G
Gemma
Hi everybody,
Technically I should've posted this last week, as 9th December was Jim's 1st "birthday", but I've been so busy with Christmas shopping/wrapping and answering a few other threads, I've only just got round to it now!
We went away to Denmark for a week to visit friends, shop in Copenhagen, and celebrate the big day - had a fantastic time, ate far too much, saw lots of sights - if you ever get the chance to visit Copenhagen for the Christmas markets in Tivoli (a kind of funpark/gardens with lots of restaurants), go - it was absolutely beautiful with all the trees, rides and buildings covered in fairy lights - they even froze the boating lake to make an outdoor skating rink.
Jim was possibly the world's worst travelling companion on the way out there (it was his first flight since his surgery, and he was in the midst of an inner ear infection which affected his balance but thankfully cleared up before we came home) - he spent the hour before we flew pacing up and down, staring at the planes and generally being nervous and fidgety. Think it was mainly to do with the fact he was worried about what his heart was going to do - even 11 months on the atrial flutter episode still terrifies him. I'm sure with time he'll convince himself it's unlikely to happen again (even his cardiologist said he could try coming off the sotalol, which he takes to prevent the atrial flutter, as it's not even definite it would happen again even without it).
Of course, the second we took off he was absolutely fine and calmed down
. And coming back was a LOT easier .
So, on his anniversary we climbed the Round Tower (built with a cobbled spiral pavement up the inside rather than steps, so the king who had it build could ride his horse up to the top!) and took in the view, did a bit of sightseeing, and had a lovely steak, fries and salad with a beer at a restaurant in the Tivoli Gardens, with a lazer light show going on outside the window.
Incidentally, he checked his INR the day before we went away - 2.8 - and we were curious to see what it would be on our return as the Danish diet is quite different from the British one - much less salad and vegetables, more cheese, meat, bread (and of course the gigantic breakfast buffet in the hotel, and at least one Danish pastry a day!!) and Jim had a beer nearly every night whereas he'd only have one maybe a couple of times a week at home. So we were surprised when it was exactly the same - 2.8. Go figure!! We did walk a LOT - maybe that balanced it out.
It's only with hindsight that I can see what a basketcase I was last year - I was discussing the Christmas tree with my parents yesterday and hadn't even noticed it was in a different room to last year!
To everyone who's still in the waiting room, or has just had surgery and thinks they'll never feel right again - it gets better. Time is really a great healer.
Jim's recently bought himself a trials bike - his "I'm alive and kicking" present to himself - and is intending to go riding round a disused quarry with some friends in the next few weeks - so we'll post a few photos of that when we can. Proof that OHS, and a mechanical valve, isn't the end of an active lifestyle .
Hope everyone has an excellent Christmas and New Year, and that Santa brings you everything you want - I got all I wanted last year when Jim woke up in ICU and uttered the immortal words "my chest aches a bit" so anything else is just icing on the cake .
Love and best wishes to everyone,
Gemma.
Technically I should've posted this last week, as 9th December was Jim's 1st "birthday", but I've been so busy with Christmas shopping/wrapping and answering a few other threads, I've only just got round to it now!
We went away to Denmark for a week to visit friends, shop in Copenhagen, and celebrate the big day - had a fantastic time, ate far too much, saw lots of sights - if you ever get the chance to visit Copenhagen for the Christmas markets in Tivoli (a kind of funpark/gardens with lots of restaurants), go - it was absolutely beautiful with all the trees, rides and buildings covered in fairy lights - they even froze the boating lake to make an outdoor skating rink.
Jim was possibly the world's worst travelling companion on the way out there (it was his first flight since his surgery, and he was in the midst of an inner ear infection which affected his balance but thankfully cleared up before we came home) - he spent the hour before we flew pacing up and down, staring at the planes and generally being nervous and fidgety. Think it was mainly to do with the fact he was worried about what his heart was going to do - even 11 months on the atrial flutter episode still terrifies him. I'm sure with time he'll convince himself it's unlikely to happen again (even his cardiologist said he could try coming off the sotalol, which he takes to prevent the atrial flutter, as it's not even definite it would happen again even without it).
Of course, the second we took off he was absolutely fine and calmed down
. And coming back was a LOT easier .So, on his anniversary we climbed the Round Tower (built with a cobbled spiral pavement up the inside rather than steps, so the king who had it build could ride his horse up to the top!) and took in the view, did a bit of sightseeing, and had a lovely steak, fries and salad with a beer at a restaurant in the Tivoli Gardens, with a lazer light show going on outside the window.
Incidentally, he checked his INR the day before we went away - 2.8 - and we were curious to see what it would be on our return as the Danish diet is quite different from the British one - much less salad and vegetables, more cheese, meat, bread (and of course the gigantic breakfast buffet in the hotel, and at least one Danish pastry a day!!) and Jim had a beer nearly every night whereas he'd only have one maybe a couple of times a week at home. So we were surprised when it was exactly the same - 2.8. Go figure!! We did walk a LOT - maybe that balanced it out.
It's only with hindsight that I can see what a basketcase I was last year - I was discussing the Christmas tree with my parents yesterday and hadn't even noticed it was in a different room to last year!
To everyone who's still in the waiting room, or has just had surgery and thinks they'll never feel right again - it gets better. Time is really a great healer.
Jim's recently bought himself a trials bike - his "I'm alive and kicking" present to himself - and is intending to go riding round a disused quarry with some friends in the next few weeks - so we'll post a few photos of that when we can. Proof that OHS, and a mechanical valve, isn't the end of an active lifestyle
.Hope everyone has an excellent Christmas and New Year, and that Santa brings you everything you want - I got all I wanted last year when Jim woke up in ICU and uttered the immortal words "my chest aches a bit"
so anything else is just icing on the cake .Love and best wishes to everyone,
Gemma.
