Whew! What a day! I've done more today than in the past 3 weeks-combined!
We needed groceries this morning, so I decided to go with Nick to the store. I've got to tell you, not eating processed foods means you've got to go to the store ALL THE TIME. I'm sure my Seattle organic granola loving friends know this, but it may be news to my Texas meat eatin' junk food appreciatin' friends. But we got a bunch of good stuff, and the trip was successful.
Then we headed to the doctors appointment. They checked Sparky, and he is in just the right spot and the incision site is healing perfectly. The other cool thing is the doctor gave us a tour of Sparky, via an X-Ray. He even emailed the Xray to me, so check it out below!
A few key items of interest:
1. The battery is about the same strength as a watch battery. If it needs to go off, the battery sends a signal to the converter in the defibulator and they work together to make a charge big enough to restart my heart. The whole process takes less than 6 seconds. 10 years ago it would have taken at least 30 seconds, so I'll take it!
2. The defibulator casing sits right above the heart and there is a wire that goes above it, around it, and then goes right inside the heart, down to the bottom. If it goes off, the charge will go between the top and bottom of my heart (like in Grey's Anantomy when they use those little paddles to shock the heart when a surgery goes bad- which has been happening more and more lately, but I digress).
3. The wire that is in my heart stays in place due to (this is wild) a SCREW. Yep, I have a little tiny titanium screw in my heart, at the end of a titanium wire. Because of me, a golfer somewhere is one club short.
Anyway, after the tour, we talked to my doctor, and all is well for now. We will be ramping up my meds over the next few months, and then we will redo all my tests in 6 months to see if my heart has gotten any smaller or if my ejection fraction (the percentage of blood my heart can pump) has improved. Hope, hope, hope!
I can start doing cardiac rehab soon (monitored excercise with old people). And I can also go back to work soon, but I haven't quite figured out exactly when. They say I'm not allowed to get stressed, and this is a pretty stressful time at work, so I'll have to figure that one out. But all in all, a great doctor visit!
Then after the doc, we went to see 2012. I won't spoil it for anyone, because I want you all to go see it! It was great. : ) The only thing I'll say is if I'm ever in a massive disaster with a city crumbling around me, I want to be driving a limo. There, that's all I'll say! : )
Ok, I'm thoroughly beat from this day'o'adventure, so I'm hitting the hay.
Good night all!
Love,
Jana
Oh, and PS, the low sodium Mac'N'Cheese my sweet friend Errin made for me the other night was slammin!! The others didn't even need to add much salt and they loved it too! Thanks Errin! You rock!
Rhetta Farrill
Woo that looks scary! Mom says she wants to print all these updates out... i think she is gonna make a scrapbook.... knowng mom it will take a few monthes but she will eventually make it :)
Eric Hyland
Just don't use a blue tooth headset. That would make you more machine then human :)
Athena Sears
coool! it's robo jana!
Mandy Morrelli Young
Eric - LOL.
That's awesome! Glad you got to get out of the house today and you liked the movie. You'll totally kick butt against the old peeps in exercise class.
Joyce Morrelli
You and your heart are amazing.
Gaye Morrelli
Pete says he has some titanium clubs you can have any time you want or need them! Just so so glad U are doing so well! So you want to drive a limo in case of a disaster, eh??? Hmmmm I'll keep that in mind! Love U more than a low sodium, well balanced gourmet meal that somebody else has prepared!! xoxgayxox
Michael Morrelli
It's great to hear you are moving forward in fast forward mode. Take it easy on the crew in cardiac rehab. They are NOT all old. I'm under 60 and still ticking! Joking aside, it helped me a lot after my surgery. Take it easy and work up to your optimum.
Luis Cheng-Guajardo
Good news Jana: if you're going to have to do cardiac rehab with older folk, then I think that entitles you and Nick to buy a Wii Fit! Also, nobody else has commented on this, but I would just like to say that your ribs are extremely well aligned.
Jana Farrill Morrelli
Luis, thank you! I was thinking that too! But I didn't say anything-didn't want to sounds conceited. ;) Then again, I may have just misspelled conceited, which would really bring me down a peg.
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