Valve Replacement Surgery - Free Day Today!

No Doctor's appointments, clinics, or research meetings today. I feel free as a bird! Getting up, bathing, dressing, and getting to the appointments still seems draining to me.

Kris and Lisa took me for a 10 minute walk this morning. I pushed the oxygen tank all the way but had to rest a couple of times along the way. I'm trying to do a little something extra on the walks each day. For example, I'll walk faster, farther, push the oxygen tank or just do something to make the walk a little more strenuous each day. Felt some congestion in my lower right lung this morning, so I am hitting the spirometer hot and heavy today.

I'm keeping up with my weight every morning and noticed that I've been losing 2 lbs. a day for four straight days. Called Dr. Blake, thinking that she would want to reduce the Furosemide (a diurectic). Dr. Blake's nurse got right back to me and said that, "yes, reduce the Furosemide to once a day".

Too much weight loss could mean that you're heading toward dehydration, while too much weight gain could mean than your retaining fluid. All these pills we're taking right now are necessary, but they sure don't do as good of a job at keeping our fluids balanced as our own healthy bodies can.

So, as you can see, weighing yourself every morning and keeping an on-going record could be critical to your recovery.

Instead of trekking around to appointments today; Kris, Lisa, and I watched Slum Dog Millionaire. It was good to just relax. They are leaving to go back to California early in the morning, I'm missing them already.

Since it is their last night here, we decided to go to Sandiago's, a New Mexican Food Restaurant located at the Tram. The restaurant over-looks the city of Albuquerque and has a spectacular view of the city. I took my oxygen tank, but there was an elevator, so I didn't need it. I did get a little winded as the elevation is about 1000 feet higher than where we live.

I was a pretty tired cookie by the time we gat back home; however, we had a wonderful time with family and friends, so it was well-worth the effort. I do find that my recovery times are getting faster and faster. I guess, the trick is to do a little more each day.