Happy New Year 2011!

Here we are, 2010 is behind us & the date is 1-1-11! What did I learn from 2010 & what do I share with others concerning my health & your health for 2011?

First, when it comes to health, YOU know if something is wrong. Remember, my experience & many of you may have similar stories. I had my physical in August of 2010 & all seemed to be OK. In September, while mowing my lawn I noticed a "tightness" in my left side of my chest. I tried to ignore, fight through it, thinking it will pass. It did not & the problem seemed to get worse! Continued through October & I continued to try to get to the next day, next week, next month! It was my last year in education, I had teacher workshops in November, I had track season coming, I had many reasons to ignore and try to push through the issue. I WAS LUCKY! AND STUPID!

When I finally told my wife Sue & made an appointment with my family doctor, the pressure was off & the professionals took over! Again, here is the time-line:

November 16, 2010 - Family Doctor Appointment - Mountville Family Practice
November 17, 2010 - Cardiologist Appointment - Dr. Smith
November 19, 2010 - Heart Cath & result was "Triple" Bypass needed
November 19, 2010 - Decided to go to Lancaster General, instead Lancaster Regional
November 19, 2010 - scheduled appointment with Cardi0cthoracic Surgeons of Lancaster
December 2, 2010 - had my initial consult with Dr. Burlingame
December 10, 2010 - pre-op testing for surgery at Lancaster General Downtown Pavilion
December 13, 2010 - Heart Surgery - went from a triple to quintuple bypass
December 17, 2010 - Home from surgery
December 29, 2010 - 1st meeting with Cardiac rehab & last meeting with Dr. Burlingame
And here we are January 1, 2011! If you are counting, that is 45 days after the visit with my family doctor. 17 days after my surgery.

I will maintain this blog for 2011. For two reasons. First, for myself, to keep me disciplined in my NEW lifestyle - diet, exercise, emotional, physical & spiritual growth! And second, share my journey with others. In this journey my goals are to keep you informed, maybe share similar experiences, and of course thank you for your support & prayers!

A Happy & HEALTHY New Year to all!!!

New Year's Resolutions for My Heart!

Here we go, time for the New Year's Resolutions. This year the theme needs to be:

2011 The Year of the Heart

1 - Diet - low fat - low cholesterol!
Heart Safe Diet

2 - Exercise - Get 30 minutes a day (mix walk, run, ride, etc)
Looking for an exercise bike for bad weather days. Exercise Bike Superstore

3 - Continue Blog - My Heart Under Repair for 2011

4 - Retirement & focus on new opportunities
Golf - Vacation in September/October - Start My History Project(Lebanon County PA)
I will start my Lebanon County History Blog soon!

Good-Bye to My Stockings!

Another step on the road to recovery. Today I throw out my "TEDS". What are "TEDS" do you ask?

Ted stockings, also known as teds or T.E.D. (Thrombo Embolic Deterrent) stockings, are anti-embolism stockings for the legs that help prevent blood clots. They are used primarily for bedridden patients and postsurgical patients. Teds are made of elastic fibers that squeeze the legs, which promotes healthy blood flow.

Every night we would remove the socks & wash the socks. And every morning, after my shower we would put them on, and I emphasize WE. The first few days home, Sue would help & it was not easy! After about 4-5 days I was able to put the "TED" socks on myself! One of those small things we take for granted! Dressing yourself!

Today I will pull out my stop watch & go for a walk around the neighborhood. My goal today is two ten minute walks!!

GOOD-BYE - Thrombo Embolic Deterrent stockings!!!!!!!

Surgery plus 16

Busy day today! First, initial visit to Cardiac Rehab.

The initial meeting lasted about 1 - 1/2 hours. Finished paper work, given a description of the total heart rehab program, toured facility, and finally we set up my first four sessions:

Jan 6, 2011 - 9-11AM
Jan 11, 2011 - 8-10 AM
Jan 13, 2011 - 8-10 AM
Jan 18, 2011 - 8-10 AM

Next meetings were at the Downtown Health Pavilion, across from Lancaster General Hospital. First a chest x-ray. Making sure that the chest is healing & I did not do anything stupid the past two weeks! All results came back positive for the chest x-ray. It will be about 8 weeks until the chest is safe for heavier lifting.

The visit with Dr. Burlingame(my heart surgeon) was next. First the nurse gave me the simple tests, blood pressure test, heart rate, check all incisions, and any questions I may have. Then, one of the young doctors was in to check on the areas that were harvested for arteries - left arm(from wrist to elbow), right leg(from just below knee to groin area, and the left chest area. According to Dr. Burlingame, Jared R. Henninger, PA-C, is very good at what he does!
In fact, Jared was chosen to demonstrate this procedure on a DVD to be used in teaching the procedure! He is also a great young man, with a friendly and relaxing personality. I really enjoyed getting to know this group of heart specialists and would recommend them highly!

Last person I saw was Dr. Burlingame. The first thing I did was thank him for allowing me to get back to a "normal" life and extending my life! Open heart surgery is an amazing procedure & the talents of people like Dr. Burlingame is amazing! We also had a great discussion about one of my passions, pole vaulting! I have the go for the Keystone Games in 2012 and beyond!

Getting Ready for Next Step

Wednesday this week will be a big day. Here is the schedule:

9:30 AM - Meet with Cardiac Rehab for the first time
Health Campus Cardiac Rehab

12 Noon - Chest x-ray
12:30 PM - Meet with Heart Surgeon - Dr. Burlingame

I will look forward to the next phase of rehab. Today my small incisions seem to be looking good, and the "zipper" looks good! I'm limited with my weight I can lift, but my range of motion seems good. I have more energy & I'm taking walks around the house, but being cautious with the cold weather.

I also still need to pick a cardiologist from the Heart Group

Found another good website for after surgery ideas:
Life After Bypass Surgery

My devotional today was what I needed!

"For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you."
Proverbs 9:11

Today is Two Weeks After Surgery!

Two Mondays ago I was waking up from by-pass surgery. Again, as a review, here was the time table:

Monday, December 13, 2010 5 AM at Lancaster General
Monday, December 13, 2010 8 AM Surgery begins
Monday, December 13, 2010 - afternoon, wake up from surgery
Monday, December 13, 2010 - spent night in ICU
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - spent day & night in ICU - got up & walked around!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - moved to 5 East at LGH - private room
Thursday, December 16, 2010 - moved to 5 East at LGH - private room
Friday, December 17, 2010 - HOME! - That was 4 1/2 days in the hospital
Saturday, December 18 - Monday, December 27 recovering at home - 9 1/2 days

As I related earlier, I was very pleased with my stay at Lancaster General, from the surgeons, to the nurses, to the food services & all other employees I would give them a grade of A! For those 4 1/2 days I was always a beeper away from help & the help was always friendly & helpful!

At home the visiting nurses was a great concept(especially with cold & windy days of December!) Today my results were:
Blood Pressure - 110/74
Pulse - 72
Temperature - 96.3

The visiting nurses checked my incisions & medical questions. There were also very professional & friendly each visit.

If I had to list my concerns, it would be:

1 - medications & their effect on me. The Percocet(pain medicine) was the most troublesome. It worked well for pain, but constipation, anxiousness, & sleeping issues seemed to be a hassle. With the nurses advice I switched to extra-strength tylenol after a week on Percocet.

2 - Sleeping - one problem is just me. I need to sleep on my back, but I am a restless sleeper. So, after an hour I normally would turn - well cannot do this now. Therefore, I am averaging 3-4 hours of sleep a night. This will be a question I will ask my surgeon on Wednesday this week.

3 - Leg numbness & burning sensation. My artery from my leg, from the knee to my upper thigh gives me the most problems. It really is not to bad, but you know it is there. The numbness is around the shin area. This will be another question for my surgeon.

Found this great site from the Cleveland Clinic:
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/recovery_ohs.aspx

The Cleveland Clinic has been rated as the top or one of the top heart care facilities in the country! Have a look.

Day 13 After Surgery

Had a great holiday & was happy to have the energy to have my family to the house Christmas Eve & travel to Sue's side of the family on Christmas Day. This has been our Christmas tradition for over 35 years & we were able to have 2010 Christmas!

Back to "My Heart Under Repair"! As I said this is day 13 after surgery - here are a few items:

1 - My stomach is almost back to normal! The constipation from meds is gone & I seem to have established a basic routine for eating - Breakfast a bowl of oatmeal, Lunch - soup, salad or sandwich. Maybe heat up a leftover from the holidays. Supper - what ever Sue has for supper in a smaller proportion then usual(no seconds) And I still am not sleeping through the night, so somewhere around 2-3 AM a bowl of cereal.

2 - Medications - Like I said a few days ago I removed myself from the Percocet(it was after my visiting nurse visit on Friday the 24th) Instead I am taking two tablets of extra strength tylenol about every 6 hours. I feel the pain in my chest more, but I am sleeping better, no constipation, and have a clearer head. I was getting an anxious feeling & did not feel I was myself with this pain relief medicine.

3 - I can walk more & do more around the house - dishes, help around the house, bath & dress myself! On the bathing part, that has als been interesting! When your are age 57, you really do not look in the mirror very close even before surgery! But seeing the "zipper" and all the other small holes in you chest & stomach almost looked like I was a shooting victim for my first shower at home! But, it is truly amazing how fast we heal! Even the zipper is looking better! Probably the most difficult thing to do was put on the special socks they give you for support, today I did it myself!

Monday is my last visiting nurse visit & Wednesday this week I visit the surgeon & cardiac rehab!