This afternoon Laetitia went to her first rehab exercise session. It was held at the Queensland Health service centre at Browns Plains, and involved a few alternating cardio and weights resistance exercises, supervised by a couple of nurses. There was one other person doing the program during her session.
I took my phone along, and have made a short (2 minute) video about it.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
They're baack!
Yep, the auras have returned.
2:30 pm Monday, 9:30 am Tuesday, 9:30 am today. Sigh.
I'll try to be grateful for small mercies - they may suck time out of my day, they may make my eyes more photosensitive and tired, they may make me tired, they may make it harder to concentrate, BUT at least I don't normally get a raging headache or need to lie in a darkened room for a day (I'd never be able to leave if that were the case).
2:30 pm Monday, 9:30 am Tuesday, 9:30 am today. Sigh.
I'll try to be grateful for small mercies - they may suck time out of my day, they may make my eyes more photosensitive and tired, they may make me tired, they may make it harder to concentrate, BUT at least I don't normally get a raging headache or need to lie in a darkened room for a day (I'd never be able to leave if that were the case).
Monday, October 17, 2011
Rehabilitation program
This afternoon Laetitia had an initial appointment for a Queensland Health cardiac rehabilitation program, run at Browns Plains.
This is a positive development, as we were not expecting to start the program until early November.
Today's appointment was mainly administrative. The nurse asked many questions about Laetitia's experience and current state of health (mental and emotional as well as physical), and then got Laetitia to do a six minute walking test, during which her blood oxygen level, heart rate and feeling of exertion were monitored every minute. She found that quite easy.
We'll be going back for an exercise session next Monday.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Day 23 post op
Time for another update.
On the vision front:
Praise and news
I had a migraine aura on Tuesday morning, none on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and a really odd experience on Friday. I had the little blank dot that graduated to a little thin line and then it disappeared.
Now, when I wandered off to the bedroom to lie down to wait it out, Ian asked if I were ok. In a resigned voice I had replied, "Yes, I just have a migraine aura again," and very soon after that was when it disappeared. I decided to enjoy the rest on the bed anyway (and give myself opportunity to see if my brain was playing any other tricks on my vision) so I didn't get up and rejoin Ian straight away.
When I rejoined Ian 20 minutes or so later, I mentioned how weird it was that the aura had disappeared. He said, "Well, that confirms it." He then explained that when I had mentioned that I had another aura, he had prayed against the attack and commanded it to be gone in Jesus' name. So we think that there is a spiritual dimension to the aura attacks (and to a certain extent there is to any illness).
So far today I have not had any auras. :-)
Prayer requested
The downside is that my vision is still not 100%. I can't look at the computer screen for more than about an hour before I have to take a break as my vision blurs. Watching TV also can be tiresome after a while, hence I have a lot of programmes recorded that I haven't yet watched. I have problems with bright points of light (hurts the eyes - I hate the opening credits for all the Catalyst programmes we have recorded), fast moving images (my eyes can't follow them easily) and I see after images / ghost images easily, particularly words or lines on the TV.
Fortunately my vision is stable and fine for the purpose of driving - I did my first driving post surgery today to our church and back for a church 'picnic'. :-) Of course, these were short trips and longer trips will have to be judged on experience.
I also seem to be more sensitive to light generally - it takes my eyes longer to adjust to dimmer light after bright light including light reflecting off a bright white page. Some of all this may be caused by the drugs I'm on - Ian says that he's seen light sensitivity mentioned as side effects for various drugs in the past (though not necessarily my drugs).
I do actually need to be able to do some things on the computer (e.g. writing a few reports to finish my TESOL assessment; creating a digital scrapbook before month's end) so please pray that my vision will improve to allow this.
On the physical stamina front:
Praise and news
I have been doing 20-30 minute walks around my neighbourhood the past several days and can see a definite improvement in stamina and speed. Next Tuesday, I will treat myself to Chinese take-away from the shop down the road if I have done a 20-30 minute walk every day. I'm tossing up whether to give myself a grace pass if the weather turns so nasty that I can't get out of an afternoon but of course I could pace the house for 20 minutes and even over these last few days I have been able to go for a walk after the storms have passed.
Next Monday at 5pm, I will have my first appointment for my rehabilitation over at Browns Plains. We originally thought that this was conducted at the Logan Hospital which is only a few kilometres away but it has moved. My original appointment date was to be in early November so we are very thankful that it has been moved forward. Getting to classes will be interesting as the available times do not work well with Ian's schedule, however Ian's mother (Doris) may be able to provide transport to the class with Ian picking me up later.
Prayer requested
I am very much not a morning person. At the moment I tend to have breakfast after Ian has left for the day (he leaves around 7:15am) and often go back to bed, or at least the couch, after breakfast. However, on Friday I'm hoping to go into town to the quilt show at the convention centre, which means either going with Ian in the morning so he can drop me off at the train or working out which bus will get me to the train or walking there or getting a lift from someone. Although the distance is not much further than the distance I'm walking at the moment, I'm a little concerned that I will be all out of puff by the time I get into town and then want to walk around the show itself (I still need a fair bit of rest). Of course, it's a week away and many people who have had this op are back up to speed by 4 weeks post op.
On the vision front:
Praise and news
I had a migraine aura on Tuesday morning, none on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and a really odd experience on Friday. I had the little blank dot that graduated to a little thin line and then it disappeared.
Now, when I wandered off to the bedroom to lie down to wait it out, Ian asked if I were ok. In a resigned voice I had replied, "Yes, I just have a migraine aura again," and very soon after that was when it disappeared. I decided to enjoy the rest on the bed anyway (and give myself opportunity to see if my brain was playing any other tricks on my vision) so I didn't get up and rejoin Ian straight away.
When I rejoined Ian 20 minutes or so later, I mentioned how weird it was that the aura had disappeared. He said, "Well, that confirms it." He then explained that when I had mentioned that I had another aura, he had prayed against the attack and commanded it to be gone in Jesus' name. So we think that there is a spiritual dimension to the aura attacks (and to a certain extent there is to any illness).
So far today I have not had any auras. :-)
Prayer requested
The downside is that my vision is still not 100%. I can't look at the computer screen for more than about an hour before I have to take a break as my vision blurs. Watching TV also can be tiresome after a while, hence I have a lot of programmes recorded that I haven't yet watched. I have problems with bright points of light (hurts the eyes - I hate the opening credits for all the Catalyst programmes we have recorded), fast moving images (my eyes can't follow them easily) and I see after images / ghost images easily, particularly words or lines on the TV.
Fortunately my vision is stable and fine for the purpose of driving - I did my first driving post surgery today to our church and back for a church 'picnic'. :-) Of course, these were short trips and longer trips will have to be judged on experience.
I also seem to be more sensitive to light generally - it takes my eyes longer to adjust to dimmer light after bright light including light reflecting off a bright white page. Some of all this may be caused by the drugs I'm on - Ian says that he's seen light sensitivity mentioned as side effects for various drugs in the past (though not necessarily my drugs).
I do actually need to be able to do some things on the computer (e.g. writing a few reports to finish my TESOL assessment; creating a digital scrapbook before month's end) so please pray that my vision will improve to allow this.
On the physical stamina front:
Praise and news
I have been doing 20-30 minute walks around my neighbourhood the past several days and can see a definite improvement in stamina and speed. Next Tuesday, I will treat myself to Chinese take-away from the shop down the road if I have done a 20-30 minute walk every day. I'm tossing up whether to give myself a grace pass if the weather turns so nasty that I can't get out of an afternoon but of course I could pace the house for 20 minutes and even over these last few days I have been able to go for a walk after the storms have passed.
Next Monday at 5pm, I will have my first appointment for my rehabilitation over at Browns Plains. We originally thought that this was conducted at the Logan Hospital which is only a few kilometres away but it has moved. My original appointment date was to be in early November so we are very thankful that it has been moved forward. Getting to classes will be interesting as the available times do not work well with Ian's schedule, however Ian's mother (Doris) may be able to provide transport to the class with Ian picking me up later.
Prayer requested
I am very much not a morning person. At the moment I tend to have breakfast after Ian has left for the day (he leaves around 7:15am) and often go back to bed, or at least the couch, after breakfast. However, on Friday I'm hoping to go into town to the quilt show at the convention centre, which means either going with Ian in the morning so he can drop me off at the train or working out which bus will get me to the train or walking there or getting a lift from someone. Although the distance is not much further than the distance I'm walking at the moment, I'm a little concerned that I will be all out of puff by the time I get into town and then want to walk around the show itself (I still need a fair bit of rest). Of course, it's a week away and many people who have had this op are back up to speed by 4 weeks post op.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Sucky Migraines
As a friend commented, the migraines sound 'suckiest' of all and, to a certain extent they are. I'm now up to 9 in 10 days - I had one at 5pm yesterday and one at about 11am today.
Normally I'd relish the opportunity to laze about on the couch watching TV or surf the net with the excuse that I'm recovering. Unfortunately, due to migraine auras, I'm always second guessing what I see and don't know whether to pick up a needle to do some sewing while watching TV (or even whether to watch TV at all) or work on my digital album-making or...
Boredom is a problem.
Laetitia :-)
Update as at 6:30pm - make that 10 in 10 days.
Normally I'd relish the opportunity to laze about on the couch watching TV or surf the net with the excuse that I'm recovering. Unfortunately, due to migraine auras, I'm always second guessing what I see and don't know whether to pick up a needle to do some sewing while watching TV (or even whether to watch TV at all) or work on my digital album-making or...
Boredom is a problem.
Laetitia :-)
Update as at 6:30pm - make that 10 in 10 days.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Muscle pain
Well after Laetitia's earlier post (see below), her muscle pain increased to the point where she simply could not rest, sit or move comfortably and (perhaps the bigger problem) this was causing her significant stress and anguish. So I put her in the car and took her to the local hospital (Logan Hospital, it's only 3km away). We needed some good advice about pain relief methods that wouldn't interfere with the various medicines she's already taking.
The doctor there was very helpful and gave us plenty of advice and encouragement along with a few prescriptions. We got those filled at a late-night pharmacy before returning home.
Please pray with me that Laetitia will get some relief from her discomfort and that she will be able to continue getting the rest and sleep she needs to finish healing properly. She's normally such a busy-bee with many things on the go all the time, she finds it really difficult to relax, let go, and just enjoy doing nothing much. She is finding the enforced rest and inability to do as much as she's used to quite frustrating.
The Good, the Bad and the Miserable
If I’d written this post a few days ago, it might have been titled “Good day, bad nights”. At about 4am on Wednesday morning I woke with pain in my left ribcage which we assume was due to nerve pinching from sleeping on my left side all the time. After sitting up for about half an hour, it finally eased off and I was able to go back to sleep.
Wednesday was a good day. In the morning I was able to go to my craft group, and in the afternoon (as some of you will have seen from Ian’s post) I was able to walk for twenty minutes around the neighbourhood. I wish that every day in my recovery were as good as Wednesday.
Early on Thursday morning, Ian woke with what we think was an allergic reaction ahead of the coming storm, and that kept me awake for a bit, partly due to the fact that if anything happened to him, I wouldn't be able to care for him. On Thursday I went to a funeral, and then that afternoon had a migraine aura. (For me, this means a disturbance in my vision that takes about half an hour to pass. I don’t usually get much of a headache.)
On Friday I had another migraine aura in the morning and a related headache, before we went to have lunch with Ian’s parents. Late that afternoon I started getting pains in my neck—again we think from sleeping on my left—and then later, pains under the ribcage from wind that took all night to clear.
Today (Saturday) I’ve had yet another migraine aura, which brings it up to seven in nine days. Before my operation, I normally used to get them only sporadically and hadn’t had any for several months. I would dearly love to never have a migraine aura ever again. They are frustrating. They make me miserable because I don’t know when they’re going to strike again, how bad they’re going to be or whether I can trust any of my vision. Unfortunately I don’t know what’s triggering them at the moment.
On a positive note, I have been able to go for 15-20 minute walks in the neighbourhood during the last couple of days.
Laetitia :-)
PS - Ian would love to hear from you if you are (or know someone who is) either a physiotherapist with an understanding of recovery from robotic heart surgery, or a holistic health specialist with an understanding of migraines…
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Walking the streets
Laetitia is slowly working her way up to her target of 30 minutes of walking a day. Today we went for a walk around the local streets and through a park, about 20 minutes. Since we live at the top of a hill, every route we can choose involves an uphill section at the end. Click here for a short video of part of today's walk.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Day 12
That's Day 12 post-op, as people in the hospital count it.
We went to the GP this afternoon [and yes, I had fish & chips for lunch :-) ]. My beta-blocker (to slow my heart rate) is being upped from 1/4 to 1/2 tablet twice a day. I'll be seeing my GP again in a week's time.
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday) I will have some more blood tests to see how low my iron and B12 stores are. I was told in hospital that they were 'low' but my GP has not received the results of the bloodwork done by the pathology lab in Victoria. It's a fasting test so I have to go there first thing in the morning, then back home for breakfast before I can take my Aspirin for the day (must be taken immediately after food). The Aspirin is to thin the blood; I'm on paracetamol for pain (although it's hard to tell how much I need because I don't really have pain but that could be because I've been on paracetamol since leaving the ICU).
Last night my jaw did a funny clicking crack thing unrelated to my surgery. This was on the left hand side. It's done similar things before and Ian said that he's had similar. It's a bit like having one's jaw spontaneously dislocate without actually doing so - maybe one of the tendons shifts or something.
It happened during dinner and, for a while, I had to chew on the right side of my mouth. It eased up during the evening but then it really ached this morning, which tended to give me a headache. It certainly didn't help my migraine aura experience - now at 4 in 5 days. Into the bargain, last night I dreamt that I had an aura; sigh, as if a real one waking me up isn't bad enough, now I have to dream them up?!
Apart from weird jaw movements and migraine auras, I have a groin wound with moving bruising. The groin wound is from an incision just up from where one's leg meets one's torso; it is required to get blood to flow back into the body in the bypass procedure. In and of itself it isn't too bad, however, one can get a lump of soft tissue bruising associated with it. The physiotherapist assured me that this is normal, as is the fact that the bruising can travel between layers of muscle to other areas.
Looking down on myself while standing, I look lop-sided with this lump on the right-hand-side just above the wound. The tenderness has now started to move to the left (possibly because I can only sleep on the left, not the right side, at the moment) but the lump hasn't.
In terms of height, it's right around bench height which makes it difficult to use counters. Ian has been fantastic at getting cups of water or tea and snacks in addition to regular meals for me. I'm just a bit concerned with how I'm going to go next week (on Ian's return to work) if it hasn't reduced much.
On a plus note, the right side of my chest isn't as sensitive today. :-)
Laetitia :-)
We went to the GP this afternoon [and yes, I had fish & chips for lunch :-) ]. My beta-blocker (to slow my heart rate) is being upped from 1/4 to 1/2 tablet twice a day. I'll be seeing my GP again in a week's time.
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday) I will have some more blood tests to see how low my iron and B12 stores are. I was told in hospital that they were 'low' but my GP has not received the results of the bloodwork done by the pathology lab in Victoria. It's a fasting test so I have to go there first thing in the morning, then back home for breakfast before I can take my Aspirin for the day (must be taken immediately after food). The Aspirin is to thin the blood; I'm on paracetamol for pain (although it's hard to tell how much I need because I don't really have pain but that could be because I've been on paracetamol since leaving the ICU).
Last night my jaw did a funny clicking crack thing unrelated to my surgery. This was on the left hand side. It's done similar things before and Ian said that he's had similar. It's a bit like having one's jaw spontaneously dislocate without actually doing so - maybe one of the tendons shifts or something.
It happened during dinner and, for a while, I had to chew on the right side of my mouth. It eased up during the evening but then it really ached this morning, which tended to give me a headache. It certainly didn't help my migraine aura experience - now at 4 in 5 days. Into the bargain, last night I dreamt that I had an aura; sigh, as if a real one waking me up isn't bad enough, now I have to dream them up?!
Apart from weird jaw movements and migraine auras, I have a groin wound with moving bruising. The groin wound is from an incision just up from where one's leg meets one's torso; it is required to get blood to flow back into the body in the bypass procedure. In and of itself it isn't too bad, however, one can get a lump of soft tissue bruising associated with it. The physiotherapist assured me that this is normal, as is the fact that the bruising can travel between layers of muscle to other areas.
Looking down on myself while standing, I look lop-sided with this lump on the right-hand-side just above the wound. The tenderness has now started to move to the left (possibly because I can only sleep on the left, not the right side, at the moment) but the lump hasn't.
In terms of height, it's right around bench height which makes it difficult to use counters. Ian has been fantastic at getting cups of water or tea and snacks in addition to regular meals for me. I'm just a bit concerned with how I'm going to go next week (on Ian's return to work) if it hasn't reduced much.
On a plus note, the right side of my chest isn't as sensitive today. :-)
Laetitia :-)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Progress
In your upper chest, you have pectoral muscles that run under the breast area. You can see a picture of the muscle group I'm talking about on this website (scroll down a little way).
In my surgery, an incision was made through these muscles just under my right breast. To get good contact when it was sewn back up, the muscles were bunched together a little which means that the skin pulls in odd ways and the muscles on the other side of the breast also don't behave as they normally would.
So now my right breast looks and feels deformed (the surgeon assures me that it will smooth out over time, but how much time I don't know) and the skin is very sensitive. I have to wear a close-fitting slip, a bit like a singlet, to stop random brushes of my shirt cloth against my skin from making things worse. Also, any change in temperature gives me goose-bumps on the right but not necessarily on the left. So all this means that my right breast is constantly sensitized and I ache in the right upper part of my torso.
Out of all the things for which I could ask prayer (I'll get to groin bruising and adhesive burns in another post or two) this is the thing that I feel would make the biggest difference to my everyday life.
Laetitia :-)
In my surgery, an incision was made through these muscles just under my right breast. To get good contact when it was sewn back up, the muscles were bunched together a little which means that the skin pulls in odd ways and the muscles on the other side of the breast also don't behave as they normally would.
So now my right breast looks and feels deformed (the surgeon assures me that it will smooth out over time, but how much time I don't know) and the skin is very sensitive. I have to wear a close-fitting slip, a bit like a singlet, to stop random brushes of my shirt cloth against my skin from making things worse. Also, any change in temperature gives me goose-bumps on the right but not necessarily on the left. So all this means that my right breast is constantly sensitized and I ache in the right upper part of my torso.
Out of all the things for which I could ask prayer (I'll get to groin bruising and adhesive burns in another post or two) this is the thing that I feel would make the biggest difference to my everyday life.
Laetitia :-)
Exercise
OK, so we're back in south east Queensland - we arrived home on Saturday night. It is so very nice to back in the warmth where getting out of the shower is not a real chore and, even if I'm still in track-pants during the day (our house is relatively cold), I don't feel the need to turn on the ducted air-conditioning. My sister's house is nice and all but, well, it's in Melbourne and, for the most part of our time there, the maximum temperatures were similar to the minimums that SEQ had been having.
Today we walked down to the local shops (about 700 m away) because (a) I need to get some exercise, (b) I wanted to see if it would be a viable option to walk to the GP's office tomorrow and (c) I wanted fish & chips as a treat.
I got one and a half out of three - (a) and part of (b). I certainly got in some exercise and normally it would be a viable option for going to the GP. However, we decided that maybe driving down tomorrow would be better so that my (already elevated) heart-rate isn't excessively elevated for my GP appointment.
As for (c), well, I forgot that it is Monday today and that means that many take-away places are CLOSED. Sadly, both the fish & chip shop and the Chinese food shop were closed. Maybe I'll treat myself tomorrow after seeing the GP at lunch time.
Laetitia :-)
Today we walked down to the local shops (about 700 m away) because (a) I need to get some exercise, (b) I wanted to see if it would be a viable option to walk to the GP's office tomorrow and (c) I wanted fish & chips as a treat.
I got one and a half out of three - (a) and part of (b). I certainly got in some exercise and normally it would be a viable option for going to the GP. However, we decided that maybe driving down tomorrow would be better so that my (already elevated) heart-rate isn't excessively elevated for my GP appointment.
As for (c), well, I forgot that it is Monday today and that means that many take-away places are CLOSED. Sadly, both the fish & chip shop and the Chinese food shop were closed. Maybe I'll treat myself tomorrow after seeing the GP at lunch time.
Laetitia :-)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Cleared to go home
The checkup with the surgeon today went well. (Yes it was a day earlier than originally planned, because the surgeon is unavailable on Friday.) Laetitia got all her remaining sutures out, and has been cleared to fly home! So we have booked a flight for Saturday evening (DJ341 arriving 1910).
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Checking out of hospital
Laetitia has been discharged from hospital! We had to wait quite a while for approval to leave from the surgeon (because he was in theatre operating all morning), but once approved it all happened quite quickly. Paperwork was signed and handed over, medication delivered and explained by a pharmacist, and then down we went to the checkout desk and that was that. We caught a taxi back to Laetitia's sister's place (where I have been staying).
We have to go back to see the cardiologist and surgeon on Friday.
Meanwhile, Laetitia has to keep exercising and resting as her body gradually heals. Her heart rate is still pretty high, and she's continuing with the medication for that; apparently this is quite common, and the surgeon is not particularly concerned about it (only I am, it seems).
Please keep praying for her recovery, that she gets the rest she needs (at least it should be quieter for her to sleep here!), her wounds heal well and she remains relatively pain-free (this is important because it enables her to do the exercise she needs to do). Please also pray for me, for the energy, patience and wisdom I need to look after her.
We have to go back to see the cardiologist and surgeon on Friday.
Meanwhile, Laetitia has to keep exercising and resting as her body gradually heals. Her heart rate is still pretty high, and she's continuing with the medication for that; apparently this is quite common, and the surgeon is not particularly concerned about it (only I am, it seems).
Please keep praying for her recovery, that she gets the rest she needs (at least it should be quieter for her to sleep here!), her wounds heal well and she remains relatively pain-free (this is important because it enables her to do the exercise she needs to do). Please also pray for me, for the energy, patience and wisdom I need to look after her.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Plans for leaving hospital
Today the surgeon said Laetitia could get the ECG cables and box taken off (yay!) and asked her when she wanted to leave. To her tentative "Tomorrow?" he said that should be okay! (Double yay!!)
Current plan: Leave hospital tomorrow (Tuesday). Return for a checkup and removal of remaining sutures etc. on Friday. If all is well then, return to Brisbane on the weekend.
We also went to an information session today about leaving hospital and rehabilitation programs and what to expect. Laetitia had a somewhat less active day, but apparently that's quite normal.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Stairs!
More exercise today, including stairs! Laetitia climbed slowly but confidently up one floor, then back down again. She says it was hard work (very short video here), but it didn't seem to stop her from doing the rest of her exercises.
She was moved to another room on level 6 today - no longer "acute care" (although being in a cardiac ward, she still has an ECG going full-time, monitored remotely from the nurses' station). Her blood pressure is now a quite normal 120/70, and although her resting heart rate is still a bit high (80-90) it's improving slowly. Her blood oxygen levels are excellent without any supplementation and her pain is well controlled with Panadol alone.
I had a listen to her heart beat today, with my ear against her chest: no murmur! Hooray! :-D
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Walking laps
Laetitia's recovery is progressing well, much more quickly than we thought possible. Thanks for your prayers, and thanks to God for answering them!
She was much more alert today, and a lot more active. Today's physiotherapy included walking half a dozen laps (throughout the day, not all at once!) around the cardiac wards on level 6 as well as some stretches and twists, plus the deep breathing she's already been doing (which is to ensure the lungs are fully reinflated after surgery).
Her blood pressure has come down nicely (135/80 or so), but her heart rate is still pretty high (resting rate around 90-100bpm). They're giving her small doses of a "beta blocker" medication to control this. I gather this is fairly common after surgery like hers, but please pray that it improves, reducing to a more normal level soon.
All the exercise and hard work is pretty tiring, so she's still resting a lot, mostly drowsing now rather than the deep murky exhaustion of the last day or so. She remembers some of yesterday and only a little of Thursday, thanks to all the medication she was under (especially morphine).
If you have a good internet connection you can see a couple of videos of Laetitia walking around here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMZQBPbh-q4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHxvyLV9gn4
Friday, September 23, 2011
Small steps
Today Laetitia left the ICU! She's now in the acute cardiac care ward. The drain tubes which were causing her so much discomfort have been taken out - praise God! (The wound is still draining a bit into the dressing.) Many of the other lines have also been removed. There's still one line left as well as the pacemaker cable, in case they need them.
She's been on oxygen most of the day, but they've just (6:30pm) decided to try leaving it off for a bit. She's gone for a 10m walk to the toilet twice now! (That's quite a workout for a cardiac patient. They've got her ECG plugged into a portable wireless unit, so I get to watch the stress show up on the trace and her rising heart rate while she walks off with little shuffling steps.)
When she's awake, she's much more alert and aware than when she was getting IV morphine in the ICU. However she's still very tired and weary; she spent most of today sleeping.
Thank you again for your continuing prayers for Laetitia's recovery, and for your support of me also at this time.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Repaired valve!
I got to the hospital early this morning, and accompanied Laetitia to the waiting area for theatre. When it was time for her to go in, we said goodbye, and then for me it was time to attempt to distract myself from worrying for the next few hours.
Just after midday I got the call I was waiting for from the surgeon: Success! No more leaks. Praise God! Apparently the shape of her valve had been somewhat unusual, but I don't really know much detail yet.
So I had some lunch and then returned to the ICU. Laetitia was ready for me to see about an hour later. She was still more or less asleep then. Gradually during the afternoon she woke up a bit more. By about 5 o'clock she was alert enough for her breathing tube to be removed - a very uncomfortable experience, as you can imagine.
Her condition is currently quite stable, and the cardiologist is very happy with her progress. She's in a little discomfort still from her dry mouth and throat, and from the drain tubes from the wound (which will need to stay attached for a couple more days unfortunately) and a multitude of other lines and cables attached to her. She's also got a pretty sore back - I mean, she's basically been lying down since 10 o'clock Wednesday night, with a lot more time in bed ahead of her yet. They're giving her plenty of medication, but this is certainly something we can pray about.
Thank you for praying. Please join me now in thanks for the successful repair, and please pray for continued healing and a complication-free recovery as well as strength and courage for my beautiful and brave wife.
Just after midday I got the call I was waiting for from the surgeon: Success! No more leaks. Praise God! Apparently the shape of her valve had been somewhat unusual, but I don't really know much detail yet.
So I had some lunch and then returned to the ICU. Laetitia was ready for me to see about an hour later. She was still more or less asleep then. Gradually during the afternoon she woke up a bit more. By about 5 o'clock she was alert enough for her breathing tube to be removed - a very uncomfortable experience, as you can imagine.
Her condition is currently quite stable, and the cardiologist is very happy with her progress. She's in a little discomfort still from her dry mouth and throat, and from the drain tubes from the wound (which will need to stay attached for a couple more days unfortunately) and a multitude of other lines and cables attached to her. She's also got a pretty sore back - I mean, she's basically been lying down since 10 o'clock Wednesday night, with a lot more time in bed ahead of her yet. They're giving her plenty of medication, but this is certainly something we can pray about.
Thank you for praying. Please join me now in thanks for the successful repair, and please pray for continued healing and a complication-free recovery as well as strength and courage for my beautiful and brave wife.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Checked in
After a lovely sleep-in this morning and a quiet breakfast at home, we packed some lunch and Laetitia's bag, then caught a train and tram to the hospital in Richmond.
Since checking her in, we have met many specialists including her surgeon, surgeon's assistant and anaesthetist .. each stopping for a chat about their part in tomorrow's operation and answering our many questions with grace and humour. We were taken for a tour of the ICU, where Laetitia will be taken straight after surgery. She'll be there for one or maybe two nights before going to the cardiac ward. ICU is a busy place, every patient has their own nurse and there's a constant hum of machines. Apparently sleeping can be difficult there!
Laetitia also had an ECG and a chest X-ray and gave some blood. After I left she was to have a shower and scrub, then later she'll get some sleeping tablets to ensure she gets a good night's rest (anaesthetist's orders). Tomorrow morning another scrub and then off to theatre around 7:30. (I'm intending to try to be there by about 6:30.)
The operation should be finished and Laetitia settled in ICU by midday tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
One day holiday
We arrived in Melbourne yesterday afternoon in preparation for my
scheduled surgery on Thursday morning. We were picked up by Ian's sister
and brother-in-law (Ruth & Darren) who took us to their 'new'
house for the afternoon. Their house is new to us because the last time
either of us was in Melbourne was when they had just signed a contract
on it and were waiting for settlement.
At the end of the afternoon, just before we went out to dinner, we were able to meet their cat, Coco, who came in to be fed. We went to dinner at a nice Indian restaurant, after which we were dropped off at my sister's (Alicia's) place. Alicia and her family are actually on holiday in Queensland so we are house-sitting for her while they are away. Originally we were disappointed that we'd miss their visit to Queensland but this works well in that there is room for us at their place while they are away and they get house-sitters. We did actually catch up a bit on Sunday, when we got keys.
Today I had a one-day-holiday in Melbourne before my admission tomorrow afternoon. We had a leisurely breakfast, walked to the local train station where we bought public transport tickets and then walked through the local shopping mall to Sydney Road to catch a tram to the Queen Victoria Market.
At the markets, I took Ian to Invita, a vegetarian cafe where most options are actually vegan. Ian bought a couple of biscuits and I bought a cupcake for morning tea. Then we wandered through the markets but didn't buy anything apart from a tomato and a couple of mandarins, partly because we didn't want to carry anything heavy during the rest of the day.
Then we went back to Invita for lunch. I had a baby spinach, yellow lentil soup and Ian had a "shepherd's" pie. We'd actually call this cottage pie as there was no meat in the dish. We also shared a mango, soy milk 'smoothie'. Ian thinks it should be called a 'thickie' as the spoon that came with it could stand up unaided in it. All in all, our meal was delicious and we got a couple of extra treats for 'ron'.
Then we trekked over to the Melbourne Museum to see the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibition. We went for the full shebang of the exhibit ($29.50) plus the optional extras of the audio tour ($7.50) and the 3D movie ($8.50). I think the audio tour was better value than the 3D movie so if you're going and have the funds for one add-on but not both, I'd recommend the audio tour.
After that, I decided that I'd like to have a hot chocolate from San Churro. It took us a while to find it as first up I didn't remember where one was so we just meandered towards the city, then when I remembered that we could probably find one with Ian's smart phone, it lead us up a bit of a garden path, first directing us to the wrong place on Swanston St, then it seemed to suggest (to my eyes, although Ian read it otherwise) a street a block away. Anyway, we finally managed to get to the outlet in the Queen Victoria Centre. San Churro hot chocolate 'drinks' are a bit like Greek coffee - very thick and dark. Basically they melt chocolate and add milk so it's more liquid chocolate with a dash of milk than a chocolate flavoured milk drink.
My enjoyment of my Mint Magnifico would have been greater if there hadn't been a table full of smokers at the doorway whose smoke drifted into the interior of the store. We assume that Victoria's laws about how close to a doorway, to a public place, that people can smoke are rather different from Queensland's.
After this we headed back to the tram line to catch a tram to Alicia's street. Fortunately for us we ended up sitting across the aisle from a lady who not only was going to the same street (so we knew to get off with her) but has also experienced being a patient at Epworth Private Hospital, Richmond and says it is a top hospital.
At home we cooked dinner which, although a little different from how we would make the same dish in our own kitchen, I thoroughly enjoyed as I expect I won't have a 'home'-cooked meal by Ian for a while as tomorrow night I should be eating hospital food.
Speaking of which, I still haven't heard from the hospital (maybe there are messages back on our answering machine in Logan) so I'm hoping that they received my information pack which detailed my dietary requirements. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived home, and answered a couple of phone calls, it was 10 minutes past the admissions closing time (8pm) so I will have to call early in the morning (they open at 6am) to check that everything is on track. At least I know that the surgeon is expecting me.
At the end of the afternoon, just before we went out to dinner, we were able to meet their cat, Coco, who came in to be fed. We went to dinner at a nice Indian restaurant, after which we were dropped off at my sister's (Alicia's) place. Alicia and her family are actually on holiday in Queensland so we are house-sitting for her while they are away. Originally we were disappointed that we'd miss their visit to Queensland but this works well in that there is room for us at their place while they are away and they get house-sitters. We did actually catch up a bit on Sunday, when we got keys.
Today I had a one-day-holiday in Melbourne before my admission tomorrow afternoon. We had a leisurely breakfast, walked to the local train station where we bought public transport tickets and then walked through the local shopping mall to Sydney Road to catch a tram to the Queen Victoria Market.
At the markets, I took Ian to Invita, a vegetarian cafe where most options are actually vegan. Ian bought a couple of biscuits and I bought a cupcake for morning tea. Then we wandered through the markets but didn't buy anything apart from a tomato and a couple of mandarins, partly because we didn't want to carry anything heavy during the rest of the day.
Then we went back to Invita for lunch. I had a baby spinach, yellow lentil soup and Ian had a "shepherd's" pie. We'd actually call this cottage pie as there was no meat in the dish. We also shared a mango, soy milk 'smoothie'. Ian thinks it should be called a 'thickie' as the spoon that came with it could stand up unaided in it. All in all, our meal was delicious and we got a couple of extra treats for 'ron'.
Then we trekked over to the Melbourne Museum to see the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs Exhibition. We went for the full shebang of the exhibit ($29.50) plus the optional extras of the audio tour ($7.50) and the 3D movie ($8.50). I think the audio tour was better value than the 3D movie so if you're going and have the funds for one add-on but not both, I'd recommend the audio tour.
After that, I decided that I'd like to have a hot chocolate from San Churro. It took us a while to find it as first up I didn't remember where one was so we just meandered towards the city, then when I remembered that we could probably find one with Ian's smart phone, it lead us up a bit of a garden path, first directing us to the wrong place on Swanston St, then it seemed to suggest (to my eyes, although Ian read it otherwise) a street a block away. Anyway, we finally managed to get to the outlet in the Queen Victoria Centre. San Churro hot chocolate 'drinks' are a bit like Greek coffee - very thick and dark. Basically they melt chocolate and add milk so it's more liquid chocolate with a dash of milk than a chocolate flavoured milk drink.
My enjoyment of my Mint Magnifico would have been greater if there hadn't been a table full of smokers at the doorway whose smoke drifted into the interior of the store. We assume that Victoria's laws about how close to a doorway, to a public place, that people can smoke are rather different from Queensland's.
After this we headed back to the tram line to catch a tram to Alicia's street. Fortunately for us we ended up sitting across the aisle from a lady who not only was going to the same street (so we knew to get off with her) but has also experienced being a patient at Epworth Private Hospital, Richmond and says it is a top hospital.
At home we cooked dinner which, although a little different from how we would make the same dish in our own kitchen, I thoroughly enjoyed as I expect I won't have a 'home'-cooked meal by Ian for a while as tomorrow night I should be eating hospital food.
Speaking of which, I still haven't heard from the hospital (maybe there are messages back on our answering machine in Logan) so I'm hoping that they received my information pack which detailed my dietary requirements. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived home, and answered a couple of phone calls, it was 10 minutes past the admissions closing time (8pm) so I will have to call early in the morning (they open at 6am) to check that everything is on track. At least I know that the surgeon is expecting me.
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