It's been a while since my last update... "Slow-but-steady" is my motto, and I can fortunately report that the biggest event the last couple of weeks is that I have slept well on my side and in my own bed for the first time in 5 weeks. It may not sound like much, but after so many weeks sleeping in a recliner, it sure feels great. The recliner was needed after having my chest opened and zippered back up and the resulting discomfort when lying flat.
My recovery is going well. I can walk up a whole flight of stairs without resting in the middle now, but still feel winded at the top. I exercise twice daily, 30 minutes each time, usually on a stationary bicycle in the morning, and a walk in the evening. I am also getting stronger doing everyday activities and being out and about with some errands, but I do need rest after a while. There is plenty left to improve.
Sometimes I wish the recovery would be quicker so I can feel like my old self right away, but I have to be patient, and consider the complexity of my surgery and the severe shock this was to my system. What is important is that there is slow but steady improvement. I was especially glad to see my surgeon's email where he wrote: "We want you better than your pre-op state - back to a year or two ago when you were still biking to work!" . That's my ultimate goal, but I have to have an intermediate goal as well, and that is to catch up to where I was pre-surgery.
To further aid my recovery, I just started a Cardiac Rehab program at Virginia Mason (where I had my surgery). There I was connected to an EKG monitor while exercising, and it was reassuring to see that my heart rate and blood pressure were both behaving as they should while I was pushing myself as much as I currently can. The program is expensive at $100 per session, and unlike most other health insurances which cover 36 sessions, my Group Health insurance does not cover any. So I don't plan on completing the whole program, but enough to verify I am on the right track by myself.
The first post-op echocardiagram at Virginia Mason a couple of weeks ago showed that my new and repaired heart valves are working perfectly and that the left ventricle has shrunk back to normal size. This is great news. However, the ejection fraction is only 42% (normal is 55-70%) and resting pulse is higher than normal at 90-95. What this means is that my heart is functioning well, but pumping too little each beat. This will gradually return to normal as my heart is re-modeling itself to its new working conditions after the repairs it went through. Physicians don't fully understand this re-modeling process, just that it takes time and effort. I have a new echo in the beginning of September and my cardiologist will then consider when I can safely return to work, which is a milestone I am looking forward to, but need to continue to build my strength and endurance a little further to be ready.
That's it for now. Life is good and I am enjoying every moment of every day, even while sweating hard on the bicycle, with much less load that before. That's because now I know that my workout efforts are actually improving my heart function, whereas before my surgery, no improvement was possible, and things were only getting worse.. Now they are only getting better!
Karl.
My recovery is going well. I can walk up a whole flight of stairs without resting in the middle now, but still feel winded at the top. I exercise twice daily, 30 minutes each time, usually on a stationary bicycle in the morning, and a walk in the evening. I am also getting stronger doing everyday activities and being out and about with some errands, but I do need rest after a while. There is plenty left to improve.
Sometimes I wish the recovery would be quicker so I can feel like my old self right away, but I have to be patient, and consider the complexity of my surgery and the severe shock this was to my system. What is important is that there is slow but steady improvement. I was especially glad to see my surgeon's email where he wrote: "We want you better than your pre-op state - back to a year or two ago when you were still biking to work!" . That's my ultimate goal, but I have to have an intermediate goal as well, and that is to catch up to where I was pre-surgery.
To further aid my recovery, I just started a Cardiac Rehab program at Virginia Mason (where I had my surgery). There I was connected to an EKG monitor while exercising, and it was reassuring to see that my heart rate and blood pressure were both behaving as they should while I was pushing myself as much as I currently can. The program is expensive at $100 per session, and unlike most other health insurances which cover 36 sessions, my Group Health insurance does not cover any. So I don't plan on completing the whole program, but enough to verify I am on the right track by myself.
The first post-op echocardiagram at Virginia Mason a couple of weeks ago showed that my new and repaired heart valves are working perfectly and that the left ventricle has shrunk back to normal size. This is great news. However, the ejection fraction is only 42% (normal is 55-70%) and resting pulse is higher than normal at 90-95. What this means is that my heart is functioning well, but pumping too little each beat. This will gradually return to normal as my heart is re-modeling itself to its new working conditions after the repairs it went through. Physicians don't fully understand this re-modeling process, just that it takes time and effort. I have a new echo in the beginning of September and my cardiologist will then consider when I can safely return to work, which is a milestone I am looking forward to, but need to continue to build my strength and endurance a little further to be ready.
That's it for now. Life is good and I am enjoying every moment of every day, even while sweating hard on the bicycle, with much less load that before. That's because now I know that my workout efforts are actually improving my heart function, whereas before my surgery, no improvement was possible, and things were only getting worse.. Now they are only getting better!
Karl.
