G and K and What They Say: Third Heart Surgery; Home For Christmas; Christmas Photos

The University of Utah Hospital is now becoming familiar to us. It is where my new cardiologist, Dr. Freedman, is located. It is where I have gone for a chest x-ray. It is where I have gone for a lung function test.

It was where I would be having the third attempt at a third doctor trying to get a pacemaker upper lead wire placed in my heart on Christmas Eve morning.

It was quite unsettling to see these stiff legs poking up out of the back of a truck on one of our visits to the hospital.

After an early-morning run to the hospital for an x-ray the Monday before Christmas, we came home and started packing up all our Christmas decorations.

It was a little sad to think the house would be bare on Christmas, but it was going to be the best thing to come home from the hospital Christmas Day and have all that work done.

I was going to have to be careful not to lift my left elbow higher than my shoulder and not lift anything heavier than a milk carton for a month.

Carson Stanford, from Missionary Medical, came to visit us. For three years, while on our mission, we talked quite regularly with him over the phone.

Carson got off work a little early this particular day and wanted to meet us in person. He particularly wanted Glen to know how much his positivity every single time they talked on the phone meant to Carson. It was fun to put a face to the voice we knew so well.

The big day had arrived. Dr. Freedman gave us every indication that he expected a good outcome of his attempt with my heart and off we went to report for surgery early the morning of Christmas Eve.

We saw a festive, huge, decorated Christmas tree upon arrival. I just had to stand by it to enjoy a tree since ours had been taken down.

They were ready and waiting for me in Room 5. The IV line was put in me without any hint of trouble. HURRAH!!!

The last words Dr. Freedman said to me before prepping for surgery was, "If I can't get this wire in, nobody can." That gave us confidence. We were planning on a Christmas miracle; third time's the charm; a positive outcome.

I had been so nervous about this procedure--the part where I was going to be awake for it. I was awake during the pacemaker implantation and can remember the pressure I felt over and over again on my chest. I can remember the frustration of that doctor and later learned it was because he had been unsuccessful in placing that upper lead wire.

I did NOT want to be awake for this surgery. Dr. Freedman said I needed to be awake, but then I heard him tell the anesthesiologist that he wanted me in a deeper state of wakefulness, rather than lighter. Another HURRAH!!!

They wheeled me down to the surgery room and stopped just outside the door. I got off the soft bed and walked over to the hard surgery table. They got everything attached to me and then I felt a little funny. I asked the anesthesiologist if he had just given me something and he said yes.

That's all I remember until I woke up in the recovery room. I was in surgery for 3 hours--an hour longer than anticipated.

As soon as I saw Glen I asked the big question: "Did it work?" He shook his head and answered, "No." I was so sad! Of course going into the surgery we knew we had the two strikes against us, but we were ever so hopeful it was going to work this time.

I was surprised when they brought me a box lunch to eat right there as I was recovering. That has never happened before. They told me I would not have to stay the night as originally planned because there was no need to monitor my heart with no new lead wire.

They had me get dressed and then we waited and waited for someone to bring a wheelchair and wheel me out. No one came. One of the medical staff sitting at the desk asked if we needed help. It was about that time we realized we were on our own to get out of the hospital.

It was so weird to not get wheeled out of there--especially since that hospital is so huge. We stopped to pause for a photo at the big tree once again because I wanted to get a photo of one of the medical people.

I laughed at his headgear. Now there's a guy with a sense of humor.

This was the first time my medical ID bands were attached to my ankle instead of my wrist. Reminded me a bit of the toe tags they put on dead people in the morgue. Then I thought of the stiff legs in the back of the truck. Those were some morbid thoughts.

I felt pretty good when we got home in the late afternoon. I probably could have gone to the family Christmas Eve party at Mom and Dad's house, but, then again, it was nice to be home where I could doze off several times throughout the evening.

Dallas and Rebecca came by the next day to drop off some leftovers Mom had sent home for us from the party. Dallas gave Glen the Christmas ornaments he had made for him out of G&K rubber stress balls made in the shape of a uniform and a hard hat with the GK logo on them.

We got a good laugh out of those. What a thoughtful gift from Dallas. We will cherish them every year we hang them on our Christmas tree.

I was feeling fine on Christmas (just a sore left shoulder where the incision site is located). We decided to venture down to the Golden home so the children could show us everything they got for Christmas.

They were cute and excited to show us their things. Brooke even did a fashion show with all the clothes she got for Christmas.

They sent us home with leftovers Dallas had brought home from his work party the day before. Between those and the leftovers Mom had sent, that lasted us several meals. How nice!!

Right after we had taken down all our Christmas decorations, Mark and Winnie Rohde had stopped by to give us a gigantic poinsettia plant and wish me well on my upcoming surgery.

Little did I know how much I would enjoy that beautiful red plant and the accompanying Christmas cards that provided our only decorations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I am thankful they acted on that prompting. It really touched my heart.

Kathy Jacketta brought over some stuffed mushrooms that Roger had just made. Glen loves those things. I was still enjoying leftovers for that meal and it was nice Glen got something new to eat.

Glen has been such a good companion to me during the recovery of the horrific surgery and during the recovery of this surgery. This has been nothing compared to that brutal previous surgery.

Nonetheless, I have been tired and it has been nice to sit in the easy chair watching hour after hour of Hallmark Christmas movies.

We had to laugh when we saw this little funny as we had already been commenting about how they use the same actors and the plots are pretty predictable and pretty much the same. But they are feel-good movies and we love them.

Knowing how much Glen loves to watch ball games all through the holidays, I have been very appreciative of him spending so much time watching these movies with me.

When he feels the need to watch sports, then I blog and we are both happy.

Our children shared some Christmas photos. First up is Jacob's family.