Up too early
I went to bed around 9:00 last night, knowing I am developing a cold and other minor maladies but needing to be well-rested for today’s visit with the surgeon. I did manage to get some sleep along the way, but I’ve been taking phenylephrine (for the nose) and MucinexDM (for the chest/cough), which helps. Thankfully I’ve not had a repeat of the sudden diarrhea stuff from yesterday afternoon, but I’m still going to be ‘gentle’ with what I eat this morning.
I was pleased that the morning finger-stick at 4:00 was only 105. I’m still confused by the nicer early morning numbers and the too-high mid-afternoon numbers.
Later…..
Okay, I’ve gone for the consultation with the surgeon. Holy crap. It’s a bigger deal than I had thought. Good news: they don’t have to crack my chest. Bad news: there will be an incision from just below the sternum and down below the navel, probably a “Y” shape. They have to replace that whole section of the aorta with a new aorta made of Dacron. There is more than one problem area to fix, so they’ll just replace the whole damn thing. And he said I should expect to be out six weeks – at least a week in the hospital, then a week or two at a nursing facility, then a few more weeks before I feel like actually doing anything.
So … it’s on the calendar, it’s really happening. Now, I have 12 days to ponder my future, and try to get my home ready for me to come back home to. Except I’m not really supposed to do any cleaning or anything heavy. Fuck. 🙁 Well, whatever. Lots to think about.
Ray, I had my aortic valve replaced a few years ago with a pig valve. The recovery was much easier than I expected. I was in the hospital for a week after the surgery, then went home. I had a physical therapist and a home health aide come to the house. I bypassed the rehab center, but I think it is because I had a roommate at the time, so I was not alone. You’ll do great!