In surgery now She went back about 45 minutes ago. Surgery should take 3-4 hours possibly longer. The intake nurse had a hard time getting an IV in place. This is nothing uncommon to us. Amanda is one that most nurses dread when it comes to IVs. Her veins like to show up then hide…

Amanda’s surgery will be to repair her tricuspid valve. This valve is in the right side of the heart and separates the right atrium and the right ventricle. The valve keeps blood from flowing back into the right atrium. Amanda’s valve has what they call severe regurgitation. This is where the valve doesn’t close completely…

Amanda’s surgeon, Dr Lamelas, from Miami, is a recent addition to the Texas Heart Institute at St Luke’s/Baylor in Houston. Newly added as the chief of cardiac surgery. He has pioneered minimally invasive valve repair surgery techniques. We met this surgeon for the first time today. All of the consult was done by phone and…

Early tomorrow morning my better half Amanda, emphasis on better, will be having a major heart surgery. Those of you that know us well, know this has been a long road, just over 10 years now. We stopped counting surgeries and procedures at 40 a while back. Though we don’t fully understand why we have…

Amanda was diagnosed with a heart condition 13 years ago. Throughout the years she has had three new heart valves, four open heart surgeries, five ablations, and six pacemakers, with a grand total of over 50+ heart related surgeries and procedures. Her native heart has reached the end of its serviceable life and doctors are…