I've been browsing other threads, and thought I'd give an update. I'm about 15 months post-op. Last night I was laying in bead reading a book. At the end of the chapter, I laid the book down, took off my (ridiculously thick) glasses, turned out the light, and rolled over. *INSTANTLY* I was wide awake, heartbeat rising, shoving my husband, Honey, HONEY! Guess what??!?!?!!?!"
He sat up real fast (quite the sight with his cPap mask hanging off lop-sided).
"I can lay down, roll over, and go to sleep without any twinges or using any pillows! This is better than Christmas!"
Cue the massive eye-roll. I got a kiss on the forehead, I love you, and he was asleep in about 8 seconds.
This is a big deal to me! Even though I started side-sleeping about a month after surgery, I've had to sue a pillow or my extra-firm Heart Bear to keep my shoulders from curling inward while sleeping. I wasn't having any pain, it just wasn't comfortable. The same for rolling over - I wasn't in any pain, I just felt cumbersome and awkward, like my muscles wouldn't let me easily switch sides. In retrospect, I guess I've been sleeping this "new" old way for a few weeks, but I just realized it last night.
Yesterday I unloaded a pallet of paper reams. The day before I moved 6 cases of binders from the top warehouse shelf to a flatbed, and then into a van. The day before that I carried 3 cases of milk instead of hassling with the hand-truck. NOT A SINGLE TWINGE.
Dr Rovin said it would be about a year before I was healed. I scoffed at about 9 months, "I'm all better now!" And I kept the contrary information inside my head - the twinges I'd feel when picking up one case of milk, the ache in the center of my sternum after sitting in the recliner for an entire movie. The little occasional heart flutters. But now, all that stuff doesn't happen so often anymore. It's been a few months since I rubbed my incision and said, "Wow, my bone in really bothering me today."
The scar still has the ability to itch like a son-of-a-gun every so often, but even that sensation is fading.
So yeah, it's been a year or so for me to settle in to a new normal. I'll never be like I was pre-surgery, THANK GOD! I'm new and improved. Here's the biggest differences pre vs post op:
BEFORE
1. Didn't like kale
2. Don't know how to scuba dive
3. Black out during rollercoasters
4. Too tired to cook dinner
5. Easy to sleep 12 hours at a time
6. Love broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, asperagus
7. Sedentary
8. Bleed when I get a cut, what's PT/INR?
9. Flub-whoooooooshizzle heartbeat 53-58 beats per minute.
10. Atorvastatin, low dose aspirin
AFTER
1. Can't eat kale every day
2. Still can't scuba dive
3. Wide awake, laughing and screaming for multiple rides on my favorite coasters
4. Plenty of energy to cook dinner, but get home too late because I'm working extra jobs and swimming laps before/after work. Eating healthier.
5. Sleep about 5-6 hours a night of good, solid, uninterrupted sleep. Leaves more waking hours for LIFE
6. Eating all the good green stuff several times a week, warfarin be damned! LOL
7. Active. I've worn out 2 pair of sneakers and 2 bathing suits in the past 9 months. I've got this thing called a second chance.
8. Bleed when I get a cut. Don't carry a stopwatch to see if I bleed longer. INR stable at 2.5-3.5, just received letter from On-X reducing range to 1.5-2.5
9. Flub-Dub-TICK 72-78 beats per minute
10. Atorvastatin, low-dose aspirin, warfarin, multivitamin, folic acid.
Each day I get a little bit stronger. This site was invaluable to me. I hope I can pay it forward.
