Erik's Posts

Hi friends. It has been a while since I posted so I thought I'd share my recovery experience thus far. First, the challenges. I had 2 days of AFib in the hospital which the doctors were finally able to get under control. I have not been in AFib since, but I do get rapid, irregular heartbeats from time to time. I was told this is all common post-surgery, but it's still annoying. Also, I still get dizzy when I stand, I have low energy and no stamina. This is attributed to low hemoglobin due to blood loss during surgery. That will improve over time as my body replaces those lost red blood cells but it's a slow process. In the meantime, it's a bummer. Now, the good news. I have virtually no pain...just when I sneeze (ouch!) I know many people suffer from pain well after surgery, but I guess I got lucky. I had extreme discomfort immediately following surgery but once the chest tubes came out I rebounded fast. I came out of my post-surgical haze about 2 weeks after my procedure and really feel like I turned a corer about that time. I'm walking about 1.5 miles/day and I start my cardiac rehab this afternoon. I'm hoping that will help propel my recovery. That's my quick summary. Best of luck to those of you in recovery, and to those of you getting ready for surgery!