It's done

So I went in at 6:00 am this morning for the PFO fix. They of course had to poke me 3 times to get blood and and IV. I was wheeled into the Cardiac Cath Lab Operating room at about 7:15. I spent most of the time in there just hanging out. They got me ready and prepped and tried to pull the gown out from under me after transfering me to the table. This nurse saw me leaning to one side and came running she thought I was rolling off. But i don't think she was big enough to stop me if I was. They gave me Versed(sp) I was a little nervous that I would turn into the devil incarnate like Parker did. But it just made me sleepy. I was hoping t be asleep....but no they made me stay awake but it wasn't as bad as I thought. They gave me local anesthetic to go through the femoral artery. All I felt though was a little butterfly feeling in my heart when the camera went in and when they put the "helix" in. He said it was the best device because it allowed the thinner part of the heart and the thicker part of the heart to mold around it. I had a 1/2 inch hole and the device was an inch. He said it is in there tight and ain't goin anywhere. I think the actually procedure took about 15 mintues. I was rolled back into the recovery room by 8:15. Dr Sorensen said that this was a fix that needed to be done. It wasn't just a PFO but a ASD atrial septic defect. So it was something that needed to be fix. As some people don't need PFO's fixed. So I am glad I got it done. I was tired for another hour and then I was ready to get up and go. Of course they won't let me. I had to lay flat in bed for 2 hours and not lay. But the amazing feet is that they had me take 3 pills and eat breakfast laying flat on my back. My mom fed me breakfast like a mother bird. It was kind of embarrasing. I have just been hanging out in my room with my hubby watching movies, playing on the internet and taking a few walks around the hallways. I feel just fine. I feel a lump in my throat everyonce in awhile and my IV hurts worse than the incision!! So I think this will be and easy recovery. Thanks everyone for their prayers and concern. It means a lot to us!!! Thanks to my dad and grandma and mom for taking the kids today and playing with them!!! I think they forget me and Tim are their parents!! I am grateful for and awesome family!

6:00am WHAT?

Ok so tomorrow is the day....how did I get so lucky to get the 6:00 time slot!!!! Seriously! Oh well I guess I get to be put to sleep for part of the day! I haven't gotten nervous yet!! Just excited for what I hope the out come will be after!!!! Wish me luck!

Blood Work

So I got my results over the phone from all that blood work that was taken by my neurologist.
I have low Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. My liver function is elevated(but could be from all the tylenol I had been taking for the headaches.) . My glucose was up from the last time. About 100 points. But I was given early that day a solumedrol infusion. That skyrockets your blood sugar. So I am not worried about that and neither are they as it wasn't a fasting blood work. So I just have to take the Vitamin D and B12 supplements now.

I had about a week break from headaches....too bad it didn't last long. They are back! Oh well hopefully in 2 weeks they will be gone for good. It's funny when I get a headache my left eye will almost droop shut with the headache. I unconciously just close it and watch the world go with one eye! I hope this improves in two weeks also!

April 2010

So April went by superfast!!! Most of the month was spent going to doctors and me feeling sick so not much fun went on. Our camera bit the dust at disneyland so no pictures from this family for awhile! We had a good Easter. The easter bunny came and visited the kids.....don't ask me to remember what he brought them candy....and something. Oh yeah shoes I think. Maybe some toys. We had dinner at my parents house. I was in charge of the potatoes. My sister and mom like always were fun and did an easter egg hunt for the kids. It was fast because it was a little chilly. We got the yard all ready for planting and weed prevention. Well I shouldn't say we. TIM got it ready. He brought in compost for the whole yard and weeded and got the garden ready for planting and even planted our stuff in our basement until it warms up here!

Colby has been playing soccer again. His team isn't doing as good. The other teams seem to have learned how to dribble and be agressive over the winter break and Colby's team stayed the same. But they have fun. We do find Colby running off the field whenever he wants without the coach saying so to grab a drink. He's so funny he wants a drink water all game long. He still is pretty agressive on the field and makes a lot of the goals. He has gotten hurt more and cried a few times but he enjoys it!

+We had a few BBQ/Hot dog roasts/marshmallow roasts at our house with friends and neighbors it was fun! I love having good friends and family over. We have some good friends that live by us that gave us a whole bunch of stuff because they were cleaning out finishing their basement and their boys are older and weren't playing or using stuff anymore. We got new Luggage, A new electric play truck for the boys and a set of dressers for Parkers room. Parker needed the storage space in his room!!! It's all be fun and nice.

Parker has been learning to talk and say peoples names and put words together its so cute. We sometimes can't get him to say a word right. We are trying to teach him some neighbors names. Craig is Kaig. Julianna is Anna. Trina is Noah(don't ask but he refuses to say it any other way) Jenn is gnenn. He loves to see them now he learned their names and talk to them and wave at them. He is starting to get into his 2's though a few more fits and he is stubborn! But can make you laugh all the time. He has my dads and grandpas sense of humor. It's cute.

Colby is still enjoying his preschool. He has made some friends and he gets to go to their house after preschool and plays. We are trying to learn that we don't throw fits when grandma comes to pick him up! He is turning into a big boy now. he likes swords, and action things now! he loves driving the truck around (the play one) and loves loves loves to argue with us and talk back and say no. But we love him. This has been the hardest stage for me. But I am sure it can be worse!!

Cardiologist

So I went to see Dr Sherm Sorensen the Cardiologist....kind of a weird Duck. he didn't like me saying I was getting old when He's probably older than my dad. I had a Transcranial Doppler done. They put two dopplers on my temples where the arteries that go to my brain are. When she put it on it was a faint heartbeat sound. She put the IV in...one the first try might I add. That doesn't happen that often to me. She then injected aggitated saline(bubbles) into my veins and almost immediately you heard the bubble on the doppler. In a heart without a hole they would get filtered through the lungs and back through the heart before going to the brain. Well the hole in my heart allowed them to go immediately to my brain. The test ranges the amount of bubble from 0(meaning none) to a 5, and then a 5+. Well at resting mine was a 4. When I applied pressure I was a 5+. He also said I have a septic Aneurysm which can collect clots and send them the wrong way. So I have three things against me. Spots on my brain, the 4 & 5+ reading and the aneurysm I have a really high risk for a Stroke. He suggested surgery to close the hole with an artificial something or other :) He will go through my femoral artery and insert the mesh device and it will close the hole off and my heart tissue will grow over it and hold it into place. There is a 99% success rate with this surgery. It's only one night in the hospital and back to mostly normal duties in 2 days. No lifting heavy things for a month or strenuous exercise (not a problem as it hurts to bad to do strenuous exercies). Anyways that's the story for now. I have the surgery scheduled May 27th. Then I follow up with the neurologist a week later to go over the rest of the results and see if they ruled out MS or not. As the Cardiologist said this problem doesn' t rule out MS. It just prevents strokes from the PFO. So the neurologist knows in the future if I continue to have problems that it's not the PFO. I hope this all makes sense!!! Lets hope it's all the PFO.

Echo.........

So I had an echocardiogram today. Well what do ya know....I have a hole in my heart. I have a PFO. It's a hole you have as a baby that usually closes but mine didn't. Now off for more heart tests and to meet with the cardiologist to get the plan of attack to make sure it quits attacking my head. I am SSSOOOO done with headaches.....hopefully this means no more steroid injections....that is nasty stuff!

Dr Update

So I went to my first Neurology appointment on Monday thanks to sweet Angel for getting me an appointment ASAP. The anticipation is killing me...knowing your brain is getting damaged and don't know why. So he looked at my MRI's and he said there are spots on my MRI that are typical placing of MS lesions but that the MRI doesn't show for sure if it's demylenating lesions or if it's from some type fo vascular problems(small clots or strokes or whatever) So now the testing starts to figure out what it is. I started monday with Steriod infusions for two days. It did a number on me but has helped in some areas. It did make my headaches more massive and painful but it's a side effect of the drug. I had rapid heartbeat at points in the night with 110 beats per minute. I got flush for hours and still am. But I have had some relief in pain and stiffness. He said if this relieves some symptoms it means that it might be autoimmune like MS or Lupus or something because it will take down the inflammation and pain caused by those in the brain and spinal column. Second I had about 10 vials of blood or so (I think it was more) taken for all kinds of tests. I have some of them back on my dr's webpage he has for me but I can't tell what all of them mean with the medical gibber gabber. So I will have to wait for the dumbed down version from my dr! But all the autoimmune, kidney,liver and lupus ones are higher than normal. I will have to have and EKG with bubble this thursday to rule out a hole in my heart that could be sending clots to my brain. Right now they are just ruling out things and trying to find out what could cause all my pain, fatigue, headaches, miscarriage, my left eye having problems, muscle twitching etc! He did show in my appointment that my left hand was weaker and had drifting left eye, and i saw double at one point out of my left eye. Which is where the majority of my headaches are. I am also realizing I can't concentrate. Remember things as well and I can't remember even some of my close friends names. So don't be offended if I all the sudden can't remember your name. I know you just can't pull your name out! He said that alot of times after someone has a kid or the hormones from a pregnancy loss could make a flare up in an autoimmue disease and that's why I could have had more problems since the miscarriage. So we will see......only time and tests will tell. I hope this is the beginning of some relief and not the beginning of worse things to come! We are doing good. We are grateful for all the outpouring of love and support. Life gives us challenges, but the lord knows we can handle all that he gives us so we will handle all of this! We know we aren't the only ones that struggle.