10 weeks post-op but surgery tomorrow

Hello to all you Stars and Angels:

I am actually beginning this posting from the 4th floor hospital library, because I am in between appts. and am waiting to see the docs in clinic in a couple of hours. I had another biopsy this morning, and it was ON TIME and went SO smoothly that I have lots of time on my hands! I have not written for a while so let me fill you in some of what has been going on lately.

After my last biopsy on August 14, which was quite uncomfortable and did not go so smoothly (though, no fear, the results were excellent - no rejection:-)), the doctors ordered an ultrasound of the right side of my neck to see if the clot there had resolved. As you may recall from back on June 24, the day of my first biopsy and discharge from the hospital, I learned I had a clot in my right jugular vein, subclavian in location (I originally thought it was two clots, but it was only one). (This was when my right lung was punctured, which caused the pneumothorax to manifest 2 and 1/2 weeks later on July 5). Anyway, the great news is that my clot has resolved and, consequently, today the interventional cardiologists could actually do the biopsy as it is normally done accessing the heart through the right side of the neck/jugular vein. Going in on the right side made it a 40-50 min. procedure, rather than 1.5 to 2 hr. procedure and it was a cake walk for me and the docs! Yippeee! I still have to give myself the blood thinner injections (Lovenox) for another 2 weeks - the course of treatment for a clot is a min. of 12 weeks, but the end of that is in sight.

Okay, so now on to more good and bad news. I am home now and learned this afternoon that the effusion (fluid around my heart) has increased in the last two weeks and they are concerned that at some point it will cause significant problems for my new heart and may be the cause of the high heart rate I've been experiencing. So, I am now scheduled for another surgical procedure tomorrow, which is relatively routine and minor (compared to my transplant!), but which requires general anesthesia and is still serious business. In this procedure, the surgeon will make a "pericardial window" (a small squarish opening) in the pericardium (sac around the heart), will drain the fluid with a chest tube, which requires me to be admitted to the hospital for at least a few days. The aim is to allow the window to stay open so as to give the heart and the sac time without fluid between them to "meet" and connect. I like to think this is kind of similar to the amazing words Mr. Barack Hussein Obama spoke this evening in his amazing, kick butt, historic acceptance speech (we all have commonality, can "meet"/agree on some level if not on all levels)!!! Can't resist, sorry!

Anyway, if more fluid keeps coming before the "meeting" occurs, it will drain into the area around the right or left lung (depending on which side of my chest they do this procedure on), which is very able to absorb fluid (unlike the pericardial lining). Once the fluid is gone and the sac and heart can meet and fit together, I hopefully won't have this effusion problem again.

As we joked earlier, I have to keep up my good record of spending every holiday weekend this summer in the hospital!!! Mem. Day was Cath, Diagnosis, Transplant evaluation; July 4th weekend was the pneumothorax, and Labor Day is pericardial window!!! But, I aim to be out by early-mid next week and should resume normal activities and have a quick recovery.

SO, please send me your prayers tomorrow and over the next few days. Please also send Pete and our boys lots of love and support if you can.

Here are a few more tidbits I wrote earlier but will keep in this as less relevant but the goings on of our lives, nonetheless!

-- I am now cleared for driving and "other activities." Lifting is a gradual process, so while I have picked up Liam a few times, I still need to be careful and work up to his weight. I am doing well in cardiac rehab, going about 20 min. on the treadmill at a slight grade and 20 min. on the bike as well, and using arm and leg weights, which is funny since I have never lifted before. I have taken a few short walks around home, on the trail behind us and to the "dog pond" with Maggie. It is nice to get outside as the temps cool down a bit. I celebrated my 39th birthday and my 1st with the new heart on August 13th! It was a wonderful, mellow day, and I so appreciated just being alive and well, at home with my family! We had a picnic at the park down the street with the Wiczek family - it was just great. I must say that I have a whole new attitude about my birthday -like most things, I suppose, it is what you make of it, and there is no need for me to ever bemoan getting old. Each year of life I can celebrate is such a gift! And thanks to all of you who called, emailed, sent real cards, or just thought of me and sent good energy!!

I/we received a really fabulous gift on the Friday after my bday of LOBSTER from Maine! My brother and his family sent 8 live lobsters to us, which we boiled and ate with glee (and lots of melted butter!). We shared the evening with fellow East Coasters Katherine and Roger and Beth and Brian, and yes, I ate more than anyone else! (Yes, I had to clear the event with my doctors - they said a small gathering was okay!) We even had a bit leftover so Pete and I ate lobster rolls the next night too. What a wonderful yummy, delicious treat. We HUGELY thank Christopher, Christina, Noah, Wylie, and Homer.

A big transition of late is the departure of our beloved Allie back to college at Lake Forest in Chicago. We all miss her so much! I even added a texting plan to my cell phone and plan on getting proficient at texting to we can communicate more easily! (Yes, I am finally joining the 21st century, but you still won't find me on Facebook.) We miss her whole family too, since we no longer get the daily updates on Bob, Patty, Nate, Sophie, Hannah, and Abbey. But, one of the gals will hopefully babysit soon, so we'll be sure to stay in touch!

Thanks to you all for your love and support. Have a wonderful long Labor Day weekend and enjoy the last days of SUMMER!!! Wish I could be at that Labor Day BBQ/picnic with you all!
Lots of love,
Emily, Pete, Mason, Liam, and Maggie too

P.S. Got the great news tonight of the excellent biopsy results from my biopsy this morning -- no rejection! YEAH! Another glimmer of sunshine before the tough day ahead tomorrow!
Also, I can reduce my prograf med a bit because the blood test showed it too high - so hopefully those hand tremors I've been experiencing the last two weeks will subside a bit (for those of you who don't see me regularly, the tremors are weird! For those of you who do, you'll know what I am talking about!).