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Dr Dee’s Story

Site created on July 12, 2018

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

Dee has been diagnosed with:

An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of your heart (atria). The condition is present at birth (congenital). Small defects may never cause a problem and may be found incidentally. It's also possible that small atrial septal defects may close on their own during infancy or early childhood.Large and long-standing atrial septal defects can damage your heart and lungs. An adult who has had an undetected atrial septal defect for decades may have a shortened life span from heart failure or high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension). Surgery may be necessary to repair atrial septal defects to prevent complications. Luckily Dee has no pulmonary hypertension, just enlarging of the right side of the heart.

An atrial septal defect (ASD) allows freshly oxygenated blood to flow from the left upper chamber of the heart (left atrium) into the right upper chamber of the heart (right atrium). There, it mixes with deoxygenated blood and is pumped to the lungs, even though it's already refreshed with oxygen.If the atrial septal defect is large, this extra blood volume can overfill the lungs and overwork the right side of the heart. If not treated, the right side of the heart eventually enlarges and weakens.

Also, Dee has been found to also have a partial pulmonary venous return defect which is a rare cardiac defect. The most common form of PAPVC and is the one in which a right upper pulmonary vein connects to the right atrium.

July 16 2018 Dee is having a pediatric surgeon (Dr Q) fix these defects at age 65. Usually these conditions are normally fixed in early life. She will be on the 8th floor at the new University of KY Hospital. Please feel free to talk to Alan while he waits, it is going to be a long day for him.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Alan Cohn — Jul 19, 2018

Yes, less than 72 hours after going under anesthesia, UK Hospital released Dee, and she is sitting up in her living room, after a quick shower, surrounded by her children, the puppies. She is doing well, the ride home was not too bad, thank goodness. She is eternally grateful the the finest Surgeon, Dr. Q, best cardiologist, Dr. Booth, and they were surrounded by an awesome surgical Team, anyone would wish for.
If anyone would happen to be free and able to sit with Dee, tomorrow morning, that would be great, please let her know. Obviously, some plans were made expecting her to come home Saturday, that must be met, and I would feel better if she had company from 10 to 2.
Her spirits are great, she is thankful for being mended, so she could grow stronger than she has ever been, especially as she was spiraling down hill before surgery, and does not know the full wxtent of how good it will feel to be active, without a hole in her heart.
Thanks to all for all your words, thoughts and prayers.

Read More of the journal titled "No Place Like Home"

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