November 05, 2003
Bypass and Aortic Surgery Today on My Mom; She's O.K.!
My mother, Christine Bridgid Sullivan Lima, today underwent a successful but quite lengthy open heart bypass and aortic surgery.
Below is a link to a useful page of information about the facility and the skilled team:
The Open Heart Surgery Team of Cape Cod Hospital
(and the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School)
I've posted (below) the e-mail I just sent out to family and friends.
Hello again, all - (my e-mail to family and friends)
Ken L. just telephoned after a long day at the hospital (thank, you, Ken!) -- the word is that Mom's operation went well, but was more involved than anticipated.
Seven hours long, as they discovered in the early going that in the process of doing the triple-bypass, they would actually need to replace the aorta, with an artificial pipe, as it would be under too much stress or pressure, in the condition it was in, and required replacement.
Fortunately, the staff at this hospital unit, as you've all heard and know by now, is really among the very best, coming from training and well over 1,000 similar operations at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital.
Here are a couple of web pages with more information about the facility and staff. The first link has a depiction of the operating room and pictures and bios of the doctors and nurses.
1) The Open Heart Surgery Team: A Closer Look
2) Cape Cod Healthcare Magazine "Currents" - Cardiac Continuum Update issue (includes page in link # 1 above).
Chris is still "under," and will undoubtedly just rest through the night. Ken's back for a 9:00 A.M. meeting tomorrow with medical staff, and to see Chris. Ken met today with all the senior staff, and as he put it, "These people are very impressive, really, the best!"
Ken also related that he was there, holding Mom's hand, and she looked well, her hand felt warm, and she was doing very well. (We learned that they actually lower the body temperature by some 17 degrees in performing the operation; somehow facilitates the work they do and is the best thing for the procedure. Pretty amazing science and medicine.)
Mom is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and it looks like will be remaining in there (owing mostly to the size of the hospital not having other room to shift her to, or something along these lines). At any rate, the ICU does not permit sending flowers, so, no flowers, please (!) :^)
Cards are welcome. The hospital is at:
Christine Lima (patient)
c/o Cape Cod Hospital
27 Park Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
(508) 771-1800
Hard to say just how long she'll be there, but may well be middle of next week. We'll keep you posted!
Best wishes, all.
Thank you for your good wishes and prayers for Christine.
Love,
William
Nov. 6 (from Kathy)
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Hello all:
I spoke to Mom's nurse last evening (Wed.) after 9 p.m., just to find out about visiting and stuff and she said they were just taking mom off the anesthesia and hoped to remove the tube from her mouth (I believe it was the respirator) some time during last evening. The nurse, Jan, said they'd have mom up and walking today!!!
Jan was a nurse as Mass General and said 10 years ago they kept patients like mom asleep and on a respirator for 3 days. Today they're waking them after just hours and then starting them with movement. Apparently the procedure to get the vein from the leg 10 years ago was very invasive and some said the worst thing about the entire operation. Marybeth recalled Uncle jimmy having more pain from the leg too. At any rate, now it's laproscopic and pretty much means little to no pain for the patient.
Jan said mom should be ready for visitors as soon as today but to call first just to be sure the respirator tube had been removed...this is mostly because mom would feel more comfortable talking without a tube in her mouth. I plan to go tomorrow (Friday) while the kids are in school, and will let you all know how she's doing. I'll call Ken to let him know to expect me, even if for a brief visit.
Well, let's keep the prayers and positive karma going Mom's way!!
Love to you all.
--Kathy
Nov. 6, (From cousin Neil Mara)
---------------------------------
My parents forwarded Kathy's e-mail to the family concerning Aunt Christine's
(I just like saying that- to you she's Mom, to us she's still Aunt Christine, even though we're all middle aged ourselves)
successful operation.
Medical technology never ceases to amaze me. She
has been in our prayers, and we will pull for a speedy recovery. There are worse places to recuperate than Cape Cod!
I hope all else is well with the family- had a great time with Brendan at the Eagles/Patriots
game in Philly- unfortunately, Boston trips have been utterly removed from our schedule due to the arrival of Jack. Hopefully soon... please extend Karen, Jack, and my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Aunt Christine (still funny the second time) when you see her.
Neil
Posted by: Neil Mara at November 6, 2003 11:13 AMNov. 6, Thurs. (from Ken Lima)
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William:
I have just returned from the hospital. There was a meeting of the team that has been assigned to care for Chris. There were about 8 or 9 people there, and they certainly cover every possible happening. Chris was awake, and alert, but hasn't been up yet. They expect that later today they will sit her up, at least, with her feet over the edge of the bed. She still has some pain but they
give her a pill so she can rest.
I am very relieved. She had a major operation, but she will be ok with some tlc for the next few weeks. If you want to pass this word. It's all I have for now.
Thanks for all your help.
Love, Ken & Chris
Monday, Nov. 10 (from Kathy)
Hello all:
I visited my mom on Friday and was thrilled with how she looked. I'd been told she'd look like a truck hit her, and while she was tired and certainly looked as though she was recovering from major surgery, she had good color to her skin and a very positive attitude. The rehab specialist worked with her on getting out of bed and some exercises, then in came the occupational therapist, and then Mom and I were able to
visit while she had some lunch. Afterwards, as I was leaving, they were preparing to remove the drainage and other tubes from her chest incision, so progress all around.
She's under wonderful care, with one nurse assigned to care only for mom during her shift, so lots of attention.
Over the weekend she apparently suffered some setback from a pre-existing arrhythmia, but I spoke to her again on Sunday and she seemed fine. As many have told us, it's one day at a time and sometimes a step or two forward and a step or two back.
Her medical team was discussing discharging mom from the hospital's ICU to a local rehab center, as they won't send her home until she can move around the house -- from the bed, chair, or shower -- independently.
That's a relief for Ken, who now knows his "patient" will need somewhat less intensive care than he or anyone else is reasonably able to
provide! They'll do fine together and I'm grateful that Erin, William, and I are close enough, as are Ken's kids, to step in and lend a helping hand.
Now, to update some who may have missed earlier e-mails: My mom underwent triple by-pass surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at Cape Cod Hospital. In addition, upon examining her heart on the table, the surgeons decided to also replace a section of the aorta. She was seven hours in the OR, but fortunately at the hands of some of Boston's
finest, who travel to the Cape from Brigham & Women's to run a cardiac unit for all those retirees along Cape Cod's famous shores.
Amazingly, Mom's medical team had her UP and OUT OF BED the following day, and each day she continues to regain strength and courage.
Thanks, all, for your prayers and kind words via e-mail and cards to mom.
--Kathy
Posted by: Kathleen Beaulieu at November 14, 2003 10:47 PMWed., Nov. 12 (from Erin)
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First, thanks to everyone who has sent cards, emailed, called and otherwise expressed concern for my Mom. It is really appreciated by all.
I visited her yesterday, Tuesday, and thought she looked younger! She said to be sure to tell everyone that. The nurse says it's because
blood is flowing to places that it wasn't before, or at least flowing more easily.
One of the two surgeons who operated on my Mom was gracious enough to grab the model of the heart that they have in the center, and show us
exactly what they did in the procedure. He even showed us a sample of the material that is now in place of part of Mom's aorta. Amazing! It
looks like a corrugated tube of cotton, but it's Dacron. The corrugations are like rings circling the tube, and make it very flexible. The piece is about ¾" in diameter. The people there really
are wonderful.
I brought my Mom some massage oil and I massaged her scalp, neck, hands and feet. She said that nstead of sending meals people should come and massage her feet! So book your appointment now. :-)
I also brought her the most huggable giant teddy bear. He has already made friends with all the nurses. Mom has decided to name him Rizzo,
after the other surgeon, Dr. Rizzo.
I spoke with Ken tonight and he said that she has left the hospital and is now in a rehabilitation center, and probably will be "for a while",
whatever that means. Also that Aunt Kay and Mary Beth (sister and niece) visited today, so that was nice to hear. She had a tiring day,
what with the move to the new place, but I'm sure it will be good for her. For one thing, she'll have a roommate. I'm sure this person will
become another lifelong friend, like so many of you are.
As for Ken, Chris is the patient, but Ken is really bearing the brunt of this whole thing! Apparently he goes every morning to the hospital to be there to listen and ask questions at the daily meeting of all the staff. Then he usually visits again in the afternoon. Yesterday he was
off the hook for visiting the hospital, but I stuck him with watching my kids! That after spending all morning dealing with leaves. I treated him to dinner at Wimpy's, local safood restaurant, and when he offered to pay I said, "Ken, if you weren't in our lives, where would we be? This is the least I can do." He saw my logic and gave in, and told me that many of the family have said kind words to him lately, and it means
a lot to him.
So thanks again for all your concern and kind gestures.
New contact information: The Pavilion
876 Falmouth Rd.
Hyannis, MA 02601 508-790-9214 X 2182
Erin Reilly, Architect
Friday, Nov. 14th (from William)
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A little news from my visit today (Fri. 11/14) to Mom & Ken at home in Osterville.
(see bottom of this e-mail re: http://snipurl.com/christine )
Christine's release to go home from the rehabilitation center was approved for this morning, which made her very happy -- she was _quite_ pleased, relieved, and just plain feeling good at finally lying down in her own bed again, which I'm sure all can understand and appreciate, after some ten days away.
I arrived late morning, shortly before Ken got her home from the rehab center to the house, and even just coming up the three steps from the garage to the kitchen was a bit of slow going, as these were the first steps she'd had to encounter, but really she is getting around the whole house (single story; good) quite well.
Toughest moments are going from sitting on the bed to lying down, then of course reversing that to rise up again to sitting from lying. But standing up or sitting down Mom is able to do real well. They instruct you to "give yourself a hug" as you do most of these kinds of activities. She carries around a heart-shaped pillow decorated with pink roses (from the hospital), big enough for a two arm squeeze, that you hold and grasp, to remind yourself not to be trying to use your arms too much -- especially not both arms at once. So, while she's doing well, there is some getting used to the limitations at the moment (of course). But she's well.
Strong in voice and conversation too, which I was glad of, as in talking with her on the phone a bit the very first days was kind of tough.
We had lunch (soup, crackers, and a piece of a very nice Cape Cod "cranberry surprise" pie (from Pauline)), and a good afternoon's chat in the sunshine coming in their big glass window in the living room. Ken and I had brought up the upholstered glider rocking chair from the basement for Chris to sit comfortably in. She did look comfortable, which felt good.
While I was there Ken had a chance to scoot out and do a bit of grocery shopping and get a haircut -- good idea, since he'll be pretty taken up with Christine in the days to come!
I had left in the late afternoon by the time the Visiting Nurse Association nurse came to the house, a man named Jerry. So we'll have to find out more from Chris and Ken about how that went, how often he'll be coming over, and what kind of regimen he'll have Christine on, for movement, for diet, etc.
She does have quite a stock of medications, mostly for the next ten days or so. I don't know what the number of pills will look like after this initial set of meds that are principally aimed at helping the heart, a muscle, that has been "traumatized" as Mom related (from the doctors). Don't ask me to list out all those pharmaceutical names - it's Greek to me! (Hmmm. I just know there's a "Canada" joke in there somewhere...)
A couple of Osterville friends were over today as Chris got home, Arthur and Pauline. I really enjoyed our conversation, along with Ken, as Chris got a needed nap. These are good people, genuinely caring for Ken and Chris, and I know there are many more people close by her there on the Cape willing to come over and help out. It's gratifying.
You should see the stack of envelopes of cards - so many Mom hadn't even really had a good chance to go through them all well yet. But she will, and she will without question appreciate the thoughts and prayers of all of them. So thank you to all.
[ Aunt Peggy's (and Frank's) card wins for funniest (and best photo ;^) "Here is Doug, he's come to give you your medicine" (topless beefcake guy with stethoscope and "come hither" look for the camera). Open the card. "And here is Harold, he's come to give you your sponge bath." (old man t-shirt guy with horn rim glasses, stubble, and odd eyeball kinda look and crooked smile.) Peggy writes, "of course it was Frank who picked out this card..." :^)]
On the e-lectronic communications front, Ken has gotten about 1/3 of the way through "The Big Print Out" - so Chris can read up on all the e-mail coming her way too (without having to mess around with the PC itself). Again, all very much appreciated.
Christine will definitely have some time on her hands, so don't hesitate to drop a line!
5 Leona Lane
Osterville, Mass. 02655
(508) 428 2797
Limakc@aol.com
=== Mom on the Web ==========================
One electronic thing I've done beyond e-mail is to post a few of the e-mails from myself, from Ken, from Kathy and Erin to a web page (within my "web log").
You can get there two ways:
1) Easy (short)
http://snipurl.com/christine
2) Long (copy 'n paste, etc.) Full page address:
http://www.reilly2001.info/whim/archives//bypass_and_aortic_surgery_today_on_my_mom_shes_ok_2003-11-05.html
The 1st link (a "snipped URL" (URL is web link) It's a lot shorter) will just redirect you straight to the page (which is the long URL of the 2nd link).
>>>> And, if anyone feels like it, you can post a comment there yourself!
Don't be shy.(Go down to the bottom of the page)
=========================================
That's it for the moment.
I was glad to be there with her today. You should have seen her face when she lay down on that pillow, safe at home! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!
Love to all,
William