Texas Bound

I would like to dedicate this blog post to my Aunt Trish and her BSF ladies! 

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the long delay in writing on the blog.  We met with my surgeon a week ago and he said I am on track in my recovery and everything looks good!  I will still have some restrictions through the Christmas holidays, then after that I can slowly resume my normal activities.  With the positive news from Dr. K, I have decided to head back to Dallas this week.  I will be making the drive back from STL to Dallas on Thursday, so please pray for safe travels.  I am looking forward to getting back into a routine and think that it will help me continue to make a full recovery.  My sternum still gets sore on occasion and still is the cause for most of the restrictions I will have until Christmas.  I also still get tired very easily, so I have learned to pay close attention to what my body is telling me and rest when needed.  Overall, I am feeling good and enjoy my 30 minute mall walks.  Yes, I have become a mall walker, but it's too cold to walk outside!  I know I still have a long road to full recovery, but I am on my way! 

Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement!

Love,
Kristin

I Can Breathe!

When going through a large surgery like mine there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered.  For example, "Am I supposed to still be short of breath 3 weeks later?" "Am I supposed to still have pains in my back?"  Most of the time the answers to my questions are, "in a week it will feel better, your body just has to get over the shock of surgery."  With so many unknowns, I usually go about my day assuming that what I feel is normal. 

This past Saturday night, I felt really hot, so I checked my temperature.  My temperature had spiked to 103 degrees within a few hours.  After making a few phone calls to the nurses and doctors they told me to go into the ER to make sure that there were no infections in my body.  After 4 long hours in the ER Saturday night, the surgeon on call told me to go home since my temperature had come back down to normal, but informed me that he would take a look at my chest x-ray when he got in on Sunday and would call me with news.  Sunday morning the surgeon called and told me that I had an excess of fluid in my lungs and that he wanted me to come in Monday to drain the fluid.  Yesterday I went to the doctors office to get the fluid drained.  The surgeon drained almost 2 liters of fluid from just my right lung, crazy!  Now we know why I was still short of breath and had some pains in my right side.  I don't recommend anyone having their lungs drained, not a comfortable procedure at all!  I already feel much better and can almost take in a full deep breath!  This is encouraging.  We are hoping that the fluid doesn't come back so that I will continue to have a healthy recovery.  Now that I can breathe, it's time to start 15 minute walks.  I have to be able to walk 30 minutes straight by my next doctor visit, so this will be my new challenge to overcome!

My New Heart

I have become very enthralled with the medical industry as I have been going through all of my procedures over the last month.  It is amazing how much time and care my surgeon has taken in the details of my heart, especially when I know he does this surgery to a new patient everyday.  I can't express how amazing Dr. K is.  Even after my surgery we continue to hear great things about his work.  We think he is pretty good too!

As Brady mentioned in a previous blog, the surgery was more extensive than expected.  My aorta was bigger than originally thought, so 2 polyester tubes were placed in my heart.  A few of my arteries were messed up as well, which was originally unknown.  We decided that Dr. K was probably like a kid in a candy store when he saw this.  Excited that he had something else he could fix, and according to him something he only sees about once a year.

In the cardiac center of the hospital were some replicas and images of hearts and what the doctors use to fix them.  Below is the best I can do to show you what is now inside me.  The best part is, my heart is now stronger and healthier than it ever has been, so I'm not sure what's next for the fastest white girl in Missouri....but it's gonna be big!




Normal Healthy Heart

 


This image shows the aortic aneurysm.  The large 'bubble' is not normal (compare to the normal heart).  The entire aneurysm was cut out of my aorta and replaced with the polyester tubes.



 


This is the actual size of the dacron polyester tubes that replaced my Aorta

  




Pig Valve- This was used to replace my valves

  

Good to be home!

Hey Friends!

This is Kristin writing from the comfort of my home.  The last week and a half seems like a blur at this point, but I am so thankful for all your prayers and support.  My family has felt so loved by all of our friends and family, words cannot express how grateful we are for each of your love and prayers.

As for my recovery, each day is better than the last.  Getting out of the hospital was the best thing to help for healing.  There wasn't a lot of sleep going on at the hospital when nurse's come in every 2 hours through the night and the beds were not so comfortable :)  I have learned quickly that even though I am young, compared to the average person who has this surgery, the healing process still takes time.  I am restricted by a number of things until my sternum heals completely, which takes about 6 weeks.  As of now, I am walking 2 times about 10 minutes each time.  This is tiring.  I also am short winded because there is still a lot of fluid in my lungs from the surgery.  I have to do a lot of breathing exercises to help build my breathing stamina.  The most sore part of my body is my sternum, where they broke the bone.  Aside from a few other aches and pains the rest of my body feels pretty good; it doesn't hurt that I have pain killers!

The best part of getting home early was being home to watch Mizzou beat Oklahoma!  Now I am looking forward to another big game this weekend.  M-I-Z!

Homeward bound!

Yesterday was just a good day as Kristin continued to feel better, stronger and began walking more. I think being able to get out of bed for even brief moments helped the time go by - it gave her something specific to work at.  Her voice is coming back (the breathing tube really beats up vocal cords) which helps people she speaks with over the phone believe she is, in fact, doing well. And the big deal... she gets to come home this afternoon! It amazes me that she can undergo the kind of major surgery she did and be ready to go home in five days, but she's just that awesome. Kristin will, of course, have several weeks of very limited mobility while at home. I think she has knitting and guitar classes lined up for he down time. She is in good spirits and seems to be sleeping better without all those tubes. The pain meds still make her a bit loopy (which is kind of funny sometimes); actually, I think she is afraid to post on the blog because she doesn't want to type while high. Kids, that is a doctor prescribed high - don't do drugs. Well, more to come, but I gotta get moving.
Shalom,
Brady

Tube free and on the move (fifty feet at a time!)

That's right; its not quite the 100 meter sprint of old, but she is on her feet. All of the drainage tubes and stuff that is incredibly uncomfortable has been removed. Kristin is getting her voice back (the breathing tube is not so easy on one's throat) and had enough energy to go for a short stroll. MOST importantly... no more hospital gown!!! Oh, the little things in life! Now that she can wear scrubs she feels much more human and might even let me post some pictures of her in the near future.  Energy and comfort come in fits and starts so Kristin was pretty wiped out after her walk, but all of us are thrilled to see her being more like herself. She laughed (very gently) as her sense of humor returned. These little moments go a long way for us (family and friends) because they indicate healing. Kristin's pain levels seem to have decreased as well - less pain, less drugs, less nausea.  Today was a very encouraging day.
Shalom,
Brady

Day two, or is it day one? oh these meds...

If yesterday produced a cumulative and corporate sigh of relief, today might best be described as the day when we all let out a sigh of pain. Kristin is certainly doing well – very well in fact, but the surgery is simply not minor. It is hard for us to see her in pain and it is obviously hard for her since she is in pain. The pain medication makes Kristin nauseous and she wants to avoid using it too much. We all know how tough Kristin is and none of us are surprised by her ability to grin and bear it; she really is a phenomenal young woman.  She has already begun occupational therapy… yeah, they don't fool around here! All of this, the therapy, the drugs, the trauma and the pain result in a very tired Kristin. Again, we are all doing well, Kristin is strong; but, dear friends and family, we want to be honest with you and the next few days will be especially painful (physically and emotionally) for Kristin.  Thank you again for thinking of us, encouraging us and praying for us. You have all been a great comfort and blessing. By the end of today Kristin had received a blood transfusion that seemed to give her more energy and lesson the pain a bit. The entire medical staff has been amazing and our list of blessings in the midst of such a trying time grows moment by moment. And now... rest.

On a side note... Kristin was thankfully too groggy to fully appreciate the appalling umpiring in the Texas/NY game - fan interference again?! Go Rangers.

Shalom,

Brady

Out of surgery, all is well!

I apologize for the delay in this update, I know many of you have waited too long to hear news. The short of it is this: The surgery went well, Kristin should have a full recovery. I hope to have an opportunity to more fully explain what was involved very soon.  A few brief specifics are worth throwing out at this point. The aneurysm in her aorta was larger than initially thought and required two tubes instead of one. This is not a big deal in regards to the surgery or Kristin's recovery, but indicates the blessing that it is to have had this surgery done now instead of later. Secondly, the valves at the end of the aorta needed to be replaced with pig valves. The ideal situation would have been to repair he original ones, but the animal valves are much better than synthetic ones... not ideal, but very good. Finally, Kristin had a few arteries that needed to be rearranged. Dr. K explained this all in much more detail and it is pretty amazing. For the time being I hope this gives some clarity and comfort. Keep praying as Kristin recuperates overnight and will hopefully be woken up and have the breathing tube removed in the morning.
Shalom,
Brady

Early morning... For real, the sun isn't up yet!

Good morning! It's about 5:45 and we are hanging out in the hospital reception area. Kristin has begun the paperwork (who knows how long that will take…).  We all seem to be somewhat at ease after an admittedly restless night.  Even though we are trying to be an encouragement to Kristin, she is more of an encouragement to us as she is handling this day with grace and a calm spirit.  We also want you to know the BCS poll was published and Mizzou is #11, just another reason that today is already looking good.



7:30  Kristin ran off about ½ an hour ago to do pre-op stuff.  We just got to see her before they wheeled her off for surgery. She is amazingly calm; the drugs may be a bit of a help in that regard ;-)  



The internet at the hospital has a filter that keeps me from posting on blogs (its, like, a place of business or something...). I'll do my best to keep ya'll updated, but we don't expect to hear any news until later this afternoon. Again, we are incredibly thankful for your encouraging words, prayers and visits!
Shalom,
Brady