Chris's Posts

I'm at T+11 days after my robotic mitral valve repair. Saw my surgeon's nurse today. Everything is looking good medically--I'm down to 1 prescription and 3 OTC medications. I'm increasing the number and length of my "rehab walks" each day. These are very slow and controlled walks--not a normal fitness pace. Today's milestone: 1 mile across 3 walks!!!

Today it has been 1 week since my robotic Mital Valve repair. I've had a lot going on--mentally and physically-- since my discharge from the hospital last Sunday (17th). I did want to share one funny and compassionate story though. The nurses started walking me in the hospital while I was still in cardiovascular ICU. I lost track of time...I'm not sure if that was on Friday after surgery, or early Saturday. But...my first physical challenge was to take a short walk with the nurses. The nurse came over to my bed and asked if I wanted to take a walk, and I said yes. She bent down to adjust the walker she had just brought over, so I sat up in bed (my normal way...using my elbows and stomach muscles while me legs are trapped under the covers). Here eyes got REALLY big when I did that, and she reached up to support me and called another nurse to support her. Apparently that move is NOT acceptable in the ICU, even if you're already inclined 45 degrees in bed. :-) Anyway, they got me out of bed and I started walking laps around the nurses station -- maybe 100 ft each. It felt REALLY weird...and at any other time I would have stopped and called 911. My heart didn't know what to do. Walking and talking was too much. Virge of being light headed. Stopping to breathe. Heart pounding in strange ways. It truly felt like my heart had forgotten what to do...like it had been "reset" to factory settings and didn't know who I was. But I got around the nurses station....3 laps and back to bed. I got applause from the nurse's station, and fell back asleep Funny mental image for you: imagine seeing me at 6 foot 2, using a walker, with one tiny nurse beside me---guiding me with one hand and rolling my IV stand with the other, and a second nurse rolling a recliner right behind me in case I pass out. Tubes everywhere. And me still wearing that LOVELY hospital gown. Imagine what that looks like, and how many times per day they do it. God Bless the compassion of those women, who assist people like me EVERY DAY. And thank you for not testing them with my body at that moment.