Margaret 's Journal

I was able to come home today at 1pm after all the morning tests came back perfect. Last night when I got up to the bathroom the chest tube "hole" leaked all over the place - my gown, the bed, the floor- but my angel nurse Tracy reassured me it was not an unusual thing to happen. She got me cleaned up and patched up in no time - John must have been exhausted because he never woke up through it all. I'm surprised that I have no appetite and nothing tastes good. I was reassured that was a common thing with heart surgery, and it might last as long as a month. The only pain I have is when I do my deep breathing - it feels like my heart and right lung are bruised and sore. Looking forward to my own bed tonight. :)

Dr. Balkhy was able to repair the valve!! Surgery was routine, no complications. All the tubes and drains were pulled today and I've taken 3 short walks. I've been very sleepy, and I find myself dozing off a lot. The pain in my chest is manageable, and 50% less than last night. Might go home tomorrow afternoon! So glad I was able to have the robotic surgery! What a blessing! This hospital and the nurses I've had have been amazing - really caring and attentive every step of the way. Thanks for all your prayers!

Had a relaxing day and talked to all the kids and good friends. Treated myself to a deluxe pedicure. My husband said "they aren't working on your toes." LOL Our 3 year old granddaughter, Sofia, who lives with us, gave me a huge good-night hug and lots of kisses, which I cherish. Going to use the antiseptic wipes now as instructed. I set the alarm for 3am even though I know I won't sleep. We have to be at the University of Chicago at 0530. I can't believe that this time tomorrow night surgery will be a thing in the past and I'll be able to plan my new adventures. I'm so thankful for all your thoughts and prayers!

Hello everyone! Glad I found this amazing place to share my story and find support. I'm 62, in excellent health, very physically active and have no real health history. So when I started experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath last January, I thought I needed to step up the exercise routine. A routine physical found the heart murmur and it was pretty bad - you could only hear the "whoosh" and not 2 beats. So I reluctantly saw a cardiologist who within 5 minutes patted me on the head and said "you need surgery, my dear." Being a nurse for 35 years, of course I had to do my own research! I became resigned to the fact that he was right, and that I needed repair of my mitral valve. I then started the search for the "right" surgeon and hospital. I was initially totally against robotic surgery because I thought unless a surgeons hands were touching my heart, he couldn't possibly do a very good job. When I first met Dr. Balkhy I was candid and told him I really could not wrap my head around a robot manipulating my heart. He looked at me, smiled, and said, "you know, I get one of you every year." LOL He then proceeded to spend an hour with my husband and I explaining the surgery, detailing his qualifications and answering my many questions. So here we are, all systems go for a successful mitral valve repair on Monday morning. This should be fun! I hope to be able to post something by Monday evening. (But it may not be pretty! LOL ) God Bless!!