Looong overdue post

[Jimeskimo]

Hi: I know it's been a while,but I haven't been able to sit still at the keyboard for any length of time and was starting to wonder if this whole thing was really worth it,some pain,shortness of breath,no appetite etc. and couldn't get more than 1-2 hours sleep at any time,and that was in the recliner.That's the worst news,NOW for the good stuff.
I had a final checkup yesterday at UW,and Denise was very happy with my progress,said I'm doing great,gave me a hug and sent me home.My son Glenn made dinner and I actually ate it without any thought about bland taste or no appetite.Went and tried to sleep in my bed (Denise said OK)and actually made three hours until the discomfort of rolling over(THAT WAS FUN)woke me up at about 3am
so went out to the living room and the recliner and slept till 9:30am.I haven't slept that much in years.Ya think that's good,well folks it gets better,LOTS better.
I walked to the back of my house,about 60 feet,back out to the kitchen,ooops forgot something back to the bedroom,back out to the kitchen,and then it dawned on me.I wasn't sucking wind with my mouth wide open and leaning on a countertop,as a matter of factI WASN'T EVEN BREATHING DEEPLY,just normal easy breathing,like yesteryear and I realized,all the things you guys have been saying for the last three weeks or so were absolutely right,it works and I started to cry.Gotta close,I'm crying again.

Love ya all
Jim

 

[EVELYN]

YAHOOOOOOO, JIMESKIMO!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BEGINNING OF FEELING BETTER---EVERY DAY WILL GET BETTER YET. REMEMBER, LOTS OF WALKING, NAPPING AND BREATHING. BOTH TYCE AND I ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU. EVELYN

 

[wlaldridge]

Really good news and great to see you back on the board.

It was wonderful that your daughter was able to keep us posted.

I have tried to wean myself off the pain killers but as you note moving around in bed creats discomfort.

I am now 5 weeks post op and am sleeping laying flat in bed on my back. On the side is not really comfortable and on the left side I hear the valve too loudly.

Had an interesting/odd experience a couple of mornings ago. Our hound dog (60 lb. bassett) was whining at the bed to go outside and trying to get myself erected and in motion, I fell out of bed. Now I have not fallen out of bed since I was a kid. Surprised me and the hound quite a bit. No after effects other than feeling silly. Happy I didn't land on the dog, she jumped and cried like I had but it was just shock.

I started driving this week a little but don't feel quite like I want to and it makes me anxious.

I too find myself crying at various times, seems to go with the whole deal. I know one thing. No symptoms did not mean I had no problem. Without a doubt, I would have dropped dead some day in the not too distant future. Much as we don't like this recovery, it beats the other options we might have chosen.

Keep up the good progress. You will be out on the bike in no time, I am sure. Just take it easy for now.

By the way what kind of valve did you get?

 

[JimL]

Hey, cry away. Isn't recovery wonderful?
If you're only gettting 1-2 hours of sleep, you definitely need to complain. Three hours is a minimum.
Keep on enjoying how easy it is to breathe. I'm almost a year after surgery, and I still take joy in that simple pleasure of breathing effortlessly.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

OUTSTANDING!!!

OUTSTANDING!!!

Hey Jim, I am REALLY glad that you see yourself turning the corner. I think you will find your recovery speeding up now that you have acknowledged some improvement.

That Denise in Dr. Verrier's office is the best. I wish she could be my cardiologist! I found she could completely related to my problems. She was calling me on a daily basis for about 10 days after I was released...

Keep it up, it's all good!

 

[Ross]

.....And the best part of all-It'll get even better!

I'm still having troubles with the breathing, but then I may always have that. Hope not. They say they can hear sounds in the lobes of my lungs now, that they couldn't before.

Cry all you want to Jim. I find myself on occasion still doing it. If I hear someone is doing good. Hey, that's a tear. If they're doing poorly, that's a lot of tears. My kids sometimes think I've lost a grip on reality. Oh if they only knew the truth!

All in all, I'd say your doing excellent even if you don't feel like you are. Just keep plugging away and you'll be back to your old self not to far from now.

Ross

 

[Ron K]

Hi Jim,

It's great to see you posting again and it's even better to see that you're making real progress on the road to recovery. I know you must feel very good about that and I'll bet Laura and the rest of your family is thrilled too.

Tears of joy are a good thing. The tears will probably stop in a week or two, but a broad smile will replace them when you think back to where you were and where you are now.

Enjoy your progress and keep working at getting some walking and other exercise in each day. It will help even more. As others have said already, it keeps getting better!

Ron K

 

[hensylee]

Dear Jim - somehow the print on your post became very blurry to these old eyes! So glad you are doing so much better - was worried there for awhile. The breathing - so wonderful, isn't it? God bless

 

[wweir]

Jim,

Glad to hear things are getting better for you. Sounds like you are getting better every day and as Ross says, ?it only gets better?.

I have to comment about my friend Bill falling out of bed. That must have really been a shock, both to you and the dog. I sure hope you are OK, maybe we have to send you a side rail for that bed. Only kidding.

It is really amazing Jim when you think about what medical science can do for us today. Your daughter was very good at keeping us posted.

Walter

 

[Creed3]

It's great to hear you are doing better. I am almost 4 weeks post op and I thought I would be feeling completely normal by now!LOL What was I thinking? I am slowly feeling better too. I actually found myself jumping out of the recliner so fast today when my daughter fell and skinned her knee. I totally forgot about any pain I was having. Bill is right. Nite time is the worst, at least for me. I can't lay in one position too long and when it comes time to turn, I am so stiff and sore. It does get better. Some nites I am able to sleep in different positions. Positions I would have never even considered before. It comes slowly, but you will definitely continue to feel better. Keep us all posted on how you are doing.

Take Care!
Creed

 

[Rain]

Jim,

Isn?t that the most amazing feeling? My family thought I was nuts when they found me with tears in my eyes a couple weeks after heart surgery.

I never used to cry before all this happened to me. But something about this whole ordeal changed that part of me. I?ve heard a lot of people here say the same thing.

We could write a pretty interesting book on open heart surgery.

Rain

 

[mainframe]

Jim,

Glad to hear your doing well and are happy with the outcome. It must be wonderful to feel like you've benifitted so much from the surgery. Sometimes I wish I had waited a bit longer, maybe had more symptoms. I don't feel any different than before, other than being in worse shape fitness wise. At least I can fix that. Ditto on the thanks for Laura doing a great job at keeping us informed.

 

[Scottie]

Hi Jim

Hi Jim

very glad to see you are feeling better ..it can be a slow road and everyone says not to expect too much too soon ...I did and was disappointed ...take care and best wishes for a great recovery
Scottie

 

[Nancy]

HI Jim-

I've been very busy the last couple of days and haven't had a lot of time to play on the computer, but when I saw your post, it made me so happy. It just takes time, but you will get better and better, and you already know how much improvement you've made.

Congratulations, it's wonderful.

 

[Gnusgal]

Jim, I just had to add my congratulations. When your daughter posted that you were having regrets about the surgery I felt your pain. I understand completely how you feel. But I keep reminding myself that these docs really do know what's best for us. I don't feel any BETTER than before the surgery, but I'm close to being back to "normal" for me. It just takes time.

Bill-- Just had to say, your story of falling out of bed had me laughing so hard! I hate to admit that, but it did. I just had such a funny visual of you, the dog, the whole situation. I'm glad it didn't hurt you. Thanks for sharing. I needed a good laugh today.

 

[John Cochran]

Jim,
Fabulous! To quote Bonnie, "walk, walk, walk..." it is the key to continual improvement.

The crying is good for a reason not mentioned yet...tears are one way the body has of excreting chemicals and toxins. Notice how much better you feel after crying? Our bodies are amazing; the crying (God knows we all have enough reasons to cry after climbing these mountains bare-handed) is one more way our bodies work to heal us, both emotionally and physically. Let those tears flooooowwww!

Hang in there, buddy, you're going to get better and better. One thing that really worked for some of us in sleeping better was to get a body pillow (like a regular pillow but about 5 feet long). It gives you all sorts of ways to support yourself and sleep on your side comfortably. K-Mart has them for pretty cheap.

Best,
John

 

[Jimeskimo's girl]

It's about time you got on dad!! It's good medicine.Love ya' Me

 

[Jimeskimo's girl]

It's about time you got on dad!! It's good medicine.Love ya' Me

 

[Ron K]

Hi Jim,

I read the couple of posts that you sent earlier today and I couldn't help noticing how much better you sound. I guess a night or two of sound sleep (relatively speaking) and the ability to take deep breaths without pain can really improve one's outlook, huh?

It's wonderful to see that you are feeling so much better.

Ron K