John's Posts

Yesterday was exactly 4 weeks since I had my surgery. I would like to tell you that everything has gone well since we returned home but that is not quite the case. We returned home on Saturday, July 3 and things seemed pretty good until the following Wednesday, July 7. I went to the supermarket with my wife and wasn't feeling that great. My wife thought I felt warm to the touch and suggested I take my temperature. Sure enough, I had a fever of 101.2 degrees. We called the Cleveland Clinic and spoke to the nurse on call. I advised her of the fever and also that I had a knife like pain in my lower back everytime I took a breath. She suggested we go to the ER immediately. In the ER they took a chest x-ray, blood samples, and an EKG. The supervising ER doc had a gut feel that I might have a blood clot and ordered a CAT scan just to be sure. Well needless to say he was right. The CAT scan showed that I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lungs) and the chest x-ray showed I had a small amount of fluid in my lungs. I was formally admitted to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. They started two IV's, one for antibiotics to address the infection and the other for Heparin (blood thinner). I was discharged from the hospital on the following Monday, July 12. As a consequence of the blood clot, I now must be on blood thinners (Coumadin/warfarin)for at least six months. I really was hoping to avoid this, but they told me I have no choice. The blood thinner will hopefully prevent any future blood clots from forming. As far as the existing blood clots in my lungs they should dissipate over time. I must say since being discharged from the hospital I seem to be improving each day. I am walking 2-3 times a day for approximately 25 minutes without any shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. My right side, at the sight of the incision is still sore but also improving. Once again, my purpose in sharing this is to help my HVJ friends who will be undergoing surgery to make them aware that the road to recovery may have a few bumps but it is important to keep the end result in mind. You will feel better as time progresses, so try to stay positive and upbeat. Take it one day at a time. Thank you and God Bless, John

Finally home, two weeks to the day from the time we left. It was a long day. We checked out of the hotel at 11:00 s.m. snd finally walked in the door at 9:00 p.m. Needless to say I was pretty well exhausted and quite uncomfortable by time we arrived home. Southwest Airlines was very accommodating, providing wheel chair service throughout the route and allowing us priority boarding which was very helpful. Another real nice final touch, for out of town patients, The Cleveland Clinic provides complimentary limousine service (including gratuity) from the hotel to the airport. At exactly 11:15 a.m. a very well dressed gentleman arrived in a Lincoln Town Car, took our bags and drove us to the airport. What a nice touch. We were both quite impressed. Well barring any unforeseen circumstances I probably won't be posting again until after I see my cardiologist on July 13. Thank you to all my family, friends and HVJ friends who have used this site to keep in touch with me throughout this adventure. Your messages and most especially your prayers have been uplifting. To all those awaiting their procedures I hope my experiences have helped you to better prepare for what's ahead. I know I learned a great deal by following the journals of others prior to my surgery and my goal has been to provide as much detail as possible to prepare you for what's ahead. Thank you and God Bless, John

Today was a good day. It started with an upgrade for breakfast to full liquids, which I was able to handle well. Then I was upgraded to solid food for lunch and again for dinner, which again I was able to handle well. Finally, they said I could be discharged. So I am now in my hotel room and will be going back home tomorrow. I have very little pain in my incisions now and I am walking quite well for short periods of time, but I fatigue quickly. I am looking forward to getting off that plane tomorrow and getting into my own recliner. Thanks to all of you for your support and kind words. It makes all the difference.