Anticipation

Well, this is the week that we have anxiously anticipated. Wednesday morning we will find out the results of Evan's latest radiation treatment, and we are praying for the best of news. Then on Thursday Evan will have his heart surgery to have the PFO repaired. It will be so nice not to have to worry about him having another stroke.

We are looking forward to a summer filled with health and camping activities, we can't hardly wait to see all this snow blow away and the flowers appear. We didn't have much of a summer last year so this summer we have a lot of making up to do. We need to fit two summers into one. Going camping is beginning to consume my thoughts and I can't wait until I can be up in the mountains again, sitting around a campfire and listening to the water gurgling over the tops of rocks on it's journey down the stream. Ahhhh, summer..... Hurry please!!

Evan and the Bear

Friday night we decided to go to the Outdoor Expo so we could see the baby bears. They had 10 bear cubs around 4 weeks old and they were so adorable that we couldn't resist paying the $10 to get a picture. Once we had a good look at the picture, JayDee and I couldn't stop laughing. Take a look at Evan's face, then notice how he is taking part in holding the baby bear. We laughed so hard we were crying.

The Heart Procedure

Here is a link to an animated view of what they are going to do to my Heart.

http://www.sorensenmd.com/pfoVideo_WM.php

I am amazed at what they can do these days. This is all it will take to fix my Heart and then I will spend a night at the hospital just to make sure there are no complications and then home I go. We are hopeful that after this, I will be able to stay out of hospitals for a LONG time other than check ups that will show that I am fine.

This Cancer thing is getting to be a drag and taking a lot of my time. :)

PFO Repair

Just a quick note to keep you up to date. Evan has been scheduled to have the repair to his heart done on Thursday April 2nd. He will need to stay overnight in the hospital just for monitoring purposes but should be back home again on Friday if everything goes well.

We don't have a date yet for Evan's next CT scan but it should be around March 31st. After Evan has his scan we will meet with Dr. Watson to see the results of his last radiation treatment. Again, we will keep you posted.

A VERY Long Day

We arrived to the hospital on schedule at 10:30 for Evan to have his Echo Cardiogram and while we were there the Doctor wanted them to do an ultra sound of the arteries in Evan's neck. The ultra sound came out fine but the Echo Cardiogram showed that Evan has what is called PFO.

The following is taken from a web page to explain what PFO is....

In the womb, all babies have a PFO. This is because a baby does not use its own lungs to filter and oxygenate its blood. Instead, it receives oxygen-rich blood from its mother via the umbilical cord. This blood has been filtered and oxygenated by the mother’s lungs. The PFO allows this blood to be sent directly to the brain, which has a high requirement for oxygen-rich blood during development.
In most people, the two flap-like sections of septum which form the foramen ovale fuse together after birth to form a solid dividing wall between the right and left atria. However, in approximately 15-20%, the foramen doesn’t fuse together and remains open or “patent”. This opening makes it possible in certain circumstances for blood to cross from the right atrium to the left atrium—this is called a right-to-left shunt.





















This is the reason why Evan had a stroke last week. If a blood clot gets into his system, the normal heart will send it to the lungs, but with the defect, it will pass it through the PFO and straight to the brain. Apparently people with cancer have a higher risk of getting blood clots.

Evan has an appointment to go see the Cardiologist on Monday where they will set up an appointment to do the repair. The repair isn't really going to feel much different than the radiation treatments that he is currently going through because they will go in through the same artery in his leg. After receiving this news we were off to the 2nd floor to do the radiation treatment. We were scheduled to do the radiation at noon but there was an emergency and it delayed his treatment. So we waited, and we waited then we waited some more. Finally at 4:00 they came and took him away. If you know Evan very well, then you will know how much he hates to wait. The procedure didn't take very long and he was returned to me at 5:30 and we are now waiting until 7:00 when we will be allowed to go home.

We will let you know when the procedure for his heart is scheduled. Now we need to be patient while we wait another month to find out how successful today's treatment was.

My sweet visiting teachers offered to bring us dinner and at first I was thinking that it wasn't going to be that big a deal and we would be home in time for me to throw something together. How grateful I am that they were more in tune to my needs than I was and they will meet us at home with a warm yummy meal. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful neighbors, friends and family.

Thanks once again for all of your love and support.