Staples, No More!

Everything went really well yesterday in Mobile. They were running really far behind though, so it took forever for anything to happen. We got there around 11:30. The appointment was for 11:45. Around 1:00 they took us back and got my weight and blood pressure (both good). Then they put us in an exam room. There happened to be a rocking chair in the room they put us in (he's pediatric remember), so DeAnne took that and I got on the table. Eventually I laid down and we were both asleep before long.

Eventually the tech that does the echoes came and got us and we did an echo. It was pretty wild. Even I could tell an immediate difference in the way it looked and sounded compared to what it was prior to the surgery. DeAnne even noticed the difference and she only saw one echo before the surgery.

So after the echo, we were put back in the exam room and we didn't have to wait long after that for Dr. Mayer. He came in and checked my pulse and listened to me and said the echo looked great. I don't have any fluid around my heart and the new valve is neither leaking or blocking anything. He then had me lay back down on the table and he started pulling the staples. It really wasn't that bad. There were a few that stung and usually those were the ones that bled a little, but overall it didn't really hurt.

It feels a lot better to have them out. I'm not so scared to wear a pull-over shirt anymore and overall I just feel more comfortable now that they're gone. The scar is a little red and irritated from the staples, but it looks pretty good. Most of the scabbing that was left came off in the shower last night and this morning I've noticed on small spot where it's oozed some during the night, but it's stopped and I don't think it's large enough to be concerned about it. It's amazing to me that after only 3 weeks a place where they cut me open and pulled my chest apart has now closed back up. It just seems like something that traumatic to your body would take longer to heal up.

We took some pictures of the staples being pulled and a couple of after shots to go along with the post-op pictures from the hospital. I'll see if I can get them up sometime during the next couple of days. I'm also going to try and finish the recap of our time in the hospital sometime soon. Dr. Mayer gave me two more weeks before I can start going back to work, so I've got plenty of time on my hands still. I was hoping I could go back after next week, but he shot that down pretty quickly.

One last note: We're getting closer to getting my blood-thinner regulated. It's been right where it needs to be for the last 2 days. They gave me instructions for the weekend and they're letting me skip on getting my blood drawn on Monday, so I'll actually get a 3 day break from the vampire starting today. I'll be glad when we get everything straight. Now that the staples are out, getting the blood-thinner right is really the last major thing to do. I'm just glad to catch a break from the lab work. My arms don't look near as bad as I thought they would, but I'm still tired of having needles shoved in them.

All for now.

--Paul