Neurosurgery (post-heart surgeries) Fup

Busy, busy week again of medical appts., always so fun (lol, joking, seriously!) but otherwise other things going on to and a good enough week. :)
I saw Dr.Bragg today which was a planned appt some months ago and we've communicated in-between. Last I saw her (a few wks after the 1st heart surgery, not long before the 2nd) was mid-Aug before the 2nd heart surgery. Anyways our plan was always tentatively to put the Thoracic Shunt distal (draining) end back in to the pleural space sometime around 8-12 wks post-heart surgery. It will likely be closer to 4 months post-the heart surgery when we revise the shunt unfortunately given the holidays, which I say unfortunately ONLY bc the stomach spasms are a pain, literally. We may be able to move the valve to a less "noticeable" area ie an area the valve would be less apt to move either further over on my thoracic spine closer to the side or further down. Otherwise I will be happy to go about holiday traditions on the outside, granted the nurses and my family made last years holiday's 'enjoyable' despite being in the hospital including some of our traditions we adapted and did while I was in-patient and the nurses decorated my room BUT I am happier to do these things on the outside! :)
Some of the things we talked about where moving the valve as mentioned above, trying a different, smaller in profile valve I think still a Codman brand but I also can't remember this part for certain. Dr.Bragg was going to talk to her Rep in the next week about some options she thought we might try, see what that Rep thought/recommended and asked me to talk to Cardiology to make sure they have no qualms about her planning this surgery (I also see them the 1st week of Dec.) and any recommendations they might have. She also talked about our having to bridge with heparin prior to the shunt/spine surgery and then they would resume the Coumadin post surgery while cont'ing to bridge w the heparin until levels where back to therapeutic.
Last she mentioned she has been working with a newer Peds General Surgeon and would ask him to help with disconnecting/removing the current 'T' connector connecting the 2 different shunt ends so they drain as one in to the peritoneum. The General Surgeon would also help her place the newly disconnected Thoracic shunt in-to the pleural space given the probable scarring from the 2 recent heart surgeries and to prevent the lung from collapsing I think (it partially collapsed when 1st placed in this location last Dec.). I'll call her Nurse in about a week and see what Dr.Bragg found out + I imagine we'll schedule surgery at that point. I am hoping we can do it shortly after Xmas (maybe the following week) maybe before or right after New Years? We'll see..
Just will be glad when it is OVER!

Tomorrow 2 of my fellow Sunday School Teachers and I are doing the initial part of our T-day cone cornucopias for the kids and then we'll finish them after our monthly Sunday School meeting Sunday night (decorating/filling/wrapping). Sat., I volunteered with Church to go and do canvassing in Mt.Horeb for (I think it is) a new WELS Church starting up there. The weather sounds like it should be decent if it doesn't rain and I think it should be a good and interesting experience. :)

The only other thing I thought was interesting that I didn't mention last week was at the Cardiology appt Dr.E and Nancy (NP) mentioned how loud the heart beat is when they take BP/listen and commented they thought maybe the swelling around the heart has went down significantly causing it to be "quieter"? Before the heart surgeries the heart specifically the L atrium had been severely enlarged so things are improving! Awesome!

I'll update when I know more from Dr.Bragg/her nurse next week. Thanks for stopping by,
Erica