Update About My Husband's "Ticker"

My husband completed his heart catheterization and 12 weeks of cardiac rehab afterwards.  His nurses were so glad to see him graduate!  He was such a pain to them LOL!  A good pain!  He graduated from the cardiac rehab program in Nov 2011.

At the beginning of Dec 2011, he began to experience a chest pain that reminded him of the pain from Aug 2011 (which was a 90% widow-maker blockage.....meaning: blockage at the top of the heart that allowed only 5 min of response time to get help before he would die).  This chest pain was described as a pain that was high up in his chest and made him feel like he was going to vomit.  He usually experienced this after going up the stairs.

Since my husband already had a cardiologist following his progress, we returned immediately to him on Dec 8, 2011.  He wanted to immediately hospitalize him, but my husband is a busybody and wanted to spend time with his young sons instead.  He was admitted for his second heart catheterization on Dec 12, 2011.  Guess what they found?  Yep, the same 90% widow-maker blockage!  The stent had failed.  We had a choice of stenting the stent or single bypass using the mammary vessel near the heart.  I spent the entire weekend researching this before he ever had the heart cath.  There was no real evidence showing that stenting a stent was 100% successful.  The alternative of a single bypass terrified me based on his response to the stent in August.  He had  had a severe vasovagal episode that involved Atropine to revive him!  My husband and I had made a joint decision BEFORE he underwent the heart cath.  I was/am his voice when he is under any anesthesia or medication.  I speak FOR him when he can not do so.  We agreed that he would have the single heart bypass in order to extend the years that he could spend with our children and me.

Dec 13, 2011.....We were in the Open Heart Unit waiting for his heart surgeon.....waiting......waiting......waiting.....finally told at 2p that he would be having surgery, but his surgeon would be a different surgeon.  It started around 2-3p and I was finally called around 5p.  Since I had researched online, my FIRST question was, "Was his heart on or off of the machine?"  The complications are very different for each.  His heart was ON machine for 14 minutes.  This means that the surgeon had stopped my husband's heart.  That devastates me at the thought.  The heart and lungs were "controlled" by a machine during this time.  This makes it easier for the surgeon to do the bypass with the heart being STILL.  What was very odd to me was this RUSH that I had in the waiting area.  I was relaxed (as much as I could be) and suddenly....there were all of these moments, literally, RUSHING through my head!  These were the happiest moments of our lives!  The odd part is that they didn't feel like "my" thoughts.  I honestly believe to this day that they were my husband's thoughts while his heart was still!  I got extremely nervous after that, but then I got the call saying that he was in the Critical Care Unit.  Ahhh finally!  I can't begin to tell you how relieved I was!  However, nothing could've prepared me for seeing my husband covered in tubes and a machine still breathing for him.  I kept brushing my fingers through his hair, touching his hand, rubbing his cheeks, talking to him, etc.  I kept trying to get him to wake up enough or get mad enough to start breathing on his own.  I wanted to be there when he woke up so that he would not panic from the breathing tube.

I was told at 6p that they would be closing Critical Care to the families while the nurses changed shifts until 8p.  I drove an hour back to our house (through dark mountain roads) to eat, bathe, check on the children (and my oldest that is 20 yrs old and now raising them in my absence), etc.  I called the CCU at 10p to check on him.  I informed them that I was about to leave my house and explained the long drive.  I was told that I was not allowed back in once I had left the hospital until....9a!  Good information to have had!  Of course, he woke up WITHOUT ME THERE!  I still feel guilty from leaving the hospital.  That was a stupid rule.  They should welcome family for the recovery of their patients at any time!  I understand the shift change....just not the rest.

Was the breathing tube the worst part?  Ummm NO.  He had 3 chest tubes that eventually had to be removed.  His RN removed those approx 2 days after the surgery.  She warned me that I might have to scrape him off of the ceiling.  Here is a big, strong, outdoorsy guy that I can't picture EVER being in pain.....yea right!  This little woman practically (not really) put her foot on him and grabbed all 3 chest tubes and YANKED them out of him.......these 1" diameter garden hose looking tubes!  All at ONE TIME!  I had him holding my hand and he dug those "man" nails down into my  hand OMG I just let him dig right in and he actually scarred it!  I kept letting him dig in.  I can't imagine the pain he felt!  She had given him morphine 15 min prior, too!

Yep - Everyone L♥VES a little CrAzY!!

I'm still toying with the idea of telling too many folks about even HAVING a blog!  haha  It appears to be involved at times with the maintenance, the fussiness of followers, the stress of trying to keep up with any coupons/deals, etc.  However, I LOVE to randomly ramble on about various topics!  My life is crazy with all that goes on and I have been told on SEVERAL occasions that I should write a book about my life!  Folks don't believe that I've had such a stream of bad luck here and there....it ain't all bad though LOL  It's the nice things in life that keep me going!  My kids have the cutest smiles and love to hug!  There are lots of surprises as a mom/wife!  My husband just made me supper tonight WOOHOO!  Ham and baked potato!!  Thought I was gonna hafta fight our family dog off of the smell of my ham, though!  Have a good night!

Big news!

Joe is having a heart catheterization tomorrow.  He has been struggling with chest discomfort again.  He had his first hearth catheterization on 8/19/11.  We were told from his cardiologist that he had a widowmaker blockage.  This was the ONLY blockage that Joe had, too!  He would have had 5 minutes to receive medical assistance before his heart would sustain permanent injury from lack of blood flow.  This blockage is situated at the top of the heart and would have starved the rest of it.  Joe and the cardiologist agreed during the cath procedure that a stent would be the best quick fix.  Joe has never missed a day of medication or his cardiac rehab.  At the end of his rehab, they contacted the cardiologist to try a different medication as his bp was not going down.  It was not until last week that he started his new medication.  I'm hopeful that it's the new medicine causing his discomfort, but the cardiologist disagrees.  He wants to admit him tomorrow morning.  He actually offered to admit him on Thursday during his office visit.  Joe wanted to get some extra time with his boys and finish some things up at home beforehand.  He also got a chance to apply for two positions at work this weekend. 

If the cardiologist finds anything wrong, he has given us the following two options:  stent the stent.....or bypass.  The cardiologist is recommending the open heart surgery.  I do not yet know if he intends on the ON machine approach or the OFF machine approach.  We do not yet know if the discomfort is deriving from a separate blockage or if it is the widowmaker blockage again.  This will definitely affect the outcome from tomorrow's heart cath appointment.  He might be staying for one day.  He might be staying for one week.  I have his medical directive copied and ready to go for tomorrow.  I do dread having to make any life or death decisions about my husband and my boys' Daddy!  He is everything to us!!  Please, keep us in your prayers!

I am enjoying my new blog!

I am slowly, but surely, figuring out how to create my own blog that reflects my personality!  Yay!

Butter Bombs

I worked in the kitchen with John and Jacob this afternoon.  I let them add the ingredients to the bowl and stir it up.  We made butter bombs found at http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/11/butter-bombs-mini-bite-sized-biscuits.html .  It's so easy!  2 cups of self-rising flour, 1 cup sour cream, 1 stick of melted butter....mix it together and preheat oven to 400 degrees for 10-12 min and VOILA!

Jacob LOVES them and calls them CUTE!  I think he just loves that they will fit in his small hands!  They also taste delicious!  Jacob is, after all, my food connoisseur!

John and Jacob also helped me to make Pillsbury cupcakes!  I let them lick the beaters when we were done.  John usually bows out gracefully.  Jacob LOVES to lick the batter, though!  haha  He's a mess when it's over!  But then, he's 3 years old!  John is 4 yrs old!  I bring as much as I can down to their height level when we cook together.  It's easier than them stretching up high or risk falling.  I've been known to sit in the floor with them and peel apples and potatoes!

I think that I will be trying a few new recipes this holiday season!

http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/11/butter-bombs-mini-bite-sized-biscuits.html#more

http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/03/chocolate-sin-better-than-sex-recipe-my.html

These 2 recipes looked so yummy that I had to add them to my blog so that I would not forget where I found them later!  I absolutely LOVE the commentary on Deep South Dish dot com!  They can be located on Facebook by selecting https://www.facebook.com/SouthernRecipes .

I am presently trying this new recipe called Pizza Casserole that I found on For Mamas blog.  http://formamas.blogspot.com/2011/08/pizza-casserole.html  It's in the oven as I'm typing this!  Smells very good!  I like how simple it is to make.  It seems like a spin on a regular lasagna, but the egg noodles will be light and fluffy and the pepperoni will add some kick.  I added some minced onion and oregano to my ground meat while it was cooking.  I enjoy variety with my recipes.

The Great Flood of 2011 in PA

Officials have issued a MANDATORY evacuation for Wilkes-Barre (45 min North of us) and areas surrounding the Susquehanna River.  There are so many road closures in the area.  Hazleton schools are closed and that is 10 miles North of us.  St. Clair schools are closed (where I substitute teach) and that is 10 miles South of us.  They closed a section of I-81 exit 124 Frackville.......and we are exit 138 for Tamaqua!  Tonight is when the river will be cresting.  It's just such a sad time right now.  John's school was canceled in Tamaqua - no flooding here (maybe the local creek, but nothing major).  His teachers can't get here!  This should make my point about how teachers SHOULD BE LOCAL!  Joe seems to have made it safely to work across Blue Mountain.  I haven't heard of any closures on that side of the mountain!