Would you like fries with that?

We cleared our discharge ECHO and it looks great! We are still looking at a post-op gradient of close to ZERO in that left ventricular outflow track (that number that was around 97 and expected to get as good as perhaps 15-20). Now we are just waiting for her INR (International Normalized Ratio measuring the effectiveness of anticoagulation medication Coumadin/Warfarin) to get high enough (thinning her blood out once again) for discharge.  This can take days, but we are hoping for a big jump in the morning from 1.2 today. In plain English, the bottom line is that as soon as that INR lands between 2.5 and 3.5, we can be discharged!

This current hospitalization seems like drive-thru pediatric cardiac surgery to me. I am waiting for the nurses to offer me french fries when they bring other things to the room. Okay, maybe tater tots. They don't have french fries on the hospital menu here in any way. And they totally hold the ketchup captive in the cafeteria as well.  Even when you remember to ask for ketchup on a tray, you only get 1 packet. But I digress. The typical pediatric cardiac surgery experience is really less than or about equal to 7 days. This is still so hard for me to believe. Our need for the heparin bridge due to Bernie's mechanical valve keeps us here a little longer, but still! This is typically a very doable hospital stay!

Many of you are probably wondering: Is this it for Bernie? Is she done now with having heart surgeries? That answer would be no. At best, she is up for at least one more heart surgery when she is a teenager. It will likely be the need to replace her mitral valve once again that will drive the scheduling of the next surgery. When she was 9 months old, a 16 millimeter Carbomedics valve was shoe-horned into her tiny heart. It's still working well, but will need to be replaced to get her through adulthood. At the time of her 3rd surgery in 2008, they only made adult valves, but in recent years smaller pediatric valves are being produced.  As you could imagine, there is only a very limited portion of the population that utilizes this technology, but I am glad to know this is more of an option for small people.

Enjoy some pics from today.  My lovely Black River friends feeding me and keeping me company this past week are all going to heaven. Thanks for the cards, goodies, and love from those of you afar.