It will be 25 weeks tomorrow. 175 days...since I went in to have my heart valve replaced. I have a six month check up with a new cardiologist tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for the best, but don't really know what to expect. My previous cardiologist came across as rather pompous, so I'm hopeful that this guy will be better. Who knows...maybe cardiologists are all pompous assholes? Either way, at least the new guy is local. I can pretty much walk to the appointment - which is a hell of a lot better than driving to Denver.
I'm not sure how I'm doing at this point, so I'm anxious to find out what an expert thinks. It's not like I'm not doing anything, I'm riding, hiking and running. But it seems that my resting heart rate should be lower. I have both a heart rate monitor and a blood pressure monitor, so I'm rather obsessive about checking these two measurements. And, since that's all I have to go on, any fluctuation in any measurement freaks me out a bit.
But, as I'm writing this, I just checked my BP and HR and it was 132/80 and 76 bpm. So, not a bad morning. A few cups of coffee and I should be able to jet that right up.
chris
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
It's raining in Frisco
Well...it had to end. We've been getting some of the nicest weather the past 4 -5 days - sunny and warm. A lot different from what I hear the Front Range has been experiencing. But now, it's cold and raining.
Not much new on the heart valve side of things. It seems as if the pain that I've been experiencing on the left side of my chest is subsiding. So that should be good.
My friend Ryan just had shoulder surgery, and it looks like he'll be out of action for longer than I was! I was riding my bike just shy of a month after surgery...he'll be out for at least 6 weeks and it'll be 3+ months before he's back in action.
So, maybe heart surgery isn't so bad after all.
IN THE NEWS: This is interesting to me, and I think it will greatly affect my future. Seems that two companies are competing to be the first one to release a new type of heart valve. You can read it here, if you're interested. Basically, it's a valve that is inserted through the femoral artery, and no open heart surgery is needed. Sweet!
Not much new on the heart valve side of things. It seems as if the pain that I've been experiencing on the left side of my chest is subsiding. So that should be good.
My friend Ryan just had shoulder surgery, and it looks like he'll be out of action for longer than I was! I was riding my bike just shy of a month after surgery...he'll be out for at least 6 weeks and it'll be 3+ months before he's back in action.
So, maybe heart surgery isn't so bad after all.
IN THE NEWS: This is interesting to me, and I think it will greatly affect my future. Seems that two companies are competing to be the first one to release a new type of heart valve. You can read it here, if you're interested. Basically, it's a valve that is inserted through the femoral artery, and no open heart surgery is needed. Sweet!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
The Jerusalem Cricket
Thanks to Rich Young for help in identifying the crazy ant-like creature. It is most definitely the Jerusalem Cricket, or "Niño de la Tierra." Which I kind of like better. Child of the Earth.
Melissa and I went to Cirque du Soleil last night down in Denver. Here is something interesting about that...
(AGI) - Moscow, 2 Oct. The Soyuz capsule with the founder of "Cirque du Soleil", Guy Laliberte', on board, has docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The docking took place at 10.35 Italian time. This is the 7th visit to space for the 50-year-old Canadian billionaire, depicted in an unauthorised biography as being addicted to sex, drugs and various other excesses.
Anyway, sex additiction aside, the show was really amazing and fun. Quite the spectacle. It was nice to be out doing something a little different than usual.
chris
Melissa and I went to Cirque du Soleil last night down in Denver. Here is something interesting about that...
(AGI) - Moscow, 2 Oct. The Soyuz capsule with the founder of "Cirque du Soleil", Guy Laliberte', on board, has docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The docking took place at 10.35 Italian time. This is the 7th visit to space for the 50-year-old Canadian billionaire, depicted in an unauthorised biography as being addicted to sex, drugs and various other excesses.
Anyway, sex additiction aside, the show was really amazing and fun. Quite the spectacle. It was nice to be out doing something a little different than usual.
chris
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Over 16 weeks since surgery
I have 3000TFX Bovine Tissue Valve, 29mm, in the Aortic position installed in my heart. I carry a card to that effect in my wallet. It's an Edwards valve, by the way. Just in case you wondered "hmmm, I wonder what brand of valve Chris selected for his heart." I wanted a HEMI. The left side of my chest hurts and I'm occasionally light headed. I can't sleep with out taking drugs, and I'm continually tired. I need to take 5mg of lisinopril every day for the rest of my life (to reduce my blood pressure) and an aspirin to thin my blood. But, if you didn't know I had heart valve replacement surgery four month ago, you'd never know that I had heart valve replacement surgery.
My heart rate seems to be dropping slightly, but it's not where I want it to be. When I check it in the a.m., it's somewhere around 70 BPM. Not bad. But, usually, throughout the day, it's around 75 - 100 depending upon what I am doing. I wear a Polar Heart Rate Monitor, a lot. Probably more than I should. But it's interesting to see how my heart performs under different situations. I try to keep it below 80% of my maximum heart rate (178??), which would be around 148bpm.
Ryan and I headed out west to Frutia last week for some warmer temperatures and desert riding. Chutes and Ladders, Joe's Ridge, Front Side, Zippety-doo-dah, the Kessel run (which I was able to do in less than twelve parsecs, I have the fastest Yeti in the galaxy), and Prime Cut were all under our wheels in short order. One new Coleman stove (best $50 cup of coffee I've ever had), more information about camels than you really need, and a few beers later (and an awesome $10 cigar {which I didn't pay for}), we were on our way back to Summit just in time for good weather to roll back in.
Ripping technical single track, way faster than you should, is undoubtedly one of the most fun things you can do with your time. Getting right on the edge (over the edge), and pulling it back is invigorating. I don't fall much, but when I do, I usually end up in the hospital. Luckily for me, my bread "twist-tied" sternum is solid.
Oh yea...check out this crazy "ant-like" bug that I ran into in Fruita. It was about 2 inches long. It was pretty scary and gigantic. In fact, this image is about "actual size." If you know what the hell this is, please let me know.
All my best...Chris
My heart rate seems to be dropping slightly, but it's not where I want it to be. When I check it in the a.m., it's somewhere around 70 BPM. Not bad. But, usually, throughout the day, it's around 75 - 100 depending upon what I am doing. I wear a Polar Heart Rate Monitor, a lot. Probably more than I should. But it's interesting to see how my heart performs under different situations. I try to keep it below 80% of my maximum heart rate (178??), which would be around 148bpm.
Ryan and I headed out west to Frutia last week for some warmer temperatures and desert riding. Chutes and Ladders, Joe's Ridge, Front Side, Zippety-doo-dah, the Kessel run (which I was able to do in less than twelve parsecs, I have the fastest Yeti in the galaxy), and Prime Cut were all under our wheels in short order. One new Coleman stove (best $50 cup of coffee I've ever had), more information about camels than you really need, and a few beers later (and an awesome $10 cigar {which I didn't pay for}), we were on our way back to Summit just in time for good weather to roll back in.
Ripping technical single track, way faster than you should, is undoubtedly one of the most fun things you can do with your time. Getting right on the edge (over the edge), and pulling it back is invigorating. I don't fall much, but when I do, I usually end up in the hospital. Luckily for me, my bread "twist-tied" sternum is solid.
Oh yea...check out this crazy "ant-like" bug that I ran into in Fruita. It was about 2 inches long. It was pretty scary and gigantic. In fact, this image is about "actual size." If you know what the hell this is, please let me know.
All my best...Chris
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Now it's been 10 Weeks
Well -- 10 weeks since surgery. My heart hurts...aches really. I went back to see Guber and got some x-rays done. Here is what's weird - on the x-ray you can see the valve, clear as day. And the wires in my sternum. They look like twist ties from a loaf of bread or something.
Anyway -- everything seems to be ok. The pain is most likely from the healing process. So, I'm taking Advil every four hours or so. Which is helping.
Not much new...still hiking and riding my road bike as much as I can. Still can't run or ride my mountain bike (two more weeks), or shoot my bow. Which I'm anxious to do, as I have to get ready for archery season (Sept.). I don't think I can fire the rifle yet. I'm afraid that if I do, it'll blow my sternum apart. So, that will need to wait for a while.
I'm sleeping like shit, so I'm taking Ambien again. I'm fat too, so I guess that's good.
Anyways, not a lot of posts lately, but nothing of note is really going on.
Hope all is well.
c
Anyway -- everything seems to be ok. The pain is most likely from the healing process. So, I'm taking Advil every four hours or so. Which is helping.
Not much new...still hiking and riding my road bike as much as I can. Still can't run or ride my mountain bike (two more weeks), or shoot my bow. Which I'm anxious to do, as I have to get ready for archery season (Sept.). I don't think I can fire the rifle yet. I'm afraid that if I do, it'll blow my sternum apart. So, that will need to wait for a while.
I'm sleeping like shit, so I'm taking Ambien again. I'm fat too, so I guess that's good.
Anyways, not a lot of posts lately, but nothing of note is really going on.
Hope all is well.
c
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
8 Week Anniversary
Yesterday was the eight week anniversary of my heart surgery! Seems like it was a lot longer than that. I know that just over eight weeks ago, I was wondering how I'd be doing at this point. What was it going to be like on the other side of this thing?
I'm happy to report -- better than expected. In the past, when I didn't know what's going to happen, I tended to assume the worst. And it has been hard. But not what I thought it would be. I was riding my bike by June 13th (slowly and painfully), but riding none-the-less. And hiking, and doing a lot of the things that I would normally be doing. The sternum hurts when it breaks. Trust me on this one. If you ever have to choose, do not pick the sternum as the bone that you want to break someday. It sucks. Choose a toe or maybe...well...I can't really think of another good choice.
My heart seems to be healing as well. I'm still experiencing skipped beats (which is very odd), and I can't really push it too much. I think the highest I've gotten it up to was around 160 bpm on a ride. I'm not really allowing myself to go any harder. I'm supposed to keep it at 80% of max, but when you don't know your max, that's rather hard to pull off.
Holy shit -- my friend Kathy Collier had brain surgery! I just found out. So, in the past 8 weeks, of the people I know, there has been one heart surgery and two brain surgeries. WTF?
I'm happy to report -- better than expected. In the past, when I didn't know what's going to happen, I tended to assume the worst. And it has been hard. But not what I thought it would be. I was riding my bike by June 13th (slowly and painfully), but riding none-the-less. And hiking, and doing a lot of the things that I would normally be doing. The sternum hurts when it breaks. Trust me on this one. If you ever have to choose, do not pick the sternum as the bone that you want to break someday. It sucks. Choose a toe or maybe...well...I can't really think of another good choice.
My heart seems to be healing as well. I'm still experiencing skipped beats (which is very odd), and I can't really push it too much. I think the highest I've gotten it up to was around 160 bpm on a ride. I'm not really allowing myself to go any harder. I'm supposed to keep it at 80% of max, but when you don't know your max, that's rather hard to pull off.
Holy shit -- my friend Kathy Collier had brain surgery! I just found out. So, in the past 8 weeks, of the people I know, there has been one heart surgery and two brain surgeries. WTF?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
A little open heart surgery joke
The Mechanic and the Cardiologist
A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop. The cardiologist was there waiting for the
service manager to come and take a look at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the Garage, 'Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?'
The cardiologist, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the
motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, 'So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I make $39,675 a year and you get the really big bucks ($1,695,759) when you and I are doing basically the same work?' The cardiologist paused, smiled and leaned over, then whispered to the mechanic...
'Try doing it with the engine running.'
A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop. The cardiologist was there waiting for the
service manager to come and take a look at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the Garage, 'Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?'
The cardiologist, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the
motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, 'So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I make $39,675 a year and you get the really big bucks ($1,695,759) when you and I are doing basically the same work?' The cardiologist paused, smiled and leaned over, then whispered to the mechanic...
'Try doing it with the engine running.'
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