Bone saw

-->I don't care what happens, I just don't want to hear the bone saw.<---

It's 12 weeks today since my 3rd open-heart surgery. Getting better has been all over the map, good, bad, tough, & easy (I'm alive!).

Still creaky, still hurty - less so thankfully - and I get super-tired from doing very little but I feel more solid. 

I'm also wrapping my head around the fact that I lost more than 2 1/2 years of my life with that previous terrible, wrong valve that wasn't working for me.

ekki mukk

I love this new Sigur Ros song. It means "Not a sound."

With the my new pulmonary valve, it's a human valve, so there's no longer the hard-kick ticking of it beating against my rib cage. And the lyrics translation just makes it even more touching.

I don't know how accurate it is, but it feels right.

Let’s breathe deep
and while
we can
close our eyes
let our ears hear
there’s no other sound
just our breath
and our heartbeats
and our spirits

Walking to New Orleans

Week 1 cardiac rehab completed - it's hard, really hard -physically & emotionally. I can walk for about 6-7 mins on the lowest treadmill setting then stop & start again.

Today they played "walking to New Orleans" and the awesome Yat lead nurse told us about growing up a few houses down from Fats Domino and how "Daddy and him were buddies because they had the common 'hobby' of going to bars...and drinking."

way worn out and tired

Cardiac Rehab begins

started cardiac rehab today. 


if the treadmill doesn't do me in, the cooldown to michael bublé will.

Heart Light

Not to put too fine a point on it...but sorry for being late, but thanks to everyone for all the wonderful birthday wishes!!! 


All of the good vibes totally help! Slowly getting better, chest still really hurts, but doing more each day, and I go to my orientation for cardiac rehab tomorrow. 

And thanks to Chris and Claire for the night light. Made out of New Orleans Mardi Gras beads. Love to all! ♥ ♥

7 weeks

7 weeks post surgery - feeling better, chest still aches a whole lot - it's amazing how nice life is without gasping for breaths all the time. 


Much lower energy and some erratic beats this week but going next Tues for stress test to begin cardiac rehab. 


Horrible insomnia but seems it's a common side effect, who needs sleep anyway? :)

Week 6

6 weeks out from surgery - feel ok, my chest area still hurts A LOT, like all the time. 


They cut a lot higher and lower than before, and here's an awesome description from the report. 


"We were able to peel the aorta and the right ventricular outflow tract off the sternum without getting into trouble." - have cardiac rehab set up for beginning of May, hanging in there! :)