It's been exactly two months since my valve repair surgery, and Dr. Blake, my cardiologist, is trying bring my body down off of some of the medicines. She cut my Carvedilol (a medicine given for congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and other indications) in half.
In my case, Dr. Blake prescribed the Carvedilol to make my heart beat harder. Now that my heart is healing, she felt that it was time to cut back on it. My blood pressure has been gradually trending down (80 to 88 over 41 to 52) for a couple of weeks, indicating that I no longer needed such a high dose.
After taking the new reduced dosage, my blood pressure has been bouncing around all over the place, it even got to 131/86, but now it seems to have settled into the 90+ over 50+ range when I'm at rest and 100+ over 80+ when I'm up and about. This was about my normal before the open heart surgery.
My atrial fibrillation is now well controlled by my new fancy pacemaker, and even if the Maze Procedure does not work for me, I should be able to get off all heart medications within a short time. I'm on no anti-arrhythmia drugs for the first time in over 13 years. The anti-arrhythmia drugs have serious long-range side effects, so I'm happy to be off them.
One question that I'll have for Dr. Blake the next time I see her will be, what is now different about my heart or the new pacemaker that allows me to be off the powerful anti-arrhythmia medicines.
My rehab sessions are going very well, I'm doing 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercising plus some weight training three times a week. I'm gradually increasing the resistance levels or the rpms or the speed depending on which exercise machine I'm on. My legs and arms are both looking a bit better from their previous atrophied condition.
I'm now able to work a full day either on the Internet Projects and around the house or on the Internet Projects and going to my rehab workouts. This really feels good to me, to be able to not only take care of myself, but to actually start contributing my help to our Internet Projects. I never dreamed that in only two months post open heart surgery I'd be this far along.
There are times when I still do feel vulnerable, but not as I did the first days and weeks after my open heart valve repair surgery.
Bo and Bentli, my beautiful canine companions, just might be getting their normal morning walks in the not too distant future. They will be happy to be walking down to the dog park where they can run and rip and roar again, and I'll be simply ecstatic to be able to take them.
I could take Bo, the little Shi Tzu, now, however, Bentli is a 70lb. Boxer. She is capable of dragging me all over these beautiful Sandia Mountain foothills if she were to spot a rabbit or some other animal of interest. No, dog walking, will have to wait just a little longer. Gives us all something to look forward to.
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