Thank you for your overwhelming support! I am so blessed! I am now (10 days later) pretty much fully recovered, back to work, and feeling great. Here’s how it went (written Saturday 6/16/12, on the way home from the hospital):

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I have felt the peace of the Lord strongly through this whole process, and after just over 24 hours total in the hospital I was released to go home. The ASD closure procedure went great! I had a team of expert cardiologists, including the heads of the cardiac cath units from both Swedish and Children’s hospital. They were very careful and meticulous to get precise measurements of the defect, and I believe that at the widest point it was 24mm. I don’t know if it is any smaller than it was in November (maybe it was!!), but they chose an occluder of 26mm and put it in and were very pleased with the placement. It was fascinating!! Yes, I was awake the whole time and had no sedatives at all. Even my doctor called me crazy. 🙂 but I know I am feeling way better now because of it.

Big wins: was not at all alone… My roommate Christy has been my designated driver and hospital buddy for both procedures. Even though they could not be here, I got to talk to my parents on the phone. My Grandma and her husband came to be there yesterday, and my aunt also dropped by! It was wonderful to have time with them! A few other good friends dropped by, and others called. 🙂

Minor trials: I have tiny tiny veins and starting an IV on me is always a challenge. I now know to just ask for an IV nurse. 4 people tried 6 or 7 times over the course of my stay… One was successfully started before the procedure but while moving into the cath lab it got pulled a little bit and became infiltrated. They just decided to start a femoral line for the procedure. Once I was out from the procedure, one nurse tried again a few times before they called the second IV nurse, who got it right away. They are amazing!!

They removed the 3 catheter sheaths at 5 and 6pm. They offered to let me keep them as a souvenir, which I almost did, but they are considered a bio-hazard so I settled for taking some pictures instead. 🙂 At 10pm I was finally allowed to get up and walk around. After that, I was able to sleep fairly well, all things considered, which is a miracle in and of itself. 🙂

In the morning morning I had blood drawn, an EKG taken, then a final echocardiogram to make sure that the placement was still good. It was described as being “perfect”, with no shunting (leaking), and so shortly after that one of the doctors stopped by to see me one last time to say all was well.

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Thanks for the many many notes, messages and prayers! I have been well taken care of and am well loved! I will now strive wholeheartedly to enter HIS rest (Hebrews 4:11) during this next season. 🙂 the Lord has been teaching me much over these months about trust and rest, and I’m pretty sure we’ve only just begun.

My life continues, ever in His hands!