DAY 13 - Recovery

After a McDonald's breakfast, we walled .8 miles at the mini-mall.  This is one of those days when I wonder if I'll ever feel good again.  Darryl spoke with his brother who is a cardiologist in Nashville regarding the blood clots in my lungs.  Prior to getting his MD he was a respiratory therapist.  It sounds like this whole lung thing is a much bigger deal than I thought and it can be quite debilitating which I'm realizing. Just getting up from a chair and walking half-way across a room today leaves me gasping for breath.  The recovery is going to be long, probably a full six months and slow.  This is so discouraging. While pushing myself to walk long distances is good for my heart, for the lungs, I'm better off doing more moderate movement/exercise between periods of rest.   I wish there was a way to fast-forward my life to the middle of September.

Meds: Coumadin,  Multaq, Bupropion, aspirin 81mg, Furosemide, Namenda, Metroprolol, Zantac, potassium, multivitamin, vitamin D, I-Caps
 

DAYS 10 & 11 - Recovery

It's days like yesterday that make me wonder if I'll ever feel good again.  I was so totally miserable - extremely weak, short of breath, very painful lungs, and nauseated. I carried a barf pan everywhere. That's not a fashion  accessory that will ever catch on.  It took all my strength and energy just to walk across a room, yet we had to be on the go all day. 

The Coumadin check was our first stop.  I've taken none of this blood thinner since Monday, yet my blood remains dangerously thin.  I was told not to take any until Sunday and then only a half dose and return Monday for a recheck.  If they can't get my blood thickness to say within the desired parameters with this drug, I'll have to take twice daily injections.  

From there we drove to SC to meet with the hematologist. I've seen more than my share of medical offices , yet I've never seen one as well run as this one.  They have an on sight lab with several technicians and the whole thing was run like clockwork.  There was no waiting.  The hematologist found that I have a rare blood clotting disorder which puts me at high risk for blood clots leading to strokes.  Women with this disorder usually have multiple miscarriages.  I've had five.  This hyper clotting was the cause of the blood clots in my lungs after the surgery.  Even though they had me on a boatload of blood thinners, it wasn't adequate to cover the hyper coagulation.  This isn't the news I wanted to hear because this means I'll need to be on blood thinners the rest of my life.  This genetic disorder may be the reason so many of my relatives die of strokes.  The hematologist wrote me a prescription for some anti-nausea medicine so I got some relief late in the day. This drug makes me so drowsy I can't stay awake, but if I can hold down my food maybe I can start gaining back some of my much needed weight.

Our last stop was at a diagnostic center to have chest x-rays in preparation for my follow up visits with the heart surgeon and lung doc next week. 

Today was a great improvement over yesterday. Although the pain in my lungs was resistant to the pain meds and I was short of breath with much coughing, I was able to do some household chores.  I walked here, plus I did 3/4 mile on the outdoor track. The last quarter mile was a killer, but I have to keep pushing myself if I'm going to see continuous improvement.  The track has a resident eastern bluebird.  We saw him last time and he was there again today sporting his rosy breast and intensely blue feathers.  He perches on the back of one of the benches and watches the walkers go by.  

3/10 Meds:  Multaq, Bupropion, aspirin 81mg, Furosemide, Namenda, Metroprolol, Zantac, potassium, multivitamin, vitamin D, I-Caps, Tramadol/Apap, Promethazine
3/11 Meds:  Multaq, Bupropion, aspirin 81mg, Furosemide, Namenda, Metroprolol, Zantac, potassium, multivitamin, vitamin D, I-Caps, Promethazine, Mucinex

DAY 4 - Recovery

The recliner is my daytime place.  The bed is my nighttime place.  I was in bed last night for eleven hours, most of that time was spent coughing.  I have no idea how Darryl was able to get any sleep.  The coughing must have been productive because I no longer have the continuous pain in my lungs that has been there since the blood clots were discovered ten days ago.  Feeling totally and completely exhausted, there was no way I could celebrate this good news.

A hematologist and a pulmonary specialist were added to my medical team once the clots in my lungs became an issue.  I have follow-up appointments with both during the next two weeks.  I just completed 12 pages of insurance and medical history forms for the hematologist.  Does he really need that much information?  I've never heard of anyone going to a hematologist.  I thought they were more scientists that studied blood rather than practitioners who interacted with patients.  Makes me wonder if there might be some vampire types lurking around his waiting room.

I feel such a great need for sleep but it eludes me. I've washed dishes and paid bills.  It feels good to do some ordinary things.  I need to eat to both gain energy and gain weight, but the least little bit of food fills me up.  I've lost a pound a day since I've been home, hopefully bottoming out today at 114 lbs. 

Darryl's patient, attentive and loving care giving has been extraordinary.  I'm so fortunate to have such a good man as my husband.  I know there are many people who have to go through situations like this alone.  I don't know how they do it.  Once my appetite and taste for food returns, I know I'll gain my weight back quickly with Darryl's yummy meals.  Today he baked a ham with a wonderful glaze along with baked sweet potatoes and a chopped cabbage and broccoli salad.  I wish I could have eaten more.

This isn't the first time that Darryl's had to exercise his care giving chops.  We were living in New Orleans two dozen years ago when, at age 46, I was pregnant with Douglas and had to be put on complete bed rest for 2 1/2 months.  Things were even more challenging then since we had a big place, Darryl was working full time running his business and our super hyper-active Jonathan was 3 years old.  Darryl's family and our wonderful network of friends came to our rescue with his care so that Darryl could focus on my needs.  We made it through that and now we'll make it through this.  

Meds:  Coumadin, Multaq, Bupropion, aspirin 81mg, Furosemide, Namenda, Metroprolol, Zantac, potassium, multivitamin, vitamin C, vitamin D