John's Journal

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.

If I can make it until about 1 PM today (another 2 hours) without having Afib issues, then they plan to start discharging me. I am anticipating getting better sleep at night after I am home. I have found myself being WIDE AWAKE the past 3 nights from about 1 to 5 AM. It looks like this is not uncommon.

Well, I was about 3 hours from discharge and plans have changed. I just got up to use the bathroom and was returning to my chair when a few nurses came rushing in. I had no idea what was the matter, but they said I went into Afib, which was communicated via my remote heart monitor. As I sat up in bed, I started to feel what I heard someone accurately describe as an off-balance washing machine in my chest. I am now on a magesium drip, have taken an extra half Lopressor, and now have to wait 24 hours before being considered for discharge. Edit: I also should mention that I have been on amiodarone (orally) for a few days, but they added this as a drip after my magnesium drip finished. Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug used to treat and prevent irregular heartbeats.

It's 72 hours after my surgery and they removed my chest tube. All that's left is a pacemaker that will come out before I leave, which may be Saturday. PT had me walking, practicing a barrel-roll move to get in and out of bed, and walking up and down some stairs. Blood sugar and blood pressure were a little high the last couple of days, but it's nearly back to normal now. Thank you all for the great support and words of advice and encouragement!

I'm scheduled for surgery in a little over 8 hours from now. I am thinking very positively and am surprisingly calm. I am hoping I can get a little sleep but my mind is racing! A big thanks to everyone... your words of kindness and support, and all the journeys that were shared, have been a tremendous help.

Five days after hearing my surgery was postponed I received my new date: Monday, July 2. So... I have a little over 2 weeks to spend more quality time with my family, complete a few more tasks on my to-do list, go back to work for a bit, and continue to prepare mentally and physically for my surgery.

Yesterday, Friday, I received the anticipated "1 business day before surgery" phone call from the hospital. The caller informed me that my surgery, scheduled for Monday at 7 AM, was being postponed, and would not know my new date until next Tuesday or Wednesday, but they will try to reschedule for the following week.  This was not entirely unexpected, but I suppose I did not want to imagine how my careful planning and the schedules of others close to me would be affected.

Over the past few months I have read Adam's book and many, many journal posts and comments at heartvalvesurgery.com. This resource provided me with an abundance of knowledge and confidence during this time leading up to my surgery. There are so many wonderful people on this forum who share their personal journeys, who give guidance and encouragement, and who give inspiration to me and to so many others. To all of you, a heartfelt thank you.