5 week update.

[marc_kowal]

Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in awhile but between the holiday and my recovery, I haven't had a lot of time to spend in front of the computer. Things have been going well, I was cleared for cardiac rehab and have an orientatiob on the 17th. It will be 3 days a week for approx. 6 weeks.

They are still working to get my INR levels right, I'm currently at 4.5 mg of warfarin a day and some weeks my level is high, some it's low. A lot of that depends on how my appetite was for the week (unfortunately, I still have little to no appetite on some days, but it's getting better).

Most days are better then the previous day, but I've had a few days where I just felt lousy. 2 steps forward and 1 step back is my mantra.

My scars are healing pretty well, chest tube holes are finally getting really small, and my sternum scars looks good with one potential snag. I had a pimple or in-grown hair bump form on the scar and when it popped, some clear, slightly reddish fluid came out. It scabbed over and then today in the shower the scab came off and left a little pocket there. I put gauze on it, and pinched the area closed with tape. Waiting to hear from the cardio to see if they want to look at it, or just do a "wait and see" tactic. It doesn't hurt and it's not red. Oh well, we'll see.

Pain hasn't been bad at all except for the stomach and the left shoulder blade. Stomach sometimes feels like I just did 1,000 sit-ups and makes me not want to eat a lot. On a good note, I've dropped 17 lbs and I'm down to 173 lbs now. I haven't seen this weight since I was still landscaping and pretty solid!

I was still taking percocet once or twice a day, but I decided yesterday morning was my last pill, and I'll try to manage pain with extra strength Tylenol. I just get worried about being on a narcotic too long.

Still stinks I can't pick up my 9 month old, he keeps throwing his hands up for me to get him and it just kills me. My 4 yr old has been great and has been really good through all of this. My wife is Super Woman and I owe her big time after this is all done.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll catch you guys later.

 

[escargome]

Hi,
Well your mantra is a good one. Two steps forward one step back. Just hang in there. Likely you will begin to feel even better once you start your rehab. Can your wife put in baby in your arms supported with pillows under his bottom so you can hold him for a little while. Maybe that will heal the ache in your heart (figuratively). Anyway, just keep up the good work, healing takes time and being patient can be a virtue for some of us (me). I hope things continue to go well for you.

 

[sarahsunshine]

Sorry you aren’t healing up as fast as you had hoped. You will get there, though.

Here’s a tip that may help in terms of Coumadin. Do you take a multivitamin? The most recent research suggests that increasing vitamin K will actually help keep INR stable, rather than avoiding vit K. So, one thing we have been suggested before is to take a multivitamin that has a regular dose of Vit K in it. Then, even if you aren’t hungry appetite-wise, your vitamin K levels are staying relatively stable and your INR may be easier to manage.

I know that this is backwards from the old-school thoughts of “limit your vitamin K intake if you are on Coumadin”. Someone (I think it was Vadim, aka TheGymGuy) just posted a really good article on this subject in the anticoagulation section if you want to read more on it.

Hope you can pick up your baby soon!

 

[DanielB]

The recovery process can be frustrating, but it sounds like you have a good attitude. I seem to move from 'happy as can be for the progress' to 'can't wait to do more' on a regular basis. Overall though, when I consider the extent of valve surgery and its assault it had my body, I'm pretty happy with the place I'm in.

One note for you on the pain meds. I also had percoset in the hospital and right after coming home, but felt it was causing issues, especially with sleep, so I stepped down to Norco (Vicadin). You might want to keep that in mind if the Tylonol doesn't work for you as an intermediate pain reliever until the pain subsides altogether.

 

[Mom2izzy]

I had a lousy appetite for a little while, but now (at 6 weeks post op) I feel like I'm eating ALL the time! I feel like it may have been related to all the drugs in my system...

I was cleared to lift my three year old at about 5 weeks (The people in cardiac rehab were pretty shocked by that), but it shouldn't be much longer before you are cleared. That has to be one of the most difficult parts of the surgery for those of us with little ones. Hang in there!

 

[marc_kowal]

@mom2izzy- unfortunately my surgeon wrote me out for 3 months with a lifting restrction of 5 lbs during that time. It's mainly because of the Bental procedure and the other repair work they did. They just don't want to take chances, and honestly, neither do I. I'll deal with not being able to pick up my little one if it means I'll live to a ripe old age and watch my kids have kids.

@DanielB- problem was the percocet made me feel too good and I'm worried about that not making me want to get off of them. Tylenol today seems to be taking the edge off though.

@sarasunshine- I was taking a multi-vitamin but stopped taking it a week before surgery. It was high in vitamin K and I don't need that to throw off my INR, because I also don't want to be on large doses of warfarin. Me and my coumadin clinic both agree, don't change your diet, just be somewhat consistent. Once my appetite returns to normal on a full-time basis, I think the management should be easier.

@escargome- every once in awhile I'll sit on the couch and they put him in my arms so I can give him a bottle, but it's still not the same as picking them up and holding them or rocking him to sleep. Oh well, I'll get there.

 

[TheGymGuy]

Hey Marc, things seem to be moving forward. I am all for 2 steps forward, 1 step back, this is a sure way to succeed in anything.

I know you have enjoyed loosing some weight, but beware that our bodies catabolize insane amounts of muscle mass when we are sick, or not feeling well, or do not eat well, as muscle is something that it deems we do not need. I have seen lots of overweight people go on and try to starve themselves and then turn into skinny-fat people since their body would use lean mass for fuel first. I know you are not starving yourself, as a matter of fact, I am only sharing this to encourage you to eat every day, several times a day, even if you are not hungry. I know that pain-killers, and some other drugs have nasty effects on our metabolism and appetite. What I have been doing early on in the process is continuing my eating habbit of several average sized meals a day even if I was not hungry. So, when the time strikes my meal time, I eat. Appetite, or not does not matter. Most importantly, food has healing powers. It is true, that nutrition we intake will be utilized for building materials and that is a good thing.

Ok, one last item from me is Vit. K. I will start experimenting shortly based on the study that I found, but starting today I am back on my horse-sized multi-vitamins. Once, my body gets leveled off with regular intake, extra 100mcg of Vit. K per day should not make much difference in my INR.

On your lousy days take a moment to spend time with your family, eat some wholesome foods, and take your little ones for a walk and a wagon pull around the house. It ought to cheer you up and actually do some good towards the recovery.

 

[barron6565]

All the docs told me that its completley normal to have a few lousy days in there, its part of recovery. As for becoming addicted to percocet, I wouldn't worry about it. You said your only taking it once or twice a day which is not much at all. I was taking it 4-5 times a day for 5 weeks and I didn't have any kind of withdrawal symptoms or cravings afterwards. The only problem was it helped me to sleep so i had nasty insomnia for a week. Tylenol pm helped some with the sleep and minor pain issues at night. Good luck

 

[Lynlw]

Hi Mark, Did you hear back from the doctor about the 'pimple"? My Non medical staff, guess would be its a 'dissolving" suture that didnt dissolve but it working its way out. It might look like a thin hair, white or black. They usually arent a big deal and if you go to the docotr they usually will just pull it out, but keep an eye on it as long as it is open. also dont be surprised if you get couple more, often people that tend to not dissolve them usually have a couple, pop up

 

[sarahsunshine]

Hi Mark, Did you hear back from the doctor about the 'pimple"? My Non medical staff, guess would be its a 'dissolving" suture that didnt dissolve but it working its way out. It might look like a thin hair, white or black. They usually arent a big deal and if you go to the docotr they usually will just pull it out, but keep an eye on it as long as it is open. also dont be surprised if you get couple more, often people that tend to not dissolve them usually have a couple, pop up

So true! Skyler had one pop up about a year or so ago... and it was from when he was 5 months old! Sometimes they take a while.

 

[marc_kowal]

It actually healed up nicely. It wasn't an exposed suture. It was a pimple or an irritation that had formed on the incision line, and just time to close back up. Docs went with the wait and see approach and said as long as it wasn't oozing any non-clear fluid, spreading or becoming red and warm I shouldn't be too concerned about it.

6 days until rehab starts!

 

[sarahsunshine]

Excellent! Great you have rehab to look forward to!

 

[epstns]

Marc,

I didn't have the smoothest recovery, but I did have the same good and not-so-good days thing going on. At about 5 or 6 weeks, though, my pace of recovery started to increase noticeably. I started to feel "more better" almost every day, and by about 6 weeks I was ready to get back to work part-time, drive the car, take longer walks, etc. Everyone has their own "Eureka!" day in their recovery, and I'll bet yours is coming soon.