It has been about two weeks since my last post. Lots has happened in this time. I've been feeling pretty well all in all. And have been getting out more and more. In the last two weeks I have been to the beach, the grocery store, the mall, just about anywhere I could get to that would provide a change of scenery from inside my house. All of this new found freedom has helped prevent me from going stir crazy.
I've been keeping up with my daily walks and am now up to three 20-minute walks per day, assuming I'm not too burned out from the previous days activity. A physical therapist has come to the house a couple times and given me a few exercises to start strengthening my legs, shoulders and heart. It's been nice to have something to do other than just walk. I also ventured to the gym one afternoon and hit up the recumbent stationary bike for 15 minutes.
I also managed to turn 40 last week! (Thanks all for the birthday wishes:) To celebrate Vanessa and I went out for a nice dinner. It was really great to get out for a nice quiet meal together and was interesting to work through a restaurant menu and figure out what would be best for us to order. Since the diagnosis almost two months ago we have been working on what our new diet would look like and it is still a work in progress, but we have been definitely been eating smarter and healthier. (look for a post soon about new dietary habits and restrictions)
Perhaps the most exciting day of the last two weeks was yesterday. Vanessa and I went downtown to Northwestern Hospital for a fun-filled day of X-rays and appointments with surgeons and cardiologists! We started the day at 10:00 with a couple quick X-rays to check that my sternum is healing properly and that my lungs have been improving as well. We had a little bit of time to kill before our 11:30 appointment with the nurse practitioner in the surgeon's office, so we went for a nice stroll down Michigan Avenue for a bit.
Despite how well I have been feeling, I have been a bit nervous about this appointment because the proper healing of my sternum seems to be one of the most important parts of my recovery. Fortunately my anxiety was not well founded as the nurse practitioner explained the X-rays looked great (a huge relief!). My sternum is healing properly and my lungs continue to expand and expel fluid. There is still some fluid in my left lung but she assured us this is normal and should continue to resolve itself. She explained I am still limited to lift anything over 20 pounds for at least three more weeks but that I could start driving again in a week or so. She also cleared me to start cardiac rehab in a few weeks. This was a great appointment and hopefully the last one I will have with anyone from cardiac surgery!
After a quick lunch we met with my cardiologist. He confirmed that we were on the right path. We talked about my medication plan. I'm currently on atorvastatin (to help keep cholesterol, specifically LDL, under control), aspirin (blood thinner), clopidogrel (plavix, also a blood thinner), metoprolol (beta blocker to keep my heart rate under control), and diltiazem (calcium channel blocker to prevent vasospasms of the radial artery graft). The statin and aspirin will be lifelong. Hopefully within a month or two I can start lowering the dosage of metoprolol to more normal levels and eventually take only a very small dosage. I will likely be off the plavix after a year. The diltiazem will be indefinite, but I think I will eventually be taken off it. He referred me for cardiac rehab and we setup a follow-up appointment with him for 6 months from now.
I am beyond thrilled at the prospect of not returning to Northwestern Hospital for six months and am very relieved that my recovery is going according to plan. Last night we celebrated with some dear friends for one of their birthdays. We had a fabulous dinner at their home before heading out to a concert. While this level of activity was a bit taxing on my body, it felt so good to celebrate life! I'll happily take a little bit of pain to be able to have fun and enjoy life and the company of great friends and family.