Sandy's Photos

Hello Heart Warriors:
Six months today! Doing well. Many of us go through the side effects of surgery. Those include side effects from the actual surgery, medication, life style adjustments, emotional adjustments etc. I have had some of those too. My blurry vision continues and occasionally I  get numbness in my fingers and toes. Neither of them last too long and nothing too concerning. I am a 'type A' personality so I have made some adjustments to my lifestyle and how I approach life. Certainly learning to approach life one day at a time and keeping it positive and healthy.  The only one thing I have not given up is chocolate. A lot of recovery has to do with attitude and finding a way to self motivate to make changes in your life to live a better, healthier, happier life with you in the driver's seat. It's not always a easy task but very doable. Sending blessings to all of you.

This morning I  completed my Rehab! Few lessons learned from my classes. So I  generally workout at a higher pace and was always surprised that I never did lose the pounds like I wanted to. For women, especially older women, workout is recommended at a moderate level at least 5 days a week, weights should be done on alternative days, and 30 to 60 minutes is adequate with workout including at least 3 different routines. So there is not much gain from longer or harder workouts. Also, in talking to other patients in the program I learned that the side effects of medication is very real for a lot of patients so my advice would be to make sure you know all the side effects that you could encounter as a result of your medication. There were a few folks who required medical attention while in classes attributed to medication. All in all I found the classes helpful. Being monitored was important to me as I got back to normalcy. 

Today was my one month visit with my surgeon. Also, I got  another  CT scan at the Heart Hospital this morning. Everything checked out as the surgeon expected. Thank God! No fluid in lungs, no swelling, the wound was healing well, first time I saw the work the surgeon did. That was a clean bill. Released to drive, full use of arms, option to turn on my side and sleep, no shower assistance required, walking up to 2 miles for now (thinking I could do more), cardiac rehab set for May after my full 60 day recovery period. Now a little bit about the surgeon - what I got and went with was someone who knew her stuff, had the education, experience, knowledge and straightforward approach to get me through one of the toughest things in my life. I struggled with my decision - I believe a lot has to do with the hospital system and that's unfortunate. My journey has definitely taught me a lot of lessons so far - one never stops learning.

Day 10 after my surgery and I took a slow walk up and down the street in our neighborhood - felt like a moon walk, step by step. Keeping my faith and strength that this too will pass.

Thanks to this community for sharing your wisdom and experiences - two weeks to my surgery.