This will be my last update to the blog. My recovery from surgery has been excellent. I have had no setbacks. I have had no chest pain! I am sleeping on ...Read more
This will be my last update to the blog. My recovery from surgery has been excellent. I have had no setbacks. I have had no chest pain! I am sleeping on my sides and I feel I can sleep on my stomach. I have had no fever. Nothing over 99.1. I am walking three time a day for twenty minutes without any problems. I use the incentive spirometer daily and have reached 3400 ml.
I have had a few minor recovery issues that are all resolving.
The worst of the issues centers around the 15 pounds I gained in the hospital and the subsequent 22 pound weight loss I experience the past two weeks at home. Nothing in Adam Pick\'s book prepared me for this. Needless to say 20-30 trips to the bathroom per day was all the exercise I needed. I developed a minor gout problem in my right foot but this is just about cleared up. I spite of all this my appitite the entire time has been excellent.
The breathing tube from my surgery must have irritated my vocal cords and I have been markedly horse. This freaked out the MDs in my family, but this too has cleared up.
Lastly, I have some 1-2 minute episodes of double vision that are easily dealt with.
So that is about it. Good luck to all of you who are about to undergo surgery!
It is sunday nite. The weekend went very well. Started my meds and walking program. I\'m taking one nap a day for two hours. Sleeping at nite is interrupted ...Read more
It is sunday nite. The weekend went very well. Started my meds and walking program. I\'m taking one nap a day for two hours. Sleeping at nite is interrupted frequently by trips to bathroom which is my most annoying problem. Pain is not an issue.
Lindsey, MIke and Jeff were here for the weekend and we had ten for lunch this afternoon. I have been eating well. Somehow I gained a lot of weight in the hospital which is normal and I\'m hoping to lose it all gradually.
Got out of the hospital and home without any glitches or issues.
Moments before discharge Dr Stewart came to visit. The perfect end to very smooth surgery. ...Read more
Got out of the hospital and home without any glitches or issues.
Moments before discharge Dr Stewart came to visit. The perfect end to very smooth surgery. The NY Presbyterian experience was excellent and the cardiac care team was extremely effective.
As for pain meds I only took two Percocet on Tuesday and then switched to regular strength Tylenol on Wednesday. I am gradually getting of those.
New valve is working fine and yes it is of cow\'s tissue. I\'ve continued to do fine and have been drinking surprisingly large amounts of milk and grass
They ...Read more
New valve is working fine and yes it is of cow\'s tissue. I\'ve continued to do fine and have been drinking surprisingly large amounts of milk and grass
They are hinting I will be released tomorrow. Karen has been terrific and Jeff arrived last night from Denver.
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Yes, I can still type! It is Wednesday evening and all my invasive tubes are out. I am told that I am doing very well.
The hospital is very good an has exceeded ...Read more
Yes, I can still type! It is Wednesday evening and all my invasive tubes are out. I am told that I am doing very well.
The hospital is very good an has exceeded all our expectations. Remarkably I have almost no incision pain.
Modern medicine is truly amazing! I was on the heart-lung machine 13 minutes!
Regards Hal
At 8 pm Harold was transferred to the \"step down\" unit....he is doing very well. He is in a semi private room, but as most of you can imagine, he is so ...Read more
At 8 pm Harold was transferred to the \"step down\" unit....he is doing very well. He is in a semi private room, but as most of you can imagine, he is so pleased to have the bed by the window.....He has a great view of the GW Bridge, all lit up at night. Most tubes are out, he has eaten a little solid food, and will begin walking tomorrow.
Michael and I saw Harold this morning in ICU. He is doing well. He has had some liquids to drink, and will try to get into a chair later today. He is off of ...Read more
Michael and I saw Harold this morning in ICU. He is doing well. He has had some liquids to drink, and will try to get into a chair later today. He is off of the breathing tube and claiming not to be in any pain.
Mom and I just got to see dad in the ICU. Surgery was over at 2:30 and we got to see him at 4:00. He was still under anestesia and we are going to go back ...Read more
Mom and I just got to see dad in the ICU. Surgery was over at 2:30 and we got to see him at 4:00. He was still under anestesia and we are going to go back to visit him in a few hours.
Mom and I just met with the surgeon. He said the surgery was a success and Dad will be feeling noticeably better in 30 days (although dad claims he felt great ...Read more
Mom and I just met with the surgeon. He said the surgery was a success and Dad will be feeling noticeably better in 30 days (although dad claims he felt great before).
Mike
Karen and I are at the hospital. No issues getting into NYC at 6:30AM We had a good night and we are through admissions. The laptop seems to work. , Next ...Read more
Karen and I are at the hospital. No issues getting into NYC at 6:30AM We had a good night and we are through admissions. The laptop seems to work. , Next stop is the pre-op area
I\'m not sure I should be sticking my tongue out at the friendly cow in my profile picture, since my new heart valve maybe coming from one of his friends.
So all I thought we had to worry about was unhappy \"trick or treaters\" while we were at the hospital. It seems as though a neighbor\'s tree fell down yesterday ...Read more
So all I thought we had to worry about was unhappy \"trick or treaters\" while we were at the hospital. It seems as though a neighbor\'s tree fell down yesterday during the October snowstorm, and we were left with alot of debris....oh well, we still had power and all our trees. Harold is calm, and slept well last night. We saw Michael and Lindsey this morning and got our last minute medical advice. When we got home there was a voice message from MJ saying \"bye bye\" which was adorable.
Everything is on track for next week. Doctors office called yesterday and surgery time has been moved up three hours to 8:00AM arrival in NYC. It seems I ...Read more
Everything is on track for next week. Doctors office called yesterday and surgery time has been moved up three hours to 8:00AM arrival in NYC. It seems I may be the surgeon\'s first and only procedure for the day, which is a good thing. 72 hours from now I should be recovering in the ICU.
Believe it or not, I am not so sure that I will be able to communicate with all of you individually on a daily basis...so while Harold is still in ICU, I will ...Read more
Believe it or not, I am not so sure that I will be able to communicate with all of you individually on a daily basis...so while Harold is still in ICU, I will try to write and tell you how he is doing (and where I am eating and shopping). He is scheduled for the afternoon surgery on October 31, so I do not expect to visit him until 7 pm or so that day. Michael will be with me at the hospital that day, and we are staying in a hotel room at the hospital.(I may stay there all week.) Jeffrey will be there early Thursday morning, and will stay until we (Harold) are discharged either Saturday or Sunday. Jeff with stay with us in East Brunswick until Tuesday, Nov.8. We expect a quiet week now until he is admitted. Thanks for all of your good wishes.