So glad to be home! Thursday, November 18, 2020 “Maine, the way life should be”

This is Jean and this my promised “happy to be home” blog. First, thanks to everyone for your prayers, and good wishes! I am certain that is what got me through. Now, I need your patience as I relearn how to blog. This may be out of order with odd formatting, but the correct date is in the heading above.

The ride home was smooth and uneventful, thanks to Glen and Katie. I followed B&W’s instructions and made appointments with my visiting nurse, my fabulous PCP, and my great local cardiologist. The visiting nurse was to arrive at 9:30, and my PCP was booked solid for the next three weeks except for today at 1 PM. I am happy to report my PCP said my heart sounded entirely different, blessedly normal actually! Consequently, my first day home was busy, and I am tired. I expect tomorrow will be more chill. There is an overwhelming urge to pick up where I left off with many items and projects, but this week will be chill week. It really has to be including chilling a bit on connecting, which is my favorite activity. I am listening to my body, as I have learned it is my best friend, the temple of my soul and spirit. So often the many organs and cells that comprise our bodies must lament the age old Rodney Dangerfield line, “I don’t get no respect!” Such sad mistakes we make when we do not listen. I was able to get my hands on the full discharge notes (no easy task for a patient, to my deep pique) and I read the chronicle of my surgery item by item. Wow! Of course as I mentioned earlier, the surgical, perfusion, and anesthesia teams were masterful players in a great and exceedingly complex symphony. I am in awe of their skill and caring determination to deal with the challenges they expected as well as the unexpected. I am so grateful! My structural problems with my mitral valve were far worse than expected. All of my posterior leaflets needed repair and the cordaye that hold the leaflets in place (envision the valve as a parachute and the cordaye as the ropes that go to the basket, the ventricle, OR envision the cordaye as support wires). Well, they had not only elongated but some had started snapping in two out of three leaflets. Those had to be repaired with special stitching as well. I was a shaky bridge way far closer to collapsing than appeared on imaging. But TG I am now repaired!

As I was reading the complex surgical notes reporting on this and that, it occurred to me that I must acknowledge other too often unsung heros. Specifically my physical body rose to the occasion participating in this six hour battle for the restoration of my heart’s health. Every organ, piece of tissue, sinew, blood, and all of the zillions of cells came together like a beautiful military battalion, fighting for my heart, and my body as a whole to come through this battle. Certainly every cell in my body was energized by the love and prayers of those of you cheering me on by the channeling God and the Universe throughout my body,. That was the ammunition, my physical body parts were the foot soldiers. So! let me give the true solders their due and thank them with the greatest sincerity. Now to make sure I give my whole body the respect it is owed, I am signing off and turning in for a long nights rest…in my own wonderful bed for a second night.

Thank you and Good night. May you all have sweet dreams and sleep well. Best wishes, Jean