Good news and bad news! I saw Dr. Levy, my cardiovascular surgeon, for my six week post valve repair surgery today. He was simply ecstatic with his ultra successful surgery.
The scar was healing extremely nicely (I already knew that). While I am still in a fixed A-Fib rhythm, in six more weeks there should be enough scar tissue formed as a result of the Maze procedure to eliminate the A-Fib (we're keeping our fingers crossed). My heart is healing, but will still take up to six months to re-form.
Dr. Levy said that the right side of my heart was grossly stretched out of shape at the time of my open heart surgery. He said that it will just take time to heal and resume its normal efficient shape.
He added that I still have mild right-sided congestive heart failure due to the newness of the surgery and the shape of my heart, but this too will improve as the months go by (Months?).
I have to stay on both the diuretics and the coumadin until my heart heals and becomes a more efficient pump (not what I wanted to hear). I especially would like to get off the coumadin, however, the diuretics are a pain in the rump too.
He said that I could start doing upper body exercises at rehab, but to relax and take it easy. Don't get greedy, and nothing over ten pounds. In fact the over-riding theme of the day from Dr. Levy's view point was that I was doing great but not to get greedy. "You can expect to feel more like yourself in six to nine months". "Rest, relax, and don't get greedy".
He acted as though I'd been unreasonably pushing myself to get stronger faster. Actually, I feel like I'm resting constantly. Six to nine months of more sitting around sounds like eternity to me.
My INR was high at 2.9 today. Rita, the INR nurse adjusted the coumadin a little. It needs to be between 2.0 and 3.0; however, since my finger bled and bled from the tiny finger prick she made today, she was afraid to let the current coumadin dose schedule continue for another two weeks. See what I mean about the coumadin?
I also met with Angela Mineheim today, head of the research department. She is going to check with Dr. Blake about the muscle cramps in my right hand, arch and calf muscles. Probably Dr. Blake will adjust the diuretics a little. In the mean time, I'm to eat more foods with potassium (that's okay, I like bananas).
It was an emotional day for me. My dear friends, Lynn, Kathy and Judy all provided terrific broad shoulders to cry on. Who knows why I got so upset. Guess I'm still feeling vulnerable from the open heart surgery, or maybe it was that some of what he said was totally unexpected. Have I turned into a complete bawl bag?
The thought of possibly having and managing congestive heart failure from now on was overwhelming to me. Dr. Levy did not say that I would have it, but he did say that there was a possibility. I had been under the impression that I was already completely over it.
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