Today, almost four weeks post surgery, I was determined to start doing some of the everyday activities I was doing before my double valve repair surgery.
Actually, my open heart surgery involved much more than tricuspid and mitral valve repair. Since my heart had rapidly enlarged following the severe damage (open swinging door effect) caused by the fractured lead extraction, both the right and left atria were reduced in size surgically.
Additionally, a biatrial MAZE procedure (commonly referred to as afib ablation) was completed in hopes of eliminating my atrial fibrillation forever. As you can imagine, I'm crossing my fingers that this will work. It would mean that I would be free of the afib and the accompanying treatment (Coumadin). No one wants to be on Coumadin and I'm no exception.
Also, the left atrial appendage (a main culprit in open heart surgery blood clotting complications) was removed to prevent blood clotting, a lead was implanted on the outside of my left ventricle and tunneled up to the pacemaker pocket (this is a spare lead to be used in the event that one of the other leads fails), and my right atrium lead was reimplanted. This was a tremendous amount of work on and inside one little heart.
Never the less, it has been almost four weeks since my surgery, so today my goal was to fix breakfast and walk a longer distance than I've been walking. It's important to me to accomplish a little bit more each day.
Fixing breakfast definitely agitated my sternum and lower chest, and subsequently, the pain increased dramatically. I did take a pain pill, but not before the pain had reached a high level. Dumb, dumb, dumb! I know to take the pain medication before the pain gets too bad; it's harder to get it under control if you wait until it reaches a high level.
Bending down to reach pans from lower cabinets, reaching to higher cabinets, looking in and retrieving things from the refrigerator are all cooking activities that you really don't think about until you start to do them for the first time after open heart surgery.
Retrieving items from the back of the refrigerator is especially difficult and painful. Fixing breakfast myself sure made me appreciate all the wonderful caring support I've had over these past three weeks.
While the pain medicine was still in effect, Lynn took me on a thirty minute walk up and down the hills of our beautiful Sandia Mountain neighborhood. Today was the first time I had walked off the flat ground, so it was major for me.
We hadn't really intended to walk that far, but although I did get winded and had to stop for a brief rest from time to time, I noticed that my stamina was beginning to increase, and I pushed to continue.
In retrospect, I was probably able to walk up and down the hills for the long thirty minutes because I did have the pain medicine on board.
We must have been quite a sight, Lynn pushing my oxygen tank and me huffing and puffing up and down the hills. Yes, I still have to use the oxygen while exercising since my pulse ox drops to below under 90 when I walk or do other exercise.
No one wants to be tied to the oxygen, but right now it is necessary for me. Using oxygen in public makes you a little self-conscious; however, although we do have a lot of walkers, joggers and bikers in this area, they were all just as friendly as ever. Albuquerque is filled with friendly, genuine people.
It was great to be out in the sun and to be able to feel our wonderful New Mexico wind on my skin. Today's outing raised my spirits, and lets me see that I am making definite progress. It helped me to know that this recovery phase is only temporary.
Tomorrow will be the first day since my valve repair surgery that I will be alone for most of the day. Connie, our dear friend from up the hill, is only four minutes away. She will be here in a flash if I need her, so there is help nearby. It's not as though I'm stuck out in the desert with no help in sight. Still, I will be alone in the house except for my wonderful canine companions, Bo and Bentli.
Bentli, our Boxer, weighs 75 lbs. She is way too much for me to handle, so Lynn has to take her outside to do her business before she goes to work. Bo is a little Shih Tzu, and so I can manage her myself.
Also, tomorrow I plan to drive myself to see Dr. Blake for the third follow-up appointment and then on over to rehab to start my regular sessions. It's only two days away from four weeks post surgery so I feel fairly comfortable with this decision. There is no doubt that it will be a big day for me; just thinking about it makes me feel more independent.
Will post again tomorrow to let you know how it all goes.
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