With my medical history of heart problems, we had to take all the precautions. At the beginning of 2013, we had the serious "baby talk". Husband thought it was best for me get the old ticker checked before we went further with any decisions.
Because I wanted to get the ball rolling, I did what I agreed to. Met with the cardiologist and he said things looked great, and gave me the go to get pregnant! He also wanted me to get a second opinion from a congenital cardiologist who specializes in caring for adults who were born with heart defects...so I went with it.
It was probably somewhere between March/April before I was able to get in with the congenital cardiologist. At this point, the ball is barely moving. I tried to convince the hubs that things were fine, but he insisted to be absolutely positive.
Doctors appointment finally arrived and I was there for 5 hours! Of course I didn't think anything was wrong. A normal check up appt for me normally took 2-2 1/2 hours. This one just required a lot of waiting. After running the normal tests I typically did, doctor came back in to give me the test results...
I was not ready for what was to come. She said that I was not getting enough oxygen throughout my body and that the leakage I had in my heart that was fully repaired 15 years ago, had more leakage to it.
....Then it clicked...
Everything came together. Even though I was living fit for the last few years weight lifting and daily cardio, I was experiencing fatigue everyday. Anyway, long story short...the decision was made to go through with the surgery. This time, it was different. The only way to repair the heart valve EVER in history was through open heart surgery. Doctors told me that it was a great thing I was active and worked out normally. With today's technology, I was able to replace the valve through catheter. Even though this procedure is fairly new (only 3 years practiced in the US), we thought that we'd give it a try. Surgery scheduled for July. Things were moving so fast I couldn't even process it all. Not every person can qualify for the surgery. When do you know you are qualified for the surgery, you might ask?...when you're PASSED OUT on the surgical table! They have this special equipment that will determine how much room you have between the two arteries in your heart. Of course I had to make the call and sign a booklet of papers to ok the procedure if things looked well. This was the first time I would go under without having both my mom and dad there.
IT.WAS.SCARY.
Although they couldn't be here in Texas, I had the hubbs and my mother in law by my side. Surgery went well and they were able to do it ALL. I was discharged from the hospital the next day (the upside to having this procedure done). Upon the discharge, the surgeon and cardiologist gave me the green light to start the baby making sesh after 4 weeks...
Too soon, don't you think?
Well, we decided to do a little more waiting. We didn't know how long we'd wait, but now that we have passed the little/big bump on the road, we knew the biggest and hardest thing was out of the way.
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