The wait continues

As the warm Yukon sun is shining on me and spring draws closer, I continue to wait. I called the surgeons office and found out that this should be the month I get surgery. I'm hoping to go next week, so any good vibes you can send would be appreciated! According the the BC waitlist site, median times for surgery are around 7-8 weeks. Again, I'm hoping I'm on the shorter end of the wait time.

Planning for recovery

So I understand that I'm supposed to be planning for recovery from surgery while waiting for it to happen. So after surgery in Vancouver, back to Whitehorse. It is supposed to be 9-12 weeks for the initial stages and then 6 months in for a full recovery. People have told me that some can still feel the wires that rebind the chest together just under the skin...I'll just have to wait and see if I'll be able to do that. :-)

The nurse educator shared a story where someone (I'm willing to bet a Yukoner) had to return for surgery after chopping wood a scant 10 days out from surgery....don't worry, no worries on that score for me. I'll be taking it easy.

Waiting for surgery

Hi everyone and Happy Easter!

I've decided to post developments about my upcoming heart surgery on my blog so that everyone can keep track of what's happening.

In January, I went to the doctor because I was feeling tired and short of breath, and getting dizzy spells, especially when walking distances or climbing stairs.

In February, I found out that I needed to go to St. Paul's for an echocardiogram and consult with a cardiologist. At the end of the month it was discovered that I had severe mitral valve prolapse with severe regurgitation (Medicinenet.com MedlinePlus eMedicine.com Wikipedia CNN/MayoClinic) leading to congestive heart failure (MedlinePlus MayoClinic). I've been treated with medication until I can get surgery for my heart valve (Society of Thoracic Surgeons
MayoClinic). Because of my age and good health, I'm going in for open heart surgery to get my heart valve repaired or replaced.

I'm on medication to keep me going until I have surgery, which will happen as early as April or as late as May, and I will have about a week's notice so I can keep you posted. In the meantime, I'm waiting quietly at home, and resting a lot and taking it easy.

I would like to end by thanking family and friends for all their support over the last few weeks. The transition from being "healthy" to being "candidate for open heart surgery" has given me pause to think, and it has been a challenging time.

In any case, I am very optimistic about life after surgery, and very thankful that I got diagnosed and set up for medical treatment so quickly.

Updates will be posted here as they arrive.