JimL
Well-known member
Many things have happened to me since surgery -- probably the most surprising to me is my total addiction to ValveReplacement.com -- but this one seems more significant and worth reporting.
Two weeks ago, my wife Shirley and I took a pre-anniversary trip to the beautiful AuSable River midway up Michigan?s lower peninsula. I especially thought of it as a pre-anniversary trip, just in case we (read me) forgot our anniversary next Monday.
There are some beautiful lookouts along the AuSable, two of which had stairs down to the river. We did 260 steps down and 260 steps back up on one day, and the next day 294 steps down and 294 steps back up. I had no trouble whatsoever. A year ago I wouldn?t have made it. Two years ago, I would have been glad to sit down and rest. This time I wasn?t even breathing hard. My wife enjoyed resting on every bench.
The incident that I thought was rather significant occurred about halfway back up the 294 steps; Shirley wanted to rest, but there wasn?t a bench at hand. I thought I saw a bench a little farther ahead (my eyes are none too good), so I ran up the next three flights of stairs to check. Yes, there were benches there. So I came back down to climb with her to the benches.
It was only later on that it dawned on me what I had done, something I?ve never done before in my life. I had run up three flights of stairs, and I wasn?t even breathing hard! I wondered if that were bad or good. It?s been over two weeks now, and there haven?t been any bad effects, as if I had overdone it, so it must be a good thing.
I may have a constant ticking, I may have a bounding heartbeat, I may be on coumadin for life, my INR may never be stable, I may constantly be having things dawn on me long after the fact, but my heart valve is wide open and my heart is pumping efficiently for a change.
Two weeks ago, my wife Shirley and I took a pre-anniversary trip to the beautiful AuSable River midway up Michigan?s lower peninsula. I especially thought of it as a pre-anniversary trip, just in case we (read me) forgot our anniversary next Monday.
There are some beautiful lookouts along the AuSable, two of which had stairs down to the river. We did 260 steps down and 260 steps back up on one day, and the next day 294 steps down and 294 steps back up. I had no trouble whatsoever. A year ago I wouldn?t have made it. Two years ago, I would have been glad to sit down and rest. This time I wasn?t even breathing hard. My wife enjoyed resting on every bench.
The incident that I thought was rather significant occurred about halfway back up the 294 steps; Shirley wanted to rest, but there wasn?t a bench at hand. I thought I saw a bench a little farther ahead (my eyes are none too good), so I ran up the next three flights of stairs to check. Yes, there were benches there. So I came back down to climb with her to the benches.
It was only later on that it dawned on me what I had done, something I?ve never done before in my life. I had run up three flights of stairs, and I wasn?t even breathing hard! I wondered if that were bad or good. It?s been over two weeks now, and there haven?t been any bad effects, as if I had overdone it, so it must be a good thing.
I may have a constant ticking, I may have a bounding heartbeat, I may be on coumadin for life, my INR may never be stable, I may constantly be having things dawn on me long after the fact, but my heart valve is wide open and my heart is pumping efficiently for a change.
