Road to Recovery - I’m Really Going Home

After several disappointing days where I thought I was going home but the hospital decided it was best for me to stay another night, I am now finally really going home!

To be honest my spirit was broken and I was not in a good place, so going home for me was a wish come true. I can barely believe after a month in hospital it is finally happening.

My heart is still in a state of AFIB but it is somewhat controlled with medication at least to the point where it has slowed down to a more tolerable rate. It may find its way out of AFIB over time but in the event that it doesn't, I have an appointment in 5 weeks for another Cardioinversion to shock it back into a normal non AFIB mode (Sinus Rythm). It should hopefully stick this time as my heart will have had some time to recover and I should be holding less water even though I have lost a lot so far there is still a bit to go.

I guess I will have to start doing more for myself now, nobody is taking care of me hand and foot, but I don't mind. I really needed to get out of the hospital and back to a somewhat normal life, just not a very busy one... The plan is to keep it simple and for now several short walks each day and build on it over time. There will be no weight lifting for at least another 5-7 weeks and that is also as long as I am out of AFIB.

I have already lost a ton of muscle but that was to be expected. By the time I start lifting again it will be like starting over again but I accept the challenge and hopefully you can join me and perhaps we can get back into shape again together.

Road to Recovery - Will Today be the Day I Go Home

I have written a similar post a couple times this week but as it turned out the hospital decided to keep me another day, we are now going on three days and to be honest my spirit is a bit broken. Yesterday was my wife Nicole's birthday and I really wanted to go home and celebrate with a nice healthy dinner out but it did not happen. Will today be the day I get to go home? I really don't know and maybe that's what is so discouraging for me is not knowing when.

I have done everything I can on my end by going for walks and showing them I can physically do what is required to leave the hospital but what I can't do is make my blood thin enough or calm my heart down enough for the doctors to be happy with me leaving on a good baseline.

The blood thinning is the easier of the two, it's mainly about using a drug called Warferin to get my INR up to around 2-3 which the new type of metal mechanical valves require to stay in peak performance.

The bigger issue is getting my heart to settle down a bit, one side is beating fairly normal while the other side is kinda beating in double time. I had the Cardioversion done a while back which fixed this but often times it does not last for too long and so treatment with drugs is the next step to calming down the heart as it is very stressed from the operation and already not being in great shape to begin with.

So as of right now I don't know if I am going home today? I will add to this post as the day progresses and I know more about the situation. I would really love to go home this afternoon and maybe even see my son play soccer this evening but again this is out of my hands...

UPDATE: So I am staying yet another night. My blood is thin enough now but my heart rate is still too high to let me go home. The Docs put me on a new drug to help slow down and regulate my heart but that only happened mid day. I spoke with one of the doctors today and it really comes down to just getting my heart rate under control, once that happen I will be a free man, while I am sure there will be lots of hospital visits down the road. So here's to tomorrow? Will I get to go home?

Road to Recovery - Pace Yourself

So it's about 6:30am Tuesday morning and it doesn't look like I'm getting back to sleep so why not write up todays update or at least go over what I know is supposed to happen, I may have to add to this post or update it depending on what happens with everything.

So far the plan is for me to have my Pacemaker/Defibrillator installed this afternoon around 1:30pm so right now I can't eat or drink anything till after the procedure. Not a fan of that but my food and drink later in the day will be awesome :)

I am for the most part ready to leave the hospital in terms of getting around and mobility, but this operation has required that they thicken my blood back up to more normal ranges and then after the operation it takes a day or two to thin the blood again which is what I will need life long now to keep my new valve working at it's best and avoiding future work or replacement on it.

That's all I know as of this morning but I will be adding to this post as the day progresses :)

Update: In the first video clip I take you with me on my walk and show you my route (Not a lot of options) that happens several times per day, somehow I managed to get 5000 steps in yesterday doing mainly this walk. Today I will try for this same but I'm really not sure how I will feel after my operation?

In video clip two I talk post procedure while I finally get to eat and drink after about 18 hours of food and water fasting. I talk about how I am feeling and what I expect to happen now. By the way as of around 8pm I am at 3300 steps and plan to get some more walking this evening so it look like I may get in my 5000 steps even with the operation :)

Road to Recovery - God is Good

I think the title really says it all. Your prays have been heard not by me but by God, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). I have no words to describe how much God has come through for me. I was given a second chance, not everyone gets that!

Every day I am in a better place both mentally and physically, today my blood work came in looking really good so they took out the big IV feeding tube in my neck and right now there are no fluids going into me other than what drink.

I am in a new ward here at St. Paul's Hospital where I am considered a self sufficient patient and can freely move around whenever I want to so I am longer trapped in my bed :)

Tomorrow the doctors get together and decide if I need a pacemaker/defibrillator now or later on, on Tuesday they hope to install it if I need it. I may be able to go home that evening if all goes well!

Road to Recovery - Was a Good Day!

Today was overall a very good day. I had a procedure done this morning called a Cardioversion which is basically an electric shock to the heart or you could call it a reset of the hearts electrical system and timings. I've already had two of these done in the past with no success, but this time my body was in a much better state to respond more positively as we removed about 15 pounds of water and the docs here at St. Paul's Hospital had adjusted the meds for my heart to work better.

it was a huge relief when I woke up to find out it had worked. Now my heart is beating around 40 beats per minute less! This is going to allow me to move on to the next stages of recovery much more quickly!