Anna's Guestbook

Anna Jones  Gina, I remember your surgery too, how bravely you faced the experience, and the courage I took from you. I hope all is well on your end.

Anna Jones  Hi Judy, thank you for asking. So far, I don't think highly of it. Each visit I am handed a paper with instructions to walk 17 minutes on the treadmill and peddle 17 minutes on the Nustep machine. We get my blood pressure up to 100/66 and then I leave. I can't imagine why I am being encouraged to go there 18 times. No one talks to anyone. We just do our exercise routines and leave.

How are you doing?

Judy Shaw  That's seems strange...
My rehab is going well. I go Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I wear a heart monitor while walking on the treadmill. I have advanced to 2mph for 30 minutes. Yesterday they added a little incline to it. Whew, that's hard. Then the other 30 minutes are group exercising with 3 pound hand weights. This bothers my left chest area so I don't use a weight yet. One of the nurses tells jokes and everyone seems to have a good time socializing. I wish you could have this type of experience my friend.

Anna Jones  Thank you, Judy. I wish I could have that type of cardiac rehab too. It sounds much more beneficial than what I am doing. I debate after each class letting them know it will be my last one.

Judy Shaw  I probably would feel the same way. The social part is only of part of the whole but for me it gives motivation to get up and go to the next class. Try and hang in there but if not don't be upset with yourself. The program is failing you!

Judy Shaw  I probably would feel the same way. The social part is only of part of the whole but for me it gives motivation to get up and go to the next class. Try and hang in there but if not don't be upset with yourself. The program is failing you!

Anna Jones  Thank you, Judy. I've given it a lot of thought and I really don't think I am getting anything out of this program. I can do the same thing walking around my neighborhood (which has hills) and taking my own blood pressure. And at least this way I will also know my pulse. And, I can do it at a time that is convenient for me. If I am lucky maybe I will meet someone to walk with. I see that it is not uncommon for there to be good programs and miserable cardiac rehab programs and that cities tend to have one or the other but not both, and this may explain why it isn't a more popular treatment plan among doctors and patients.

Judy Shaw  I live in a small town and we have a Senior Citizens Center. Anyone over 55 can go. They have a group that walks on certain days of the week and they also have exercise equipment you can use. Something like this would be good for you. I'm thinking of going after I finish rehab.

Anna Jones  Hi Judy, thank you for letting me know how your class went. Mine works a little differently. I sign in at the reception desk. I am handed a sheet telling me what machine to use (each machine has a number), what order to use it, how fast to set it for and what my "met" should be. I then walk over to a wall and take the assigned heart monitor and put it on myself following instructions on a poster. If I put it on wrong someone points a finger at me to let me know. I then begin my exercise. At some point someone comes and puts a blood pressure cuff n me, takes a reading and walks away. If I stay on the machine too long, someone points a finger at me. If I don't stay on it long enough they point and frown. If I don't exercise fast enough or hard enough they come over to give me "the talk". At the end of my exercise cycle I do stretches in the corner of the room by myself following a poster. Then my last blood pressure is taken and I can take off the heart monitor and leave.

Individual classes in diet, stress, and I don't know what else, are held every other Thursday. I have to sign up for it. Since I have been through those classes when my husband went in for his diabetes education, I am not going to sign up for them. Exercise classes are held Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

I was supposed to go today but I was in too much pain from Monday's class so I cancelled for the rest of the week.

Your cardiac rehab sounds like you at least have a chance to talk to people.
I hope there are people there who went through the same type of surgery as you did so that you can as questions about their recovery and maybe make a friend. I hope you will have a better time tomorrow. I know you will befriend people soon.

Judy Shaw  I forgot to mention that afterwards when we were leaving I stopped and spoke with a woman from my group that was waiting for her ride. She seemed friendly enough. The reason she was there is she has pulmonary issues.
There are patients there in different stages of their rehabilitation whether it be cardiac or pulmonary so that's why I was the newcomer. They all seemed surprised I was only 6 weeks post op.

Also, I saw my cardiologist yesterday. Things are going so well I don't see him again for 3 months. Yay! He told me I was a strong woman.

Mark Wilbur  Judy and Anna, you seem to be on the same course via different directions. Judy's class sounds like it is very good and desirable. Anna, I did a quick look at cardiac rehab in Austin and the program at Seton sounds like an ideal one for you. They stress their support group environment. Maybe you could ask them to work with your insurance company and be able to participate there. Cardiac rehab is not just physical therapy, after all. Judy, I enjoyed your description and am happy that you've found an excellent rehab program. Good luck to both of you!

Anna Jones  Judy, I saw my cardiologist today and also don't have to go back for 3 months. It sounds like you are doing really well and should be very proud of yourself. I'm glad you were able to find someone to chat with after class. Having people to talk to will make it more enjoyable for you.

Judy Shaw  Yes, Anna I agree. That's how I knew I was a newbie. The ones that have been going already have a buddy.

Anna Jones  Thank you, Mark. I truly appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. The countdown calendar is a great idea. I will make one. I already counted out that Sept. 12, is my last one and I remind myself that I am only committing to 1 rehab visit at a time and 17 visits is not really so many. It could be 36 visits :-)

I'm very sorry to read that you had to go through radiation treatment for prostate cancer. It is great news that you beat that miserable devil, Cancer. My first father-in-law had it too.

Sending prayers for good health and longevity.

Anna Jones  Thank you, Rose. I am seeing the cardiologist again on 8/8 and I will mention it. The EKG shows that I am in NSR but that I also have tachycardia.

I'm starting my 6th week and my blood pressure is still very low. But my pulse is doing a little better. I now stay in the upper 90's at rest. After exercise I am in the 100's.

My blood pressure cuff still shows the arrhythmia symbol It's frustrating.

Anna Jones  Hi Chris,

Thank you. I'm glad things are going pretty well for you, that you are able to take long walks, and I promise your legs will grow hair in a week :-). I hope you will learn to like the naps.

I saw the cardiologist today. He said I am having so much trouble (1) because I am very small and it seems to hit small people hardest, and (2) because I was put on the wrong medication which increased my heart rate to 112+ bpm and decreased my blood pressure to 85/57 at the closest reading we can get. We had to try 4 different cuffs before one came up with something.

The cardiologist is weaning me off of the medication and giving me a new medication that will reduce my heart rate but leave my blood pressure alone. It is one of these specialty medications so I need approval from the insurance company and am waiting on that to happen. I heard the doctor mumbling under his breath that he wonders what this is going to cost. That's scary!

I've been to the ER and had a Chest X-ray, CT with contrast, and Echo. There is no residual regurgitation, no sign of blood clots, and everything looks good. We just need to get the BP in line, and the UTI cured.

Chris Purvis  Hey Anna I ended up in the ER myself today. I had a new pain that surfaced and I thought it might had been pericardium effusion but thank god after every possible test-nothing was wrong. It sounds like yours chest x ray, EKG, blood work and CTA with contrast to rule out blood clot in the lung. Thank god after 4.5 hours I was sent home with no new diagnosis.

Anna Jones  Glad nothing was found, Chris. I just got back from the dr. We are treating me for anemia. UTI is done :-)

Mark Wilbur  Yes, Anna, we hope that you are feeling much better today. Take it slow and easy. Prayers for you and for Chris as you continue to recover.

Anna Jones  Hi Everyone, I have taken 4 antibiotics since Friday and I think they are starting to work. I have had this infection for so long it is very advanced. I am so very cold. We are keeping the house at 79 degrees and I am dressed in flannel. It is 100 degrees outside! The dogs are panting and my husband is looking for the coolest place in the house to sit :) I am also still losing weight. Today I am down to 95 lbs despite eating almost constantly. We plan to start me on Ensure on Monday.

Other than that I am taking a lot of naps, walking around the house as I can, doing my breathing exercises and my chair exercises. I wonder if this much sleeping in normal.

Chris Purvis  Ensure is a well rounded drink from calories to proteins etc.should help keep nutrients up. I’m glad your starting to feel better! I haven’t slept a wink..hoping that changes because I’m tired tired tired.

Debbie Chatzky  Anna, do you have a respiratory infection? Temp under 100.5 is ok. Are you still taking Diaretic. - that can cause weight loss. If you are taking amiodarone (heart rhythm med that has all kinds of side effect including being cold and cough. Feel better!

Anna Jones  Debbie Chatzky, it is a really bad UTI. I take medication to prevent getting UTI but because of the surgery was unable to take it. The doctors thought it would be alright if I went off my medication, I didn't think they were right. So, I got the UTI before surgery and then I got another UTI during surgery. I didn't take any diuretics because the doctors were having a hard time keeping me hydrated. Temperature was up to 103 but is back down to normal today.

At the hospital they refused to allow me to use the medication. They said the pharmacist had to run it through their lab before they would give the ok to use it! This world is a very sad place. The pharmacist never came by to approve it, and I didn't get it back until I was discharged.

Today I think I may have turned a corner. I have been sleeping 18 hours a day and am only able to be up for about 2 hours at a time. However, tonight I was able to stay awake after dinner and get in a 3rd walk.

We will see how tomorrow turns out. Baby Steps.

Chris Purvis  Aw Anna I’m so sorry! You need a big hug and some recovery. I’m thinking about you and will be praying all of this goes away so you can get back to recovering quickly. Your a fighter I can tell so you’ll push through this easily.

Catie B  I'm so sorry that happened with your medication! That is a terrible lapse on their part. And what an ordeal for you! I dearly hope you feel better and stronger very soon.

Rita Savelis  Being cold after OHS is common. I froze all summer after my OHS. This is because your body's hormones and temparature gages are off. I also lost weight, because who can eat after all that trauma?! So I hear you Anna, it's hard. And an infection is not what you needed. You've been through a lot. So I'm glad you could sleep. Your body needs the rest. There will be plenty of walking time in the future. Take care.

Anna Jones  Hi Chris, I got home yesterday and went straight to my doctor. He changed the antibiotic which hadn't been working. I am sick as a dog. I am sleeping a lot. I am trying to get up the energy to do the breathing exercises. This morning I managed to walk 15 minutes and then went back to sleep. I still get exhausted taking a shower and dressing.

I see my cardiologist next week. Hopefully my medications will start working soon.

How are you doing?

Chris Purvis  I’m glad your home Anna! That’s a very big step forward for sure. I know you’ve been fighting that bug and hoping your new meds will help with that.

Chris Purvis  And I’m doing ok. Lots of pain but only in my chest tubes...
Did you have any pain or problem managing it?

Anna Jones  Yes. I am small, so the chest tubes were agony. There was simply no room for them. I begged the doctor to take them out, so he remove them on the second day. The pain medication didn't help at all.

I'm sorry the chest tubes are bothering year. Let the doctor know.

Marianne Charters  Mine came out late on the third day. The right one was awful. Then it took awhile for the pain of that area to go away. Really hindered the deep breathing!

Chris Purvis  Heavy breathing is difficult for sure! I’m trying to get to that 1500 Mark and 1250 seems like about it for now.

Rose Madura  Honestly I think my chest tube came out too early. I ended up with fluid buildup around my heart and hssd to have a 2nd surgery. You both will feel better soon. As I've said before, it's no picnic in the park. That's for sure. Hope you both have a speedy and uneventful recovery.

Debbie Chatzky  I’m small also. The chest tubes were very painful. Especially Ken which was larger then the rest. Pain meds didn’t help much.

Rita Savelis  Take it easy guys. For several weeks after surgery I was completely exhausted after doing something simple like eating breakfast in bed. I couldn't do much else for the rest of the day. I certainly didn't care if I was blowing hard enough into the spirometer! Your recovery will happen in its own time. What has happened to each of your bodies is singular and personal. It's not a race. It's a slow move towards feeling better.

Sue Tom  Chris, what a great positive attitude you have. It shows how caring you and your wife are. Wish you were my neighbor.

Anna Jones  Hey Chris, I am still here. Just got released again. Got an infection in the hospital and am on a million pills, so feeling sick. If I am up to it I hope to check on you Thursday. Wish I was feeling better. Sending best wishes.