New scar

Today I am exactly one month post-op!  I have been home for two weeks as of yesterday.  Woo hoo!  These small milestones are really landmark achievements for me as my sense of physical capacity, strength and activity slowly begins to normalize.  I am now walking to the end of the street two times a day; I've ascended two flights of stairs; I've prepared my own meals (occasionally); I can nearly take a shower independently; I can sneakily open the refrigerator doors; and I tend to have one big outing or errand each day.  With all of these milestones achieved, I immediately have expectations of myself that I can do whatever I want, but alas, I am still plagued with fatigue, take two naps a day and am painfully tired in the evening.  "You did just have a major open heart surgery," I remind myself, "really, Emily!"

 Last week I had my three-week follow-up appointment in the surgeon's office.  I passed with flying colors!  All vitals are good: heart rate, blood pressure, temperature; my laboring with the incentive spirometer has paid off: lungs are clear; and most exciting, all tape and sutures were removed: it was an unveiling of my new scar.  As you can see, my scar looks fantastic!  Free of scabs and a nice healthy pink, it measures 9 1/2 inches which is about an inch and half longer than my last scar (an extra half inch at the top and an extra inch at the bottom).  It is hard to see in the picture but the new incision line runs alongside the right edge of my old scar, with the exception of the top three inches.  Because the top three inches of my old scar were so wide, it appears that whoever closed me did a little handiwork in which they removed some of the old scar.  It is hard to tell how that bit will turn out; it looks a little funky right now, but time will tell.  I think it's a keeper.  It was also established at my appointment that I am quite anemic (I never had a blood transfusion, but probably could have benefited from one) meaning it will take a couple of months for my blood to repopulate and for my energy levels to get back to normal.  Never a patient person, I have decided to give my blood an encouraging turbo boost by eating lots of red meat (gasp!) and even liver (yum!).  Now, I have always admired the power of food on many levels, but the day after I ate half a can of liver pate (it did smell like cat food) I had amazing color in my cheeks for the first time in two weeks, giving me a new-found respect for the healing power of food!  Thanks food!  You are great! 

The final bit, and best bit, of news I received from my appointment is that the longevity this surgery has afforded me until my next operation is much greater than originally thought.  Because Starnes widened the aorta and aortic root with the Bentall procedure, relieving pressure off the valves, the new valves could potentially last me another 15 to 20 years, as oppose to 10 years, which was the original prognosis.  Celebrate!  Good news, indeed. 

What's next: take it easy, keep up the physical activity (they want me to walk a mile by the end of the month), keep taking naps (yes, please!) and in two weeks time I will visit with my cardiologist to start weaning me off ALL of my medications.  Nice!  My father-in-law has incentivized my mile challenge by offering me a pie once I reach that mile.  That's all the incentive I need; here I come, pie!