Back home (more or less)
Back home (more or less)
This is Alan. I will actually be staying with my brother for a while, but we dropped by my place to pick up mail and email.
I had surgery Monday the 11th, Medtronic Freestyle 27 mm Aortic Root Bioprosthesis. Plus the ascending aorta was replaced with some fabric. I was scheduled for O.R. at 12, but rolled in the door at about 12:15. They started inserting IV's and other stuff, then they put a mask over my face and told me to breathe deeply. Not sure if that knocked me out or they slipped something in my IV, but next thing I knew I was awake, but with the breathing tube. They took the tube out and I was able to speak. Apparently they had kept me sedated for about six hours after surgery before waking me up, so once I woke up, I was very alert and away. This was about 11:30 pm Monday night.
I spend two days in the ICU because they wanted to monitor my blood pressure and it kept dropping a bit low as they tried to wean me off one of the cardiac drugs. I was on Morphine, therefore no pain to speak of. I sat on the edge of the bed briefly the next morning.
By time I was transferred to the floor Wednesday I was on fluid diet and on Percocet tablets. I think I walked to the desk by Thursday (or maybe even Wednesday) and by Friday I was out in the hall and took a shower. Saturday I had full appetite and all tubes, monitors, etc out. Perhaps if I hadn't stayed in ICU the extra day I would have gone home Sunday, but they needed me to hang around for an Echo Monday, then home.
I never had big problems with pain, by the weekend an occasional Tylenol #3 was find. No other complications. Sometimes I feel quite fit, then I realize just how tired I am with exertion. Enough for now, more later.
Alan