So Sunday was my one month mark. I’m feeling good and am getting my energy back. I still have some weird aches and pains but I think that’s to be expected. I worked 6 or 7 hour days last week and am trying to work full days this week. I made this video of what happened to me when I came back to work. It’s pretty bad but I think that’s the beauty of it. We filmed it on an iPhone and only did one take on each scene so we wouldn’t interrupt the work day too much and then I edited it at home. Enjoy!
Three weeks!
It’s been three weeks since my heart valve was replaced - Yippie! It’s been the strangest three weeks of my life. I feel pretty good now and hope to start work again soon. I will go in tomorrow for a half day to see how I do. My heart has been beating more even each day and is feeling good. Everyday of recovery has been different. I feel a different little pain everyday. The next day it is replaced by a new one. Today it felt like a pair of scissors was left in me from the surgery right around my bread basket (remember the game operation?). It’s not too bad I just have to avoid sitting a certain way. Food doesn’t taste the same but it seems like one thing at a time is getting back to normal. This morning I walked farther than I ever have and tomorrow I’m hoping to walk just a bit further. The above photo was taken on day two I think. I’m glad to be three weeks away from that. My scar is not even close to being as bad as I thought it would. I thought I would never go swimming in public without a shirt again but it looks just like someone took a pink marker and drew a line on my sternum. Not so bad. The biggest thing I miss is riding my bike. Soon enough. Overall I couldn’t be happier with how things are going and I’m looking forward to being three months out from my surgery.
Mail bag
Thank you to everyone who has sent me a letter, a card, postcard, and in some cases mini works of art. I love getting mail it really makes my day. I also love writing letters and sending weird stuff in the mail. I know that this is a bit strange for a guy but hey, it’s who I am. Many of you know that I make fake cereal box mail-in offers and mail them out to friends and strangers world-wide. Sometimes I have to go to Wikipedia because I get a postcard from a country I’ve never heard of. When my wife rolls her eyes occasionally at my weirdness I have to remind her that most men have very expensive hobbies like cars, electronics or golf and that my hobby costs almost nothing ;-) So the above photo is me silk screening a special “Bionic Heart” fake cereal box mail-in offer postcard. Notice my wrist has my hospital check-in band. I printed these the night before I went in to the hospital, it helped me relax and take my mind off of what would happen in the morning. Anyway, I have been sending this heart postcard to everyone who has written me during recovery. So it’s not too late, drop something in the mail to me and I will send you a postcard. You never know, you may get hooked and join the small and strange group of people who actually skip the computer and send some love the old fashioned way - through the mail!
Ralph Thomas
2511 Via Di Autostrada
Henderson, NV 89074
USA
Maybe I will shave today
Just a quick update. It’s been two weeks since my surgery. I’m doing fine. I’m at home. I don’t have much pain except when I cough or things like that. Nights are tough because I can’t sleep on either side yet so it gets uncomfortable just lying in one spot on my back. Overall I feel pretty good I just don’t have much energy. I always have to lay down after eating or showering or things like that. I walk a few times a day but I don’t get very far, maybe a few blocks. I think I’m so tired because I left the hospital with low blood. I went in with 16 (whatever measurement) and left at 9.6. They checked my INR yesterday and had to prick my finger three different times to try to get one drop of blood for the test strip. I just don’t have much blood. I look pale. They said it’s much better for a young person to build up their own blood again than have other blood put in you. Every day I’m getting my strength back. I lost 10 pounds that first week and have put about 5 pounds back on.
I’m not much of a TV guy so I’ve been reading a lot. I am most the way through, In Search of the Lost Ones (thanks Darrin) about the Anasazi and just finished Unbroken (thanks Matt and Rachel) which is about one man’s survival at sea for 47 days after his WWII bomber went down and then surviving Japanese POW camps. I have a hard time reading about the atrocities of war but do like reading about human triumph. It was hard to put down.
Anyway, my new goal is to start acting well. Shave, get dressed early instead of hanging out my PJ’s half the day, comb my hair, eat more food, get out more, you get the idea.
Emergency room visit
Yesterday at about 2pm my heart started doing some bizarre stuff. About every 14th beat it would skip and then the following beat would be four times as strong as a normal beat. About four hours later I let my wife listen to it and we decided to go in and get it listened to by a doctor. The good thing about having heart problems is you don’t wait in the emergency room, they take you right in. I’ve been with people I felt were on the verge of death and they had to wait like everyone else. Even with a packed ER I went from check in right to a bed. It didn’t take long and my heart mellowed out. I think it may have been related to my taking some pain meds right before we left. I knew I would be getting in and out of bed and poked and prodded so I wanted to take the edge off. I think the pain medication may have relaxed my heart but that is only a guess. They told me it will be awhile before my heart gets used to the new situation and what signs to look for for trouble. So 2 hours and $200 later I was back at home.
Heard my heart ticking
It was so funny to read my previous post, my brain was on vacation. It was tough to type on the tv and I couldn’t see what I was typing very well. Anyway, I was looking forward to hearing my heart tick. When I came out of surgery and was in my room I was trying to listen, then I heard this ticking and thought, “this is so cool” then I looked at the clock on the wall and my heart was in perfect sync with the seconds on the clock. It took me a bit before I realized that I wasn’t in sync with the clock - what I was hearing WAS the clock. After sleeping in my own bed and laying down in complete silence I finally heard my ticker. It sounds just like a pocket watch but a little faster.
I’ve been taken to intermediate care
I’m officially out of ICU. Please excuse poor spelling and gramar ;-) I can’t relly see the screen accross the room and I’m on pain meds. I’m feeling much better todat and the sea sick feelinh has gone away. I feel like I’ve gone from a newborn, to an infant, to a toddler in just a few days. You learn to appreciate so much. An ice cube is like manah from heaven, any fruit is amazing, standing to go pee makes me so proud of myself, brushing my own teeth, I could go on and on. The nurses say I am ahead of the curve on my healing and I should be home soon. If you saw me you would think I was a wild man found in the wilderness. A cycborg wildman! I still have wires coming out of my chest and neck that should come out tomorrow if my blood isn’t to thin. I haven’t shaved since I’ve been in and I still have the stanes of surgery on my skin. I look horrible but I’m feeling so good. I will report more tomorrow. It’s a strain to see accross the room at this angle and I’m getting a headace. Much love! Ralph P.s. thank you for all the love and support.
Oranges taste soooooo gooooood
When you are recovering in the hospital and you get to the piont that they bring in the solid food dinner tray, one knows that they are getting better. Oranges are included on they menu and they have never tasted so good. While eating a few solids, try not to think ahead to the next step in the healing process. Most of the tubes are out and other then the neck IV, oxygen line, endless supply of medication, monitors, compression socks(not tights), walker, nausea, and gown; ralph feels quite ready to go home:)
Ralph’s Surgery Update
The surgery went well this morning. It was a little brutal, but after 3 1/2 hrs, Ralph is now in recovery and working on getting his breathing tube removed. Baby steps in the right direction. Thank you to all the prayers and support from family and friends. We love you all-
One more day
I went slow and tried to take it all in while riding my bike to work today. It will be a while before I’m back in the saddle. I have a lot that I’d like to do before I go under the knife. Some things are just things that it would be nice to do and others I have to get done. Like the whole notarized power of attorney blah, blah, blah stuff. It’s a bit surreal and surprisingly I don’t feel nervous. I’m sure I will when they start prepping me tomorrow morning. Everyone has been so nice and supportive. I feel a bit like George Bailey in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” when his life is such a mess and everyone rallies around him and he realizes how much he is loved . I’m truly humbled by everyone’s kindness.
