Looking Relieved

This week my mother had surgery. Although she is older, she is also in pretty good health for being 85 years old. Still it was concerning. When I first heard that she needed to have a heart surgery I was rather worried (on the order of hand wringing and teeth gritting). Being so far away is difficult when these things come up. After several doctor visits and consultations with the surgeons (and all the tests), it was decided that she was eligible for a less invasive procedure, the problem was most likely just the aortic valve (instead of all three valves), and the surgery should be quick with a lightening fast recovery.

The surgery was supposed to start at 10:30 AM but due to some delays she didn’t go back to the operating room until 3:00 PM. Of course I didn’t know that since I was in a meeting for 5 hours in the basement of a new campus building. I think if there were a tornado or apocalypse I’d want to be in that basement. It was impenetrable! So as I had breaks in my meeting I’d send text messages inquiring on her status. Sadly they didn’t go through – until the end of the day as I emerged from the lower level – then all the texts came flooding to my phone and all mine went winging through the ether.

The angst of the long wait and the longer prep time dissipated when she came out of surgery. She came through with flying colors. When in recovery she was very talkative and was very lucid. The surgeon said she can likely go home in 2 days. He also stated that she didn’t have a stroke or need a pacemaker! So that is really great news. The doctors believe she will be back to her normal activity in a week or less. This is very good news. Even better news is that the new aortic valve is functioning perfectly and all her other heart valves are working normally. I’m feeling relieved.