Heart Health and Me

It's been quite a while since I last posted, and to be honest, I haven't missed it.  My life has been a deluge of sorts, with heart health issues.  Luckily, there are doctors and nurses with amazing healing skills for those in my family who have been struck by different heart issues.

First off, on May 11, 2010, my father-in-law went in for bypass surgery, and ended up with a quadruple bypass.  We consider this an amazing miracle, because he could have had a massive heart attack at anytime.  He followed promptings to see his doctor, and now he is on the road to better heart health.

As we are all trying to do better, this is a quick layout I did of our after dinner walk, a healthy tradition we will all endeavor to adopt.  Grandpa Clawson is out in his bathrobe, and his hat of course, but he is slowly making his recovery.  While he made it just a couple of houses down before turning back home, the rest of us took a longer stroll and had a delightful time.  Of course, the kiddos and their crazy energy took off and ran most of the way.

While Dan's dad has been recovering and relapsing, and recovering again, we have had more drama in our life.  My dad called last week to inform me that my mother was in the hospital with chest pain.  After taking a couple of days of tests, we found out that two of her heart valves are damaged and open heart surgery was her only option.  First it was thought she would be able to wait until the end of June for repair, but truth be told, it was worse than anyone thought.  Today I'm blogging from the waiting room while my mother is in surgery at this moment.  They hope to repair the valves, but if not, they will be replaced.  Either scenario would be acceptable, as long as she begins to heal, we will be happy.  I'm thrilled that both my brothers are here with me as we keep my dad company.  All together.  It made my mom cry, and all of us became misty eyed as we realized the enormity of the situation.  It has been wonderful to be together during this difficult time.

While we tried to keep the mood light, and I did need a few pictures to document the process, because one never knows when they will be valuable, it was a tense time.  We joked and laughed, reminisced and loved.  I don't know if Mom will remember any of it when it is all said and done, but it was nice.

The sun is out today, so I know that things will turn out fine.  We have a fantastic doctor, great nurses, and a great hospital.  More things to come!!