Well, not much exciting happened after I got to recovery. I checked email (left handed). Posted on Face Book (left handed) and then attempted to eat breakfast -- left handed. For those of you who know me well, you know that my hands shake. The hand that shakes worse (or is that better as it is definitely more of a shake) is my left. So my right hand is incapacitated (wrapped in a pretty clear bracelet) and they give me cereal. I am able to open the milk and pour it in the bowl but as soon as the spoon goes in, it is all over the place. My sister offers to feed me but I wasn't having any of that. I managed to steady my hand by resting it on my chest and ate about half the cereal before must giving up. The juice and fruit was much easier.
And we sat (well she sat, I was laying down). They offered to put on the TV but i had my iPad and Face book and my sister had Candy Crush or solitaire, or something. They'd check my pressure bracelet and blood pressure from time to time. The doctor came in to talk to us. Looks like I'm getting out this afternoon (the goal for us was 2 in order to get the kids from school). At one point the nurse notices something about where my puncture was and felt it best to take the pressure bracelet off. She did, there was some spurtage of blood. Pressure was applied and this pressure bandage was put on. Kind of like a giant Band Aid with a big window to see the area. Lovely.
Lunch arrived. My sister cut up the chicken but the rice was as messy as the cereal from breakfast. It was after noon now and we were getting antsy about getting out.
Blood pressure was low but acceptable. The nurse, who was a great comfort and quite helpful decided she would start putting together the discharge stuff, in case we could get out soon. She had the blood taking lady (phlebotomist?) come up from the lab to draw blood. It was 1 now. The nurse informed me to be careful with my right hand and to not use it for any repeating motion for a few days. she went on to demonstrate by making a loose fist and raising and lowering it quickly. Yes, that's exactly what it looked like. She had to be privy to my Face Book page.
Results form the blood test were in. Blood pressure still low. we reviewed the discharge paperwork. I was told to cut my blood pressure pills in half and to monitor my blood pressure twice a day. at first I thought I'd have to go to the mall to use the blood pressure machine there but it ends up you can by these things for home usage. Another demonstration on what not to do with my hand. Do I have a certain look to me?
She called my doctor to get the okay for discharge. It was 130. We were discussing my diet and I mentioned I had lost 30 pounds in the past two months. "Wow, how did you do that? I've been trying to lose weight for awhile now."
"I had a heart attack." She doubled over laughing.
Again what not to do with my hand. "For example," she said as she raised and lowered her hand a few more times, "no hammering." Finally some clarity. My sister asked about the doctor. she said she was going to call again in a minute if . . . the phone rang. It was him. Let him leave was the message.
I changed into my civilian clothes, which do button in the front. Gathered up all my paperwork and got into the awaiting wheel chair. IN all my life, I have been in a wheel chair three times, twice on this day and once, when I left the hospital after the event. The nurse wheeled me out to the front. My sister, who had left a few minutes earlier to get the car, pulled up and we were off. 2:05. Boy, were the kids pleasantly surprised to see me in the passenger seat when we got to their schools.
and that, my friends, was the procedure.
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