Report

I'm not online much.  My back hurts under my shoulder blade and sitting at the computer makes it worse.  Until I can do this comfortably, I won't be on as often as I was. 

My college roommate came down yesterday from Paducah, KY, and is staying a few days.  We're having fun visiting and all. 

How are y'all doing?  Sorry I haven't been keeping up. 

Finally Reporting & Rambling

I got home Monday evening around 6:00.  I had to wait for the results of the echocardiogram before I could leave. Everything looked good.  Relief!  Brian brought me home and stayed until Wednesday.  Tuesday we got some things done around the house and then went out to eat and to Kroger, so I could stock up on food for the week.  I'm glad he was here to take the groceries to and from the car and put them up.  And drive!

My microwave died the day before I went to the hospital, so we had to get a new one.  Unfortunately, that mean Walmart.  I still don't have the intricacies worked out about operating this new microwave.  It reheats food too hot on the reheat setting.  Learning curve here.  After some of the lifting, pushing, pulling, etc, that I'm not supposed to do and Brian did, he went home. 

I've been here by myself since then doing fine.  I need help with several things but don't need a caretaker.  I'm not allowed to drive until after I see my surgeon September 20 and won't start cardiac rehab until after that.  Gotta make sure that bone has healed.  Basically, I have a broken bone in my chest that can't have a cast on it.  So changing the litter box, taking and returning the trash can to the curb, changing beds, vacuuming, and such as that are jobs for others for a while. 

I've been divorced 37 years and haven't lived with another adult since then.  The first 12 years were devoted to bringing up Brian and taking care of him.  Then the last 25 have been just me.  No, I don't get lonely.  I've dated, have friends and family, and can entertain myself.  I've also been teaching most of those years which will keep anyone busy!  So I need some solitude.  Have to have it.  Married people ask who is staying with me.  Single ones don't. 

Next week are some appointments, so it works out really well that my roommate from college and my daughter will be here at different times to take me.  Both live out of town and will stay a few nights.  Some friends have brought food, which is generous and thoughtful and appreciated. 

My cousin Sally and five other friends were lifesavers.  They came in and decluttered and cleaned my house before I went to the hospital.  They worked themselves so hard and accomplished so much!  No way could I have come home to my house the way it was and gotten better!  I am so grateful to them and appreciate them tremendously! 

I'm doing better than I expected and get stronger every day.  The surgery worked because I can take a shower now, dry my hair, put on makeup, and get dressed all in a row without getting out of breath and needing to rest a couple of times.  I walked out to get the mail and came back in without having to rest, too.  Not so before the surgery.  I felt worse than I realized I did. 

I do have to rest several times a day but not the way I did before.  This is recovery from surgery resting.  It will be good when the soreness and pain go away, but Tylenol helps.  I don't do pain pills well at all, so thank goodness that works. 

Those first four days in the hospital were brutal.  Glad that's over.  It's getting better and heading in the right direction. 

Me

What I had was a septal myectomy (Info Here) instead of valve replacement.  Once the surgeon got in there and removed the obstruction, he noticed that the valve closed properly and didn't have to do more.  So no pig jokes. 

I was in ICU until Tuesday evening.  The cardiac ICU is different in that they allow visitors from 9-9 as long as it's two at a time.  Kathy spent the night in the room with me and didn't get any sleep because of the beeping.  If I didn't breathe slowly and deeply enough, it beeped, so every time I drifted off to sleep, there it went over and over. 

The Percoset made me nauseated and so sleepy I couldn't hold my eyes open.  I had some Phenergan last night which totally put me to sleep and stopped the nausea.  This morning I was in pain from leaving off the pain meds and just taking Extra-Strength Tynenol (not enough) that I thought I would never feel good again.  I talked to my mother and sister-in-law this morning and told them how bad I felt and was just pitiful.  Then they took out the tubes and gave me some Loritab.  That stops the pain but doesn't make me sleepy or nauseated.  The tubes hurt and were worse every time I moved.  Very bad.  Getting them out really helped just as the nurses told me it would.  I didn't believe them, but fortunately they were right.  They've seen a few of these! 

I'll get the leads out tomorrow.  They are some wires that monitor my heart.  So I might get to go home tomorrow later in the day or Saturday morning.  I'm hoping for Saturday since that seems like a better time to go. 

I can't believe how much more quickly this recovery is than I thought it would be.  They started cardiac rehab Tuesday with my walking very slowly on the treadmill for 5 minutes and then 7 that afternoon.  Yesterday I did more a little faster, etc. 

Kathy, Brian, Sally, and Tina were here during and after the surgery.  Kathy spent the night with me in ICU as I mentioned earlier.  Brian came back the next morning and stayed all day Tuesday.  Between the two of them they could translate my charades since I couldn't talk with all those tubes in my throat.  I could write some on a board, too.  Very interesting. 

Kathy went back home Tuesday evening, and Brian has been back every day.  He sits there with his iPad and helps with things when I need him to.  He also has his laptop and works from here some, too.  Mother, my brother, and sister-in-law came Monday afternoon, and Mother and Janelle again this evening.  It's good they did after how pitiful I was this morning and yesterday.  They were amazed that I was sitting in the chair and could get up and out of it easily.  Don't get me wrong.  This is not fun.  Do not do it.  You won't like it.  I'm just saying that I feel so much better today that's it's a relief to know I can go home. 

See You Later

I'll be in touch when I can after the surgery.  Until then, take care of yourselves!  xoxoxox

Bob Barker is Right

Every hour, nearly 12,500 puppies are born in the United States, and there are over 1 million stray dogs living in the New York City metropolitan area alone.

 Friends, please spay and neuter your pets. :-)

Right of Hell

Phobia: hadephobia Fear of: hell

No need to fear it, we're already in Hell. I know the pendulum swings, but how much farther right can it go?  Issues I thought were settled like birth control are at the forefront.  All this hate for gays, women, and anyone not a fundamentalist nutcase is scary and out of control.  I don't know how they can call themselves Christians since that's not how I was brought up to believe it should be.  Jesus would smite them for sure!  It makes me wish that could happen.

Love This!!

HP Humor

Surgery

My surgery has been rescheduled for Monday, August 13, at 7:30 am, at Vanderbilt Medical Center.  So now we know.

The Olympics will be over by then so no lying around in the hospital watching them with my son and daughter.  I'm getting to see them at home, though, on my new HDTV!  With help, the den got cleared out so I could have my TV.  This is the only time I've used behavior modification on myself successfully.  Usually, I tell myself that I don't have to wait and will do what I want to.  LOL  I'm really enjoying it.  The house will be in shape by the time I have this surgery, which makes me feel better and like I can recuperate and relax.  It's also giving me something to focus on along with the Olympics, so I don't have to think too much about the surgery.  Nervous?  Yes.  But I have a positive outlook and feel optimistic about it all.

Thanks for the support and encouraging words!  I appreciate all of you!  :-)