Thanks for caring Ana. What an ordeal! I went from a possible stent placement to the position of needing all 3 coronary arteries bipassed plus the valve replaced with a plastic valve and they placed pacemaker leads for just in case. I came through the surgery and somewhere along the line they decided not to replace the valve and eventually the pacemaker leads were pulled. But bottom line I had to have open heart surgery - they sawed through several ribs to get my heart out and do some nipping and tucking.
So now that's fixed and I just have to be careful (sternum precautions) and heal up as best I can. My nurses and therapist all say I'm doing very well. I'm just coping with the pain as best I can and taking things slowly.
The worse part for me to endure other than the pain was that I needed to stay in a rehab facility for at least a week and I couldn't be alone. There were always people in the room talking and talking and they never stopped talking. It was driving me bonkers. So against my doctor's advice I discharged myself to my own home. He wanted me to stay with family for another 3 weeks but I could not have endured it. I needed my space.
Anyway, things are working out well. the visiting physical therapist does not think I can benefit from her services at this time so she is discharging herself. (Outpatient Cardiac Rehab would benefit me more).
I've got a couple more therapists/nurses coming next week so we'll see how that works out. Everyone seems to agree with me that I am managing my own home care fine.
The challenge now is to get to my doctor appointments - and get my laundry done. And go shopping. I can't drive for a while. And I can't lift anything. So that creates a problem. Maybe the occupational therapist can offer some kind of home help for transportation, shopping, etc.
I'm so GLAD to be home. My cat hollered at me nonstop for hours yesterday. I put her in a lot of stress the whole time I was gone and she worried constantly. Now we are content.
Edit: Thanks Sorta. I'm amazingly lucky to be alive at all.