John's Posts

This past year has flown by. But at times it also seems as though my surgery and recovery happened a lifetime ago. There are very few reminders of these events--even my scar is fading. I am happy to report that I feel as good, probably better, than I did pre-surgery when I had no noticeable symptoms of my heart issues. I have been back to work full time, and then some, for over eight months. And, when I returned to work, I returned at 100%--with no restrictions. This was mainly due to the cardiac rehab sessions I attended three times per week for eight weeks. I saw remarkable progress after going just two or three weeks, and I highly encourage anyone recovering from open heart surgery to participate in rehab and to not ignore its benefits. I do not want to give the impression there were no bumps along the way during my recovery. During the very first full day at home after discharge, I stood up too fast and fell over flat on my face. I passed out, but hitting the floor a second or two later woke me up. I didn't really feel any pain but my nose was cut and bleeding, I had dislocated one of my pinky fingers, and I definitely felt disoriented. I remember hearing my son call 911 and it seemed like the paramedics arrived very quickly. They took some vitals and said I was in a-fib--the second time in about two days. Unlike the first episode, which I had while still in the hospital, this time I didn't feel my heart bouncing around--just racing. To make a long story short, I was admitted to Beaumont Hospital-Troy for about four days for tests and observation. I did not do any damage to my incision and the a-fib seemed to self-correct within a couple of hours, but having two episodes of a-fib in two days required me to start taking a blood thinner. I took coumadin for about four months, but by November my cardiologist told me I could stop. In fact, after my last cardiologist visit in May, I am now taking only an 81 mg aspirin every day--no other prescription medications. I feel very fortunate to have made what I consider to be a "full recovery" in such a short period of time. I believe the care I received at U of M's Frankel Cardiovascular Center, my time in cardiac rehabilitation, and the knowledge I received from Adam Pick's newletter and website helped me immensely.

Well, I made it home this afternoon... 6 days after surgery. I am very grateful for the love and support of my family, friends, and coworkers who helped me keep a positive attitude since the discovery of my health issues late last year. I am also very grateful for the nurses at U of M... and the kindness of strangers: all the wonderful people on this website whose journeys have taught me so much and showed me examples of courage for which I will always be in your debt.