Monday, August 30, 2010

Recovering, slowly (cont'd)

I spent six days in the hospital after my surgery, each day marking a very slow return to "normal." The first few days were marked by little signs of progress - getting out of bed and into a chair, inhaling through an "incentive spirometer" to re-inflate the lungs, going for a short walk, going for a longer walk, and so on. I noticed that some of the nurses are very pretty, which I take as a good sign. I'm getting very tired of being awakened every hour for checking of vital signs and being rousted out of bed at 4:30 a.m. to be weighed.

I got home on Sunday, Aug. 15, thanking God and the magical mysteries of modern medical science and several excellent doctors! Had to sleep upright in an easy chair for nearly two weeks. Sleep is interrupted by having to get up and pee every 1.5 hours, thanks in part to doc's instructions to drink two liters of water a day. I'm getting steadier on my feet and quit using the walker several days ago. I saw my cardiologist last Friday and got an "attaboy" and a "sounds good." If he's happy, I'm delirious.

Watching the Rays play baseball lately is NOT good for a heart patient; they've been losing or winning by a single run in games that go down to the wire.

I am grateful for Facebook, where I've reconnected with friends going all the way back to elementary school. Many of them have been very supportive for the past three weeks and I love them all.

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