Saturday, August 30, 2008

Post-Op Day 2 - Tubeless in LA

I'm a little bit behind but Day 2 was a big day.  The morning started off well but by mid-morning Mike wasn't feeling all that well.  Nothing major, just not as good as the previous couple of days. Of course, it was only 2 days after surgery so a not-so-great day is to be expected.  It turns out he has what is called a rub.  This is where the heart is rubbing against the pericardium (sac around the heart) as it beats.  This rubbing can cause inflammation which is called pericarditis.  Generally you treat this with anti-inflammatory medications and keep an eye on things.  This is not necessarily an unusual occurrence given that Mike just had open heart surgery so we are not worried.  

The big news of the day is Mike had his catheter removed which means all the tubes and lines are officially gone!  All he has now is an IV access in one hand for blood draws and medications as needed.  This certainly helps make mobility a whole lot easier and he was able to do laps around the ward four times.  I continue to be amazed at how much he can do in such a short time and am thankful for all the care he is receiving. 

Sorry no pics today but will try to post some tomorrow.  Thanks for tuning in!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Heart surgery a couple of days ago and already laps! I haven't had any recent surgery, but still very commonly have a lapse, but I think that's a little different......

Anonymous said...

It's great to hear Mikes recovering so quickly, but maybe to mix things up he should do a personal interest story on one of his caretakers, like say Nurse Vicky (that is the one on the right?) You know, favorite beach in L.A. interesting tan lines, etc. Just a thought.

Matt