Hi Everyone--
It was great to go back to school today! Nothing could make me happier than to be with my students doing what I love to do. I feel much better. I am working on getting my heart stronger with the meds they have given me and trying to take it easy. My next echo is scheduled for the 26th, and I'll see the cardiologist to get the results on May 1st. Then we'll see if I'm at 50% and if I'm eligible to start the clinical trial at Stanford. Until then, we are going to redo that other scan to see if I can now be treated with that non-toxic treatment that we tried a while back. That scan is tomorrow and Wed.
The good news is that there was no permanent damage to my voice, but there is still swelling from the intubation tubes and I have to wait for it to heal. The tubes did move one of my vocal cords over a bit, but the doc feels once the swelling goes down it will all work out with no futher surgery. For now I just sound really weird. Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts & prayers. They really help!

Well, so much has happened since the last time I blogged. Here’s the whole story. On March 3^rd, I was so sick I couldn’t breathe, so we rushed to the ER. I was basically hysterical & nothing they were doing was helping me, so I asked them to give me Ativan to help me calm down and they did. Later they found there was some kind of blockage, and they put some balloon thing in and opened it up. They put me on a ventilator for almost a full four days. Miserable! All I have to say is: DON’T DO DRUGS! Those drugs were nasty. They were telling Richard I had a 50/50 chance of making it, but each day I got a little better & they eventually took me off the tubes. Since I woke up, I’ve had vision problems, which made it difficult to email or text any of you. I’m still at the point now where I need readers some of the time.

The worst part for me is my voice was messed up too, and now I fear that the tubes have reinjured my vocal cord that the doc at Stanford had repaired, because I am back to a whisper, like before my voice surgery. I am losing air like before, so it’s hard to talk when you have to breathe every three words. I’m going back to that doc on Thursday, and I am devastated about this. This is why I haven’t called many of you back because talking exhausts me.

Apparently, I had a viral infection that caused fluid in my lungs and around my heart. They were able to get it under control in the hospital and I came home on the 13^th. Since then, I’ve been home recovering. As for Stanford, they will not let me begin the clinical trial until my heart function comes back up to at least 50%. It was almost non-existent when I got to the hospital. It was around 30% when I left, and now I’m almost at 40%. The doc wants me home to rest my heart for at least two more weeks. I’m trying to get back right after spring break (at least that’s my personal goal). In the meantime, the docs at Stanford and my oncologist are talking together about other possible treatments we can do (including that other scan I did a while back) until I’m ready for the trial. My students are leaving on our New York tour without me tomorrow morning. I miss them so much.

Well, I think that’s everything. Thank you to so many of you for all your support with prayers, calls & visits. They mean so much.