M
M&M
Hi Everyone, well its been almost two weeks since surgery. I've been home a week from last Sunday. I feel much better. I sleep through the night - which I couldn't do in the hospital. I eat 'real' food - although small amounts per serving. I've lost all my 'fluid' - 10 pounds since I left the hospital. I have found 'motrin' to be the best pain medicine I have ever had. 
I've done my 'coach' every hour on the hour and my other rehab 'exercise' at home. I even went to the gym on Thursday. It felt so good to stand on a treadmill. I did about a mile and half - of course at about 3.0 mph - my lungs are still very much in the 'work in progress' mode. But everyday they get stronger and stronger - I can get coach up to almost 3000 !! Its like I'm in a race to see how high I can get him to go. Its FUN.. The rehab exercise has really helped in my progress. I do them twice a day. I do remember to sit and put my feet up once a day - I'm assured it won't kill me. I feel so very fortunate to be doing so well. It's like I need someone to pinch me and say - YES, I feel great....... I just can't wait to get my lungs a full capacity and do my first race. They say I can start running in 3 mos - but I can walk all I want until then. So, I walk a great deal and it feels so good to get the 'fresh' air. I think I may go to the beach next week. I think a 'tan' would do me good - although I was told to 'cover' up my incision and don't let the sun get at it. So I may buy a 'tube' top.. to put over my bikini top. I have to have my INR checked twice a week and I have to travel almost a hour and half from home. But they said as I get more consistent I can have my INR checked once a week and I may even get my insurance to pay for a home monitor in due time.
I'm alittle concerned about this heart block and I hope I come out of it on my own. They said it was probably brought on my the surgery - swelling and that it may go away when the swelling goes away. I hope so.
I've made my first goal - to run a 5 miler in September. I can't wait.. Its on the beach - two and half miles down the beach and two and a half miles back. At the finish line everyone gets a 'finishers' medal and a lobster roll !!! NOW I plan on eating the lobster roll and give my surgeon the medal. As a way of saying 'thanks' - you done real good. I feel so very fortunate to have some of the best doctors in the country. I see my surgeon again a couple weeks and get a ekg and x-ray and a echo - I can't wait to see my valve on the echo screen. I heard my valve for the first time this morning. I was sitting in bed reading and I could hear this 'tick', tick and yet I have never heard my heart beat - so I thought - what the heck is that noise. I looked over at my bedside clock - and no that's not it.. I kept looking around the room and then it dawned on me - I could feel it as well... This click click click -- I just laughed.. Its my NEW VALVE !!! Oh my god !! It reminded me of 3 years ago when I heard a beep go off as I sat in the bedroom and I thought it must be my ICD -telling me that my battery had gone dead !!! Now talk about 'fear'.. It was my husbands 'old' watch in his jewlery box that was beeping !! I was convinced it was my ICD and my electrician said - it can't be we don't have the beeper turned on. The funny thing is I heard it the next morning in the bedroom as well and as soon as I heard it seconds later it was gone. It took me almost 3 days to figure out where the sound was coming from. I will never forget it - I felt silly and I thought for sure my ICD had gone dead..
Well, I was quite excited to talk to you all. This is the first day I have had internet at home. I have 10 free hours !! I wanted to update you all and say thank you for all your well wishes.. and if there's anything I can do to help anyone - like you all did for me - I would welcome the opportunity. I have to tell you the turning point for me was when I got the first two nights of sleep and I soaked my back in the tub and it took out all those aches and pains. A nice soak in the tub did wonders for my back pain. Just a couple inches of water and I just layed there for at least 30 minutes. It was like 'heaven'.. I felt so much better. I did again later in the day..
Well, so glad to read all the posts and say HI to all.. Life ain't perfect - but its pretty damn close.. I feel so good to be alive and kickin.. Now if I could just run !!! and I will. Oh by the way - a nurse came in and talked to me and and as we chatted she started talking about running and I showed her my list of races last year and she said: Your a runner - I said - yea I told them I was. She said: NO YOUR A REAL RUNNER.. Well, yea - I guess 35 races and 6 half marathons you could consider me a real runner. Then she left - the next minute I had 5 doctors rush in my room and say - Your a runner !! I said YES, I run. I told you that. They said - No your a real runner - I laughed.. They said - NO running for 3 mos.. Ok - so if you didn't know I was a 'real' runner before does that mean you would have said YES, to running before the 3 mos !!! It was so funny.
signing off
Runner
Marilyn and **** and I think I'm going to call my new valve Judy - short for St. Jude.
Mitral Valve Replacement - 05-25-04
Dr. Anthony Discipio surgeon
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon New Hampshire
I've done my 'coach' every hour on the hour and my other rehab 'exercise' at home. I even went to the gym on Thursday. It felt so good to stand on a treadmill. I did about a mile and half - of course at about 3.0 mph - my lungs are still very much in the 'work in progress' mode. But everyday they get stronger and stronger - I can get coach up to almost 3000 !! Its like I'm in a race to see how high I can get him to go. Its FUN.. The rehab exercise has really helped in my progress. I do them twice a day. I do remember to sit and put my feet up once a day - I'm assured it won't kill me. I feel so very fortunate to be doing so well. It's like I need someone to pinch me and say - YES, I feel great....... I just can't wait to get my lungs a full capacity and do my first race. They say I can start running in 3 mos - but I can walk all I want until then. So, I walk a great deal and it feels so good to get the 'fresh' air. I think I may go to the beach next week. I think a 'tan' would do me good - although I was told to 'cover' up my incision and don't let the sun get at it. So I may buy a 'tube' top.. to put over my bikini top. I have to have my INR checked twice a week and I have to travel almost a hour and half from home. But they said as I get more consistent I can have my INR checked once a week and I may even get my insurance to pay for a home monitor in due time. I'm alittle concerned about this heart block and I hope I come out of it on my own. They said it was probably brought on my the surgery - swelling and that it may go away when the swelling goes away. I hope so.
I've made my first goal - to run a 5 miler in September. I can't wait.. Its on the beach - two and half miles down the beach and two and a half miles back. At the finish line everyone gets a 'finishers' medal and a lobster roll !!! NOW I plan on eating the lobster roll and give my surgeon the medal. As a way of saying 'thanks' - you done real good. I feel so very fortunate to have some of the best doctors in the country. I see my surgeon again a couple weeks and get a ekg and x-ray and a echo - I can't wait to see my valve on the echo screen. I heard my valve for the first time this morning. I was sitting in bed reading and I could hear this 'tick', tick and yet I have never heard my heart beat - so I thought - what the heck is that noise. I looked over at my bedside clock - and no that's not it.. I kept looking around the room and then it dawned on me - I could feel it as well... This click click click -- I just laughed.. Its my NEW VALVE !!! Oh my god !! It reminded me of 3 years ago when I heard a beep go off as I sat in the bedroom and I thought it must be my ICD -telling me that my battery had gone dead !!! Now talk about 'fear'.. It was my husbands 'old' watch in his jewlery box that was beeping !! I was convinced it was my ICD and my electrician said - it can't be we don't have the beeper turned on. The funny thing is I heard it the next morning in the bedroom as well and as soon as I heard it seconds later it was gone. It took me almost 3 days to figure out where the sound was coming from. I will never forget it - I felt silly and I thought for sure my ICD had gone dead..
Well, I was quite excited to talk to you all. This is the first day I have had internet at home. I have 10 free hours !! I wanted to update you all and say thank you for all your well wishes.. and if there's anything I can do to help anyone - like you all did for me - I would welcome the opportunity. I have to tell you the turning point for me was when I got the first two nights of sleep and I soaked my back in the tub and it took out all those aches and pains. A nice soak in the tub did wonders for my back pain. Just a couple inches of water and I just layed there for at least 30 minutes. It was like 'heaven'.. I felt so much better. I did again later in the day..
Well, so glad to read all the posts and say HI to all.. Life ain't perfect - but its pretty damn close.. I feel so good to be alive and kickin.. Now if I could just run !!! and I will.
Oh by the way - a nurse came in and talked to me and and as we chatted she started talking about running and I showed her my list of races last year and she said: Your a runner - I said - yea I told them I was. She said: NO YOUR A REAL RUNNER.. Well, yea - I guess 35 races and 6 half marathons you could consider me a real runner. Then she left - the next minute I had 5 doctors rush in my room and say - Your a runner !! I said YES, I run. I told you that. They said - No your a real runner - I laughed.. They said - NO running for 3 mos.. Ok - so if you didn't know I was a 'real' runner before does that mean you would have said YES, to running before the 3 mos !!! It was so funny. signing off
Runner
Marilyn and **** and I think I'm going to call my new valve Judy - short for St. Jude.
Mitral Valve Replacement - 05-25-04
Dr. Anthony Discipio surgeon
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon New Hampshire
