much for sharing. ...and I was thinking it was a long time at 24 and 23 years ago that I remember Justin coming back from the OR pink, I never realized just how blue he was before his surgeries, until he was pink, so i can only imagine how your parents must of felt if you were a couple years old when you had your first surgery. How old were you? I'm sure you mentioned it before but where /who did your TOF repair? I always love hearing how well you are doing, beside Justin's complex CHD we have a neice who is about 10 or so now who was born with TOF. so I think of her whn I read about you and all the children who had your surgeries so long ago and are doing well. Thank you and your Mom
 
Lyn,

I am 46 years old. I had my BT shunt in Nov 1965 at Emory in Atlanta. When I read the report it said "special tipped catheter" was used. In other words, they made something. I had my "repair" by Dr. Hatcher and Dr. Ellis Jones in 1972 at Emory. PVR #1 was done by Dr. Kirklin at UAB in 1990, and PVR #2 was done in 2010 by Dr. Mayer at Boston Children's.

Debbie
 
Debbrn said:
Lyn,

I am 46 years old. I had my BT shunt in Nov 1965 at Emory in Atlanta. When I read the report it said "special tipped catheter" was used. In other words, they made something. I had my "repair" by Dr. Hatcher and Dr. Ellis Jones in 1972 at Emory. PVR #1 was done by Dr. Kirklin at UAB in 1990, and PVR #2 was done in 2010 by Dr. Mayer at Boston Children's.

Debbie
Click to expand...

So your close in age to me, I was 5 when yo had your bt shunt, Did they make or enlarge an ASD when they did the BT shunt? They did by cath a few days before Justin's BT shunt, to see if that could hold off surgery a while, but didnt help enough so he had his BT shunt at 10 days in 88. He has TGA not TOF but because of his pulmory stenosis/atresia and where it was, his repair w/ a right vent outflow conduit is closer to a repaired TOF not TGA.
So you were pretty "old" when you were able to have your repair, You must have had so much energy after recovery compared to the few years before. We were told Justin main "repair" the Rastelli, would probably be between the age of 18 month-3 years, depending how fast he grew etc. he had it at 18 months since his O2 sats were 63, he looked like a smurf with his white blond hair and blue skin.

I remeber when you were making your decisions for your PVR, I thought you made a great choice in Boston/mayer. he is really brilliant. Hopefully this valve last as long or longer than your first and maybe you are "done" needing surgery for PVR and the rest can be by cath.
 
Lyn,

After my repair at age 6 I ran for the first time. Mom said that after I ran I looked back as if I was amazed I could move that fast. My hematicrit was 68 before surgery. I think my sat was about 70. Before surgery when I would get mad at my sisters and hit them and they would laugh because they could hardly feel it. After surgery they would yell for mom because it actually hurt.
 
Debbie,
Congratulations on your anniversary. The story about you hitting your sisters made me laugh. Here's to many more!
 
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