Robert's Posts

All has gone well except the past week to 2 weeks I've had bronchitis or something. My regular doctor gave me some antibiotics to get rid of it yesterday. It has made me blow my knows, cough and sneeze. July 19th will be exactly 2 months since surgery and coughing still hurts but sneezing is still the worst. Hurts and is annoying with this bronchitis or whatever it is. I started sleeping on my side around one month after surgery but it hasn't been real comfortable until about 6 weeks after surgery. I tried doing a push up on my knees yesterday and it didn't hurt. How can that not hurt and coughing and sneezing does? If the pain from coughing and sneezing will go away, I won't have any symptoms from surgery except not having full stamina back. Thought I'd share how I feel at near 2 months after surgery.

I am doing great. I am breaking a lot of rules though. I started driving about 2.5 weeks after surgery. I did have to stay in the hospital 13 days because of afib. That was the only hold back. I started walking about 3/4 of a mile at 2 weeks after surgery. I walked the hospital halls every day after being in a regular room. When transferring from ICU to regular room, I walked the whole way with a walker. It seems I have had an easier go of it than most here and I attribute that to my surgeon, not my own health. So, I highly recommend my surgeon who did a mini sternotomy and did it in 2 hours. 2 HOURS I was opened up, repaired my mitral valve and a hole in my heart that everybody is born with but mine never sealed up. The surgeon's name is Dr. Irving Kron from the University of Virginia Hospital. He is also the president of The American Association of Thoracic Surgery. Here is a link to his UVA page; https://thoracic.surgery.virginia.edu/adult-cardiac/adult-cardiac-staff/irving-l.-kron-m.d/

I still get dizzy when I stand up sometimes. General pain where the scar is. The 2 holes where tubes were have scabbed up well and are slowly shrinking. I am breaking rules mainly because I feel good enough to do so. The past 3 nights I have been sleeping on my sides instead of my back. I have been walking about 3/4 of a mile on mornings that haven't been too hot. I did my favorite thing I like to do outside this morning....I hand washed my car. I was real tired after doing it. I went real slow but, I was still dripping sweat after finishing it. I wanted to wax it but, was too tired. Either way, I am feeling good for having open heart surgery at 3 weeks.