July 26: Home Again

Hi there! It's been two weeks since the surgery already! That means only two more weeks before I can at least do some local driving.

Got home on Tuesday. There is just nothing better than being at home when you aren't feeling perfect. Beth is still here with me, she is planning to leave Saturday morning. I've had several visitors: Bill (my contractor) & Alice (cat/house sitter) were here when we arrived. Joanne came over Tuesday evening--on her birthday! Brenda was over last night and Bidge came over tonight. The cats have made it very clear how happy they are that I am back. While Chester still feels the need to hiss at everyone he is much calmer. He rarely lets me out of his sight and is currently on the table watching me type. Tabitha is also usually present, and Zerla can't get enough petting. KC remains mostly wrapped up in his food, although he did come up on the couch with me yesterday while I was napping.

My lab results from the draw yesterday show that my hemoglobin is up a little (I'm anemic from the surgery and the blood thinner) and my INR (the measurement of how thin my blood needs to be) is finally over 2.0 with the goal of 2.5 to 3.0. This will be for the rest of my life, because mechanical valves have a tendency to develop blood clots which then can break free and go to important places and cause bad things like strokes and kidney problems. Food affects the level, so I am trying to eat normally, but my diet will always be affected.

The good news is that I continue to feel MUCH better than I did at this point after the other two surgeries. I still get tired and short of breath, but less than before the surgery. Almost everyone who has seen me or talked to me has commented on how much better I sound. We did some errands today, and I got tired, but I'd been poking around the basement in the morning. As it cools off this evening we will go for a walk. I need to do that regularly to build my strength up. While I did walk about 6-7 blocks (big ones) last night I was sweating and tired. But that will take time. Dr. Cohn wants me walking, but nothing else for six weeks. I am going to look into somewhere with a pool as a way to get exercise for my whole body but not too strenuous on my upper torso. My upper chest is still painful almost constantly, and I wake frequently during the night when I shift in my sleep and cause pain. It will get better slowly, based on experience.

My next post I will try and explain more about the surgery findings and their impact. As usual, I'm unique!!

Thanks to everyone who has sent cards--I really enjoy them. I'll post soon, now that it is easier to do so from home. Laurie