Hi,

My name is Maria, and this story is about my Hero, My Mom.

Her name is Haido Konstantinopoulos. She immigrated to this country from Greece in 1962 with my father to hopefully one day have the American Dream.

Well story starts like this. A few years ago my mom started feeling pain in her knees, progressed to hips and lower spine. X-rays showed bad knees, hips that had collapsed and desperately needed surgery, and a lower spine which was in bad shape, a surgery we definately wanted to avoid. Orthopedic surgeon and Neuro surgeon decided the hips would have to be operated on first, and both were to be replaced at the same time, no point in having one at a time done. Pain was to severe, and would have a tough time time rehabilitating. So the best thing for her was to have a bilateral hip replacement. Now we were left with the decision on whether my mom would want to go in for hip surgery. Well my mom avoided the surgery for a few years because she was afraid of being put under anethesia, because when my mom had given birth to me she almost died from it and I almost didnt make it myself. Its a miracle were both here. But the decision was made she desperately needed surgery she was going to do it.

We expressed our concern to the Orthopedic surgeon, and he said she didnt have to be put under, wow what a relief that was. Well then we had to meet with the anethesiologist to talk about what they were going to use for her. Well he said bilateral hip replacement was a long surgery and she cannot have with epidural alone. We expressed our concern and fear once again he said no way , the only thing we can do is not put her under anethesia but give her what they call a twilight, which means something like her falling in and out of sleep, well mom was a wreck. Well we expressed our concern again and again pleaded with them to be very careful our concern was not hip surgery it was her being put to sleep. Decison made, hey this is the year 2000 mistakes like this dont happen.

Oct 2, 2000 mom scheduled for surgery. Well, I have to say she was not very talkative that morning. I actually was very happy almost danced my way to the hospital. It was 7 a.m. in 1 hour my was to head to OR. 8 a.m. comes around my mom in OR. I said to her mom good luck I Love You with all my heart, after this no more pain ma, once your out of the hospital well take my kids you and me and well go to Florida, ma no more pain. I wished her good luck again and kissed her on her forhead.

My aunt and I went to surgical waiting area. 9 a.m. the anesthesiologist and nurse are walking towards me. He said Im sorry we had a problem , well I cant tell you how I felt, I said what problem. He said your Moms heart stopped. I said what happened , we dont know your moms heart stopped, for how long I said he said about a minute. Not knowing excactly what that really meant I immediately asked about her hip surgery and when she was going to have it, he said Orthepedic surgeon canceled surgery. They asked me if I would like to see her God they ask the stupidist questions too. she was in recovery , I said ma, ma, ma just a little reponse, ma ma ma please sqeeze my hands and she did about a minute after she fell into a coma. Back in surgical waiting area another doctor comes in, your moms brain is swelling and she is definately comatose. What do you mean I ask (of course this brain injury thing is totaly forein to us) he says her brain is swelling we dont no yet, and walked away. Kinda hard for a WE are now in ICU no doctors no nurses would talk to us. Finally 2 days later we caused chaos and called meeting with everyone that was in ER with mom. We find out mom have vomited , aspirated, went into cardiac arrest and lost oxygen to the brain all in 1/2 hour. God this is so hard. They couldnt find a vein in her forearm, took iv out and put it in her hand, she wasnt getting sedated fast enough, took it out and put it in her neck, there is a nice big arteri going straight to the heart there. Well nine months later my mom still has not 1 but 6 hole marks on her neck. They either overdosed her or put the medication in an artery. My mom vomited and aspirated and startd going into convulsions, you know kinda like waving her hands in the air saying you jerks im choking, hey guess what they noticed. Not only did they not see her but when they did they immediately turned her on her back,(she was on her side getting prepped for surgery) which made her choke more. Her heart freaked out thats called V tech, tumor had to be removed, should I even get into how I felt. Surgery needed to be done or my mom could die of other diseases. I said God if you wanted to take her you would have the black day but you didnt , please give her strength to get through this. And she went in for surgery, under anesthesia. Thank God everything went okay, she woke from surgery like she had awaken from a nap. It took my mom 4 months to eat, 4 months to speak, 5 month just to sit up in a chair, and 6 months to walk (of course its very limited, being that she never had hip surgery). April 2, 2001 6 months to the day she went into that awful place she came home. With memory very affected, confused, disoriented, very weak and very sad. We are still fighting, and she is getting better. Her orientation is much better, she now remembers half the time what day it is, where as before that was out of the question, she is eating on her own, speaking fairly well, getting much stronger and walking with a walker with assistance, helps dress

Believe it or not I am trying to schedule her for hip surgery, because I want her to walk properly again, she is only 63 I dont want my mom in wheelchair. You are now probably saying is she crazy how could she want her mom to go for another surgery after all that has happened. My mom limped before she went in for this operation and hated it, Im sure she hates being in a wheel chair, remember she came to this country for a better life, she worked very hard and just retired , she received her first social security check september 15, and october 2 she went in for surgery. And God didnt take her on that operating table he saved her from those tumors she had, he wants her to be here with us, and has guided me through all this and I feel I have very been strong for her and my own family . I miss my Hero, and I want her back , want her back real bad . Like I said she is getting better she coming back slowly.

This is our story. And hope everyone with tragedies like these one day get past them.

I wish everyone with illnesses luck, love and strength. And hope God touch all of your first, may my mom be last.

Email Maria