OK, it is around 5:30 AM and the lights in my room just came on. WTF… A person came into the room and said they needed to take some blood. I have not had any good sleep and I am becoming very cranky. UGH! I am super tired and now the room is becoming active again. I knew that the nurse shift was getting close to changing because the information board in my room was being updated. A different nurse came in and said to me that I may be going home today. Really! She began to take my vitals and was having a conversation with me that I was trying to sleep through.
Shortly after all of these disturbances my breakfast arrived which was around 6:30 AM. Once again, not bad. And there was coffee too! I really needed some coffee after being awakened so early, and it was regular strength. This one simple beverage made me so happy and I savored each sip. For this brief moment in time I felt normal.
After breakfast the nurse returned and said that in order for me to be discharged I would need to do some laps around the unit floor with her so she could observe my mobility. She helped me out of bed and off we went, the nurse, me, and my IV. I think I was also connected to a portable heart monitor as well. As we walked by rooms with doors opened I tried to peer in to see what activity might be going on. Yes, I was being curious. I hate to say it, but some rooms that I was able to peer into seemed to be exceptionally quiet even though it was occupied. Maybe they were allowed to get some rest and were not going home on this day.
We did our laps and then returned to my room. I was so surprised at how somewhat tiring those laps were. I now knew that my road to recovery was going to be challenging, but I was determined to go forward. But how? How do you recover from a Widow Maker Heart Attack?
Another Cardiologist from the medical group I was now scheduled to go to came in to talk more about my recovery and my medications. He also wanted to talk about physical activities including intimacy activities that might require specific targeted medications during my recovery. I listened to his informal presentation about my options. My response to his intimacy presentation was more generic since I knew that this prescription might not be needed anytime in the foreseeable future. More on this later in my story. Otherwise, it was a good conversation and did help me think about my recovery. We did discuss Cardiac Rehab in more detail and how that program would help with my heart’s recovery since it was only bruised. I wondered how many patients had a bruised heart and how many had a damaged heart after experiencing a Widow Maker Heart Attack. I already knew how many didn’t make it. Is there a published percentage for survivors? I will need to research this.
I am being discharged…
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