Jackie (ADL)needs 2nd surgery and our prayers!

[Phyllis]

latest care page update on Jackie

latest care page update on Jackie

Here's the latest this afternoon:

Jackie has spent much of the day resting. Jennifer and I have been away from the room so that she can focus on resting and getting her strength back. She did have her temporary pacemaker wires removed, which went through the upper abdomen area. There are no longer needed since the permanent pacemaker is working well. We will try to post more information at bedtime or first thing in the morning. Thanks again for praying and thinking about Jackie as we patiently wait for our stay to come to an end.

 

[Phyllis]

Latest on Jackie

Latest on Jackie

Here's the latest update. Jackie has been through a rough patch, but home is within sight and we are thankful that things look so much better.

Sort by: Date


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2007 12:52 PM, CST
The surgeon is going to use her case to help other doctors learn from the unique variables that Jackie has ? it may be in a medical journal near you. Jackie is well enough to go home, but they are still tinkering with her blood ? we?ll keep you posted. Prayer that they get it figured out soon.




The following is directly from Jackie -

Jackie says, ?Hi guys, I am feeling much better since Tuesday. I work up a little before midnight on Monday with a 10 out of 10 pain in the lower left side of my ribs. From that point on I went downhill. I wasn?t able to eat or drink after midnight because the pacemaker doctors were coming in the morning to double check that the pacemaker was working. I knew I had two more sets of pills to take at 12 and 3 am. I couldn?t eat, so all I could have is saltines and jello to take the pills with. Now I am the kind of person that when I take vitamins and medications I need to take them on a full tummy. I was pretty much throwing up and dry heaving until the pacemaker doctors came in a 10 am. I then ate a little, threw up some more and knew I had to have my temporary pacemaker wires taken out and lay down for an hour. After I ate lunch at 2 pm, I went through 5 or 6 ?puke buckets? and the nurse was bringing them as fast as she could. I cried out to God, ?I?m done, I can?t do this anymore.? My spirit had finally broke. I had to rely completely and totally on God. I knew from that moment on that I was going to be fine.?




?I want to thank everyone for the many prayers, cards, and loving support. I could not have made this journey without you. Today I was able to open up some mail from church and inside I found the most lovely cards from many of the AWANA kids. I was so touched and cried like a baby ? thank you so much Jeannie and Ray for sending them. I would like to share the cards with the congregation as soon as possible.?




?I would like to wait on visitors for at least a week because I am weak right now. I hope to see all of you very, very Jackie. God is so good. Jackie.?

 

[WayneGM]

Thanks for the update. Good to hear the worst has past and that she should be home soon.

 

[Phyllis]

Home is in sight

Home is in sight

Looks like Jackie will be going home soon!

Jackie had her first shower and got to wash her hair for the first time since the 16th - it felt so good she said. We are going to a going home class at 4 pm, but we don't know if we can leave tomorrow or not.

 

[WayneGM]

Excellent news. I remember that first shower....heavenly! That's got to be a good sign. I hope she's on her way home soon.

 

[Nan]

Good news that Jackie's second surgery went well and that she is now beginning the recovery phase!

 

[lynn]

Wishing that she's home by the weekend! She'll feel soooo much better! Still praying

 

[Phyllis]

a message from Jackie

a message from Jackie

Jackie posted this during the night on her carepage:

Hi there,

This is Jackie. Some of you have sent along many nice verses to lift me up and I had to share the verse that helped me through this amazing journey. Plus some other ramblings because I'm up late and there's no one to talk to!


I rested on Philippians 4:6-7. ?Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus."


We're all going to die someday. I think too many people focus on suffering & dying & death that they don't live. Take each day as it comes, living in each moment. Love and accept ALL people where they're at in their lives. (God is the judge, we're not.) We don?t know what hell on earth they might have grown up in. It might just take kindness and acceptance from 1 person to help them move forward.

In Dec. 2005, my dad was in the hospital and I felt compelled to be at his side the last week of his life. We all knew he was going to die. He had no swallowing mechanism left and pulled out the feeding tube from his nose and then he chose to just stop. He basically starved for 2 weeks.


Two days before he died I was sitting by his bedside and he said to me, ?Do you know that God is here?? I couldn?t believe what he said because my dad was not a church-going man and so I asked him, ?Did you say, ?Do you know that God is here??? He said, ?Yeah.? I said, ?Absolutely, dad.? Now that doesn?t mean he?s going to heaven. I don?t know either way, that?s up to God. I just know God was there with him.


Through that experience and now my experience, I know without a doubt that God walks with us and protects us when we pass over. Does that mean we go to heaven because God is with us? Again, I don?t know that answer, but I do know the bible states clearly, ?If you confess with your mouth, ?Jesus is Lord,? and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.? (Romans 10:9)


God loves us with an unending love and He doesn?t want that any of us should perish. From the 2 weeks that I?ve been in here I surely would not want to go to hell where the bible says you suffer eternally. No thank you! I already saw a glimpse of that. I?d much rather live eternally.


Sorry to get so philosophical, but hey, it?s after 3 am and I couldn?t sleep.

Thanks again very much for ALL your prayers and cards and thoughts.

Jackie

 

[weekycat]

Good news, finally!

Good news, finally!

It sounds like Jackie and family will be returning home soon...Yay! The only thing is, MN is in the midst of a winter storm warning again...so it might be best if they stay put until the weekend anyway. Right now I'm waiting to hear if my daughter's school, (where Jackie's hubby is principal) is closing early. I suspect they will...and it sounds like tomorrow will likely be a snow day too.

I agree with Wayne on the first shower being heavenly...and I think I only had to wait three or four days for mine, not two weeks It's great to see pix of Jackie looking and feeling more like her old self again.

Jackie, you are an inspiration to all of us, and I'm so glad you're coming back to us soon...your testimony will touch many hearts...whole ones and mended ones like ours!

 

[Phyllis]

Here's today's update on Jackie:

THURSDAY, MARCH 01, 2007 01:46 PM, CST
Hey there everyone. I?m sure by now you?re getting sick of me, but I have to write.

John, Jennifer and I tried an experiment with the breathing machine today. John got it up to 3200 ml and Jennifer was able to do 2100 ml. I?m still at 900 ml. So, now I have a goal.

Bye for now, Jackie-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THURSDAY, MARCH 01, 2007 12:32 PM, CST
More ramblings from me . . .


That feeling I started having at 7 am this morning is still there! It?s hard to explain, it?s like my heart is relaxed. I?ve never felt if before in my life. And at this time I can actually get that breathing machine (Voldyne for the official term) up to 900 ml, which is better than the 500 ml which was average for me. The pain in my ribs has diminished a lot.


I was trying to wait until breakfast this morning to take some pain meds. I couldn?t do it, so around 4:30 am I took the meds. About 5:30 am my heart started beating around the 120s-130s. I waited maybe a few minutes, realized it wasn?t going down and called the nurse and told her I needed some Lopressor which would help calm it down. She called the PA service to see if she could give it to me early and they said yes. I took it and my heart went back down to normal.


I said to Jen, the nurse, I think this happened because I waited too long for pain meds and because I had overdid my visiting with John and Jennifer yesterday. Plus, being up in the middle of the night writing my previous journal entry wasn?t the smartest. That took a lot out of me.

The doctors came in around 8 am and the PA wanted to give me a bigger dose of Lopressor. I mentioned to them about me overdoing it yesterday and also waiting too long to take my pain meds. I also said that I believed the reason I was still here was that there was still some learning to happen on both of our parts. At any rate, I asked if I could try an experiment and not up the dose of the Lopressor and the PA said yes! I told her I would do a better balancing act w/taking pain meds and visiting with the family today. I asked Dr. Suri, the surgeon, if I could take 12.5 mg of Coumadin at lunch today and then 10 mg tomorrow and he said yes! (I?ve been on Coumadin for 4 years now and feel I have a sense of how it works w/my body.)


This experiment is still ongoing and I?ll let you know what happens. I feel like a guinea pig, but in a good way. Wait . . . I?m an animal . . . how could that be good? Ha-ha. Either way, God is amazing and incredibly good!

Talk with you later. Jackie

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Phyllis or Jean,

Is Jackie reading this thread or does she only post on her care page?

Now that she is 'getting about' and 'taking charge' of her medications, I'm wondering if she would care to tell us more about why her first valve failed, what kind it was, what was put back in, and why her surgeon "didn't think the On-X Valve was a good option". Since I've asked to receive an On-X valve in my upcoming MVR, my curiosity is piqued just a tad!

'AL Capshaw'

 

[weekycat]

I'm not sure, Al

I'm not sure, Al

I know that while we were down there after her first surgery, she and her hubby were trying to get to a private msg here on the site, but the "user CP" link didn't show up at all on the laptop they were using. I couldn't figure that out either.

I was kinda hoping that Jackie would pop her head in here, so far she's just been posting on the CB site...I'm not sure if she's checked in here or not, but to my knowledge hasn't posted on this site since entering the hospital.

Did you read the part of her CB journal where her husband wrote, "The surgeon is going to use her case to help other doctors learn from the unique variables that Jackie has ? it may be in a medical journal near you."?

I'm sure there are a lot more details that will come out once she's back home and feeling up to talking about it. I will make sure and tell her to ask for a copy of her surgery reports...ALL of them.

She will be home soon...and I'll let her know that "inquiring minds want to know".

 

[ALCapshaw2]

I was thinking it would be easier to ask her surgeon why he didn't want to use an On-X valve when he makes rounds than after she gets home (and won't be seeing him).

'AL Capshaw'

 

[the art den lady]

HELLO THERE EVERYONE! It?s Jackie.

I just read all the forums that Jeannie had posted (THANK YOU Jeannie. You are fantastic!).

I had posted a couple days ago in the Post-Surgery under someone being obsessed about dying, but it wiped me out and I couldn?t do anymore.

If anyone wants to know about my surgeries you can go to this link to find out any of that information:
http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=jackiebeach

The one piece of information left off of the caringbridge site is the first valve was a St. Jude. The reason it didn?t work was because I have FVL and the valve clotted. The second valve I now have is ?Carbo Medic? and it?s working like a charm. THANK YOU Dr. Suri! I had the best surgeon in the world - - how can I complain?

I can?t thank everyone enough for all your prayers. It got me through. We?ll see what God has planned next!

I?m pretty sure we?ll be getting out today. I can?t wait to take my second shower before we leave . . . I stink!

Well, I hope I didn?t leave anything out. Just, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This is a great website.

Love to each and everyone of you,
Jackie Beach
(Official Member of the ?Triple Zipper Club?)

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks for the info on the valves, Jackie. So good to see you posting and on your way home. Have a safe trip and an uneventful recovery at home- you deserve!!!

 

[weekycat]

Hey Jackie!

Hey Jackie!

Great to "see" you here again! I hope you are soon on your way home, and we'll pray that you have a safe trip with all that snow out there. Wow, it really looks like a Winter wonderland out there today. Once you get home, don't forget to call me if you need anything, okay?

P.S. Just read Jackie's CB site, she's coming home! Here's what she posted there:

Hello there,
It’s 7 am and Dr. Benavente stopped in and told me my INR is 2.8!!! We’re leaving today! We’ll spend the night and he said the roads should be fine tomorrow. We'll see ya soon Jessie!

Jackie

 

[Phyllis]

Jackie is home

Jackie is home

Glad to see you home safely, Jackie. Rest up and no snow shoveling for you!!!

Hello again,

We got back about 11 am safe and sound with everything uneventful and firmly got stuck in the end of our driveway! Darn those snowplows! After praying for a big truck to come by, which happened about 5 minutes later (Thank God for quickly answered prayers), we were officially home after John did a little snow plowing.

John finally laid down and took a nap after picking up Jessie in St. Cloud and shoveling the front and back walks. Jennifer is at a friend's house until tomorrow. She'll get to go to church tomorrow, which is so nice. I'm still doing my walks, but have been slacking on the breathing machine. I have small bursts of energy, so when that happens, I get little things done.

My INR this morning was 3.4 and I'll keep going in to the clinic daily until it's stable. Then, I should be able to use the INR home testing machine. That's a blessing! It'll save me 8-12 trips to the clinic each month.

God has been so good throughout this whole journey. Everything turned out exactly as it should have. We're so VERY THANKFUL for the outpouring of prayers and concern from EACH and EVERYONE of YOU. You'll never imagine how that got us through.

I'm still going to pop in a few times a week for updates because it's impossible to call everyone who have been inquiring about this journey.

Eternally grateful,
John, Jackie, Jennifer & Jessie Beach

 

[the art den lady]

Hi there -

It sure feels great to be home and on the mend. I just read the encouragments and comments, thank you so much.

I don't know if anyone else with AVR have had the following experiences, but here's what's been happening to me:

I am able to take a deep breath!! I never realized I wasn't getting a full breath before . . . it feels real good.

I sweat now! And stink, my husband says. (Thank God we can talk about anything.) Anti-perspirant doesn't seem to work. My sense of smell is off because I can't tell I stink, but I can smell peanuts or flowers . . . ??

I'm no longer as cold as I used to be. I would go to church with 2 shirts on and 2 pair of pants, plus leave my big bulky Columbia on and still be freezing. Wow!

So there are many pluses to this journey and I'm so thankful. It can only go up from here!

Eternally grateful,
Jackie
Official Member of the 'Triple Zipper' Club
----------------------------------------

4/95 - TIAs (started after childbirth)
'98-01 - Misdiagnosed with asthma (Not sure if those are the right years, but 3 years for sure)
1/03 - PFO (hole in heart) plugged up
1/03 - FVL (clotting disorder) diagnosed
1/03 - Coumadin started
2/16/07 - OHS with St. Jude Mechanical Valve, Dr. Suri, Mayo, Rochester
2/20/07 - OHS with Carbo Medics because St. Jude was clotting, Dr. Suri, Mayo, Rochester
2/20/07 - Stitches reopened because of excessive bleeding
2/26/07 - Pacemaker implanted because of block in AV node

 

[Phyllis]

I think you must smell like a rose, Jackie. So glad to see you posting and to read that things are going so well!

 

[Guest]

Jackie,

Good to see you HOME and POSTING .

Thoughts/prayers coming your way for a CONTINUED successful recovery!



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Get the word out" ... Collective Soul ... 'Feeling Better Now'