Open Heart Surgery - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (More GOOD)

In yesterdays blog i started to touch upon the "GOOD" side of open heart bypass surgery.  I focused on the cardiac rehab & the great quality of service available to Lancaster county residents.  The surgeons and cardiologist are also excellent.  My surgeons at Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Lancaster, did a great job for informing me & operating on my heart.  The cardiologists at The Heart group of Lancaster General Health, have been there for all the after surgery care.  My church, Redeemer Lutheran church, has been there from the beginning!  Prayers, meals, emails, phone calls, communion at the hospital and home, and Pastor Dave's visits!  Just knowing that people are praying for you is incredibly comforting!  Friends, neighbors, people from work and relatives have been a source of strength!  my cousin George has been a "rock", my sister Ginny (the super nurse) has been my advocate, brother Jon from Florida even flew up during my surgery to be with me, and cousin Oscar's weekly phone calls!  At work, many old teacher friends and new teachers(young enough to be my sons & daughters) were reading my blog & staying in touch.  Great bosses, from the superintendents to my tech bosses Mike & Doug, and my tech colleagues - Vicki, Sue & Rae Ann supported me the entire way!

And more Good, Bad & Ugly to come!

One More Cardiac Rehab to Go!

Back on January 6th, I started my Cardiac Rehab.  And hopefully, next Tuesday, May 3, will be my last session!  The 4 month journey has be very rewarding and at times frustrating.  First the rewarding part:

Cardiac Rehab

The cardiac rehab is a very well organized and thorough procedure.  From education, to physical exercise, and a positive atmosphere, the entire process is a great service for cardiac patients.  The educational piece covers topics such as:

• Coronary Disease–discussing open heart surgery, valve surgery, angioplasty, stents, rotoblation, emergency guidelines and emotional aspects of heart disease
  
• Risk Factors–focusing on coronary artery disease and ways to reduce your risk
  
• Healthy Eating–emphasizing low-fat, low-cholesterol and no added salt diets
  
• Exercise–understanding aerobic exercise, its importance, benefits and components
  
• Other classes offered are:
  
• Healthy eating classes taught by a registered dietitian
  
• Stress awareness workshop
  
• Spouse/significant other support classes
  
  The best part of rehab is the people.  The nurses & physical trainers are very positive & knowledgeable people!  Each day you feel they care about your progress & maintain a dialouge to be aware of your progress.  We are very fortunate to have this program & the people in the program that make other peoples health a top priority!
  
  Of course the frustrating part has not been the fault of the cardiac rehab people, but my issues with PVC's.  Again, here is a definition of PVC's:
  
  A Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), also known as a premature ventricular complex, ventricular premature contraction (or complex or complexes) (VPC), ventricular premature beat (VPB), or extrasystole, is a relatively common event where the heartbeat is initiated by the heart ventricles rather than by the sinoatrial node, the normal heartbeat initiator. The electrical events of the heart detected by the electrocardiogram allow a PVC to be easily distinguished from a normal heart beat.
  A PVC may be perceived as a "skipped beat" or felt as palpitations in the chest. In a normal heartbeat, the ventricles contract after the atria have helped to fill them by contracting; in this way the ventricles can pump a maximized amount of blood both to the lungs and to the rest of the body . In a PVC, the ventricles contract first, which means that circulation is inefficient. However, single beat PVC arrhythmias do not usually pose a danger and can be asymptomatic in healthy individuals.
  
  <sup>Back on January 11th, my 3rd rehab the nurses noticed a "run" of PVC's.  This is the bad part of PVC's one or two here and there are OK, but 3-4 in a row can be bad news!  So they stpped my rehab & I needed to visit the cardiologists at the Heart Group.  After a consultation, the cardiologist did another Heart Cath & Stress Test.  Finding no dangerous issues, I was back at rehab on February 1st.  On February 11th, I was "kicked out" again for a run of PVC's.  Back to the cardiologist, he increased my meds (100 mg of Metoprolol) and back to rehab on March 9th.  This is why my cardiac rehab has lasted 4 months!
  
  I am still getting the PVC's, but I have kept my heart rate at 95 or below, so I could finish my rehab.  My next doctors visits are in June.  At that time I will be tested again & try to tackle the PVC issues.</sup> 
  
  
  

Finish Another Long Day

Just returned home from a successful day of teaching & coaching.  Started the day at 6:30 AM, middle school student tech projects and away track meet at my old high school - Cedar Crest.  Both boys & girls track team win, and get home at 8:30 PM.  That's 14 hours and ending the day with a Big Smile!  Eighteen holes of gold Monday, two track wins Tuesday!  Both boys & girls teams are still undefeated and working on a section title with two meets to go!

Should be able to get some rest Wednesday, took a personal day & have a meeting with my financial adviser for retirement.  I'm trying to take some easy days along with all the crazy long days to recharge the batteries. 

19 Weeks after Open Heart Bypass - 18 Holes of Golf

This is another big day!  First round of golf after bypass surgery!  There were many ways that I prepared for open heart surgery 19 weeks ago.  Of course one was prayer, another was understanding the medical procedure by reading materials, and another was focusing on the positive results after surgery.

The night before and the day of surgery was a new experience!  To be mentally prepared for the operation and the initial recovery took a HUGE amount of focus.  When I talked to some people, they were scared to death!  Of course I was a little nervous, but my main focus was God's hands guiding my surgeons hands during the operation.

But another focus was playing 18 holes of golf as I was prepared for the day of the surgery.  After I removed my clothes and was shaved from head to foot, I laid on the hospital bed waiting for all the needles, tubes & wires to be connected.  I focused on the first hole at Fairview Golf course in my home town of Lebanon, PA!  As the wires were connected and anesthesia was administered I teed off on hole number one, a short par four dog leg left.  I focused on teeing up the ball on an early summer morning.  The wind was calm and the sun had already risen above the tree line on the left.  I played the fisrt four holes and the next thing you know I was waking up after surgery!

Well, today, 19 weeks after surgery, I teed up the ball for real!  And the first drive was in the fairway, the second shot came up a few feet short of the green.  I chipped up and two putted for a bogey 5!  But, that was my best bogey I ever had!  The sound of the ball falling in the cup was music to my ears!  A new heart, my first round of golf with my new heart, a round of 87, and a great four hours with three great friends!  To my buddies from the class of '71 from Cedar Crest High School, Bill, Dave and Bob!  Thanks for an awesome day!

Easter and a New Heart

During the Christmas season is was at times difficult to focus on the season.  Recovering from open heart surgery on December 13th & home from the hospital on December 17th was not much time to enjoy the holiday season!  Now fours months out from surgery, Easter is a time for a more clear look at faith and not only healing & recovery from a "defective" heart, but our "defective" faith. 

The story of Easter and what the journey was 2000 years ago humbles us to this day.  God's son walked on this earth, lived day to day as we do, and ultimately died for us!  What do we do each day for each other?  How do we handle out walk?  On Easter Sunday, 2011, I will try to focus on the time I have, to make my walk, and my gift (an upgraded quintuple bypass heart),  a more focused walk to a gift from the cross that even today, over 2000 years later a story of God's love!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
-- John 3:16 NIV