Good news not so good news
I don't want to use the term bad news but in this case my hopes of being able to leave the hospital tomorrow have been dashed. The good news is that I had my heart pacing wires removed today. They were actually up against the heart and are used to either increase or decrease ones heart rate. They did not actually have to use them but were there just in case.
My heart rate has been a very steady 70 or so beats per minute however is about 15 beats faster than it was pre-operation. I guess I will either have to adjust to the new resting rate or work on it, when able to start running again. Blood pressure is in the high normal range so they also have me on Beta Blockers to bring it down. My usual level of exercise will also help to keep it in the normal range.
Now the not so good news. My INR number, the International Normalized Ratio, is normal for a person without a mechanical valve. Right now it is 1.1 but the blood clotting factor needs to be between 2-3. The blood thinner, Coumadin or as we see on TV a lot warfarin, has not kicked in yet so I will be hooked back up to an Heparin IV for awhile to help get the number up. Needles to say I cannot leave the hospital until they get the number to the acceptable range. There are a number of precautions while taking Coumadin, which I will have to do for the rest of my life, but still feel that they are worth not ever having to do this again.
Right now just taking it one day at a time and will always remember when the nurse asked me to wake up and I realized I was alive. Actually your hearing is the first to come back and clear vision the last so when I heard her I first thought they were trying to bring me back to life but realized that they simply wanted me to wake up so I could breath on my own.
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