We're Here!

We arrived in Burbank on Friday, the 2nd, safe and sound at our Grandma's. She was very happy to see us and couldn't wait for us to give her "sugars" and hugs as we walked up the front stairs to her doorway. We first unloaded the birdies and got them situated, and then Garrett, Mom, and Megan unloaded the rest of the luggage in the Land Cruiser while Dad took the Saturn to pick up garlic bread at the Smokehouse (Megan's birthday request) to go along with dinner that night. When Dad got back, we all sat down to have dinner. Dinner included the Smokehouse garlic bread, chicken Caesar salad, and sparkling cranberry juice from Trader Joes. ;)

After dinner Grandma disappeared into the adjoining kitchen and slipped into the laundry/pantry room and told Megan not to come in (Grandma sounded a bit mischievous when she said that). After Grandma walked into the laundry room, Mom came back in from the kitchen and cleared the table. A few minutes later, when Grandma saw that everything was the way she wanted, she walked into the dining room and presented Megan a cake. Everyone sang and Megan blew out the candles. Mom served everyone a piece of cake and all was well after that. :)

Later that night everyone got dressed into their PJ's and sat down to watch a movie together. Everyone was happy to relax after a long day and couldn't wait to go to sleep after the movie.

The only thing that took place on Saturday, that's worth mentioning to you all, were some garage sales. Aunt Debbie (Mom's oldest sister) and Richard (Aunt Debbie's oldest son) joined up with Grandma, Mom and Megan, and piled themselves into the Land Cruiser to start the hunt. After the garage sales, everyone went back to their own homes, and we just did miscellaneous odd jobs the rest of the day.

Sunday was fun for us. We went to our Mom's friend's church in Eagle Rock, met some neat people there, and then after that, the four of us ate lunch together and headed up the hill to the mall where Megan spent some of her birthday money on some things she wanted. After a nice family outing, we went home and spent time with Grandma for the rest of the day.

Monday didn't hold too much for us. Mom, Grandma, and Megan went on some errands, and then went to the mall (again!) to "hang out" for a bit and get Grandma some time with her girls. While we were in the mall, Grandma bought Megan a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. The people at Dairy Queen think it's fun to hold your ice cream upside down as they watch panic sweep across your face! After taking a quick detour to Barnes & Noble on our way down the hill from the mall, we went home. Later in the evening, after dinner, we all gathered around the dining room table in our PJ's and played a couple card games with Grandma.

Tuesday morning Mom, Aunt Debbie, and Grandma went to the Pre-Op consultation. I've asked Mom to update you on the details of that appointment:

Yesterday we (Maureen, Debbie and Mom) went to the Pre-Op appointment in Hollywood, California. (Kaiser) My younger sister has sick family members and her presence would present a risk of infection/virus which would not be good. We left at 9:00 and didn’t get home until after 5:00! This was due to an unexpected extended part of the appointment. They ordered 2 pints of blood for my mom for the surgery in case of blood transfusion, so my sister and I donated a pint each at the end of the day. This was the first time I ever gave blood (I was told I couldn’t because of my thyroid disease but they now discard the plasma and keep the rest) and didn’t realize the weakness it could make you feel afterward. However, if she needs blood, we are happy to know it will be coming from family.

Other details are as follows:

• The surgery is set for this coming Monday, the 12^th (she arrives at 5:00 a.m.) and will last from 3-5 hours.
• She will receive a pig valve, which should last up to 15 years. The other choice, the mechanical valve, presents problems with blood clotting properties if she should have other health problems afterward that requires thicker blood to heal. The reason is because she would have to be on blood thinner 24/7 for the rest of her life. This is one reason we chose the pig valve. She will still need the blood thinners with this option, but they could be stopped temporarily for dental appointments and other procedures that depend on the blood clotting quickly.
• This surgery has an 90%-95% success rate. That 5%-10% chance of not making it through is making my mom extremely anxious as you might guess. During this surgery, there is a chance they will perform an additional procedure that could help regulate her irregular heartbeat that she has been suffering from for over 15 years. It has a 50% chance of working and would keep her on the machines another 20 minutes during surgery. When asked if we wanted them to perform this procedure, we had no clue as to what to decide. Finally the doctor suggested that we let them make the decision once she is done with the initial valve replacement segment, which could last 3 or more hours. This way they will determine if extra time on the machines poses too much of a risk. We feel at peace with this scenario.
• We had a choice between 3 surgeons. The Lord gave me grace to look squarely in the eye of the nurse practitioner and say “we want the best of the three. I am asking you heart to heart to give us the best since we have no way of knowing”. She responded well and assured us that two of the three are the best choice and the first choice does 2-3 surgeries per day and has an extremely high success rate. He has done hundreds of these surgeries and is the most active of the three. Please pray for his alertness that day.
• They are not too excited about her dependency on the cane since her chest will be cut open and will have trouble tolerating pressure when trying to walk after surgery. This presents the greatest healing challenge (besides the chance of infection) since she must begin to exercise as soon as possible. She will need someone to support her under her arms to help her walk because of this.
• Also, due to her diabetes, the concern of infection is high and your prayers are greatly appreciated on that front.
• We go back on Friday this week for many different tests (to check for infection in her body which would postpone the surgery) and admission and insurance issues. This appointment will also be up to 5 hours. Of course, on top of all of this, it is not too fun to be walking the streets of Hollywood. L There are many buildings to move between, causing us to walk Sunset Boulevard.

Please pray that the attempt to regulate her heart rate is miraculously successful if it is attempted. That she will make it through the surgery better than expected and will have a speedy recovery. Pray for her anxiousness leading up to the day and her yielding to the Lord during this time. We believe He is doing a special work in this family.

Thank you to all who are praying. We are humbled by the opportunity to serve our mother under such difficult times. We plan on another update after the surgery on Monday, probably after the first 24 hours when she comes out of intensive care.

We appreciate any and all e-mails. We check them daily. We love having connections with our friends during this time. We hope all of you are doing well. We miss you! - Maureen

So there is a glimpse into our lives down in Burbank. Much is to follow! We'll update you again later! Thanks for reading ;)