Bumpy Road

As I continue my recovery, I find that the ride is not always as smooth as you'll find on Sedgwick County roads. After a few days of chest discomfort related to breathing last week, Erin made an appointment with my primary physician to see what was going on. She wouldn't let me go to work, so I didn't fight her about it since I had nothing else planned. :)  Besides, the discomfort was painful at this point, I had a low grade fever, and was unable to sleep the night before. X-rays came out clear, so it wasn't pneumonia or bronchitis. He sent me to get a CT Angiography at St. Francis just in case it might be a pulmonary embolism resulting from the heart surgery. That ended up taking the rest of the day to schedule and complete, and Erin was able to ensure a painful ride by finding every pothole and bump in the city streets driving to the hospital. I would think that she did it on purpose, but then again they're city streets so I can't fault her, can I? (Uh, huh, I said it.)

After everything I have been through since we've been married (and watching every episode of Grey's Anatomy), Erin feels as though she has the equivalent experience of a second year medical resident. She had already diagnosed me with a pulmonary embolism before she called the doctor. I have to admit, I was more than a little worried after Erin looked up the symptoms of a PE and I had most of them. I knew I'd end up back in the hospital and did not want to go back! Thankfully, that was not the problem. I did not have a blood clot in my lung, but I did have pleurisy - swelling of the tissue lining my chest and lungs. It's most likely a complication from heart surgery. It was painful for a few days, but is just uncomfortable now that I have been taking high dose ibuprofen and antibiotics. I'm fine as long as I don't move very much or yawn or sneeze or cough or burp or breathe... so the last few days have been uncomfortable. My doctor called to check on me Friday morning and was surprised I was back at work. Why sit around at home thinking about the pain when I could go to work and complain to others? :) 

I finally start cardiac rehab this Tuesday. I am confident this pleurisy thing will be taken care of by then, because I'm not putting rehab off any longer. It's my last step in recovery. Let's get started and get it done!

I'll probably update this blog once or twice more after rehab starts so I can complain about it to those still reading this, but then I think this journey to my heart will finally conclude. As always, I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.

Ending times..

This week brings the end of school.  I am thankful that the kids had school to focus on during this journey.  It also gave Lynn time to recoup at home without them bugging him to "play". If there is any silver lining in all this the timing for school and his return to work is good.
He is still not able to do everything he used to do.  I did let him take a few trips around the yard with the mower.  It was like I'd given him the keys to a new mustang.  He also went up the ladder....these are exciting times people.
On Friday while I was running errands I had to stop twice for ambulances...and heard two more while I was out.  Seeing them and hearing them brings me anxiety.  It transports me right back to that morning and everything that has happened to him, me and us as a family.  The process for physical healing is big.  The process for mental and emotional healing is huge and will take longer...especially for me because I lived it, and the things I remember, Lynn doesn't.  Who am I kidding...Lynn not remembering is normal!  :)
He will continue to work half days at least for a few more days.  I can already see that work is creeping into his life again.  Last week he was answering an email after midnight.  Something about that needs to change....I think maybe that's a password.
We are doing normal things.  Kira continues to impress us with with her heart for others and her tenacity to never give up.  She is silly and she laughs...a lot...just like her Momma.  She seriously just told me she met Kelly Clarkson by running into her at the grocery store.  She is so funny.
She ran her first 5K a few weeks ago.  I thought I was going to cry because I was just so dang proud of her.  We were notified a few weeks ago from the princpal that she will be awarded this week at school with a citizenship award.  It's a big deal...a huge deal.
Evan continues to make great progress with his occupational therapy and I have said more than once that I am so grateful we started him in therapy for his SPD. Had we not gone forward with that going through this event would have been so much more difficult.  I knew how to approach the situation with him...and he has come through it with flying colors.  He just finished writing all his numbers to 1000....and he is beaming from ear to ear.  So proud of himself, and he tells me evey night how much he loves me and that I am the best Momma in the world FOR HIM.
All in all progress is moving forward.  Lynn is doing well.  I am doing well.  The kids are doing well.  As time moves forward our new normal is still filled with lots of life and tons of love.  Things are different, but we are strong.  In fact as I close this post we are all singing "Stand By Me".  I can think of no better song to define us over the last few weeks!

I am Free!

I saw the cardiothoracic surgeon this afternoon. We waited an hour to see him and then got to spend almost 5 entire minutes in his presence. I think that is par for the course. But, I don't mind because in that 5 minutes he released my driving restriction, increased my lifting limit to 20 lbs, and eliminated all the other restrictions "as my body tolerates." I am officially a free man. I tried to get Erin to agree to celebrate with a stop at Quiktrip for hot dogs and nachos, but apparently she wasn't in the celebrating mood. My request was denied. I think she is sad that I am leaving the nest and venturing out on my own.  :-)

The surgeon said it will take another 3-6 months for my nerves to repair, so I'll have numb areas in my chest and left leg until then. He also reiterated that it will take about 2-3 months longer before I am 100%. Cardiac rehab starts in 2 weeks, and that will help move things along. Oh, and I got the protective tape removed from my chest incision. I've got a 7 1/2" incision scar in the middle of my chest, my second longest incision. I have a total of 10 surgical scars now.  Erin took a photo of my new chest scar. It's my thinnest scar... nice work Dr. Khicha!

I was out and about from 8:00 to 3:30 today. I didn't do anything big, but it's the longest I've been up without a rest since before the heart attack. Erin tells me I fell asleep when we got home, but I don't recall falling asleep so she is obviously mistaken.

Okay... maybe I slept for a few minutes. I am getting stronger, though. I expect I'll be back at work full time next week. We'll see how the rest of this week goes before a decision is made, but as of now I think it is a good possibility.

Returning to Normal

I went to work on Friday for the first time in 5 weeks. I only stayed a few hours, but it was good to be back, even if I was just a major distraction while I was there. I am fortunate enough to work with good, kind people that have a sense of humor. My door was adorned with a checklist, like the one you see in public restrooms. Different co-workers were "assigned" to check on me every 30 minutes and had to circle a either a smiley face, straight face, sad face or skull and crossbones. What was hilarious to me was the fact that everyone came by on schedule and filled out the list. When I was out of my office for a check, I was paged over the intercom and had to explain my whereabouts! I received a text when I was still gone at the next check-in. I didn't respond fast enough so Erin was notified and I promptly received a phone call from her. I learned my lesson... turn off my cell phone at work! :-)

I will continue part-time this coming week. I learned today that I still have a lot of work ahead of me to get my stamina back. Kira ran her first 5k this morning. It was great; I am so proud of her for completing the run and doing so well! But, even as a spectator I was completely drained after 3 hours on my feet. I could barely walk back to the car. I think passers-by thought I just ran the race! It was disappointing for me because I thought I could handle it better. I got my second wind after a long nap and the family took Kira out for dinner to celebrate.

I have an appointment with the cardiothoracic surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully will have my remaining restrictions lifted. The big one is driving. I've been strictly a back seat passenger for the past 3 weeks, and haven't driven a car since April 3. I detest relying on others, so I am looking forward to regaining some more control in my life. However, I have to admit I will miss my extra time with Erin. I have enjoyed our time together doing things that we typically do separately during the week, like grocery shopping and quick errands. I didn't always drive her nuts. Sometimes I was actually pleasant to be around and we had good times. We'll have to find ways to continue our extra time together as we create our new "normal."

Have a Coke and a smile...

These last few days have been good.  His report from the cardiologist really could not have been better.  We love our cardiologist...and his staff.  They are top notch and impressive.
Today we went to get the oil changed, eat lunch and stop by Wal-Mart for plants.  The oil change allowed us to walk to our lunch date where we got to talk about this whole experience.

This is what you do when you need to get out of the house...you exercise your muscles pulling bottles of pop trying to look for people's names that you know!

I still can't believe all that has happened.  It seems like the heart attack was a year ago.  Today marks exactly 4 weeks.  I was telling Lynn that those first days are a blur really.  So many things had to fall into place.  My faith tells me that those things...that all of this he has had a hand in.  There is no other explanation for it.  Yes, we are smart people and we have made good choices and decisions....but the things out of our control, that we have not had a hand in, have been huge.  The fact that we went to the hospital that is one of the best in cardiac care AND the fact that our cardiologist helped DEVELOP the drug for DIABETIC HEART PATIENTS happens to be the one on call that day is no accident.  We have also been told the surgeon is one of the best as the nurse asked to see the scar yesterday and she could tell without a doubt who had done the surgery!
One of the things pastor said in his sermon on Sunday was that encouragement doesn't just come in words...it also comes in actions.
I shared that the encouragement we have received in words has been so appreciated....and the encouragement we have received through actions has blown us away.  People haven't asked...they have just done.  That has been more encouraging to me than anything.  It's how I intend to encourage others for sure now....knowing that words are fantastic, but if I really want to make a huge difference I need to view encouragement as a verb.
As Lynn returns to work I am happy and excited that he GETS to opportunity to go back.  I know other people with heart attacks don't always get that choice.  I am so grateful he does.  He loves his job.  He loves the people he works with.
He knows that he is getting another chance.
As I sat today and talked with him at lunch he said I want to be the best husband and best dad that I can be....and I told him that I was proud of him...because I am proud of him.
I have always admired his work ethic because mine is much the same.  Do it until it's right no matter the sacrifice that has to be made.  Now...I'm not so sure that is the way we intend to live our lives.  The sacrifice of family is too big.  We will continue to be great and do great things...just not at the expense of our health.  There is a balance that has to be found and we will find it, it will just have to be adjusted.
Cardiac rehab will start at the end of May and he will be clear to drive in a few days...so watch out!

More Good News

I had my doctors appointment with the cardiologist this afternoon. It went very well. Normal bypass patients need 3 months a cardiac rehab. I only need 1 month! Dr. Farhoud said I was a god among men. Well, he didn't use those exact words, but I could read between the lines. :-) He was impressed. Things are going so well he didn't change any of my meds, either. I do have to go back on Cozaar at some point, but not right now. And, he plans to cut the dosage to 1/4 of that I was on earlier. Everything is perfect!... well, OK, relatively speaking.

I do have some more work to do with my blood glucose levels. I'm still having lows everyday. I've got the overnight lows to stop, but I still have them every evening. Part of it is because the ulcerative colitis is in remission, and part of it is due to the lower carb menu I am adhering to. I could run into big problems once I get more active so I have to be careful. Erin worries because I don't feel low blood sugars as early as I used to. It's a side effect of the heart medication. I'll get it under control soon enough... you know, the god among men thing.

Dr. Farhoud also noted that part of the reason for my low blood pressure problems when I first got home was due to the fact that I was dehydrated. They pump you full of 3-4 liters of fluid during the bypass surgery. It takes most patients several weeks to get rid of the extra fluid, which is why they put everyone on a diuretic. Based on my weight loss after surgery (13 lbs in 7 days) I passed the fluid within the first week after surgery and continuing on the diuretic caused dehydration. Now we know.

Best news of all, I got my work release paperwork! It comes with a few restrictions for a while, but I am cleared to return to work soon. It'll be part time for a few days at least. I was not expecting this until May 18th. I've got to work out a schedule with the rehab, but I will be off house arrest very soon! It shouldn't surprise me. After all, I am a god among men. :-) I have special healing powers. It may also have a little to do with all the prayers and well wishes I have been receiving, but let's not get side tracked from my greatness. (Now you all know I am feeling like myself.) LOL!

I should probably note that Erin may not agree with every word in this blog post. She doesn't pay as close attention as I do at my appointments. Now you'll understand why she may have a different take on today if you talk to her. Don't argue, just nod your head in understanding and move on. In fact, it may just be best not to talk to her about it at all. It's for the best.