Ben's Posts

Hi all, recovery for Kim is going well after a few hiccups that proved to be non-issues. Certain moments, she looks like her old self and you wouldn't know she had open heart surgery. Other times, she is super fatigued and in pain. The toughest part for me has been the mind-trip of the process. Going from healthy to life threatening to recovering is a whirlwind. I am exhausted and have feelings of guilt, happiness and anger. Even sometimes I get frustrated at her and feel really bad about it. I don't know, the whole thing is just difficult. I wish I could hold on to the "life is precious and don't sweat the small stuff" mantra that I felt in the hospital. Somehow, it changes so fast when you get in your own routine again.

It's 4:30am and I am waiting for Kim to wake up in the hospital. I woke up at 3:30 and knew that was it so I just drove to the hospital instead of waiting in bed till 5am. Surgery is at 7am and we feel good about everything. Kim has had excellent care the duration of her hospital stay and Dr. Goncalves and his team make us feel very comfortable. This all happened so fast and the only good thing is that we didn't have to countdown the surgery for weeks. I feel for those who do. I'll see you all on the other side! Best to all, Ben

Kim looks good today and is in good spirits. We had great visits with our children and her friends. She will be getting a TEE and angiogram tomorrow to better see the vegetation on her mitral valve. Surgery is penciled in for Friday so we are just hoping there is any chance they can repair the valve instead of replacing it. If not, then we just pray her condition and infection continues to improv until then and the surgery goes great. Thanks!!