Hole replaced by hope

 As mentioned in the previous post, on Monday, June 25, 2007, my patent foramen ovale (hole between the two upper chambers of the heart) was closed via cardiac catheter.

The hole was plugged with an Amplatzer "Cribriform" device, which places two nickel-titanium alloy discs of metal mesh and polyester fabric, just under an inch across, on each side of the hole, shutting off the flow from vein side to arterial side. The video above, which is a depiction of how the device would be placed, came from the Web site www.amplatzer.com, owned by the AGA Medical Corp., the manufacturer.

And the placement of this device, of course, brings hope of preventing future strokes.

For anyone who is considering a similar procedure, the catheterization procedure itself was almost painless and took about 45 minutes. I was vaguely awake most of the time, watching quite a bit of the process on a monitor mounted to my left. But afterward, you'll have some sore legs for several days and restrictions for several weeks. Follow them to the letter. It's hard for a distance runner to be sidelined, but some things can't be rushed. Even hope.

Speaking of hope, my hope is that this experience might give hope to someone in similar circumstance. So here' s to hope, gifted to us by God.