Montrealer
Well-known member
Well it`s been a long row to hoe but the day is near. Wifey works from home and being together 24/7 has been tough at times
I`m a pressman for a Printing company and it is a physical job but I feel ready. I`m pain free from the surgery and my INR has stablized and all my Doctors deem "moi" cured and ready to tackle this brave new world..
Mind you the recovery was not all "peaches and cream". Not here to scare any of you that are recovering but I had some bumpy times early in the process. One week after arriving home I was re-admitted with severe chest pains on my right side that was determined to be a pinched nerve. Ending up staying another week in the hospital and going back on Oxycodon was a very depressing time for me. Also this messed up my Coumadin therapy that I had already started. Also being forced to sleep on my back was tough. I just was never able to sleep on my back. Not being able to get a good night`s sleep was hard and with all the medications I was starting to slide into a dark area. Getting off the Narcotics was the 1st step to feeling better. I can`t emphasize that enough. Hey ...I like a buzz as much as the next person but the Oxycodon is nasty stuff. My family Doctor took them away from me when he noticed my demeaner and put me on Tylenol 650mg. which worked well. Yeah there was still pain but he said to deal with it. Once the narcs were out of my system the days got
brighter.
Then my Coumadin story started. My INR was up and down like a to one extreme to another. After several weeks I left the the Coumadin Clinic and started to go to a private clinic where within 2 weeks got it down to 3.0 and have been stable since. I get check every two weeks still. I still eat all my greens and yes I have my wine and whiskey. I still shave with a razor and no my life has not changed because of coumadin. Common sense and regularity is the key to Coumadin.
This site is very good for you Newbies when it comes to Coumadin Therapy.
Once the INR got regulated I started my therapy. I joined CHIPS up here in Montreal which did a lot of good. Started my walks and by now it was week 8.
The last 6-8 weeks has been like a holiday. I`ve gained about 15 lbs. since being released and to be honest my lifestyle really hasn`t changed that much. In fact Wifey and I went dancing on New Years Eve and drank and partied. I`m starting a new program for my new eating habits on Monday also. Not a Diet because they don`t work. My family doctor would like for me to lose about 30 lbs. over the next 18 months. I`m 5`8 and he would like for me to be around 180lbs.
Well...that`s about it folks. And yes having gone thru this ordeal is and was scary when it comes to Open-heart surgery there are no hero`s. For those of you whom are in the early stages of recovery hang in there because it`s true "Time heals all wounds". well except for my itchy scar.
If there `s any advise I can give you is that get off the narcs and start the walking as soon as possible and hang around in here with all us nut-jobs. Lot`s of good advice and great stories with happy endings. This is a great site and wished I had found it earlier. Now that`s it`s noon "where`s my scotch bottle"
Salute les Monde!!!!!!!!
I`ll be back to let you how my 1st day went......
I`m a pressman for a Printing company and it is a physical job but I feel ready. I`m pain free from the surgery and my INR has stablized and all my Doctors deem "moi" cured and ready to tackle this brave new world..
Mind you the recovery was not all "peaches and cream". Not here to scare any of you that are recovering but I had some bumpy times early in the process. One week after arriving home I was re-admitted with severe chest pains on my right side that was determined to be a pinched nerve. Ending up staying another week in the hospital and going back on Oxycodon was a very depressing time for me. Also this messed up my Coumadin therapy that I had already started. Also being forced to sleep on my back was tough. I just was never able to sleep on my back. Not being able to get a good night`s sleep was hard and with all the medications I was starting to slide into a dark area. Getting off the Narcotics was the 1st step to feeling better. I can`t emphasize that enough. Hey ...I like a buzz as much as the next person but the Oxycodon is nasty stuff. My family Doctor took them away from me when he noticed my demeaner and put me on Tylenol 650mg. which worked well. Yeah there was still pain but he said to deal with it. Once the narcs were out of my system the days got
brighter.
Then my Coumadin story started. My INR was up and down like a to one extreme to another. After several weeks I left the the Coumadin Clinic and started to go to a private clinic where within 2 weeks got it down to 3.0 and have been stable since. I get check every two weeks still. I still eat all my greens and yes I have my wine and whiskey. I still shave with a razor and no my life has not changed because of coumadin. Common sense and regularity is the key to Coumadin.
This site is very good for you Newbies when it comes to Coumadin Therapy.
Once the INR got regulated I started my therapy. I joined CHIPS up here in Montreal which did a lot of good. Started my walks and by now it was week 8.
The last 6-8 weeks has been like a holiday. I`ve gained about 15 lbs. since being released and to be honest my lifestyle really hasn`t changed that much. In fact Wifey and I went dancing on New Years Eve and drank and partied. I`m starting a new program for my new eating habits on Monday also. Not a Diet because they don`t work. My family doctor would like for me to lose about 30 lbs. over the next 18 months. I`m 5`8 and he would like for me to be around 180lbs.
Well...that`s about it folks. And yes having gone thru this ordeal is and was scary when it comes to Open-heart surgery there are no hero`s. For those of you whom are in the early stages of recovery hang in there because it`s true "Time heals all wounds". well except for my itchy scar.
If there `s any advise I can give you is that get off the narcs and start the walking as soon as possible and hang around in here with all us nut-jobs. Lot`s of good advice and great stories with happy endings. This is a great site and wished I had found it earlier. Now that`s it`s noon "where`s my scotch bottle"
Salute les Monde!!!!!!!!
I`ll be back to let you how my 1st day went......
