domdomsezr

To replace my aortic valve (with a metal/carbon one) they have to go through the breastbone (ummm...), into the heart (glad I was out for this one!) and then they use 5 or 6 metal wires to put the breastbone back together, and it takes 3 months to all get back together and fine. The time may be longer for older people, and most of them were. However, it took about 5 weeks after the op before I was feeling a lot more like myself and luckily I was able to make it to Keele for the last 3 days of term and I had an absolute ball. Just the perfect tonic. A while back I saw a doc who gave me the all clear, and later on (after getting a note from my GP to say I was fit and allowed ..) I could resume driving. I spent a whole 7 or 8 weeks without driving! What a pisser! For five weeks, twice I week, I went to the sessions at the MRI for a cardiac rehab course (the next youngest person is in their mid-40s and there are plenty of OAPs...well, there's about 10 or 11 in the group altogether). We just did exercises like shoulder-circles and leg raises in the Wed session (Mon was just for signing up really, and letting them take details like BP and pulse rate) and things will progress as the course goes on until the last day which was Mon 25th July. By the way, since my new aortic valve is made from metal/carbon, it clicks every time my heart beats since the blood is meant to go through it from the heart, and not leak back at all which is what my old one did slightly. Hence, I sound like a Swatch watch all the time now! I noticed it all the time when I first get it, but not so much now - only when it's quiet and when I am thinking about it. However when I went to Keele for the Summer Party and the last Friday of the term, I discovered the best ever chat up line - getting all the ladies to have a listen to my new valve..and they did! One girl even said "Ooh, I could listen to that all night!", but I don't think her b/f would approve ;) I wonder if I could hire a Swatch-watch fancy dress costume?? I was thinking of sampling the click and making a dance record out of it. I could call it "Aortic beat"!! :) Now I'm on 1mg or 3mg tablets of Warfarin for the rest of my life (usually taking 2mg or 3mg per day), and I didn't know what else this stuff was used for... it's RAT POISON! The rats can't handle it due to their metabolism and the fact that it thins the blood, hence it stops the valve from clotting up. If I don't take enough Warfarin then the valve would clot up after a while, and if I took too much...excess blood has to come out somewhere... :O

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