Sunday ; post-operative day 23
Sunny and mild, a nice fall day.
This morning I did the credit card accounting for Joanne's day of errands in Penticton yesterday. Gee, that girl surely can spend money, can't she ? ! ? HA HA HA ! Just before having lunch I went for a log walk, adding some distance to my previous longest route. I have found that my ability to walk / my stamina is greater before a meal rather than after.
This afternoon I did some regular weekly investment analysis, and posted my weekly journal to my blog. While Joanne had a phone chat with her sister I tried to nap.
I wasn't successful. HMPH ! Who would have ever thought that I might be a failure at napping ? HA HA HA ! We went for another walk late in the afternoon. While I walk my "circuit" for exercise, Joanne walks Ozzie nearby and sort of keeps an eye on me. After our walk I sat at our picnic table and repaired a crack in our five gallon water jug, with a lot of "fetch" assistance by Joanne.
Monday ; Sunny and mild.
After lunch we headed to Penticton. First stop, and primary reason for the trip, was Integra Tire where we had studded winter tires installed on the minivan. While the minivan was being worked on we borrowed Integra Tire's courtesy car and drove to "downtown" Penticton, to a jeweller, to drop off my Canada Post gold watch to have the crystal replaced. < sigh > Closed on Mondays ! After the new studded winter tires were finished being installed we went to a water purification place and bought a new five gallon water jug. Final errand stop was Rona to buy a new light switch. After our errands were done and we were ready to return home we drove to Skaha Lake Beach Park so that I could do my second long walk of the day. It was a nice change of scenery from walking around Riverside RV Park Resort, but ... BRRRRR ... what a cold wind blowing in off Skaha Lake !
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild, another nice fall day.
This morning I felt strong so ... my late morning walk was longer and more challenging than previous walks. By a long shot !
This afternoon we put away some outdoor furniture. And working as a team, we replaced the light switch in the bedroom. That's the third light switch in our home that has needed to be replaced within the last couple of months. Designed obsolescence,
I suppose. My late afternoon walk included some play time for Ozzie in the dog park.
In the evening I paid some bills online, and did monthly computer backup procedures.
Wednesday ; Raining and chilly. An entire day lost to negativity and resultant bickering.
Thursday ; Sunny and cool.
Today was a long, difficult, very tiring, but productive day in Penticton. We left home at 11 AM and drove to Penticton. First stop was a downtown jeweller where I dropped off my Canada Post gold watch, inherited from my father, to have the broken crystal replaced. Next stop was Integra Tire to have all the wheel's lug nuts tightened /
re-torqued. On the way to my cardiologist's office we refilled the minivan with fuel.
At 1 PM I had my ( almost ) one month post-operative appointment with my cardiologist. It was enlightening, and helped explain some of the problems / frustrations I have been experiencing. The doctor pointed out to me that not only am I experiencing pain from the chest incision ( obviously ) and sternum "opening" and "closing" ( even more obvious ), but ... there is a great deal of internal trauma in my chest caused by the harvesting of both mammary arteries. Oh, yeah ... kind of forgot about that ! The mammary arteries are extremely useful as bypass grafts, but ... harvesting them results in a lot of short term pain ... for long term gain.
In response to my complaints abut fluid build up around the lungs, and after listening to my lungs with his stethoscope, he suggested that the problem is probably a build up of fluid around the left lung, which is deflated during surgery to facilitate access to the heart. He sent me to Penticton Hospital next door to get a chest x-ray done. While in the x-ray waiting room I had an encouraging chat with an old man who had quintuple bypass surgery twenty-four years ago ... and has been doing well ever since. Until
now ! Now he is battling prostate cancer.
I got my chest x-ray done, and by the time I walked back to my cardiologist’s office, about five minutes away, my chest x-ray was displayed on the computer on his desk. It confirmed his diagnosis of fluid build up around the left lung. After a brief discussion about thoracentesis, he arranged for me to have a thoracentesis procedure performed tomorrow morning at Penticton Hospital. It involves insertion of a long, thick, hollow needle and thin tube into the chest cavity, between the ribs, underneath the lung, and draining the fluid out. The x-ray also allowed us to view the cut ends of the wires holding my sternum together. The uppermost wire ends are left in a "V" shape after being twisted around themselves, and that is what is causing the problematic lump at the top of my chest incision. I will discuss that with my cardiothoracic surgeon when
I meet with him in about a month.
We went to Cherry Lane Mall for a late ( 3 PM ) lunch before driving home. By the time we arrived back home around 5 PM I was feeling totally drained, and ill. I felt better after napping for an hour.
For my American friends who are critical and sceptical of Canada’s universal health care system ( “free” health care for everyone ) please note ; my triple bypass surgery took place 2½ days after an angiogram indicated the need for it, and this thoracentesis procedure will take place about nineteen hours after the doctor determined it was needed.
Friday ; Sunny and cool.
We left home relatively early this morning ( at 8:30 AM ... about 15 minutes late ! ) heading for Penticton Hospital where I had a 9:30 AM appointment for thoracentesis, the draining of fluid from around my lung. A large hollow needle was inserted into my lower back, threaded through my ribs, and into the fluid filled space beneath my left lung. Gravity did the rest, and 600 cc. of bloody fluid drained out through the thin tube attached to the needle. When the procedure was finished I was sent for another chest x-ray which confirmed that all the fluid was gone. AHHHHH ... finally ... relief ! Maybe now I will be able to breathe when I lie down !
We were leaving the hospital around 11 AM. We arrived back in Keremeos around noon. First stop was the Post Office to pick up a parcel and buy a stamp. Next was the pharmacy to pick up some prescription refills and ... get a flu shot. I waited in the car while Joanne went to the credit union to buy some rolls of quarters. We were back home by 1 PM.
After lunch I went to nap for awhile. An hour later I woke up and ... UNGH ... the "freezing" / local anaesthetic in my lower back had worn off. What tremendous pain ! ! ! I was a bit scared, and worried that I might have to return to the hospital. But ... after getting out of bed and sitting in the living room to visit with our friend Jeanine the pain began to slowly subside. By supper time it had diminished quite a bit, and then after supper it became worse again. HMPH ! Must be time for another pain killer !
Late this afternoon the certified gas fitter that I hired arrived to connect our new large propane tank to our park model home. HMPH ! Too bad I have to pay that much money to have someone "certified" do work that is that simple ! It was work that I am quite capable of doing myself !
We cleaned and treated Ozzie's ears today. One ear was perfectly fine, one ear was slightly infected, but no worse than the last time we cleaned and treated his ears.
I know from previous experience that we will eventually eliminate the infection, and keep it under control. We discovered when we returned home today that ...
< SPUTTER > ... Ozzie has been raiding the cat litter box for "munchies" / "snacks" while we are away. OZZIE ! ! ! ! ! BAD DOG ! ! ! ! !
Saturday ; post-operative day 29
Sunny and mild.
Because of the pain of the thoracentesis I was unable to sleep lying down last night, so spent the night trying to sleep in a chair in the living room. I was able to sleep for about an hour at a time. The pain today was a lot less than yesterday. I'm hopeful it will be gone by tomorrow.
We moved some furniture around to uncover floor registers, in anticipation of using the furnace in our home. And we cleaned some of the registers. HMPH ... lots of cat hair. Not Emma's, must be Sully's. We went for a long walk around the RV park, on a new route, with more hills. WHEW ... tough ! But ... as a result of yesterday's thoracentesis / removal of fluid from around my left lung, I have much less urge / need to cough. We drained and stored our garden hose, easier said than done.
While Joanne went into town to buy some groceries and fresh produce, I unwrapped the package from my sister that we picked up at the Post Office yesterday. It was my old "artificial sunlight" therapy light that I gave to my brother-in-law thirteen years ago when we began travelling full time. Now ... he has returned it to me for my use this winter, to combat S.A.D. ... seasonal affective disorder / winter depression caused by short days / lack of sunlight. Two of the three bulbs inside did not survive the journey. Darn !
I did some medications records keeping. I wrote a letter to our travel medical insurer regarding the cancellation of our travel medical insurance. I am awaiting a letter from my cardiologist to enclose with this letter.
DSK
No comments:
Post a Comment