Last week I had my four-week follow-up appointment from when I had Open-Heart surgery and everything went really well. My heartbeat is regular and I no longer have a heart murmur. I don't feel out of breath like I did before. It's crazy because I did not realize how often I was out of breath before until now. I am allowed to drive which I was doing anyway, not far just a few minutes from my house to the store and things like that. But my doctor knew I was going to be doing what I wanted to anyway. That’s why when he asked me that question he kind of gave me the side eye. He’s a really laid-back and straight-to-the-point doctor. He wanted to see me healed, whole, and continue on with my life. I was glad that he was my surgeon. He even took me off some medications earlier than expected.
Before my one month follow-up I was taken off the diuretic pills (pills to increase urination) and Atorvastatin (pills to control/lower cholesterol). That helped me a LOT because I was having headaches and just not feeling too good. A few days ago I asked about being taken off the Metoprolol (treats high blood pressure and helps regulate/lower your heart rate). At first, that medication was making me very nauseous. Then the dosage was lowered and I was getting extremely sleepy and sluggish for the majority of the day. I was told that most times they will keep patients on Metoprolol for at least two to three months post surgery but my doctor said that if I felt like I wanted to get off I could; so I am officially off today. Yes! I can return to work after April 1st however if I don’t feel better at that time then I can return to work at the end of April. But because of the way my bills are set up, I'll be returning to work shortly after April 1st😄.
WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTO!!!
This picture was a few weeks post surgery. When I first got home the top of both my breasts were literally black, the scar on my stomach was much darker, and of course, I was in pain. I will probably post a six-month post op and a year post op photo to show how the scars heal up over time. In one of my previous posts, I spoke about how my left breast was larger and you can see that in the photo. That is because my heart was enlarged. My doctor said that in six months to a year it should go down which I am very happy about. I thought about getting a tattoo to cover the scar but I doubt I will. One I don’t want to experience any more pain and I don’t really care about covering up the scar. It doesn’t bother me to the point of wanting to cover it up.
I’m not one hundred percent yet but I do feel much better. There is still some pain at times and my scar is itching SO BAD! I just want to rip it right off my chest! I try my best to not sleep directly on my chest but sometimes I wake up like that. For a few hours my chest and shoulders will feel locked up, almost like a charley horse, but the pain eventually goes away. According to my doctor, I still have about two weeks or so before my sternum feels better and by the end of April, I should be completely healed!!!
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