Mama Mia (Bonnie's update)

Ooh, it's been a while...but considering the fact that I have written in my old-fashioned journal on a semi-annual to annual basis for the past several years, I'm still doing alright.

Although Father's Day just passed, this blog entry is about my mom (a.k.a. St. Bonnie...if you know her you know what I'm talking about). Some family and friends want an update on her without bothering her to find out and I've been wanting to write for family history sake, too.

My mom had open heart surgery on May 22 to replace a leaky valve with the valve of a pig. Ironic, wouldn't you say? The animal that can potentially kill our heart, can also save it? My creative little sis, Liz wrote a poem for my Mom along with a poster full of pig pictures when she went into the hospital:

This little piggy went to market

This little piggy went home

This little piggy had roast beef

This little piggy had none.

And this little piggy helped save Bonnie's heart

And she cried "wee wee wee" all the way home.

Thank you little piggy!

To our relief, the surgery went well. The next step was to see if her heart would start beating on its own or if she would need a pacemaker installed (I'm sure there's a better verb that doesn't make it sound like she's a car...feel free to throw them my way, you English gurus.) Each morning, the medical staff would take her off the machines that were keeping her heart beating to see if her heart would start ticking. I don't know what it feels like to have your heart drop to 20-something beats per minute but my mom does. She had to go through it four days in a row and she said it's horrible (and she's no whiner!). The doctor said that they would try it one more time and if her heart didn't start beating on the fifth day, that she would need a pacemaker to keep her heart pumping. Alas, her heart kicked in on the fifth day and we of course were all relieved and happy.

She was switched out of the I.C.U. and given the option to leave in the next day or two. Thankfully, she chose to stay in the hospital a little longer because her heart stopped while she was there. She blacked out and fell on the floor, breaking her nose. She still had a temporary pacemaker (called a "pacer" I think) which got her heart going again. The little miracle among the chaos was that my dad (who usually went home around 6:00) had stayed late to watch "Moulin Rouge" with my mom (sweet, huh?) so he was there to get the doctor/nurses in there A.S.A.P. Apparently there was a tiny "blip" (for lack of a better medical term) on her heart monitor but the nurse didn't think there was a problem. So had my dad not been there, who knows how long it would have been before someone came to check on her. I don't think it was a coincidence that my mom chose to stay a bit longer in the hospital and that my dad was there during this "incident." Despite the broken nose and scary situation, I feel like God protected her that night. On a side note, my mom DID get a pacemaker and I've since gotten over my thought that they were only for "The Greatest Generation" if you know what I mean.

My mom went home after ten days or so in the hospital. She had a relatively normal recovery up until a week or so ago when she choked on some water. She has been in quite a bit of pain since then. When I went to my parent's house on Sunday (Father's Day) I got really worried about my mom. I kept feeling like she couldn't get a good, deep breath and she winced with pain when she tried. I asked Bjorn and my dad to give her a blessing which seemed to help. I also told her (along with my other two worry-wart sisters) that she needed to go to the doctor. If you know my mom, she's a tough woman, and if you know her primary caregiver (my dad) he's even tougher (when it comes to enduring physical pain) so they were both thinking this is just a low point in the recovery process.

For all you Anne of Green Gables fans (my mom being a big one), taking Elise to her checkup on Monday was simply "providential." My kids' pediatrician, Cynthia (who also happens to be married to my mom's cousin) asked how my mom was. My parents taught me not to lie ;) so I told her my thoughts about the day before and she immediately whipped out her cell phone and sweetly reprimanded my mom, telling her she should go to the doctor. Well, where three nosy daughters were not successful, a physician was (thanks again, Cynthia!) My mom went in today (Tuesday) and she had water on her lungs. They are draining the fluid even as I write this blog...so for those of you who know my mom and for those who don't...I unabashedly ask you to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. The world is a better place with her in it. I'll post updates from here on out until she's back to her old (figuratively speaking, of course) self.