Jason's Posts

Well I'm 6 months since my 2nd surgery and I would say that I am as good as I was before.....regarding my activities and better than before regarding my heart health. Amazing what a good heart will do for the soul! I've been back to work for 2 months and have done 2 business trips so things have returned back to usual on that front. Taking a full 4 months before returning to work allowed me to return with full energy. I could have gone back after 3 but I'm certain I would've been pushing myself and that's not wise. Exercise has been great, I go to the gym to lift weights 4 or 5 days a week, I ride my bike to work and also mountain bike on weekends. My rides are back to normal, 1.5 - 3 hours and no issues with fitness. I'm not as fast as I was when I was in my prime but I can still climb the big hills with no issues. Getting off the beta blocker will be nice when ever that happens. Likely not for another year I'm told. The beta blocker limits my heart rate so that makes intense physical exercise a little difficult. I don't swim as much now that I'm back riding to work but that's ok as long as I get my daily cardio exercise. Life on Warfarin has been pretty good. I'm well into my post 3 month phase so my INR range is now 2.0-3.0 which is better than when it was 2.5 - 3.5 as I was getting some pretty good bruises when it was above 3.0. It took a while for it to stabilize with my dose and now I'm at a consistent 5.5mg daily. I eat greens every day for dinner; either, kale, asparagus, broccoli, or Brussels sprout. I still test my INR weekly as I like to keep on top of it since I'm so physically active. If it jumps high I know not to go mountain biking until I get it back down. I also still home test if I can't get to the lab so that's been a nice option and its also been helpful for when I travel. Best wishes to all of those about to go through this or are on the other side recovering. Jason Here's a funny video of me doing a feat of strength to celebrate my 6 months! https://vimeo.com/135106703

1) Waiting for surgery is worse than recovering from surgery 2) The key to getting appointments with doctors is to self advocate 3) A Starbucks gift card helps speed up item #2. Receptionists need perks too :-) 4) Driving to the hospital the day of surgery is weird 5) Once you get rolled into the OR, it's all out of your hands.....so RELAX 6) Getting the breathing tube out is the best feeling, spending 2 days with the breathing tube in is not a good feeling. Trying to have a conversation with a breathing tube in is impossible. Trying to write messages with a breathing tube in is frustrating - especially when the pen dries up! 7) Being on lots of narcotics is a very interesting experience. Seeing visions and images when you close your eyes is funny yet annoying. Go with the flow, enjoy the movie being played on the inside of your eye lids. 8) Being nauseous sucks, it will get better 9) Good nurses and doctors are awesome, you can tell good ones within seconds of meeting them. 10) Sleeping in a hospital requires; sleeping pills, ear plugs and good luck. In other words: forget about it. 11) Walking at the hospital is boring but is necessary, the more you walk the better. Get out of bed 12) Use the breathing Spirometer often. 'nuff said. 13) Removing drainage tubes hurts. Suck it up it doesn't take long. 14) Having a drainage tube incision open up, bleeds a lot. Don't ask how I know that, just trust me. 15) Flip flops or waterproof shoes at the hospital are the best. You can use them in the shower. 16) Going home after surgery will feel like uncharted territory, you will feel weak, fragile and vulnerable to germs. Don't worry, you're stronger than you feel. 17) Sneezing is ridiculous, avoid it at all costs. 18) Try to do normal things as soon as you can once home, the more you feel you can't do something the more limited you will become (within reason). Just because you can't lift all the laundry at once doesn't mean you can't make 10 trips from the laundry basket to the washing machine. 19) Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.......... 20) Keep a daily calendar/journal of your weight, sleep, activities, meds and how you're feeling. This will be invaluable when reviewing how things are going with your doctor. If things have changed you will be able to provide exact details. It also helps you see improvements and set goals. 21) Things will hurt, you will be sore, get used to it. 22) Friends and family are the best!!! 23) Blood thinners aren't that bad, don't let the "fear" of blood thinners determine which valve to get. Base your decision on the facts of how living on blood thinners will impact you. 24) A home INR tester is the most useful tool I have, I couldn't imagine being on warfarin without one 25) Update your first aid kits to include clotting bandages and Woundseal 26) Spend time with family - when else will you get 3 months off work? 27) Life is unpredictable, go with the flow and enjoy every day 28) You can't worry about things beyond your control, so relax. Things have a way of working out. Please feel free to add to the list, I would love to read others thoughts Best regards, Jason