Ok, back from the BookWorld at last.
About a week or so ago I mentioned vaguely some family problems. Here’s the detail I left out then. DH’s older brother went to the ER with what he thought was a gall bladder attack and about two hours later was having open heart surgery to replace a faulty valve. He’s much better now, but those first few days were very hard on the family because he had some serious memory & motor function issues & there were concerns they might be permanent.
A 4 hour operation took almost 8 & he almost died twice because he has thin ‘skin’ on his heart. I know there is a term for it, I’ve even been told it but scary things tend to vanish from my mind until critically needed.
What happened was every time they tried to stich him closed his heart tore a little more. They didn’t know his heart was like that when they started.
My MIL died from the same complication during the same surgery on Dec 24, 2001.
My FIL died 16 years earlier of congestive heart failure.
DH’s older sister had to have valve replacement surgery 10 years ago.
So genetically, if you will excuse me for a moment, DH is fucked.
My mom had valve replacement surgery in 2002 and has to have it again this year because the pig valve they used needs replaced
So genetically, the boys are probably fucked too.
My SIL did not have the thin heart issue. My other SIL has no heart issues at all. My dad, apart from back issues mostly stemming from weight, is healthy as a horse and so am I, excluding rampant insomnia and endo. So maybe the boys are not totally screwed, but odds are good.
And it kinda sorta freaks me out if I think about it too much. And it’s one of those things you can’t fix. There is nothing to ‘do’ about it except be aware of it.
Believe me, I am *aware* of it.
So I made Oreo Chocolate Chip cookies.
(denial, not just a river in Egypt)
Not the stuffed kind where you wrap cookie dough around an Oreo, those never bake right. These are the sort where you use broken Oreo cookies as a replacement for some of the chips. They bake evenly are not as achingly sweet as the other version.
I used the Oreos with chocolate cream. I wanted one of the spring versions with yellow or blue cream but Safeway didn’t have them.
They were awesome cookies.
Know what’s great about living in the 21st century?
Two in one cookies!
Advanced medical science is pretty cool too.
8 comments:
oh man - that is rough. I hope his healing journey is successful and glad to know none of the side effects form the surgery were permanent!
And my boys would be digging those cookies!!
Wow, Stacey, how very scarey with your bil, I'm glad the memory and motor issues have been resolved. That was one of the hardest parts when my dad had open heart surgery, evidently esp with older patients the anesthesia (sp?) meds take longer to get out of the system. It was hard to see him acting so crazy but I got really pissed when the nurse wanted to know if he had mental issues. I think all you can do is hope and pray that the boys got all the good heart genes and lead heart healthy lives. {{{hugs}}} and the cookies look amazing!
Stacey,
Will continue to keep a good thought for your brother in law. I guess prevention is definitely something for DH and the boys to think about. Cookies and mental health are definitely part of that equation in my book.
Rinda
I know the panic sudden and unexpected heart surgery can cause, as you well know.
I hope your BIL continues to improve.
Ooh Stacey, no wonder you feel freaked out right now! It's not fun to have a serious family emergency like this - I'm glad your brother-in-law is now on the mend and hope he continues to do well btw - and it's even harder to know there is a family history of such problems. I don't know if it's any comfort, but they seem to be making such advances in such areas as cardio problems, with new discoveries, new ideas and techniques. At least if your boys do end up having inherited some of the family issues, medicine may well have advanced much further - perhaps there will be more methods of prevention, rather than surgery being necessary. And as you say, at least you are all now "aware", so you can help the boys find stuff out and educate themselves, once they're old enough to understand and cope with the issues.
As you're healthy and fit, also your dad, we can hope that both your lads inherit their heart-genes from you! They're still young too, so you have plenty of time to educate them about healthy diet, good exercise habits etc. and setting them a good example will keep you healthy too!
What was that? Oreo cookies? Hmmm... well even healthy people fall off the wagon from time to time - and it was an emergency! I'm glad they tasted good!
Hugs to you and your family. I hope your B.I.L. continues to recover well. XXX
That is scary stuff for sure. At least your boys know that heart issues could be a problem and they can be as proactive as possible about them.
I'm so sorry about your BIL - that is so scary.
My father has had a heart attack, quadruple by-pass surgery, a valve replacement and just recently, a stroke. His sister has also had a valve replacement. His brother died of heart disease. No heart conditions on my mother's side so I'm only 1/2 fucked. But my current FIL had bypass surgery so my one child is ... well, I'm not sure how to calculate the fuckage for her. I'm not good at math anymore.
Oh hun, I am sorry to hear this. Sending lots of thoughts and prayers your way. Cookies are good in the meantime. Heck, cookies are good any time xx
Post a Comment