Cathy had her final, pre-op visit yesterday at Emory.
We got all of our instructions for the surgery. She has to wash with special soap and use special mouthwash, and nose drops and stuff for the next few days until the surgery.
We are scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 6:00 AM Monday, and she is the first one up on the table
We learned about all of the options (pig valves versus mechanical valves, she chose mechanical), and how long the procedure shoudl take.
The doctors are not sure if they will need to repair or replace the mitral valve also. It doesn't seem to be working too well, bu they are not sure if its performance isn't just being hampered by all of the leakage from the aortic valve.
It could take as long as six hours...and they expect her to be in ICU for 2 days after that.
Then they said she might be checking out one week later, so it certainly looks like she'll be home for Thanksgiving, and possibly several days before.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Can I Tell This from This?
A fantastic Catholic writer, Matthew Lickona, wrote a book titled Swimming With Scapulars, has a blog that I check out every day. He is a great wordsmith, and he is tapped into the pop-culture enough to make quite insightful and witty observations
I emailed him earlier this week, and asked if he could send out a plug for my blog on his, since his blog is exceptionally hip, cool, respected, and well done, and he graciously agreed.
Matthew's response:
Chris,
Absolutely. Happy to help however I can. Thanks for your kind words, and I hope to heaven that your wife comes through the surgery without trouble. The wife and I will hit 12 years together in May, and I can't even begin to think of how anxious I would be in your place. It's times like this that you're glad that it's possible to pray on behalf of others. Persevere.
matthew
I have been trying all morning to figure out how to post a copy what he posted here, but have so far, been unable to figure it out, hence the title of this post!
So, please go to Matthews blog www.matthewlickona.com/blog/blog.html and see how generous he was with his post, and leave him a comment thanking him for getting a lot more people on the prayer train with us.
Copy and paste this link into your address bar to see it.
http://www.matthewlickona.com/blog/blog.html
And read his book, Swimming With Scapulars for a great account of growing up and staying Catholic.
I'll post another, more informative report on our pre-op meeting soon.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
This is gonna get the job done
REALLY???
It looks like a piece from Jude's Lego set...
We have the final pre-op visit today, and then our lives resemble Cape Canaveral before a shuttle launch...
Ora Pro Nobis!
Horizontal Hooray!
Lucy, 21 months old, is showing her satisfaction with the effect that everyone calling, send emails, and flowers and stuff has had on her mom...and defying gravity in the process.
Cathy and I have been amazed, humbled, and edified by the responses that we have gotten from so many people in the last few days.
We have been assured the prayers of friends, families, priests, cloistered Carmelite nuns, and even a Synagouge in Atlanta (where I worked security for about ten years and made a lot of friends.)
Please keep them coming, because if Lucy senses that her mommy's spirits start flagging, she's likely to USE those fists against those she sees as a threat!
She has a tremendous right!
Cathy's email is cathyharveymom@bellsouth.net
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
This is us now (actually in June 2007)
I didn't realize, although I should have, that sending out 100+ emails puts one back in touch with folks that have been lost in time.
Some are surprised that the last they heard I was planning on being a priest, and now I have four kids.
These people are always second (behind me) in the surprise line.
This picture was taken on the steps of our family beach house on The Isle of Palms, near Charleston, SC. It is also the site of the first official date I had with Cathy in July 1992.
All the kids are about 3 inches taller than they are in the picture, but, fortunately for them, they inherited their mother's good nature. Unfortunately for them, they inherited their father's looks.
It'll be a toss-up to see how they go, but I'm betting, and hoping, on their mom's strengths!
Tuesday
I just mananged to send out a bunch of emails letting everyone (or as many people as I could think of) about this blog.
Some things that have already been taken care of, so far:
1. The kids are staying together while Cathy's in the hospital with the Jones Family;
2. Cathy's mom and sister will be coming to Atlanta from Greenville on Monday for the surgery, and will return either later that week or the weekend after to get the kids home;
3. Olive, the Basset Hound, will be walked by a cadre of good neighbors;
4. Meals will be delivered to the Jones' house while Cathy is in the hospital (there's a website for meal assistance at
http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/cathyharvey
if you are interested in sending food;
The cleaners came yesterday, and are house is sparkling clean. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Please continue to pray for us.
Some things that have already been taken care of, so far:
1. The kids are staying together while Cathy's in the hospital with the Jones Family;
2. Cathy's mom and sister will be coming to Atlanta from Greenville on Monday for the surgery, and will return either later that week or the weekend after to get the kids home;
3. Olive, the Basset Hound, will be walked by a cadre of good neighbors;
4. Meals will be delivered to the Jones' house while Cathy is in the hospital (there's a website for meal assistance at
http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/cathyharvey
if you are interested in sending food;
The cleaners came yesterday, and are house is sparkling clean. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Please continue to pray for us.
Monday, November 5, 2007
One week away
It's hard to believe that in one week at this time (it's 5:00 AM as I write this) we will be up scurrying about in the darkness, getting the kids up and ready for school, and then getting to the hospital for the operation.
We have our pre-operation meeting with the surgeon this coming Friday, so we will get more details then (such as how long the procedure will take, how long will it be afterwards until Cathy joins us back in the world of the conscious, and when she might first be able to eat a real meal, which she wants to be a #2 sandwich (with the house sauce instead of mayonaise) from "Dave's Cosmic Subs," conveniently located about half a mile away, just off the Emory Campus.
--A WARNING--
Reading this blog will likely subject you to Chris' (her husband's) musings and random thoughts on lots of different topics. I assure you, however, that nobody will made as uncomfortable as will I. I have guarded my emotions and pride zealously for 40 years. In the last few weeks, they have been reduced to rubble.
I believe, or at least try to believe, that this is one of those rare, life-changing experiences, for which one actually gets some time to prepare. Sometimes the press of emergency makes things easier because one has no choice, but then you miss the "teachable moment." We try to find the moments, but it's often easier to rearrange furniture and sort clothes.
That is how so many of us live our daily lives. We move forward, keeping our heads down, hunker down when we hear incoming fire, and then spring up again when there is a lull to move forward. Of course, ambushes happen, and one must do whatever necessary to survive.
Most readers of this blog are probably associated with our communities of St. Thomas More Church and Decatur Presbyterian School/Church. Everyone else should know that these two communities have been immeasurably generous to us since before Lucy's birth, which was almost two years ago.
So many people have offered their help, and so many are waiting to be called. Please know that we will be asking for specific help as the situation develops. The real juggling will begin when Cathy comes home from the hospital.
As far as the kids go, (Saint) Kathleen Jones and her family have offered, nay, demanded, to keep all four of our kids while Cathy is in the hospital. The Jones' have been there for our children since Cathy's first hospitalization, and their generosity and love and service is the kind of which Jesus spoke. We will never be able to thank them enough, except in duplicating their generosity sometime to others is similar circumstances.
So, check in often, I'll try to temper my philosophical ramblings with actual facts about what's going on.
Today, for example, we are having professional cleaners come to the house to give it a good cleaning, courtesy of my parents. I would have done it myself, but I don't want to lose my "amatuer cleaner" status.
Please, please pray for us.
Chris H.
We have our pre-operation meeting with the surgeon this coming Friday, so we will get more details then (such as how long the procedure will take, how long will it be afterwards until Cathy joins us back in the world of the conscious, and when she might first be able to eat a real meal, which she wants to be a #2 sandwich (with the house sauce instead of mayonaise) from "Dave's Cosmic Subs," conveniently located about half a mile away, just off the Emory Campus.
--A WARNING--
Reading this blog will likely subject you to Chris' (her husband's) musings and random thoughts on lots of different topics. I assure you, however, that nobody will made as uncomfortable as will I. I have guarded my emotions and pride zealously for 40 years. In the last few weeks, they have been reduced to rubble.
I believe, or at least try to believe, that this is one of those rare, life-changing experiences, for which one actually gets some time to prepare. Sometimes the press of emergency makes things easier because one has no choice, but then you miss the "teachable moment." We try to find the moments, but it's often easier to rearrange furniture and sort clothes.
That is how so many of us live our daily lives. We move forward, keeping our heads down, hunker down when we hear incoming fire, and then spring up again when there is a lull to move forward. Of course, ambushes happen, and one must do whatever necessary to survive.
Most readers of this blog are probably associated with our communities of St. Thomas More Church and Decatur Presbyterian School/Church. Everyone else should know that these two communities have been immeasurably generous to us since before Lucy's birth, which was almost two years ago.
So many people have offered their help, and so many are waiting to be called. Please know that we will be asking for specific help as the situation develops. The real juggling will begin when Cathy comes home from the hospital.
As far as the kids go, (Saint) Kathleen Jones and her family have offered, nay, demanded, to keep all four of our kids while Cathy is in the hospital. The Jones' have been there for our children since Cathy's first hospitalization, and their generosity and love and service is the kind of which Jesus spoke. We will never be able to thank them enough, except in duplicating their generosity sometime to others is similar circumstances.
So, check in often, I'll try to temper my philosophical ramblings with actual facts about what's going on.
Today, for example, we are having professional cleaners come to the house to give it a good cleaning, courtesy of my parents. I would have done it myself, but I don't want to lose my "amatuer cleaner" status.
Please, please pray for us.
Chris H.
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