2nd AVR

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

By "home nurse," did they mean someone who comes and stays for hours and hours, or someone who just drops by? After I had my surgery, Kaiser sent a home nurse for a few brief visits, just to check my INR, check how I was healing, and review my medications. Maybe that's all they meant.

It's very possible that's what they meant. I unfortunately was not at the pre OP appointment this time, I couldn't take the time off work so Mathias went with his mom. It just made him nervous that maybe he should be expecting more than what surgeons and doctors have been telling him, and since he was getting concerned, I started to follow suit since I wasnt there to ask those specific type questions. Maybe that's all they meant. I'll hope for that.

 

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

Well, folks. 8 hours later we are out of surgery and it was a total success. Of course we aren't out of the woods yet, but I am so grateful it worked out and we can start recovery. Thank you to everyone that has sent positive thoughts and answered my questions...I appreciate you all more than you know. I will keep you updated on the rest of the hospital stay, but as for tonight we celebrate!!

 

[Keithl]

Excellent news, good luck.

 

[carolinemc]

@LoveMyBraveHeart How is he doing now? Better I hope. So glad he did come out surgery well. Just keep him on his toes about walking and eating. You are the best person on his side. Hugs for today.

 

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

@LoveMyBraveHeart How is he doing now? Better I hope. So glad he did come out surgery well. Just keep him on his toes about walking and eating. You are the best person on his side. Hugs for today.

Thank you for asking! He is doing remarkably well so far, thankfully. His PT consult and check list is complete, as is his OT and RT. He has everything on track to come home tonight or tomorrow, which is days ahead of his last OHS. He is being very good about walking the floor and all of his nurses love him. He struggled with pain and nausea the first day, and actually vomited at one point, so is very hesitant to start eating much as vomiting with a cracked chest cannot be comfortable no matter how many great pain killers they give you. He is drinking recovery protein shakes (which are so gross, but I do recommend them if you can stomach them as I feel they contributed to his lack of weakness and quickened recovery and he agrees. They are called IMPACT Advanced Recovery. Kinda spendy, but his surgeon prescribed them so we are hoping that insurance will give us the money back). His glucose is staying in the 108-115 range so that's good. He was able to eat a salad at one point too. Honestly, he is just ready to be home, and I know recovery will be much easier for him and faster once they are able to release him. As for now, we are following instructions in order to stay on track so the doctors grant him the ability to come home and snuggle with our dog...That's all he wants to do!

Thanks all for the well wishes. He is doing amazingly well and I am at ease knowing I have ya'll to lean on should I need it.

Jill

 

[Protimenow]

Snuggling with your dog is GREAT medicine.

 

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

Update:
After a near deadly complication (tamponade), we got to come home yesterday and Mathias is receiving the best medicine of all; dog snuggles. He's doing pretty good but of course I'm on edge since having to go back to the emergency room, but his pain is well controlled and he has a great appetite! He does complain of stinging on his pecs, but I remember his talking about that last time. I'll pick up some lidocaine patches today as those seem to help it. His BP has been 120-130/70-80, pulse has been 75-90 and temp has been 98.3-99.1. He's walking around as much as he can without over doing it. The most annoying thing I think for him is the random 2 coughs that come every couple hours. They catch him by surprise sometimes when he doesnt have his pillow to hold. We are working on breathing exercises and he is consistently pulling 2000-2500 on his IS. So that's an improvement. So happy to have him home for my birthday today, best birthday present I can ask for! But I wont rest easy until he is out of pain and feeling more like himself. Wednesdays emergency situation scared me and him so much, I dont know if I will ever stop checking on him every 2 minutes. Thankfully, for now, he doesnt seem to mind.

Btw, the sweet dog in the photo is Banks...Mathias rescued him as a 4 week old puppy from a dumpster on a rainy spring day. He was in a hypoglycemic induced coma and took weeks to turn around. Many times we did not think he'd make it. But he is the most resilient dog I've ever met, and takes his care taking job very seriously!

Thank you all for always being there to support me and so many other. It's so comforting to have you guys.

 

[Agian]

Happy Birthday.

I have to say something: Who the hell puts a puppy in a dumpster? I'm shocked by the scuminess of some people.

 

[Protimenow]

Happy Birthday.

I have to say something: Who the hell puts a puppy in a dumpster? I'm shocked by the scuminess of some people.

Who the hell puts a puppy in a dumpster?

A month or two ago, her in Southern California, a woman put a LITTER of puppies into a trash bin behind a building. It was caught on camera. Someone rescued the seven puppies, and they were nursed to good health and, I think, put out for adoption. One of the puppies didn't make it.

The woman who dumped the puppies will be in jail for a year, and on many years of probation (if I recall correctly).

Many people in California take this kind of **** very seriously.

(There's still, definitely, people who are cruel to animals. A few months ago, police (and probably many animal rescue people) removed 135 (!!) Shih Tzus from a house in Southern California. The conditions were atrocious. The smell in the neighborhood was awful.
The people with the dogs were running a 'puppy mill' expecting to sell the dogs.

The dogs got veterinary care, most (if not all) were brought up to good health, and this 'financial windfall' will probably turn to jail time for the breeders, and they'll have to know that the dogs were given to good homes..

I won't mention the other tales of animal cruelty that have happened in this lovely country in the past few years. There will probably always be a lunatic fringe that doesn't consider the pain and suffering of our quadraped friends or, as seen here recently, the humans of a particular race, or nationality, or language, or color, or age, or .... -- but I don't want to inject human politics into this thread.

Let me just say that it seems that a majority of humans DO care about dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, and other critters.


Oh -- and Happy Birthday

 

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

Who the hell puts a puppy in a dumpster?

A month or two ago, her in Southern California, a woman put a LITTER of puppies into a trash bin behind a building. It was caught on camera. Someone rescued the seven puppies, and they were nursed to good health and, I think, put out for adoption. One of the puppies didn't make it.

The woman who dumped the puppies will be in jail for a year, and on many years of probation (if I recall correctly).

Many people in California take this kind of **** very seriously.

(There's still, definitely, people who are cruel to animals. A few months ago, police (and probably many animal rescue people) removed 135 (!!) Shih Tzus from a house in Southern California. The conditions were atrocious. The smell in the neighborhood was awful.
The people with the dogs were running a 'puppy mill' expecting to sell the dogs.

The dogs got veterinary care, most (if not all) were brought up to good health, and this 'financial windfall' will probably turn to jail time for the breeders, and they'll have to know that the dogs were given to good homes..

I won't mention the other tales of animal cruelty that have happened in this lovely country in the past few years. There will probably always be a lunatic fringe that doesn't consider the pain and suffering of our quadraped friends or, as seen here recently, the humans of a particular race, or nationality, or language, or color, or age, or .... -- but I don't want to inject human politics into this thread.

Let me just say that it seems that a majority of humans DO care about dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, and other critters.


Oh -- and Happy Birthday

I can confirm that humans are disgusting to animals, and to each other. It's one of the main reasons I stepped away from the job I held in animal rescue for years... it made me jaded, and doubt the humanity of most people and I finally realized it was not a healthy mindset to be expecting the worst out of anyone I'd meet. Good people are everywhere, they are just shadowed by the stories of the horrible people that dont possess what this very website focuses so much on--a heart. I have fostered many dogs (other critters too...horses, cats, bunnies, etc.) that have only know malice and terror yet they are so kind and trusting towards humans, my own pooch being a prime example. Humans could learn something from an animal's willingness to forgive and their resilience. Sorry to get off topic, animals rescue is one of my passions! I can get a bit long winded! Thank you for the birthday wishes.

 

[Agian]

You've learnt the hard way how much evil is out there.

 

[carolinemc]

Thank you for asking! He is doing remarkably well so far, thankfully. His PT consult and check list is complete, as is his OT and RT. He has everything on track to come home tonight or tomorrow, which is days ahead of his last OHS. He is being very good about walking the floor and all of his nurses love him. He struggled with pain and nausea the first day, and actually vomited at one point, so is very hesitant to start eating much as vomiting with a cracked chest cannot be comfortable no matter how many great pain killers they give you. He is drinking recovery protein shakes (which are so gross, but I do recommend them if you can stomach them as I feel they contributed to his lack of weakness and quickened recovery and he agrees. They are called IMPACT Advanced Recovery. Kinda spendy, but his surgeon prescribed them so we are hoping that insurance will give us the money back). His glucose is staying in the 108-115 range so that's good. He was able to eat a salad at one point too. Honestly, he is just ready to be home, and I know recovery will be much easier for him and faster once they are able to release him. As for now, we are following instructions in order to stay on track so the doctors grant him the ability to come home and snuggle with our dog...That's all he wants to do!

Thanks all for the well wishes. He is doing amazingly well and I am at ease knowing I have ya'll to lean on should I need it.

Jill

Sorry I have not posted sooner, my dog, Dixie has been sick, low red cell count, no cause has been figured out yet. She was so week for a few days I was very scared for her. But she is getting a little better each day. Her appetite is not great, but slowly is getting better. Her strength is getting better.

So glad your loved one is getting better. Be sure they are checking his glucose carefully, cause sometime Diabetes can be awakened by OPH. Mine was and had a cousin who was diagnosed after her OPH. Hopefully he will be fine and he will be eating better soon. And so glad you have a dog, which they are healers in so many ways.

Take care and keep us updated. I am coming back. Missed you all. Hugs for today.