I'm quite certain that the care I received at Mayo was the best in the world. But there are a couple of things that I wish I had been better prepared for. The first thing is very simple. My body temperature changed a lot. Sometimes I was really cold and sometimes I was really hot. Being cold was easily managed with more blankets. But when I got home, I had a fan with a remote control. I could turn it on and off and set it to high, medium or low. This really helped a lot. And I wish I had this fan in the hospital.

The other thing I want mention is the issue of pain management. I was really expecting to be in a lot more pain than I actually was. And that's the thing I wish I knew about; I wish I knew what to expect.

At first I was on an IV pain killer. And I could hit a button when ever. But after I came off that, I had oral pain killers. I had a combination of narcotics and Tylenol available to me. And I had to tell the nurse what I wanted. They couldn't give me any pain medication unless I asked for it. I found this to be very frustrating.

One thing that they did do that was very good was to keep the Tylenol and the narcotic as separate medications. You can get things like Tylenol with codine, for example. But the problem with the combined drugs is that the narcotic can't be taken as often as Tylenol can. So you can end up in a situation where your meds have worn off, but you can't take anything else.

By keeping the meds separate, you can take the Tylenol every 6 hours and always have a base of relief in your system. Then you can take the narcotic separately as needed.

I think I probably would have been OK with just the Tylenol . But I was afraid of ending up in a lot of pain so I took the narcotic too. Well everyone has limit to the amount of narcotics that they can tolerate. And I reached mine.

I had a very scare 24 hours. I was in and out of consciousness for about 24 hours. And during that time, I kept having terrible dreams. But I did get to visit the Island of Misfit Toys! By the way, you get there the same way you get to Neverland.

It's been seven months since my surgery. I've been wanting to post an update for some time. I found out today about a friend's dad that has the same problem I had. So I was motivated to finally post this update.

I'm doing very well. I sometimes have some strange sensations in my chest. But the Dr. says they're benign and just side effects from having my chest cut open and sewn back together.

There are a couple of things that I wish I had know about going into the surgery. And that's what I've been wanting to post. The first thing I want to explain is what it means to be on coumadin.

Going into the surgery, I had a choice of having my valve replaced with a valve made out of pig or horse flesh or a mechanical valve. The problem with the flesh valves is that they wear out in 10-15 years and I would have had to have another surgery. I chose the mechanical valve which will last longer than I will. But the down side of the mechanical valve is that your body thinks it's a foreign object and tries to attack it. This can cause blood to clot around the valve. The clot can then float to your brain and cause a stroke. To avoid this problem, you take coumadin.

The Dr. told me about this up front. But he really didn't explain all details of being on coumadin. I had the impression that it just meant taking a pill everyday. But it turns out it's a lot more complicated than that.

Coumadin is what's popularly called a "blood thinner." But what it really does is keep your blood from clotting. This is mostly a good thing. But the down side is that if you get cut or have any internal bleeding, you just keep on bleeding. That's bad.

So because I'm on coumadin, I can't play soccer or other contact sports anymore. This much I knew. What I didn't know what that to manage the INR (the measure of how quickly your blood clots) is more complicated that just taking a pill a day.

It turns out that lots of foods affect the INR. Anything that has a lot of vitamin K, such as green leafy veggies, will lower the INR. Coumadin raises the INR. So it's a constant battle to maintain the INR in the correct range.

It really makes eating a challenge. I'm supposed to eat a low fat, plant based diet. But I can't eat most plants due the INR issues.

The really annoying thing about all this is that you have to monitor the INR on a very regular basis. This requires a blood test. Some places have to do a regular blood draw and send it out to a lab to get results. You definitly want to find some place that has a coumadin clinic. Then it just takes a finger prick of blood for the test. And it takes a lot less time.

Current Location: home

Sorry I haven't updated the blog for several days now, but it is a challenge keeping up with everything. Brad continues to do well. He is not in much pain anymore. He is starting to be sick of laying on the couch, watching TV. I think that is a good thing. It means he is ready to do a little more.

Saturday Brad went to the last half of David's soccer game. David was very excited. His team won their season opener and this is the first year it really matters. He has moved into a division which has playoffs and a championship!

Sunday we all went to church. It was a great encouragement to Brad. Everyone could not believe he was there less than 2 weeks after open heart surgery! We did sit in the "cry room" where there is living room furniture and closed circuit TV of the service. The wooden benches in the sanctuary would have been too uncomfortable for Brad.

After such a big outing, Brad took a pretty big nap. Then Joe and Jenny brought us dinner from Boston Market (Yum!). It was VERY nice to get to visit with them as their wedding is only a few days away.

As we start a new week, please continue to pray for us. Pray that God would restore Brad's energy and strength quickly so that he can return to work soon. Pray for our schedule. It is going to be a busy week with several doctors appointments and the wedding.

Praise God for his peace. As all of this was just getting started, I knew we were in for quite a challenge, but I was able to "consider it joy" knowing that through this, God was going to make us better equipped to serve him.

James 1:2-4 " 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Thank you for allowing Brad to rest and our family to adjust over the last couple of days. It has been nice to just be home and not have the phone ringing all day.

Brad is ready to start having visitors. If you would like to schedule a visit, the best way is to email susan at susan(lastname)@gmail.com with a couple times that work for you. Visits need to be kept to about 10 minutes for now.

Tonight as I was putting David to bed I read from "Hymns for a Kid's Heart." The chapter was about "How Firm a Foundation." I was once again assured of God's hand in our lives by the words to the 3rd and 4th verses.

"When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
And sancify to you your deepest distress.

When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine."

Please pray that this experience will continue to refine us into the people God would have us be so that we might bring more glory to him.

Pray that Brad will continue to heal. Pray especially for the orthopedic doctor's appointment Friday, September 1st. Pray that his cast will be removed for good (just in time for Joe and Jenny's wedding.)

Pray for the wedding. Pray that Joe and Jenny will be drawn closer to each other and closer to God through the next week.

Pray that Brad will be feeling well enough to handle going to the wedding. Things are looking good now. If he continues to improve, there should not be any problem.

The kids are home! Yeah!!! We both missed them. We have never been apart from our kids like this. The kids seemed fine. Both were very energetic and happy to be home. David was home all of 15 minutes until he was asking to play with friends. He brought his collection of woodworking projects he completed at Bible Club in Princeton. They were pretty impressive.

We made our first (of many) trips to the coumadin clinic today. We will need to go twice a week while his dose is fine-tuned. Now that we are well past a week since the surgery it seems that the biggest issue is just healing of the chest where they made the incision. Brad does need the narcotic pain meds, but is able to get by on a very low dose. This seems to manage his pain without major side effects.

Tonight as I was getting him settled in bed he said, "Let me pray for you." He could see my need for prayer. The sleep deprivation is really catching up to me. Pray that I can juggle taking care of Brad and the kids at the same time. It's good to all be together.

We are home. We were not sure it was our house. Our Sunday school class did some major cleaning and organizing for us while were gone. They even stocked the fridge with fresh groceries!

Please pray for us as we adjust to life at home. The kids come home tomorrow morning.

Brad continues to do well, but finds it challenging to deal with his physical limitations. In addition to recovering from having his chest cut open, he still has his wrist in a cast and is still recovering from the fall that started all of this.

Through it all Brad continues to give God praise for his obvious hand in the whole situation.

We are about to leave the hotel. We plan to take our time and have to make frequent stops. My best guess for our arrival is about 6 or 7 tonight.

If you would like to welcome Brad home, you can check the blog later for a comment on this post with a more accurate arrival time.

Well wishers can greet us when we pull in the driveway, but need to leave immediately. We ask that no one come into the house with us. Brad needs to get in and settled.

You may check the blog for visiting guidelines or email susan with a request. Wednesday will be spent getting used to life at home and spending time with the kids. For now, try to limit communication to email and avoid calling the house.

Once Brad does start receiving visitors, please be positive and come ready to do all the talking. Tell him about what is happening in your life. Do not ask him questions.

Gifts are not necessary, but if you want to get him something here are some tips:
1. Balloons need to be mylar, NOT latex. (Latex balloons are a choking hazard for Sarah.)
2. He enjoys flowers, especially roses.
3. Looking good helps him feel good. He could use some t-shirts or comfy pants like sweats or warm-up clothes (size XL). Elastic around the ankles is helpful, so they don't creep over his heels and create a falling hazard.

Please pray for us throughout the day. Pray that Brad will be comfortable for the drive.

We left the hospital and are back at the hotel. Brad was very excited to get some "real food" on our way here. We are taking things one step at a time. The plan is to drive back home tomorrow (Tuesday). It will probably be evening before we get in. The kids will come home on Wednesday.

Check back Tuesday for guidelines on welcoming Brad...

Current Location: Hotel room!

While we were in no hurry to leave here a week ago, we are very excited to get to go today. The care here is without equal, but the hospital is no place to get rest. Brad had tylenol at midnight and just asked for more at 7:00. That is all he is taking for his pain right now. Pray that he will be comfortable enough with this level pain medication to stay active.

It will probably be noon before we actually leave. From here we will go to our hotel for another night.

Hi... Kevin here. I've got a couple pictures of the cats that Susan mentioned in previous posts. These are two of the greatest cats in the world... very affectionate, very low-maintenance. And they come running when you call, like little puppy dogs! I'll be out in California much of the month of September housesitting for my sister and her husband while they're in Europe; I can't take them with me to their home because of my sister's allergies.



The calico cat is Mika (mee-kah), a Japanese name meaning "beautiful flower". She has a real sweet disposition, and loves curling up on laps.



The black cat is Peko (pay-koh), and so named because when he was a kitten he was always looking for food in the kitchen. The Japanese word for the gurgling sound your stomach makes when hungry is "peko-peko", and the name seemed to fit!

They are about 7 years old, had all of their shots, and have been spayed/neutered. If you (or someone you know) might be interested, but not ready for a full commitment, it would even be helpful if someone could take them on a trial basis... or simply serve as temporary "foster parents" for a month or two. In this case, food and litter would be provided, and I promise you won't end up "stuck" with them if things don't work out long-term.

To learn more, please email susan(InsertLastName)@gmail.com. Thank you so much for any help you might be able to give in this regard!