Feb 4: some problems....

Sorry I didn't write last week. My cousins came down from NY and we were out and about Saturday, and then stayed in and did board games in front of the fire until they left on Sunday. It's the most fun I've had for quite a while. Anyway, I know I have indicated that I wasn't improving the way I or anyone else thought that I should have. I've been putting it down to working too much, but the bills have to be paid, and I'm low on cash reserve after two years with long episodes of decreased income. Have been on 3/4 pay since I started back, as I was for six months after the first heart surgery. If I had had a chance to recup from that, it wouldn't be so bad. And I have the worst of both worlds: decreased pay but still working five days a week. Had an appt with my local cardiologist on Thursday, with my first stress echo since the surgery. My last echo still showed my lung pressure being elevated, at the same level of pulmonary hypertension (increased pressure in the lungs from the back up caused by blood not going through the mitral valve). My local cardiologist was not concerned and told me that it might take it a year to come all the way back down. I was expecting it to still be elevated, again needing more time to rest. Unfortunately, the pressure was worse at rest and went up really high with seven minutes of walking. (I haven't been able to pass 7:20 since this whole thing started, but that is also on a protocol where it goes higher and faster every three minutes. So seven mins is 1 min into 3.4 mph at a 14 degree incline.It's considered low normal for my age.) He doesn't know what to do, which I don't blame him for. He mentioned the possibility of a third surgery to cut tissue out and replace the valve, but Dr. Cohn said he didn't feel that was the right thing to do, or he would have replaced it. And he's the one who was actually staring at the valve (and holding it in his hand while I was in cardiac arrest and on bypass, but I try not to dwell on that....). That point in the office was when I couldn't control myself and started sobbing. But, considering that my version of hysterical is what most people do when they are several days into bad news, I think I deserved it. Couldn't go in to work, obviously. Called up to Brigham on Friday, spoke with the very nice nurse practitioner (I like her despite that flaw!) who works with the cardiologist up there: Dr. Baughman. Get to know that name--it's the next important one. He is Chief of Advanced Cardiac Diseases and Heart Failure. As I have said, when you are really unusual you only see the top people. The echo report wasn't dictated well, although my cardiologist here dictated a more thorough letter. So, I have an appointment with Dr. B Feb 28 in Boston. Don't know what tests he will do, and he is away next week, so the NP can't schedule me before he comes back Feb 12. So in a holding pattern for another > 1 week. In other news, I interviewed several real estate agents this weekend, and have chosen a nice couple from Weichert. Didn't tell them about my health issues, so please pity them. They say it is already late to be listing my house for the Spring season and want me to get it ready ASAP. But I can't get into the garage in P'ville until March 1, and can't get into the downstairs until they move out the weekend of March 3/4. Only so much I can do. And since Angie is away getting married (do you believe she wanted a whole two weeks for that?!), I have to work over 30 hours the next two weeks. That will help pay wise, but I'll be exhausted. So the 20 hours will start the week of 2/19, but will then be followed by packing and organizing.

So, it's time to go to bed. I'm determined to be in bed before 10 pm every night this week, so don't call, please. There won't be anything new health wise until after next Sunday, so I may not post until after that. Thanks for checking in, Laurie