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2007 - 4 - 20 - 30 = life

knightfan26917

By knightfan26917
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knightfan26917 Apprentice

knightfan26917

Posted
Posted

The following is part of what greeted friends/family in an Email sent about 8:15p (central) on January 6, 2003:

hello all:

i just arrived home from the hospital (children's memorial).

cort's surgery took approximately seven and a half hours by our estimation. he was told to arrive at children's memorial around six for surgery by seven thirty, but once we arrived we were told that nothing would begin until seven, and that surgery wouldn't begin until eight thirty. i believe they took him into the operating room around just before nine o'clock. we were updated about every two hours on his status, which was good with every update.

sometime between four and four thirty i think it was, the doctor came out to tell us that they were finished, and that it would take about another forty-five minutes to an hour to close up the opening. they replaced the artery. they also replaced the valve using a pig's valve instead of the human valve. there was another valve between the two heart chambers on the right side of the heart that was "leaking" that was also repaired. they did not have to perform the arrythmia procedure b/c cort's heart regulated itself. that would have added time to the procedure. the pacemaker was placed in his abdomin, and according to the doctor it is one of the best pacemaker's available. it can be programmed from outside his body, eliminating the need for further minor surgery to change the program if need be.

when we left (that is--cort's best friend, heather, my boyfriend, eric, and i) we had seen cort in the icu. since this is really the first surgery i have been fully aware of, seeing him in the icu may have seemed more extreme to me than it really was...he looked pale, but he was breathing well on the ventilator. he was under sedatives to keep him from moving, and pain killers. there were a lot of tubes running everywhere and you could see his heart beating in a sense...but the doctors and the nurses said he was doing well. mom and dad will be staying at the hospital until later this evening, but will be coming home to sleep in their own bed tonight if his condition remains in good status.

eric, heather, and i will be staying the night at home as well, and headed back to the hospital in the morning. the nurse told me that they would decide in the morning when to wake him up. the three of us should arrive home around four in the afternoon (tuesday) and that will be when i will send the next update unless his condition changes at all.

to sum it up, he is doing well, recovering in the icu. he is still on the ventilator and has a lot medication going through him to keep him from moving, and to help for pain he might have. they will most likely wake him up tomorrow, and go from there on taking him off the ventilator.

...

please excuse any gramatical and spelling errors as it has been a long day with not much rest from the night before...

God Bless,

Joylyn aka Cort's lil sis.

Hard to believe it has been 4 years since that Email was sent. A lot has changed (including Joy's boyfriend becoming her husband) ... some things have stayed the same.

In a couple months (March), it'll be 20 years since my second open heart surgery, which was 9 months before my then-best-friend died 2 days after Christmas of an asthma attack. And, later this year, it'll be 30 years since my first open heart surgery.

Thanks to (and despite) these anniversaries, life continues to be good :)! For 2007, I'll be planning a road trip or two and perhaps doing another radio show, among many other things ;). And, sometime this year, the pacemaker that was implanted 4 years ago will be replaced.

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"It almost seems like yesterday" ... Kenny Rogers ... '20 Years Ago'

Dsuupr Newbie

Dsuupr

Posted
Posted

Great story to hear, as I had my first open heart last year and am told to expect a couple more in my lifetime.

Thanks for sharing.

NOS2006 Newbie

NOS2006

Posted
Posted

Oh man, I first started reading that and I thought someone else was posting for you. I started getting sad.. I had to skip to oblu's post.

Good to see you're doing well though since your last surgery. :thumbsup:

knightfan26917 Apprentice

knightfan26917

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you all ... definitely appreciated :).

Great story to hear, as I had my first open heart last year and am told to expect a couple more in my lifetime.

That is true. If you don't mind me askin', how old are ya ... and what did you have done? Also, if you are interested, I could share some heart-related forums with you...just let me know :).

Oh man, I first started reading that and I thought someone else was posting for you. I started getting sad..

*chuckles*

Guess I should've made the year in that initial quote a bit more obvious, eh? Sorry, bud, didn't mean to scare ya. You're not the only one that misread that ... he he.

And, balthazar, I love that ... thank you :).

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Tell me what you see" ... Bob Carlisle ... 'Getting Stronger'

knightfan26917 Apprentice

knightfan26917

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hmm.... Dsuupr ... I tried to PM you, but it didn't go through.... If you see this, PM me if you want to let me know what all you had done ... and if you want links to some heart-related forums.....

Sixty8panther Newbie

Sixty8panther

Posted
Posted

Wow.... crazy & inspirational at the same time.

Take care of yourself Cort. I think Balthazar is trying to

say that even wiht the coolant & oil drained you can run

WOT for 1.5 hours. :P

knightfan26917 Apprentice

knightfan26917

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think Balthazar is trying to say that even wiht the coolant & oil drained you can run WOT for 1.5 hours.

*raises eyebrow*

Is that all? Hmmm...guess I'll have to check my owner's manual. Thought I could run at WOT for 5 hours with coolant, oil and gas drained ;). He he he!

Seriously, bud, thank you :).

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"My feet still twitchin' to the music in my head" ... Mark Chestnut ... 'It Sure Is Monday'

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