THR Cassidy's hopalong recovery<

[Mojo333]

Sometimes it takes an incident like that to show the limits of our capabilities.
And you've had the added "plus" of having to do certain things when husband had his unexpected trip do you are way behind on getting to take it easy.
Please do rest up this weekend dear Cassidy.
Hope you feel better quickly.

 

[Cassidy]

It'll be a while before I try the van again @Jaycey and @Mojo333!! I'll be sticking to my little run around.

Husband is still in hospital. They've moved him from the high dependency ward to a regular cardiac ward and are doing less monitoring. He wakes up every morning with low blood pressure, which gets back to normal gradually (think he just needs his morning cup of tea!), then drops sometimes when he stands. He's walked a bit more the last couple of days, but not for long and not on his own. He's eating well and sleeping better, so I suspect they'll suggest discharging him soon, which makes me a bit uneasy because they've never established what the problem was/is, but maybe he's just adjusting to his new heart?

I'll be glad to avoid the 3 - 4 hour round trips to visit him though.

I've got a very quiet weekend lined up - in the past I'd have called it boring! - but may see if I can get a friend to come round one evening for a catch up and a film - I'm going to go stir crazy if not!!

The weather has turned here - summer has departed, hopefully only temporarily - so I can't even sit in the sun and read my newspaper.

 

[Mojo333]

Glad you plan on chilling out this weekend.
I wonder if they have been trying to tweak some if his heart meds and I know some of those take time to get in the system and do their job.
So sorry he is still there but you can't be getting him up of the floor should he faint!
Wishing him (and you) healing thoughts and hope all gets sorted soon.

 

[Jaycey]

@Cassidy just checking to see if all is well with you. Please update when you can.

 

[Cassidy]

Hello @Jaycey. I haven't updated recently as little changed - daily visits to hospital with seemingly little progress, but it looks as though hubby might be discharged on Friday, thank goodness - nearly five weeks in one hospital or another! We've had some interesting moments - he was taken down to x-ray yesterday for an x-ray on his foot, before it transpired that there's another patient with the same name suffering from gout and diabetes. At least they didn't try to amputate his foot!

They haven't really concluded what was causing the fainting, but it appears that one of the medications - possibly the blood thinners - cause his blood pressure to drop. The doctors are reluctant to stop the blood thinning medication yet, as they say blood clots/stroke would be a greater risk, but hopefully he won't have to keep on taking it beyond the next few weeks, so he'll just have to try to sit down for a while after taking it.

He's had a bit of an infection in his incision, but I think it was only superficial and a change of dressings and antibiotics have hopefully cleared it. Anyway, we'll see if he actually escapes as promised!

My hip is progressing well too. The incision is still a bit sore, and my thigh does give me gip occasionally - muscular I think - but I've been walking a lot more than I anticipated - I've been going to the hospital on the train for the past few days - and my fitbit shows that Ive walked 8,000 steps on three consecutive days, which is more than I was walking pre-op. I'm sleeping a bit better, albeit on my back, and I have to keep reminding myself of restrictions. I've told my boss that I'll attempt going back half-time part-time in a couple of weeks (i.e. 8 weeks post-op), and then up the hours after a couple of weeks, all being well. He seems agreeable to that suggestion.

So things seem to be looking up. I must say that my convalescence has turned out slightly different to what we'd planned, but it's certainly not dragged! I'm also noticing that over the past two or three days I haven't suffered as much from that extreme weariness, so hopefully the post-op energy drain is lifting.

The only question I have is - where has the summer gone to? I seem to have lost a couple of months out of the year!

 

[Layla]

Happy Thursday to you across the pond
Your Summer has been a whirlwind! I'm sure June was preoccupied with thoughts of your upcoming surgery and prepping for it. Then..you barely took a breath before hubby's health crisis happened. I'll bet it's all a blur some days. I hope hubs is released on Friday so you can get some long overdue rest. You two can relax together at home until you return to work.
I hope you have a nice Thursday.
@Cassidy

 

[Jaycey]

but it appears that one of the medications - possibly the blood thinners - cause his blood pressure to drop

Can't they just reduce the dosage slightly. I had the same problem when they put me on BP medication after an angiogram. Just tweaking the meds slightly did the trick.

I've told my boss that I'll attempt going back half-time part-time in a couple of weeks

I hope you can be flexible with this. With hubby coming home you might have a lot on your plate if you have to deal with work as well. Please take care of yourself!

 

[Bionic]

@Cassidy
Great news that it looks like your husband will be home soon.
Make sure you both take some time to enjoy your recoveries

 

[Mojo333]

Have been thinking of you...and how strong you have been...praying all evens out with dear husband very soon.
Glad your recovery seems to be going well.

 

[Cassidy]

Thanks @Bionic and @Mojo333 - actually I haven't felt strong all the time, but it's like the getting old scenario - what's the alternative?! I actually rang the hospital this morning, and have to ring back later, because hubby rang this morning to say they're now questioning whether his incision is healing properly. Seeing as they cut it open when they lanced the "spot", and it's still stuffed with gauze, I'm not sure how it's supposed to heal! Trouble is, husband doesn't ask questions like I do. After my last experience I've decided to become an expert patient, whereas he trusts medical people totally. Since he's had two bad experiences already during his stay, I'd have thought he'd have learned that they're not infallible!

Anyway, off to have lunch with a friend, then back to re-ring the hospital in the hopes that I can find out more, as he's going stir crazy in there - and I'm going stir crazy out here!!

I'm sure all will get back to boring normality (said I'd never call it that again!) in time, but I'm not a patient person and want that to be now!! Tones of Violet Elizabeth in Just William in that - "I'll thcream and thcream till I'm thick", said whilst foot stamping!

 

[Bone-obo]

It's really hard to be an advocate for your sweetie while recuperating yourself. You're my hero, C.

 

[Apricot]

Good luck. Agree with you about the need to be persistent for info from our UK medics.

 

[SurreyGirl]

Yuk. Pour you having all that to deal with. Not much I can do to help here but thinking of you and best wishes to you both

 

[Cassidy]

Thanks one and all. After persistence yesterday and today, it looks as though he's being released (yes, does sound like prison!) this evening - which is just as well, as it's the Bank Holiday weekend and nothing will happen on the ward again until Tuesday - after nearly 5 weeks' incarceration.

Hopefully his fainting and infection are both under control and he'll behave himself. I'll then have a whole 10 days to finish my recovery before I give work a go. Certainly not what I planned for my 8 weeks convalescence, but it certainly hasn't dragged!

 

[Bionic]

@Cassidy
That's really good news. I hope you both manage to have a good bank holiday, although the weather isn't going to be anything to write home about.

 

[Bchbum4evr]

Great news on Hubs! Now you can some rest together. Hope all continues well with infection and fainting.

 

[Layla]

Wonderful news, Cassidy.
Hopefully you both can get some quality rest over the next 10 days before you return to work.
No more constant interruptions for hubs at the hospital and no more commutes for you
Hope you have a quiet, uneventful weekend at home.
@Cassidy

 

[1stSurgery]

Great news on hubby getting sprung from his "incarceration"! And hopefully the familiar comfort of the home environment will calm down every cell and hence speed the healing he's going through. And you! You will need some good rest time before diving back to work if possible. Get the movies lined up for home viewing. And whatever you end up doing...try to do it slowly! Half speed, so your body isnt under too much strain, after all you've gone through.

 

[Cassidy]

Thanks for al your best wishes. Got husband home safe and well, but I must admit to feeling a certain nervousness having him here, with all the ups and downs in the hospital. He's sleeping in a separate rom at the moment, as we'd definitely keep each other awake, both of us having to sleep on our backs! He's extremely tired, and his legs are complaining as he hasn't really used them for nearly 5 weeks. I put him to bed and almost feel I should keep checking that he's still breathing! Feels like having the responsibility of a newborn baby all over again. I hope our confidence returns - me in my new hip and both of us in his heart. Seems strange that he's walking around with a leg artery attached to his heart!!!

 

[Layla]

Hi @Cassidy
I hope you have a means of communication from room to room. Like your cell phones.
I fully understand being nervous, Cassidy. With the dizziness and fainting spells it has to be a bit nerve wracking being his only caregiver. Hopefully all runs smoothly.
Prayers you both get the rest you need....without incident.
Hugs