Offline for a bit

More than likely I will be offline for a bit.....why?

Heart Surgery.....

Tuesday (as in July 15th) I am going in for major heart surgery at Overlake in Bellevue. They have to repair the wall between the right and left atrium. It is a ASD...a hole in the heart. Most of them are quite small. A lot of children her the *hole in the heart* but most of them close. Those that do not close are about pencil thick. A few, very rare case the holes get bigger. I am one of those chosen ones. The surgeon said it was the largest hole he has seen.

...from a website....."An ASD results in excessive blood flow to the right side of the heart and lungs. The more blood that is diverted to the right side of the heart, the harder the lungs and right ventricle must work to compensate for the problem.

Eventually, the stress on the right ventricle can cause it to enlarge (dilate) to make up for the increased workload. Also, the lungs can become congested upon receiving more blood than is needed, which may lead to high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension). Other problems associated with an ASD include regurgitation of blood into the right atrium, respiratory infections, the formation of blood clots (which could lead to a stroke) and the development of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). In some rare cases, an untreated ASD can lead to sudden cardiac death.

No matter when it is noticed, the sooner as ASD is corrected, the better for the patient. Small holes may close on their own in the first years of life without any symptoms or harmful effects. However, they could lead to the production of blood clots that may be carried to the brain and cause a stroke. Larger holes allow more blood to pass through, increasing the risk of symptoms and other harmful effects, including arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms).

When an ASD is present, some of the oxygen-rich blood that should travel to the left ventricle from the left atrium is diverted (shunted) through the ASD and into the right atrium, where it mixes with oxygen-poor blood from the rest of the body. The right atrium of the heart is thus receiving blood from two different places: from the veins and from the left atrium (through the ASD). This results in too much blood flow to the right side of the heart and lungs. The more blood that is diverted to the right side of the heart, the harder the lungs and right ventricle must work to compensate

Since my ASD is so large they are moving quickly to repair it. They will have to make holes in the left and right side of my chest to so the operation. Prior to this they used to open the chest up so I am lucky they are not doing this . The surgeon will remove a patch from my heart lining and then put it where the hole is and sew it in. This should help with the enlarged right ventricle.
I also have arrhythmia and after after I heal they will have to shock the heart to re-set it. For now, they hope the heart can re-set itself and then they do not have to do it.

The bright side is my heart will be fixed and I will be much better. The asthma that I have had for years is probably NOT asthma but the heart issues. So that should go away. No heart issue and no asthma....what a blessing.

The surgeon in one of the top surgeons in the nation. ( Dr. Joseph Austin at Overlake ) . I will go in on Tuesday and out 4-5 days. I will be in the Coronary Care Unit. No doubt I will be eating the fine cuisine. For the last three weeks off and on, I have been there tasting their fine meals while I went through a bunch of tests. I'll be asking Jeff, Nelson (brother) and my mom to bring me real food when they visit.

I will be off work for 8 weeks and out of trialing for a month. I hope to be running at LaCamas. Prior to then I will be going stir crazy at home with my daily 5 minute walks. My doggie bed warmers during this will be Tess, Nan and Lucy.

I'll be looking forward to getting back at the post again and finally in good health!! WHOO HOOO

Thanks to all who have been supportive in this. I really appreciate it. Also I'll be offline next week more than likely

I'll have some friends post on the blog with updates......