Today marks 6 weeks since the surgery. Wow! Considering some of the days along the way seemed like the longest of my life, I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. The goal of this week is to check all the final boxes and get the green lights to get back to normal.
I checked the first one this morning with my Cardiologist. He took me off sternal precautions which means I can drive again, lift more than 8 lbs, bend down and lift my arms above my head again. The kids shouldn't jump on me and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't vacuum or do too much housework again just yet, but otherwise, I'm good to go. This is a huge milestone and relief!!
The next 2 boxes should be checked on Thursday when I have a chest x-ray and meet with my surgeon. There is still a risk and some concern there may be a little fluid in my chest cavity that I've been battling. I'm hopeful that if there is, it won't be a big deal, but we'll find out for sure on Thursday.
With that, my plan is to return to work next Monday. I'm supposed to ease back into things for a few weeks so I can monitor my energy levels, especially while going to Rehab 3x/week. But for the most part, I should be good to go.
Overall, I'm happy with each step towards normalcy. I feel like I've been an observer in watching my body heal for so long, and now I'm becoming an actual participant and have more control over things again.
Life is good!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Week 4 - Off to Rehab
As we round out week 4, I can officially say things are on the up and up! I had 1 more thoracentesis done to remove more fluid from my chest just as I had the week before. The good news is the volume was less this time and we are super hopeful that I won't have to do that again. I also had an Echocardiogram done on my heart and my Cardiologist says my heart looks great! Everyone is really, really pleased with the repair and are fairly confident that it should last forever. Getting the rest of my body back to working order is a slow process, but as long as no one actually touches my heart again, all is good in my book.
This week is all about getting settled in to a Cardiac Rehab program. I'm super excited about this as it is basically a monitored exercise program that allows heart surgery patients to ramp back up in their exercise routines safely. After being sedentary for so long, I am indeed ready to start moving and see how much I both can and should be doing.
I'm doing my Rehab classes at Swedish Hospital in Seattle (as opposed to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton) for more convenience when I go back to work. They have a really nice facility with tons of equipment and heart monitors so they can see how your heart is responding to exercise. Now I need to figure out the best way to fit it into my schedule when I go back to work. And how to go every time without thinking of the Amy Winehouse song on Rehab.... No, no no....
Speaking of work - I will most likely go back in 2 weeks! It's hard to believe it's around the corner when it seemed so far away at the beginning. I miss all my Starbucks partners and am looking forward to going back. Especially when I see all the exciting announcements today on the awesome work for Evolution Fresh. And I also got the best food delivery from the great group of people I work with to make things easier on us for the next few weeks. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by so many kind and amazing people.
Life is good.
This week is all about getting settled in to a Cardiac Rehab program. I'm super excited about this as it is basically a monitored exercise program that allows heart surgery patients to ramp back up in their exercise routines safely. After being sedentary for so long, I am indeed ready to start moving and see how much I both can and should be doing.
I'm doing my Rehab classes at Swedish Hospital in Seattle (as opposed to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton) for more convenience when I go back to work. They have a really nice facility with tons of equipment and heart monitors so they can see how your heart is responding to exercise. Now I need to figure out the best way to fit it into my schedule when I go back to work. And how to go every time without thinking of the Amy Winehouse song on Rehab.... No, no no....
Speaking of work - I will most likely go back in 2 weeks! It's hard to believe it's around the corner when it seemed so far away at the beginning. I miss all my Starbucks partners and am looking forward to going back. Especially when I see all the exciting announcements today on the awesome work for Evolution Fresh. And I also got the best food delivery from the great group of people I work with to make things easier on us for the next few weeks. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by so many kind and amazing people.
Life is good.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Week 3 - Very Humbling
After feeling pretty good in the 2nd week, I was ready to take Week 3 by storm. Bring it on! Let's keep this recovering moving along! So many people had told me that I looked great and I was doing so well and since I'm young, I must be on the fast track to recovery. I have to admit, I had a little ego started that I was indeed kicking butt on this and felt like a heart surgery rock star.
Next thing I knew, I had a week filled with scary names like a Thoracentesis, Pneumothorax and Dressler's Syndrome as well as a trip to the ER at 3:30am and new pains and shortness of breath. Doh!
Now don't get me wrong - I'm really trying not to complain. I realized that the most when I was talking about my frustrations with my surgeon yesterday and he asked how long ago my surgery was. I told him 3 weeks and 2 days. His very sarcastic response was, "And you haven't fully recovered from heart surgery yet?! Come on!" Yep, sarcasm works on me.
Everything I have experienced is fairly common. And I do think my complications and complications of the complications are settling down now and I have a good plan to get past them.
Going forward, I probably need to work on keeping my attitude in check. I'm still very positive and confident that I'm well on my way to recovering, but I'm also accepting the fact that my body needs more time than my mind would like to get everything back in balance. I've known that from the beginning, but this week was a good reminder of that reality.
Happy Friday all! And Happy SXSW to all my friends in Austin which is where I was planning on being this week before this little adventure. I'm with y'all in spirit while I go back to my recliner to finish another book.
Next thing I knew, I had a week filled with scary names like a Thoracentesis, Pneumothorax and Dressler's Syndrome as well as a trip to the ER at 3:30am and new pains and shortness of breath. Doh!
Now don't get me wrong - I'm really trying not to complain. I realized that the most when I was talking about my frustrations with my surgeon yesterday and he asked how long ago my surgery was. I told him 3 weeks and 2 days. His very sarcastic response was, "And you haven't fully recovered from heart surgery yet?! Come on!" Yep, sarcasm works on me.
Everything I have experienced is fairly common. And I do think my complications and complications of the complications are settling down now and I have a good plan to get past them.
Going forward, I probably need to work on keeping my attitude in check. I'm still very positive and confident that I'm well on my way to recovering, but I'm also accepting the fact that my body needs more time than my mind would like to get everything back in balance. I've known that from the beginning, but this week was a good reminder of that reality.
Happy Friday all! And Happy SXSW to all my friends in Austin which is where I was planning on being this week before this little adventure. I'm with y'all in spirit while I go back to my recliner to finish another book.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Week 2
Tomorrow will officially be 2 weeks post-surgery. Everyone has suggested that I take the recovery day-by-day since there will be many highs and lows. But I think looking back week-by-week is even better. It's just like kids, you don't know how much they are changing when you see them every day. So while I haven't necessarily felt daily improvements, I can definitely see and feel weekly improvement!
We'll just skip past the first 6 days in the hospital. It was long and hard and just an unbelievable experience. I'll never forget it or the people involved.
Now that I've been home for a week, I've had the fortune to be completely pampered and doted upon by my parents and hubby the whole time. I even had a friend send me a bell to ring in case no one is around when I need something. The boys think it's an awesome new toy, much to Rob's dismay - ha!
In the last week, I can see significant improvement in my ability to get up and down and move around. Little things like getting dressed are still kind of hard, but taking a shower doesn't wear me as much as it did. And best of all, I had increasing energy as the week went on to even have some short outings - to watch Jonas' swim class, go to a matinee movie and a drive up to Port Gamble for lunch. All of those would have been impossible a week earlier. I've learned to knit and have started a scarf, finished my first book (Swimming to Antarctica - highly recommended), done lots of breathing exercises and walks around the house, played some WWF, watched fairly limited TV and been online only enough to feel connected with people. Looking back now, it was a good week all in all.
Now it's time for some goals for the week ahead. More work on the scarf, find a new book, see more friends, have a few more outings - doctor's appointment, lunch with a friend, more swim classes and maybe even tackling something on the to-do list like organizing our photos.
I would also like to start accepting some of the offers we've had for help along the way as my folks (and all of their amazing help!) are heading out tomorrow. We still have quite a few weeks ahead where I'm going to be useless in ways of "helping" around the house - cleaning, cooking, taking care of kids. While I am definitely feeling better, I'm not feeling that well yet!!
Life is indeed good.
We'll just skip past the first 6 days in the hospital. It was long and hard and just an unbelievable experience. I'll never forget it or the people involved.
Now that I've been home for a week, I've had the fortune to be completely pampered and doted upon by my parents and hubby the whole time. I even had a friend send me a bell to ring in case no one is around when I need something. The boys think it's an awesome new toy, much to Rob's dismay - ha!
In the last week, I can see significant improvement in my ability to get up and down and move around. Little things like getting dressed are still kind of hard, but taking a shower doesn't wear me as much as it did. And best of all, I had increasing energy as the week went on to even have some short outings - to watch Jonas' swim class, go to a matinee movie and a drive up to Port Gamble for lunch. All of those would have been impossible a week earlier. I've learned to knit and have started a scarf, finished my first book (Swimming to Antarctica - highly recommended), done lots of breathing exercises and walks around the house, played some WWF, watched fairly limited TV and been online only enough to feel connected with people. Looking back now, it was a good week all in all.
Now it's time for some goals for the week ahead. More work on the scarf, find a new book, see more friends, have a few more outings - doctor's appointment, lunch with a friend, more swim classes and maybe even tackling something on the to-do list like organizing our photos.
I would also like to start accepting some of the offers we've had for help along the way as my folks (and all of their amazing help!) are heading out tomorrow. We still have quite a few weeks ahead where I'm going to be useless in ways of "helping" around the house - cleaning, cooking, taking care of kids. While I am definitely feeling better, I'm not feeling that well yet!!
Life is indeed good.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Home Sweet Home
Back home now settling in with as much normalcy as possible. Couldn't be happier!
More later, but for now, good night.
More later, but for now, good night.
Friday, February 17, 2012
The ups and downs of Recovery Road
Lovely patient # 68915, is doing quite well. Since our last episode our heroine has graduated from the intensive care unit to the progressive care unit, and is...progressing! Objects, tubes, wires, and machines have steadily left her body and the hospital room has quieted down substantially over the last couple days. I welcome the new peace happily, fewer bells and whistles, fewer pokes and prods, and a happier patient. She's able to get up and walk around now, doing laps of the nurses station to help get her moving again.
There's been a few set backs, a few confounding blood numbers that are slow to recover and work their way back to the normal range and ensure everything is stabilized post-surgery. And a small lung issue we're hoping gets smaller with the next chest X-ray. A couple more lines here, and a tube there, and a check box or two and we should be able to go home.
They've even already had us watch the discharge and post-hospital stay videos..which Vid promptly fell asleep to...alas, another little side effect of a little ol' open heart surgery: happy go lucky Vida able to sit up, talk and eat, and walk around, and play words with friends one minute, to a completely sacked out eyelids of lead sleeping beauty. Just as she is right now.
Night night sweetie.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Day 2
Just another quick note to get the word out, the surgery went well and
Vid is recovering steadily in the ICU. Quite the roller coaster of a
day. Not quite out of the woods, but on the right path.
Vid is recovering steadily in the ICU. Quite the roller coaster of a
day. Not quite out of the woods, but on the right path.
Had her sitting up in a side chair this morning, but back in bed and
enjoying modern pharmaceuticals now.
Should be steadily removing tubes and lines today as she progresses.
Love to all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)