I have Graduated...

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Birdman

...YUP! I have Graduated from the Pre Surgery Forum to the Post Surgery Forum!

I did have my Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery on December 8th (a Monday).After all the delays & a false start, all went well! They didn't put me out until AFTER I was wheeled into the O.R. Two hours after I went into surgery, my wife was called to the front desk. Patty thought 'Oh Heck!, now what?' My Surgeon to her that he was done & they were closing me at that time. Boy was Patty relieved!

I had an afternoon surgery, I wasn't aware of much until about 9:30pm. My Intensive Care Nurse told me that my Family had stayed for awhile & went home, they were very worn out. My Surgeon & my Cardiologist both visited me, so I was told:p.

Four nights in Hospital were plenty. I went HOME Friday afternoon. It Snowed in Washington State the next day, a few inches shuts down the City of Seattle! My Daughter, Penny couldn't get to her home in the hilly neighborhood of West Seattle. She was stuck at our small house until just before Christmas. Yea, she felt really really bad:rolleyes:. We got a few snowstorms & a rare White Christmas (OK it didn't snow ON Christmas...). Patty & Penny are smart drivers, THEY BOTH DO NOT DRIVE IN THE SNOW!!! They leave it to dear ol' Dad. Dear ol' Dad is not allowed to drive for another 2 weeks...

I spent just about forever sleeping on the living room couch. My first attempt on the Waterbed just didn't work... eventually I am able to sleep in bed. I feel that I am behind where I should be, My Surgeon says that I am way ahead of where I should be... As for the healing process? I am doing quite well, with the exception of the infection at the Groin incision, I am taking a heavy duty Major League Antibiotic. $389 for 14 pills, I 'only' had to pay $100 :rolleyes:. Patty changes the dressing twice a day, NOW! THAT is LOVE!

There is no way that I will be able to return to reading Electric Meters in two weeks! We are looking at maybe mid February. As of my lasy paycheck, I STILL have more than 500 hours of sick leave remaining. This all started on August 4, 2008. It seems so long ago. I feel stronger every day, but tire easily.

Well, I think that I'll go back to bed now...
 
Gald to hear you are home and feeling pretty well. Take it easy and get your rest. Oh and WALK. Hope your infection clears quickly.
 
Welcome to our side of the mountain! Take it easy, sleep, eat, breathe and walk. You westerners amd snow! My son is a pilot on Horizon and flies out of Portland to Seattle, and being from upstate NY he knows snow! And I work for the local utility here....but never read meters!
 
Birdman,Glad to see your post,feels good to be home and happy

to read your doing well.

Snow (shhhhhhh) were travelling this week for my surgery. TOO,TOO

much of the white stuff and still falling here also.

Appreciate your update and the best to you in your recovery,continuation.

zipper2 (DEB)
 
Good news to hear your surgery is behind you and you seem to be doing very well. Don't rush it... follow doctor's orders. Hope your recovery continues with no bumps.
 
Thanks for keeping us up to date, Birdman. Walking is important. With all the snow, you might try walking in an enclosed mall. Keep up the good work.
 
Good to hear from you!
What's your prediction for umpiring Little League this spring? Will you be up for it?
 
What a great post surgery report ! Congratulations on doing so well .... I had my AVR on dec 10th so we're in about the same boat ...
Go steady and keep mending ...and smiling .
 
As a nervous newbie (Bina) I am thrilled to hear that you are doing well in your recovery! Keep improving every day.
 
Welcome! And congratulations on making through to our corner of the world! This is a great place for any questions you might have as you continue to recover...it took me a while to find it, and I know that my anxieties about what was happening to me would have been alleviated much better if I had known about this fantastic group of people.

As everyone has said, take it easy. Feeling good can be deceiving, as I am sure you have discovered. It's VERY easy to overdo it when you're feeling stronger. I just went back to work today (6 week mark to an office job), so don't rush back if you can afford to take that little extra time to rest.

Again, congratulations on a successful surgery! And best of luck with the infection. My site didn't necessarily get infected, but I still have a hematoma there to this day.

Mike
 
Hey Birdman, glad to hear it all went well and you are well on the road to recovery. My cardio told me I probably wouldn't really start feeling back to normal for at least 3 months, but each day is a little better and that's a good thing. I guess it pays to remember that if you broke an arm or leg it would be in a cast for up to 6 weeks, so given what we've just been through, we need to cut ourselves a little slack ;)

Anyway, hope each day sees you feeling better.


A : )
 
Yes! Walking is important!

Yes! Walking is important!

Phyllis said:
Thanks for keeping us up to date, Birdman. Walking is important. With all the snow, you might try walking in an enclosed mall. Keep up the good work.
Click to expand...

I used a pedometer today. My 'house route', kitchen-living room, & back, repeated over & over is about 33 steps. My pedometer said I did 1360 steps in 15 minutes, 1/2 mile. I find this difficult to believe, but I was doing a mile in less than 15 minutes last October...

I had the Sgt Pepper's CD on, it sounded GREAT! The volume on the stereo is a couple of notches higher when Patty is not home. Hey! it goes to "11" after all :rolleyes:.

The Doctor says that the infection will take WEEKS to heal. There is a very small chance that infection could reach the Heart. If the Heart gets infected, they might have to go back in, something I would never want! We discovered it soon enough the Doctor thinks.

I'm so sick... I want to go back to work!

A $12 Million Mega Millions winning ticket wouldn't be bad, then I could retire :D.

mike
 
Bina said:
It sounds like you are doing really well!
And what a nice report you gave to share with our nervous newbies. Continue to pace yourself and rest.
Click to expand...


The very best Heart Surgery stuff I have read is in these very pages! I was one of them thar nervous newbies not so long ago. I found out that there is LIFE after Valve Replacement! & Coumadin. Maybe I'll do a 10K, like those in the Sport Forum. Now THAT would be a miracle! :eek:.

mike
 
Birdman, You are going to do fine! Walking to Sargent Pepper is a very good sign in my book! Thanks for making me smile. Brian
 
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