Eleanor's Posts

On July 14th, I celebrated the first full year of my new aortic valve. This summer is so much better than last year, as there was no pre-surgery anxiety, no hospital/icu/surgery, no recovery, and not yet cardiac rehab! Just regular exercise and gym with swimming, gardening and walking thrown into the mix. No problems after the first week post-surgery when I had to go back to the emergency room for a few hours so they could check out a numb left hand. Fortunately the hand woke up while I was there, so I know I have been very lucky to not have had issues and can celebrate a healthy heart. My cardiologist has released (back into the wild, he says!) for another year, then we will do some testing to make sure everything is staying on course. I hope all of you have good outcomes as well, and can celebrate many relaxed anniversaries. Eleanor

The weeks after surgery sure go by faster than those before. The waiting and anticipation makes the pre-surgery time seem lengthy, and I recall it as an anxious time. Oddly enough, once I had a date for the surgery and had decided on the valve type, I calmed down and was peaceful, actually ready for the surgery to hurry up and take place (and be over!). Now I realize that soon it will be seven months since I had my aortic valve replaced. I did not have much advance notice, as I had a normal valve which over years had become stenotic, and was "discovered" by a young physician's assistant who asked me if I knew I had a heart murmur. I had been told that once before, but my GP didn't seem concerned about it at the time. Well, fortunately this time she was, and she went to find him immediately to listen and he sent me to a cardiologist. I honestly believe he never heard the murmur, even then, but of course the cardiologist did and thus began the saga that all of you are familiar with from your own stories so far. I changed physicians, as well as cardiologist, before the surgery and have been as pleased with my new medical team, as I am with the surgeon who performed the surgery. I have always been an advocate of helping yourself, and selecting service providers carefully. Glad I changed, much better, much nicer feeling. I have just "graduated" from cardiac rehab and am now entrusted to my own care, as the cardiologist doesn't want to see me for six months and the surgeon "released" me on the last day in the hospital, although I did follow up with his PA by phone and once in person to round out the surgery. It will be a challenge to get myself to the gym three times a week. I should probably invest in home equipment as I do well on a recumbent bike and treadmill, but I have a really nice county gym less than five miles from my home, where I can use all kinds of equipment, including pool and spa. The challenge is to get up, get out, and just do it. Life has returned to pretty much to what it was pre-surgery, I am driving, shopping, cleaning and cooking, walking the dog and playing with the cat, volunteering at our local elementary school and helping my adult daughter with her dance company, and keeping up with friends and former colleagues from work. I worked in international development in DC for thirty years and have many friends and memories of East Asia and the wonderful African continent. Now that I can travel, I headed to Florida to spend Christmas with my brother and his family. Since we did not have a vacation this summer, being The Summer of the Heart Surgery, my daughter came with me, as did Lucy the dog. We stayed in a condo on the beach and enjoyed walks on the beach and dips in the heated pool, and good family time. All without shortness of breath and being too tired to keep up. Now we are already in February. No more worries about heart related matters, but I do check my heart rate — that was something I never had done before, now I do. I check my blood pressure too a few times a week, just to keep on track. Today I got back into the swimming pool for the first time since surgery and did all my walking in water, plus some exercises and swimming. I had avoided the pool since surgery in July, but it was great, no pain or aches. Tomorrow I will just walk on the treadmill and do the recumbent bike, after my volunteer work with the first graders. I am looking forward to warmer weather in the DC area, so that I can get back into my yard and garden, walk the dog more and enjoy the outside. Last spring, I wasn't able to enjoy much, but now I have another, better chance. I wish all of you continued healing as well. Best wishes, Eleanor.

Twelve weeks after surgery, what a difference time makes. Twelve weeks finds me in the second week of cardiac rehab, going for 60 to 75 minutes three times a week. So far I am assigned just to walking laps around the gym, walking on the treadmill to warm up for 5 minutes, then a somewhat faster pace for another 15. Seems slow to me, but they are keeping an eye on our heart rates, which they don't want going too high at the beginning. Then another 13 minutes on a recumbent bike, at level 1 then 2. Pretty easy stuff actually. Cool down is 5 laps walked slowly, then stretching, and blood pressure and heart rate checkout. I am frequently told to go sit down, to get my numbers lower before they allow me to leave. Fine with me, by then I am ready to sit down anywhere! Oddly enough I am the only valve person in the gym, most are males with heart attacks and/or bypass operations. I am supposed to be walking for 30 minute stretches every other day, but I usually don't have time, or don't make time, as I get busy with life and forget about it. I do walk, doing laundry upstairs, taking the dog out downstairs, going grocery shopping then putting groceries away, and cleaning house. I am so glad to be able to do all of this, with no aches and pains, no being out of breath or having to rest. I do try to remember to sit down a couple of times a day, and think about putting my feet up. Hardly ever happens for I stay really busy. This week I started back with volunteer work, but have stayed out of the commute to DC. Last year I helped a first grade teacher as a volunteer one full day a week, but DC traffic is a bear, and the rush hour is actually several hours, from around 6am to 9am, then 4 to 7pm. The DC elementary school was beautiful, dating from the early 1900s, but the parking lot was accordingly tiny, and to get parking I had to be there at 7,30 then couldn't get out until 3,30. I loved the school, the kids and the young teacher, but I hated commuting. As a retiree I had gotten spoiled, so I decided that this year I would do the same in a local school, just 5 mins. from my house, very spread out with a nice parking lot. I help a first grade teacher with newly arrived kids who do not speak English. In DC, that group of kids was a mix of Asian and Latino kiddies, but in my area they are all from Spanish speaking countries. Poor little things, in the spirit of "immersion" they are dropped straight into whatever grade corresponds to their age. There is where my bilingualism comes in handy. Today, for example, the teacher asked me to sit on the floor with six of those who know almost zero English and help them learn the concept of counting by fives. Fortunately, I was able to sit on the floor! Several weeks ago I could not have done that. Getting up what not too awkward either so I am progressing, even with wonky knees. The joy today was explaining the concept of counting by fives, and watching one little boy's face light up. He knew this in Spanish, but had been lost in English. He was so excited he just wanted to sit in my lap and count up to 100 by fives in Spanish. The teacher has said she wishes I could be there every day and not just two days a week, but I am hoping that the kids will need me less and less as they progress. Meantime, I feel that I am exercising my mind, and my soul, those days when I am not in cardiac rehab. Sure makes for a full week! Now that I can drive anywhere I want, I pretty much reclaimed my life, all I am really missing is swimming, but I know to leave that alone for another couple of months, just thinking about it makes me nervous. When I finish the 36 sessions of rehab (7 down so far), then maybe I will be able to swim. I hope all of you who are post surgery are recovering well, too and those of you who are in the "waiting room" I sympathize with your impatience to get the show on the road. Honestly the anxiety of waiting was probably the hardest part for me. I hope your surgery day comes soon, and that it is smooth and successful, with a speedy recovery. Best wishes to all, Eleanor.