HEART OPERATION UPDATE: 7/12/14 -- Yup. Still got a heart -- repaired mitral valve (better than replacing). Split open my chest. Then super-glued it back when work completed. Now THATs invasive surgery! Fortunately Im as pretty as ever -- in a coy, Frankenstein sort of way. No clinical depression at this end (yet). Life is good! Back home after a 4 night vacation in the hospital, and in relatively good shape. Gonna take two months to get close back to form, Im told. With luck, tomorrow I can return upstairs to the war room and even to my exercise bike (minimum settings & short sessions). With chronic congestive heart failure/disease, one never really gets well. The goal is to not get worse! That means less than ideal food, more than ideal exercise. Clean living. Auuugghhhhh! Still have trouble talking sometimes (THAT drives me crazy). Fluid in lungs leads to shortness of breath. So no phone calls or visits desired. Diet precludes dropping by casseroles. Isnt it great when the best thing you can do for me is nothing?! I expect everyone to pitch in and do their part on this. Sacrifice for the greater good. Emails always welcome, of course. BTW, when asked at the hospital (as a check) what procedure I was there for, I always deadpanned hysterectomy. Responses varied. Most enjoyed my little jest. But a couple of the staff were just asking rote questions with little interest in the answer. In each case, about 5 seconds later thered be a wait . . . WHAT? In one case a jolly guy shaving my chest in pre-op nearly clipped off my nipple! NOTE TO SELF: Work on TIMING of future hospital jokes.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 18:26:41 +0000