Key goal reached early

So one of the key goals of this surgery was to allow my heart to shrink in size. All those years of a leaking valve meant the heart, or more specifically the left ventricle, was growing -- after all, it's a muscle that grows from workouts like any other. Untreated, the heart would have grown so large it wouldn't do its job properly, and with surgery too late it would never truly recover.

Amazingly my echo cardiogram on Tuesday showed that my heart has already shrunk to what is considered "normal". This is even more incredible since my heart never measured that size since we started measuring it in 2001. And that it happened that quickly was a real surprise to my cardiologist - he doesn't believe he's ever seen such a quick recovery.

So, "big hearted" guy jokes aside, I must say I'm pretty psyched with these early results!

Is no news good news?

Well, I guess it depends on who you're talking about. Me, I'm pretty good. I've been feeling a little better each day, able to walk more (2-3 miles per day), and generally without pain until I sneeze, cough, or laugh too hard :) Sure, I get dizzy sometimes standing up too quick, and get winded walking up hills I never noticed before surgery. I do wish there were some real specific metrics I could measure up against to prove I was on track, but alas I must admit recovery doesn't work that way. If nothing else, I've had incredible weather to recover in since the day Ann Marie drove me home from the hospital. Almost four weeks now of sunshine and cool, dry weather. Not bad. Other than some tests this week, the next real milestone for me is a visit to my surgeon two weeks from today.

Other than me, though, there's a few other people that need taking care of.

My mom has been recovering well from surgery to address colon cancer, something she learned she had just days after my surgery. That she'd made the two & a half hour trip to see me in the hospital was amazing as, unknown to her, her illness was sapping most of her energy. Thanks to her husband Bill, my siblings, and her neighbors taking great care of her, she's in great spirits at home, and just yesterday celebrated her 80th birthday. I'm looking forward to seeing her in person when I'm able!

Back at home, one of our kids has been sick since last Thursday, and after ruling out strep and tonsillitis, our pediatricians have given a diagnosis of -- get this -- mono. Hey, isn't that just supposed to happen to teenagers? Turns out kids as young as four can get this virus, and the good news is the younger you are the less amount of time it affects you. And while it's no fun having mono, I guess it's not so bad when your Mom and Dad are both home with you!

Last, our friend's son Peter has been having a rough Fall. It's a longer story than I could cover here, but please send your warm wishes for good days at school, fun trips to the track in his "race runner" (think wheelchair for running), great episodes of Sponge Bob, fun video games, and restful nights.

My name is Chris, and I'm a former narcotics user

Well it was somewhere around the end of last week that I went through the night without any pain medication. I hadn't taken any during the day since coming home from the hospital, but the nights simply required it if I'd hoped to get any sleep. But last week I simply felt that I didn't need it, and in fact haven't used since.

Wow, what a difference. Sure, some of the weird dreams stopped (granted, to be replaced by others), but that didn't surprise me. I had no idea how this narcotic was affecting me during the day until I stopped. I'm much more awake, have more of an appetite, have more energy, am less sensitive to temperature changes, and am less-likely to turn on Bob Marley music. Since then I've done a few 2+ mile walks and, get this, have stayed awake past 8:30pm! Wild, huh?

Now if only they'd let me operate heavy machinery - that would make me feel more like myself. Something like a bulldozer would be great, sure. I could knock some stuff down, then run over it. Yeah. Actually I cheated yesterday and drove my S2000 down the street and around the cul-de-sac. 240hp under my right foot is just the therapy I need! Fortunately Ann Marie took over and drove on some great roads, in great weather, with leaves falling and the convertible top down. I'll take that over narcotics any day :-)

Now that's a big family!

Photo from this summer's family reunion & my Mom's 80th birthday celebration.

Energy

Funny, I'd heard before surgery that despite patients being told ahead of time that they'll have very little energy during recovery, that they're still surprised how little energy they have. Uh, count me in on that. I'm still at about 10%. Enough to take short walks, watch a few movies, read some car magazines, play some games, and now sorting through old photos.

Random things from a phone call

I just spent some time on the phone with my sister, Carolyn, and some things came up in conversation that I thought I'd share with everyone. Basically it's stuff I never blogged about cuz, well, it didn't occur to me at the time :-)

• The breathing tube didn't give me much of a sore throat
• Recovery overall has actually been pretty easy; The rough spots all seem pretty surmountable, and if I can't fix them time tends to
  
• It'll be about a month before I see my surgeon for a checkup
• My heart's "perfect condition" for the Ross procedure was mostly a happy coincidence, and less attributed to my exercise or eating properly in past years; This is something no-one knew until surgery began
  
• Assuming all goes well, I'll have no restrictions after about 3 months; scuba diving, skydiving, motorcycle racing, stock trading, whatever!
• I'm walking a bit each day, not too fast yet, but looking for some new scenery already
  
• I've been told I look "pretty normal" since surgery, whether hours or days afterward; I guess "pretty normal" is good enough for me
• I was very very lucky to have Ann Marie, my Mom, stepdad, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law with me in the hours after surgery; I can't say I remember every moment, but those that I do remember were wonderful and funny too!
  

Fever? What fever?

Well, the blood test came back negative - that is to say it was a positive result that there was nothing negative in the blood (got it?) The fever is being explained by the physical exertion done just prior to the nurse taking Chris's temperature. Taking a shower and getting dressed is hard work right after open heart surgery!

I am glad to report that Chris's temperature is right where is should be today. As directed, I am taking Chris's temp twice daily, and both times he was within the 'good' range. The big indicators we are to watch, besides pain, or course, are his weight and temperature. Presumably, sudden weight gain could indicate fluid retention which is not good for the heart; and high temp could indicate fluid in the lungs, which could lead to pneumonia, not good for the lungs. Rest assured that we are watching both things closely, but have found all to be fine thus far.

Chris is all tucked into bed for the night. He did a fair bit of walking today, venturing half way down the street and back - even on a bit of an incline. He is eating well, and resting often.

Now to get the kids to bed...