How do I really feel at six weeks
How do I really feel at six weeks
Bonnie,
You are right, today is 6 weeks, so it's a good time to do an honest assessment of how I feel.
How do I really feel at 6 weeks post-op?
You know, I almost feel guilty at how well I feel at this point. I did something about a week ago that set me back a couple of weeks in terms of my sternum and I think it was sit ups that did it, but not 100% sure. However, aside from that, I'm just as active on the job (not to hard to do on a desk job), but still all the same stresses. I'm also working out other than the long weekend rides about the same amount of time before my first surgery.
Are you sleeping good..all night without pain?
I have absolutely no pain and I sleep as if nothing is different than before. The only difference I have is that I can hear my heart beating just a bit more than before.
Are you driving?
I have been driving since about day 10 (don't tell my doctor).
Do you not feel pain in your back and shoulders from riding that bike?
I feel no pain from riding the bike, however it's a bit different on a stationary bike or on your own bike in a stationary mode, so I'll let you know after my first real ride which I'm planning for this Friday. I did feel tremendous pain in my back and shoulders in the first two weeks after surgery. About 3 weeks after the pain had significantly subsided and then day by day, it just went away and I don't even think about it at this point.
Do you still nap during the day?
I haven?t taken a nap in quite some time, since about week 3 or 4 and at the end of the day I do feel like I've put in a good day, but maybe that's why I have no problem sleeping.
Do you have one good day and one bad day? (common)
All of my days now seem very even in terms of how I feel. If I've had a fairly hard workout, or didn't get to sleep as early the previous night, then I might be a bit tired at the end of the day. In the first 2-3 weeks I certainly did have some up and then down days.
Are you not foggy-headed?
I've had a few moments where I might have felt a bit this way, but it seems fairly short-lived.
How is your INR? In range? How often do you go to lab to have it checked? It usually takes 3 months to get in range 2.5-3.5.
This might be the most challenging area, but it seems to be coming together. Believe it or not, my first check after leaving the hospital was right at 3.0. My next check was 4.8 (I'm not so sure about this one), so we backed off the amount of coumadin to zero for three days. I believe that this was too aggressive. Now I've been coming up from 2.0 to 2.6 and we have been making very small adjustments (now taking 5mg every day except M/T/W when I take 4mg) and I've been trying to eat as I would normally, including drinking zero, one or two beers in the evening. These small adjustments are slowly bringing my level to the right range I hope. I'm currently checking once a week, but as soon as we get a couple at the about the target number (3.0), then will probably go to two weeks.
.......the reason i ask all these questions..It is more important to heal first..then think about what you want to do later. It takes 1 full year to feel yourself again. Have you had your flu shot? I took my first long trip at 6 weeks to see my Daddy. Just a 6 hour trip..a few days there and back home. Took a week to feel good again...
It's funny you mention a trip. I traveled to Tailhook in Reno, NV at about 3.5 weeks after surgery and drove the entire way (8 hours in the pickup) after work (left work about 2:30pm) on a Thursday and arrived in Reno about midnight. Stayed up the next two nights with my wife and hook buddies until about 11pm the first night and 1 am the next night. Drove home on Sunday (yes I did all the driving again) and I was actually surprised myself that I felt ok, although as you might expect, I was probably a bit tired that night.
It sounds like you are doing well and I certainly appreciate the sage advice. I expect that I'm not the normal individual when it comes to this and I hope that others take the message from thier body and not rush the process (I know, I should listen to that myself). I've always had an extremely positive attitude and I can't stress enough at how powerful that can be on the heeling process and recovery. Yes...I'm probably too optimistic and agressive at times, but it's certainly better than the alternative. I certainly look forward to being around when my Grandson is doing sports some day (he is only 2 months old at this point), but it's great that you can now be back to a normal long day and still have energy to watch that Grandson of yours play football.
Ok aftet this long post, time for a Negra Modelo.
Best...Conk
