Went to my cardiologist on Friday, and overall he seems to think I am doing pretty damn well. In fact he doesn’t want to see me again till December when he will give me another echo to see how things are doing. And it has been a long time since I haven’t seen my cardiologist every 3 months! Now we didn’t get to talk about everything because the fire alarm went off and we actually had to leave, but I did get permission to drive again (though I had already gone to the grocery store once). Should start being able to lift more than 10 pounds next thursday too, as that is 6 weeks.

And was given permission to sleep on my side, hallelujah! So hard to sleep on my back! Now the first night was a little painful, actually my ribs hurts on each side, but since then it has been much better. I sleep better, and feel better when I wake up. I just don’t wake up so much which really helps!

My next job is just to lose weight, which should be easier now that I have some stamina!

Still have a bit of a cough at night, though it is getting better.

Still on the awful no sodium diet, but we are making it easier since we got an awesome Breville Breadmaker, and have started making bread without salt (though it sure could use some salt, ha!). It is pretty amazing to have Fresh bread in 4 hours. And being a Breville it is pretty bad ass. Has a timer if you want to wake up to bread, and will even add in other ingredients when it should (like nuts or fruit or spices).

And yesterday my huge sticking out scab finally came off. It looked to only be attached on side for a while, but finally came off, leaving a bit of a divot, though some of that has already filled in with more scab (though it didn’t really bleed, just filled in).

You can see how red it is in there.

Doesn’t hurt and hasn’t been bleeding and have just kept cleaning it, so that is good.

Here is a wider shot, where you can see the weird bruise I have on the right, which feels like a not underneath.

And here is a wide shot with the big wound.

Overall am doing pretty great. Will likely be going back to work within a couple of weeks.

Damn just has this entry all written and Rapidwaver crashed as I was about to publish it. AARRGHH!! Anyway, time to start over.

So overall I am doing pretty damn well. Still walking 2.1 miles a day around the Veteran’s Center, up the big hill now (though I do have to stop to catch my breath going up as that is a big hill). Certainly have more energy now than I can remember having before, ever. So that is pretty amazing.

Now for the bad.

First off is my back. It is so out that it is hard to sleep through the night. I mean my back is just a damn mess at this point. It is out in the middle, and both my upper and lower back are hurting. I need a chiropractor so bad, though my sternum won’t be healed at all for another week, though he says he can use the hammer to help, which might be worth it, because I am hurting in a big way!

And the cough. Yes, I still have liquid in my lungs from the chest machine, and it is still clear, so not infected. It is better, but I am still coughing every late afternoon, and it hurts (though not nearly as bad as it previously hurt). I am still doing my spirometer a few times a day, and have gotten up to an average of 4000ml and am hitting 4500, when I was told that average is 3000-3500ml, so that seems pretty good. Have to talk to my cardiologist about it tomorrow.

The chest wounds are still causing trouble, though they are better if I just keep them totally dry and clean them with betadine and alcohol at least once a day.

Here they are from my point of view where you can see the right one sticking out, and the left has dried up around the edges and keeps hitting off stuff while I sleep. And both randomly leek a clearish liquid. Gross!

Here they are right side up.

And my big wound as well. The top wound has actually been losing it’s scab as well and leaving a divot. Right now it is mostly filled in, and if I keep it dry it seems to be healing. the scab keeps losing pieces and bleeding a bit though. Still nothing compared to the chest wounds!

And today is the day that I lose my fully adjustable from standing up to laying down medical chair! THE HORROR!

Here it is sheet covered ready to be picked up.

This thing was a lifesaver for the first couple of weeks, though I never did help getting up (the kettlebells before surgery were key), but just to be able to lay back and be fairly comfortable watching TV was the best. Now I am going to miss my chair for playing games and watching TV! The couch is just not the same, especially while my back hurts, but afterwards I will still miss it!

So overall doing pretty damn well.

So I woke up last night to pee and looked down and my left chest tube wound, had popped it’ scab. Actually about 3/4 of it had come off, and was like a flap, so I removed the rest and had to once again stiri strip it back together. It didn’t look as bad as the last time, but still had a kind of deep whole.

Now by the morning it has bled and filled in the rest of the wound making another scab, that will likely do the same thing as this one as it continues to heal.

You can see it is the one on the right.

And today my in home nurse is coming for her final visit, and I already told her about it, but this is still the final visit (I am assuming that is all the insurance will pay for). These should have had better stitches, and they should have stayed in longer. First I should have been in the hospital another day or two, and the stitches should have stayed in for 7 days instead of 3. Maybe then these would be more closed and not keep opening up like they have been!

And from the looks of it, my other scab is going to pop off soon, and do the same thing.

This kept me up for a while last night, and I just didn’t get enough sleep. I wonder how long I will have to deal with this before these wounds are healed (or as healed as they are going to get).

So I woke up last night to pee and looked down and my left chest tube wound, had popped it’ scab. Actually about 3/4 of it had come off, and was like a flap, so I removed the rest and had to once again stiri strip it back together. It didn’t look as bad as the last time, but still had a kind of deep whole.

Now by the morning it has bled and filled in the rest of the wound making another scab, that will likely do the same thing as this one as it continues to heal.

You can see it is the one on the right.

And today my in home nurse is coming for her final visit, and I already told her about it, but this is still the final visit (I am assuming that is all the insurance will pay for). These should have had better stitches, and they should have stayed in longer. First I should have been in the hospital another day or two, and the stitches should have stayed in for 7 days instead of 3. Maybe then these would be more closed and not keep opening up like they have been!

And from the looks of it, my other scab is going to pop off soon, and do the same thing.

This kept me up for a while last night, and I just didn’t get enough sleep. I wonder how long I will have to deal with this before these wounds are healed (or as healed as they are going to get).

Wow, so 4 weeks out from open heart surgery! Crazy! Kind of surreal. In some ways I am already so much better, but I really want the sternum to heal so I can drive and lift things (well can never lift more than 40 pounds) and so I can go to a chiropractor because my back hurts!

Sleeping on my back is already unpleasant, but with my back out and hurting so badly it is so much worse. It is really really painful. In fact it is the worst part right now, and only being able to take Tylenol does not help much either!

And I am still coughing. Having to have Kelly beat my back when she gets home to loosen phlegm. It is still clear so not infected, but every night it gets annoying and I start coughing, so have to get it out. Wish I could be hung upside down and just let my damn lungs drain!

Still am walking 2.1 miles a day up and down some big hills around the veterans center close to here. Still going down the big hill and not up it, but doing pretty damn good!

My wounds are looking better as well. The main wound is much smaller, though has gotten much redder, but really isn’t bothering me. Except it feels tight and gets a little sore at time.

And the top scab keeps losing pieces and bleeding a bit at times.

The two chest tube wounds have really scabbed over and gotten crusty, and are both pushing out, like it is healing below and pushing the huge scab out.

You can see how crusty it looks here, though it is not that yellow without the flash.

Here is without the flash, You can see how they are pushing out a bit.

Just making sure to keep them dry. Putting on a big waterproof bandaid to take a shower, and then cleaning them with betadine and then alcohol. And that seems to be working. They are not hurting and seem to be healing though my skin sure is dry around them!

Still see those 2 wounds as being my worst scars, as the main incision has such good stitching it will end up looking pretty damn good I think!

Just want to give a quick update on my chest tube wounds. They are doing much better. Seems I have finally figured it out, and the thing is to keep them as dry as possible. If they open up use the smallest stiri strip that you can to hold it closed so the scab can re-close, and then take it off and let it totally dry out.

The Chest Wounds are much dryer now.


Now it seems that I am consistently getting little little leaks, that eventually dry out, and it seems part of the process of the deep scabs being pushed out of the wounds so it can heal from the bottom. And I have been cleaning them daily with beta dine and then alcohol, which dries them out.

Covering them too much allows the wounds to stay wet, and that is when I started getting pain, and the wound would open up. So make sure to keep the wounds as dry as possible!

UPDATE:

Later in the same day, and the wound got wet in the shower and opened back up, and when it opens I get random pains, and have had to stiri strip it again with the thinest strip I could buy cut in half. And hopefully it will dry out completely and seal again.

And the other one is pushing the scab out. So hopefully it is healing underneath, and doesn’t do the same thing the other one did and open up again once it pushes the current scab out.

Weird how these chest tube holes are my biggest issue (except my back being out, which some heat helped early, but it is really hurting again now).