Erin Racine Clary: Tuesday, May 14 2013

Today is our 14 year anniversary. We couldn't have had a better anniversary. Happy anniversary to the best wife, and more importantly, best Mother ever. We flew home from Rochester this afternoon, and Erin is safely ensconced in our Chicago home.

Yesterday, Erin had an appointment back at Saint Mary's to have an echo as a follow up. As we arrived, there were numerous black SUV's and cars in front, along with Secret Service personnel. Turns out that it was the Secret Service Diplomatic Protection Unit, waiting for the Dali Lama to leave. By the time we parked underground and came out of the elevator, he was in the car waiting to go. We literally missed him by seconds as we were leaving the hospital on Sunday, and as we were arriving on Monday.

Erin's echo was brief and slightly mixed. Importantly, there is no longer any shunting of blood through the ASD hole, now closed. Having seen numerous echo's in her lifetime, it looked abnormal to me. The reality was that I had never seen a normal echo, without shunting. The valve has a modest leak, but within tolerance levels. The only concern is that she has some fluid buildup around her lungs. This is somewhat normal for her surgery, and needs to be watched. Her Lasix prescription was increased in order to rid her body of excess fluid. It was suggested that we have a chest x-ray at her follow up appointment in Chicago with Dr. Gossett to monitor the situation. That appointment is tomorrow, Wednesday May 15.

After the appointment, Aunt Mo and cousin Megan left to drive back to Chicago. They were a huge hit the night before over dinner in the apartment that we had rented. Erin really came out of the shell she was in, and had a ball with the two of them. We are so grateful to Aunt Mo and Megan, and Aunt Sara and Uncle Alex for all making the trek to Rochester to give Erin love and support.

We had dinner in the apartment with takeout for the second straight night from Victoria's. Erin announced that when in Rochester she only eats at Victoria's, which except for her hospital stay is true. It seemed that her goal was to eat half of Rochester. She ate before dinner, ate a large dinner, and then continued to eat non-stop right up until bedtime. I have never seen anything like it. I was full watching her.

I slept in Erin's bedroom and she continues to struggle at night. She is in pain at night, and has difficulty with breathing due to mucus issues. I was up most of the night, as was Sheila the night before watching over her. Yet she seems none the worse for the wear. She awoke in a great mood, we had breakfast out, and then left for the airport. The trip home was uneventful, yet remarkable in that she walked the entire way in O'Hare after we landed. She is a little slow, but determined to do it on her own. Arriving home, we found a life size Minnie Mouse balloon on our doorstep, courtesy of good friends Tim and Stacey Cavanagh. Erin loved it, and spent some time "doctoring" Minnie. I think she wanted to put Minnie through the same punishment she took in Rochester. Afterwards, she took the neighbor's dog for a walk, and then asked me to take her to our neighborhood park to check things out.

Tonight, Erin's beloved Priscilla (or as Erin has named her, "Passy") came over for dinner, and Erin was in heaven. I have never seen her more animated or funny. She was a laugh a minute. I know that one impact of heart surgery can be depression. She seems to be undergoing exactly the opposite reaction. She seems even more outgoing then she already was. She was dancing, singing, and enjoying life. All one could ask.