November 4, 2008

I thought creating this blog and updating it with information about my surgery would be the easiest way to share this experience with my friends and family. If you are reading this I assume 1. you are a friend or family member of mine who recieved my email giving the link to this blog or 2. you googled open heart surgery and found this blog or 3. someone is stalking me and googled my name. Thats creepy.


As many of you know, I was born with a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Here's a link that more fully explains what TOF is. http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site515/mainpageS515P0.html


Since the spring of 2001 I have gone to specialists in Boston at the Boston Adult Congenital Heart Defect Clinic located in the Boston Children's Hospital in Boston. My cardiologists there are at the forefront of researching adults who are currently living with congenital heart defects and what can be done to improve the quality of life.


Each year I traveled to Boston with my family and underwent extensive testing to see how my heart was functioning without a pulmonary valve. Each year surgery was discussed and I was told that "it wasn't time yet."


This year I went to my annual appointment in May and spoke with my cardiologist, explaining that I have felt more tired than usual, and also that my tolerance for exercise has decreased. This, along with the results from my cardiac MRI indicated that "it was time" for surgery.


This past Friday I went to Boston and met with my surgeon, Emile Bacha. Here is a link to his profile: http://children.photobooks.com/directory/profile.asp?dbase=main&setsize=5&service=7712&shellid=247&view=program&department=&classification_deptview=Faculty&pict_id=7567102


Both Dr. Bacha and my cardiologist Dr. Mary Mullen think that my quality of life and overall function of my heart will improve with a pulmonary valve transplantation. So here are the details:


Who: Me! and my surgeon, Dr. Bacha

What: Pulmonary Valve Transplantation Surgery

When: November 4th, 2008. I travel to Boston on the 2nd to prepare for surgery and go through preop.

Where: Surgery will be at the Boston Childrens Hospital. I will be in intensive care for 1-2 days and then will be moved to the cardiac unit for another 3-5 days. After I am discharged I will be at home recovering for another 3-4 weeks.

Why: Because "its time!"

I am happy to answer any questions that you may have about the surgery and I will be updating this blog with more information as I find it out. I'll also post my thoughts about the surgery, what the surgery will actually entail (not for the weak of heart!) and my recovery process.

My goals for this blog are to stay in contact with my friends and family throughout this process and also to hopefully help anyone else who may be undergoing open heart surgery in the future know what the surgery and recovery time is actually like.