It is now 15 weeks since surgery, and I’m three weeks into Cardiac Rehab. Initially, I was doing 10 minutes on the treadmill at 2.4 mph. After the treadmill, I moved to the step bike, which looked like a Stairmaster and a stationary bike had a baby. At first, I also did 10 minutes, keeping at 54 watts. I don’t understand how watts are measured or what they are, but I was told to stay around 54, so that’s what I did. The third device I use is the arm bike – literally, this is a bike for your arms. You sit in a chair and cycle your arms. In the beginning, this was for 4 minutes. 2 minutes forward and 2 minutes backward. Through all these exercises, I wear a heart monitor, which I am responsible for putting on when I get there. They take my blood pressure before I begin, in the middle of the step bike, and the final time is after sitting and resting post-exercise. I go three times a week, smack dab in the middle of the afternoon. Now, I’m up to 18 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph, and they have me up to 18 minutes on the step bike, keeping at 62 watts. The arm bike sits at 7 minutes. 3 ½ forward. 3 ½ backward.
Apparently, on Friday of the second week, my heart misbehaved – meaning I have PVCs, which are premature beats in the lower chamber of the heart. These were also evident pre-surgery, and the hope was that the Mitral Valve Replacement surgery would perhaps alleviate them, but … there they were on the nurses’ screen. They had me slow down on the treadmill, and on the arm bike, I had to stop a time or two. The nurses sent a report to my cardiologist, whose office informed me the following Monday that we needed to adjust my medication. Long story short, we discovered that I had not been taking one of my medications correctly since surgery – and taking it correctly should lessen the premature beats. I’m taking the medication the right way now, so the hope is that the PVCs will slow down. I felt positive until this past Friday when, at the beginning of the treadmill session, the nurses stopped me three times to adjust the leads on my chest. The third time, I had to stop and sit in a chair for a few minutes. They watched the monitor, and my heart behaved while sitting. They checked my blood pressure, adjusted leads, and got me back on the treadmill. As far as I know, things went smoothly from that point forward, though I won’t be surprised if I hear from my doctor’s office tomorrow.
I talked with a nurse friend, and she said the PVCs, if they remain a problem, could one day end up being treated with a pacemaker. She said if that came to pass, I’d outlive everyone. Yes, well, I don’t relish the idea of another chest surgery. She assured me it’s not an invasive procedure, but right now, only 15 weeks out from being cut wide open, I’m feeling like heck nah. Understandable, I’m sure. Though, we will do what we must.
Another thing to tell is that my hair is falling out in droves. Each time I’ve washed my hair over the last two weeks, my bathroom counter gets covered with hair, as does my floor, and my brush is full. This is disheartening. Pre-surgery, my hair was thickening longer than ever, and I was on a medication routine that helped grow that hair. Since surgery, I’ve had to stop those medications. So now I have a triple whammy coming at me and my hair situation: I had major surgery, I stopped the medications, and I’m on blood thinners. Each of those causes hair loss … and it’s happening. This week, I reached out to my cardiologist and my dermatologist. There’s a supplement the dermatologist wants me to try, and my cardiologist approved it. It’s called Viviscal. I’d be interested to know if anyone has had experience with the product(s) … in a few weeks, I’ll share my experience. I will also be on a topical Minoxidil. Previously, I was taking an oral Minoxidil. Part of me wonders if vanity is part of what took my heart valve down so quickly … the medications I took for hair growth do potentially affect heart function.
Occasionally, I wonder what caused my heart valve to fail so quickly. In the Fall of 2022, I saw the cardiologist, and he said my Mitral Valve pro-lapse was something to keep an eye on; he had an echocardiogram completed, and for the most part, he was not highly concerned about me. By February 2024, something went wrong. Was it the years of living in high stress? Drinking alcohol? Addiction to caffeine and soda? Medications? Lack of exercise? I don’t know if it was any of those, but they certainly worked in concert. All of those things were unhealthy for me – and it’s true too that Momma had valve issues and heart failure, too. It could be that it was simply genetic, and I exacerbated it through anxiety and alcoholism – trying to fix myself but completely and utterly failing – and apparently, I’m trying to blame myself for my valve not working. Most likely, it just was what it was. Maybe so. Maybe not. I can’t say. The doctors won’t either. We simply know that the Mitral Valve was not working, and two separate doctors told Patrick that they were “astounded” and “astonished” that I was walking around. Wild. Crazy. Holy cow. Thank you, Father God, for the nurse in February 2024 who heard my heart beat wonky.
The conviction that each day I live is a gift from God is still with me. In the face of the PVCs, I feel like, okay, what are the next steps here? Will I meet new people to show God’s love to? What will these experiences enable me to do for Him? I have to believe these events are allowed because I can be of use to God through them and because of them. So be it. I keep stepping forward.
This morning, after waking up, I tried laying on my side and curling up next to Patrick. I put my head on his chest, and it felt good to be in that position, but it didn’t last long before my chest felt funky. I don’t know how else to describe it; it doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel right. So I sat up and got up. For most of the day, I have felt like I pulled something under my right collarbone. If I turn my head to the left, it pulls. This is new, and I’m not a fan. Not sure what is going on, but it’s not the left side, so that’s something. I’m feeling it even now while I write this, and I guess I’ll write another note on MyChart tomorrow. I think the nurses see my messages and say, “Here she goes again!” I ask so many questions! Fine with it … I’m doing what I tell my students to do all the time … Advocate for yourself. No one else will. That is true in Academics for certain. In my world, though, it isn’t always the case. My Patrick will advocate for me … and when I need him to, I will step out of the way and get behind him. Heck yeah. In this, though, on MyChart, the doctors and nurses make themselves available to us … oh, I ask questions!
Oh! I almost forgot … the time came to go to the dentist to get the crown my dentist told me I needed over a year ago. Coordinating that with the cardiologist proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we got it done, and at the dentist, I swallowed huge antibiotic horse pills before work was done in my mouth. The temporary crown went in … it wasn’t done correctly … I had excruciating pain overnight and had to return to the dentist the next day to have it fixed. Did you know that if a temporary or permanent crown sits too high, you’ll experience shooting pain down through your ‘tooth’ and into the gums? So crazy, and it’s true. The dentist shaved the temporary crown down to where my regular tooth would have sat at its full height, and the pain stopped. Boom. That easy. I was blown away that a crown too high could cause that kind of pain. Now, I know. And trust me, when I go back in a couple of weeks for my permanent crown, I’ll be paying close attention to the size of that crown before I leave!
The final item to note is my INR … mostly in the last three weeks, it has been fine, though this past week, it dropped a bit. 2.2. Tomorrow I get tested again – and I’m praying it will be above 2.5, but Patrick and I had Chuy’s this evening, and I did have the queso, which is made with green chilies … and those are chock full of Vitamin K. Grrrrrr. We shall see. It was good, so it was worth it. That’s what I say tonight. We shall see about that at this time tomorrow. Patrick and I have come to terms with the fact that my INR will go up and down, which is part of life now. We don’t overreact anymore but also understand the seriousness of the INR staying within range. One of these days, I will have my own INR machine and be doing the checks myself, but for now, I still have home health coming once a week. My nurse has become a friend, and that’s nice. Once she isn’t coming to our home anymore, we will stay in touch. That’s good stuff.
Writing this, I’m tired, and I hear it in the text’s tone. Know that I’m good. There are ups and downs, but it’s always a forward march. I have work to do, and I’m here for the challenge.
God is good, and I am grateful. Tired. But grateful.
Also, I finally heard Stacey’s story … and it was funny. If the power goes out, and I’m on a treadmill, the lesson is to step off of it. Quick. BEFORE the power comes back on! Apparently those things come back on at full speed …
Lenazy's Life 