On this date last
year I was in South Carolina having my heart rebuilt at the Spartanburg
Regional Heart Center. Living with a
faulty-functioning heart for several years was no fun so I was more than ready
for a permanent fix.
Little did I know
how long and hard the road to recovery would be. I couldn't have done it without my
"nagging" husband. I mean that
in a thankful, loving and positive way.
It was he who cared for me day in and day out for weeks that grew into
months. When I wanted to give up, he
pushed me to take another step, then another and another.
My expected hospital
stay of seven days stretched to a total of eighteen due to complications of
blood clots in my lungs caused by two previously undetected genetic blood
disorders. Not being able to eat due to
constant nausea from the boatload of meds I had to take caused my weight to
plummet (not a good thing for me) and due to lack of activity my muscles
atrophied. Yes, I was a pathetic, sorry
looking sight. Because I see so many
frail elderly people, I had my doubts that it was even possible to rebuild
muscle, strength and agility at my age.
Walking was the best way to begin and in this I had no
choice. With my doctors, nurses and
Darryl prodding me, I started walking the hospital corridors. At first someone, usually a nurse or Darryl,
would hold me up as I took baby steps before I graduated to a walker and then
to just the handrails along the wall for support.
Once home, I began a regimen of walking a minimum of 30
minutes per day. At first I could do
only about five or ten minutes at a time.
It took 121 steps to walk inside our cabin going from the front door, looping around
some furniture, stepping into the kitchen area before making my way into and
out of the bedroom and mudroom. I walked
that route over and over everyday. Since
I wasn't supposed to walk inclines and living on the side of a mountain where
everything is at an incline, my outdoor walking was confined to the 30x40 ft
area we leveled for the greenhouse and garden storage building. It lifted my spirit to be outdoors on a warm
winter day with Darryl and my animals (goats, cats, and a duck) following behind
me as I repeatedly walked around and around that flat area.
Next came the
running tracks (walking, in my case) at the local grade school and nearby
equestrian center. With a pedometer
tucked in my pocket, I was now measuring
distance instead of time. On bad weather
days you could find us walking the mall in a neighboring town, so I had no excuses. Even now, a whole year later, I get
flashbacks when I drive past those locations remembering how, with every breath
after only a short distance, my lungs would hurt so bad. I'd lean on Darryl's shoulder
frequently to catch my breath and wipe my tears. With Darryl's prodding, I eventually pushed
myself to walk over a mile at a time. Two months after the surgery I was
allowed to begin cardio rehab.
Darryl didn't have
to nag me this time because I was already seeing the benefits of my previous
labors. I wasn't about to go there three
days a week just to waste my time. I had
work to do and a mountain road to run.
The average improvement for cardo rehab patients is 20%. Mine was 69.7%. I was smokin' and I wasn't going to let
anything get in the way of reaching my "Rocky Moment."
The next month I broke my ankle. Now five months later I'm still wearing an
air cast/brace on my ankle because the bone hasn't fused.
When I initially set
my goal of running, not walking, one mile up that mountain road, I had no idea
it would take longer than a year and that I would still be writing this Take Heart blog. Ok, so I've had a delay, but I'm still
determined to get there and I'm sure with Darryl's nagging, I finally will.
Meds: Amiodarone, Cardizem, Vayacog, L-Carnitine, Vitamin D, I-Caps, Flax
seed oil, Multivitamin, B-12, L-Arginine, Glucosoamine, Calcium, Garlic,
Aspirin, Omega-3 Fish Oil, Vitamin C
