6/22

 I think I'm ready to start writing about the past 3 weeks. With Karen's permission, I'm putting words to my experience, but this is really her story and it is definitely not my intention to make any assumptions about any of her experiences.

Last fall it started to become clear that Karen was going to need to have her aortic heart valve replaced. After months of testing and a doctor change, it was also discovered that she had a significant pulmonary artery aneurysm. It was the aneurysm that sped up the timeline for surgery and on June 2, the surgery date was set for June 19. And then the week before, the surgery date got moved to June 22 so that a second cardiac surgeon could be present during the surgery.

On June 21, we dropped Isaiah off to Brian and Meghan, the other 3 kids were at camp, and Jeremy and I drove to Morgantown, WV. Our trip took a long time and we arrived later than we had hoped, but we still got to visit with Van and Karen and see Josh for a bit. When Joel arrived we gathered together for a picture and prayer. It wasn't an easy good bye that night, knowing what the next day held.

I woke up at 4:50am knowing that they would be checking in at the hospital. Only two people could wait in the hospital, so I sent an "I love you" text and eventually fell back to sleep for a few hours. Jeremy and I spent the morning in our hotel room. He had some work to do. We kept worship music playing and regularly "I'm So Blessed" by Cain would play and we would remember that no matter what Mom Karen was Blessed and a Child of God and we would trust God for the heartbeat in her chest. 

Joel met us for lunch at Chipotle. I decided that Starbucks was necessary too and the sweet barista asked us "what fun things we had planned for today." The three of us kindof looked at each other and said that actually we were--a bit anxiously-- waiting for our Mom who was currently having open heart surgery. Not exactly the answer she was expecting. The window for surgery ending was 1:00 so while Van and Josh waited at the hospital, Joel stayed with Jeremy and I. By 3:00 we were all getting a little antsy. Finally, at 4:00 the surgery status changed on the app to "Recovery". We knew nothing except that Mom was out of surgery. 

And that's all we knew until 6:00 when we got to the hospital. At some point in there, we found out that the visitors in the cardiovascular ICU could rotate. When Jeremy, Joel and I arrived, Van and Josh had seen Karen and were ready for supper. Jeremy and Joel went in. They must have let 3 of us go in...I can't really remember. When I got in the room, I knew I wasn't leaving until I had to. Karen was waking up and still had the breathing tube in. I took her hand and she held on. It ended up being a very stressful hour until they took the breathing tube out. I was trying so hard to read her eyes and little hand motions. She had to have restraints until the breathing tube was removed. It was awful. I knew Karen was getting more stressed. I couldn't do anything to help. I was in full protective Mom mode! The guys came back later and I rotated out. I wish I had spent the night...it was a long, rough one having just come out of a 9 hour surgery.

On Friday we took turns visiting. Jeremy and I spent most of the day at the hospital. The day went really smoothly (medically) for Karen and, by evening, Jeremy and I had decided that we would return home the next day. Aliza, Josiah and Anna had returned from camp. They were anxious to tell me all about their week and I was very much missing them! That evening Jeremy found a park and we walked a trail together. It felt good to walk and breathe some fresh air.

For the next week I was emotionally sitting in the hospital while I was at home keeping the household running. Jeremy and I kept up with what was happening medically by calling the nurses during each shift. We kept up steady communication with Jeremy's brothers and their wives and I kept Karen's siblings updated. 

On Sunday, Karen had her first episode of atrial fibrillation. This is an expected side effect of a surgery this complicated and extensive. It didn't make it any easier on Karen or the rest of us walking beside her. Ultimately she had her heart shocked three days in a row and come home on medicine to keep her heart rate balanced. (That is a very brief and overly simple rendition of that week.) 

My Mom got multiple phone calls from me each day. I would tell her what I thought I understood the nurses were saying to see if it made any sense to her. It was like a puzzle that we were trying to put together. Each day we would get a little more information that we would piece together with what we had learned the shift before. 

For almost a week, I would call Aunt Donna each evening and she would pray for Karen with me. It was such an encouragement to me and Jeremy. 

On day 10, Saturday, Karen came home from the hospital. Surgery was 1 full day, she was ICU for 5 days, step down ICU for 3 days and a regular room for 1 day.

Getting home was it's own ordeal. I knew there were 5 steps to get up and the length of a rancher house to get a bathroom which was going to feel like more than a marathon to Karen especially after a 3 hour drive home--having to sit up straight in a car. I was very relieved when I got the text that she was in the house and settled. 

To be continued...