Category: Open Heart Surgery (Page 3 of 4)

Eighteen weeks have passed since my open-heart surgery. I spent two weeks going to Cardio rehab to get a program set up. The past two weeks I’ve been on my own with a daily gym routine that includes about 30-minutes on the stationary bike, 20-minutes of the rowing machine, 15-minutes on the treadmill, and some light weightlifting to conclude the workout. The good news is that I no longer double-up in pain from a simple sneeze, although still a bit uncomfortable. I would like to walk more but my left leg is still reacting with painful cramps and Charlie Horses. Oddly, the other exercises don’t seem to affect it. Next week, I get an Ultrasound that should indicate the problem. 

I try to follow-up this workout with a late afternoon session in our swimming pool. I wear a cut-off tee-shirt to prevent any darkening of the scar tissue on my chest. This will probably have to continue through this summer. For about a half-hour, I will run in place, do some laps using both my arms and legs, step-ups, push-ups off the side of the pool, and stretching. Last night, after the gym, my legs were just too tired for the pool. My wife is concerned that I’m over-doing it, so I’ll make some compromises going forward. 

I’m beginning to feel a lot stronger but still frustrated with my progress. I continue to struggle with some balance issues, dating back to long before surgery, and will return to chair yoga next week to work on this. Some medication adjustments have helped, and I still carefully monitor my blood pressure as advised by the cardiologist. There’s a little more tone to the muscles that were dormant for many weeks. It’s tough for a former active runner to get back in shape and lose weight. As a former boss liked to say, “onward and upward.”

I need to do some walking since it’s really the only exercise I can do, but I continue to struggle with a Charley horse in my upper left thigh. When it strikes, I have to drag my leg like “The Gimp.” It’s quite painful and frustrating, as I continue to recover from open heart surgery. My chiropractor worked on me twice this week, but it has yet to heal, and the cause is only speculation since I have done nothing to injure it. Also, the results came back negative on my MRI, so I’ve yet to find a solution for my balance and lightheadedness issues. It seems to be one thing after another on the road to recovery. One solution has been to walk in the shallow end of the pool where I can steady myself on the edge. However, it’s not burning the calories necessary to lose some of this cruise weight. 

I’m in the doghouse, after agreeing to a beer with a neighbor and trying to move our Friday “Date Night.” Just when I thought there was a solution the night before, my granddaughter announced that she had forgotten to tell us about her Spring Dance Recital at the high school. Where I thought I was picking up my youngest granddaughter at the bus stop, those plans have suddenly changed, as well. We never seem to be in the know until the last minute, and my wife is a planner. There always seems to be something that screws up her plans like me and my family. She and Tally are at the Dog Park this morning, while one of us will need to stay home to watch the dogs during tonight’s recital. It’s complicated, as most family matters are!

The Gimp’s in the doghouse, and the dogs rule the hen house! In the meantime, I’m limping down the yellow brick road as the Cowardly Lion, with no one to pin a medal on me. The Wizard of Oz has already proven that I have a heart (though just repaired) and a brain that after recent tests seems to be functioning properly. Just give me the courage to face another day without running or even walking to keep me sane. 

It’s the start of week 14 of surgery rehab, after a few setbacks in unlucky 13. I just got back from the chiropractor and have an MRI scheduled for this afternoon. In both cases, they’re looking for reasons why I’m experiencing balance, circulation, and dizziness issues. I had a good afternoon of exercise yesterday in the pool but have some muscle issues in my left leg that makes it painful to walk. Walking is really the only exercise I’m cleared to do, so doing it in the pool allows me to steady myself on the side and move my legs without pain. I’ll do the same thing this afternoon, since trying to walk this morning was once again difficult. 

While we were on the cruise, I had the same leg problems, so getting home and using the pool is a good alternative until the strain goes away. It’s miserable trying to stretch out my muscles while walking, and I need to walk to burn the calories! I’m still restricted from using my arms and lifting. I placed a call to the cardio rehab facility, hoping to reschedule my initial session next week now that I’m feeling better. Last week, I had bouts of nausea and vertigo, not knowing if I had picked up a bug from the trip or perhaps had a more serious disorder. I did manage to pull myself together this past weekend for our anniversary dinner and neighborhood martini party. Maybe I’ll get more answers from the MRI tests?

I was doing well on the walking discipline while we were aboard the ship, but land has not been so friendly. It feels as if there’s a cramp in my calf muscle coupled with a soreness in my thigh. I’m scheduled to go back to the chiropractor in two days, as I resume my weekly visits that kept me healthy while running. I’ve been absent nearly two months between the heart surgery and cruise. Daily running has now become walking. Don’t Run…Walk. 

Just 8-days away from Bon Voyage and seven weeks distant from open heart surgery. I’m done with doctor visits for a while – they’ll have a hard time finding me on the ship. The daily 2-mile walks continue, as I experiment with books on tape for companionship. My first is Preston & Child’s “Dead Mountain,” a freebee with my library card. I used to listen to books in the car when I was traveling alone, usually on business. Back in my running days, not so long ago, I listened exclusively to music and some talk radio. It all helps to fill that lonely hour on the streets. 

I’m headed to the ballpark this afternoon, probably my last Spring Training game. The Pirates are in town. Next Saturday, we fly out of Tampa to Buenos 
Aires with a stop in Atlanta. We’ll have a couple of days to explore the city before the ship goes to Rio. It’s the start of an adventure that will take us to four continents in four weeks. Every day will be something new to write about, but I may not post until we get back. 

A change in routine is crucial. I’m spending too much time on the keyboard and my lower back is suffering. When I walk it irritates a nerve near my spine and makes the experience somewhat painful, certainly uncomfortable. Stretching helps but then I get comfortable in my office chair, only getting up for food and short dog walks. I need to get in the habit of an afternoon or evening walk to prevent this stiffening. I should be on my feet more often on the boat and there will be several excursions along the way. The toughest stretch will be five long days crossing the Atlantic. We’ve been through this before, in fact seven days at sea, from Alaska to Hawaii. 

The soreness in my chest continues. I can’t even lift a propane tank. However, the scars are healing nicely. Some upper body exercise would be welcome, but I will need at least another month before hitting the weight room. I’ll start my cardio-rehab once we get back home in mid-April. I will totally miss the solar eclipse, but apparently will see the Buenos Aires St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the world. It starts at noon on Avenida de Mayo and is organized by the Irish-Argentine Association. “El Dia de San Patricio” caters to the 500,000 Irish people that live in Argentina. Spanish with an Irish lill will be a unique twist on the language that I already won’t understand. Plaza de Mayo is not too far from the Atlantic. Recife will then be the crossing point across the shortest Atlantic span of travel to Africa after a stop in Rio. Europe will be the fourth continent stop on this journey. 

Six weeks have passed, approaching seven, and I remain the impatient patient. I’m not yet feeling better than I did pre-surgery and beginning to doubt whether I ever will. I never did have any symptoms like shortness of breath or dizziness, but running was becoming tedious and slow. Right now, walking feels the same way, as I am up to a fairly consistent two-mile distance. Due to drizzle, only a mile today. My lower back is sore, and legs feel stiff to the point where it is a chore rather than a pleasure to go the distance. This is why I don’t really feel that things have changed after all this work on my heart. 

It will be months before my breastbone fully heals, so there is little upper body work I can perform. I have to maintain my arms at the side, cautiously lay on my side, and avoid raising my hands overhead. I miss the sit-ups and pushups that I would do daily. My muscles are going to mush and there’s little I can do but write about it on this blog. At least, I’m maintaining some finger dexterity with the keyboard. I did think about changing some florescent light bulbs but realized there would be ladder climbing and reaching upwards involved, so I’ll wait for help. We also bought an electric fireplace that is too heavy for me to install. Same with a cable box that came loose from behind one of my big-screen TV’s. I couldn’t even help move some bags of mulch or carry-in groceries. 

I did not have fluid on or around my lungs as the surgeon feared, had an excellent follow-up with the cardiologist, and will meet with my primary physician next week. We went out to dinner last night at Shaner’s Pizzaria in Sarasota, featuring a menu with the owner’s numerous baseball cards on the cover. I did not get a chance to meet Shane Rawley while he was busy tending bar. He pitched a total of 198 innings over twelve years in the majors for the Mariners, Yankees, Phillies, and Twins. I have several of his cards in my collection. 

It’s Sunday and I could run over to the ballpark or watch I.U. miss some more threes. Purdue has clinched the BIG and thankfully there are probably less than a handful of Hoosier games to suffer through before the season is over. I’ll be on a plane or boat for the NCAA Tourney and don’t honestly feel like I’ll be missing much. May not even get to watch a single game, for once in my life. Today, I don’t feel like much more than a quiet day at home being an impatient patient. 

It’s been six full weeks since I checked in for open heart surgery and just as long since I last ran. I did have a dream last night where I was running and suddenly stopped, remembering that I wasn’t supposed to do it. In reality, I haven’t really had the urge, although I am on occasion envious when I see someone doing it. Today, for the first time, I walked a full two miles without stopping for a break. My lower back did not ache as badly as it has on previous attempts, so hopefully my inner core is strengthening. However, I did walk up some stairs at the ballpark yesterday and found myself badly out of breath.

Three days from now, I go in for a procedure that will withdraw some of the fluids from around my lungs, by sticking a needle in my side. Being inside a hospital again will not be a pleasant experience. Nine days was more than enough – thank you. I still have a cough, probably the result of pneumonia that I incurred following two days of intensive surgery. Talking on the phone seems to incite it, otherwise all seems normal. The area around my scars is still sensitive to the touch, a burning sensation, so an occasional pain pill or muscle relaxant is necessary. Tylenol does not quite do the trick. My shoulders get sore and I tend to slouch.  A follow-up visit to the cardiologist is in four days and that should conclude all post-operative testing. 

I’ve gone out to dinner three times, played cards one night, made some grandfather errands, went to the movie theater, stopped by the card shop, completed my twice-daily walks, and went with some neighbors to yesterday’s Braves baseball opener against the Red Sox. Other than that, it’s been TV, writing, and a little bit of reading. In nineteen days, we leave on our month-long cross-Atlantic adventure. In the meantime, we signed up for Music Bingo and my wife has a number of neighborhood activities to attend. She’s teaching school today and Thursday. 

I cancelled my Regal Unlimited membership, Paramount Plus and Netflix subscriptions. I think we’re getting the most use out of Apple TV. We are currently watching the Mindhunter series on Netflix since the agreement doesn’t end for a few weeks. I still have Prime, Peacock, Hulu, and HBO to keep us entertained. I should cut back some more. Time to take the dog outside – try to keep busier than I am!

It’s now been five full weeks since they glued me back together. It’s truly a one-day-at-a-time process, although I used that title in a much earlier post, but it was about running – not recovering. One step, one day, they all add up to progress, but often too slow for me. We broke up the monotony of limited activity by going to a movie yesterday, Argyll, at the Venice Spotlight Theatres Luxury Stadium 11. I was a big step up from Regal with reclining seats and food service. It cost $12.50 for the two of us Seniors with the Tuesday special, so I plan to drop the Unlimited Pass, since we don’t seem to be going as much. Plus, it saves all those drives into Port Charlotte. 

As we were leaving the theater, my wife ducked out the exit door while I went to the rest room. When I went to join her, I exited through the wrong door and ended up behind the theater rather than the front parking lot as planned. The mall surrounding the theater went on and on, seemingly endlessly, so I ended up with an unexpected 15-minute walk. After another fifteen minutes searching for Grits in the grocery store, there was no need for the evening stroll. We had dinner and watched another episode of Death and Other Details followed by the start of True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of this show on MAX. 

My wife hasn’t substituted at the school this week because of the President’s Day holiday. Teachers don’t get paid for the holiday if they are absent the day before or after, so there was no need for her services – they all naturally showed up. We were supposed to have company this week, her sister, but that all changed due to the flu bug, and we had to alter our plans. We’re still looking forward to driving down to Punta Gorda on Saturday to have dinner with my friends at The Perfect Caper, my wife’s favorite restaurant. Other than that, I have grandfather duty tomorrow morning with Nora, so I’ll have to get up early and also drop my wife off at school, should they need her. For now, it’s time for my morning walk! I’m still sore, have achy shoulders, and in general still a bit uncomfortable from the surgery ordeal but life is slowly returning to normal – day by day.