Friday, April 24, 2009
Doing well
Visited my cardiologist and GP (Dr. Rodney Ng) on Wednesday April 22nd 2009 and both doctors are very please with my progress. I am now about 162 lbs or 163 lbs and I am able to wear my pants from the late 80s (waist size 32 inches). Only hope is that I do not gain weight later.My next appointed is with Dr Lee Errett my heart surgeon. If all goes well I should be able to drive after my appointment (about 6 weeks after my surgery).
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Updates
It is now almost a month since my surgery. Most of the time I am staying indoor with the occasion walk to the park. At least I am getting to know my neighbourhood better. So far I have been blessed with Yeu-Tin taking time off from work to be with me. Taking the advice from the medical professional, I don’t not even dare to take or try to lift anything remotely looks heavy. So Yeu-Tin has been my perpetual slave lending her hand and strength to do what I cannot and dare not do.
For now I have been grounded and handicapped because I cannot drive for six weeks after surgery. On the bright side I only have two and a half weeks left to freedom. Next Wednesday I have two doctor’s appointments and then the final consultation with my heart surgeon on May 4th 2009. Hopefully, I will have the good news that my surgery wound are healing well.
With all the time in the world I was starting to get bored and really had hard time to kill time. With a piano and a keyboard at home, I decided to take up piano lesson from book. So far I am doing not too bad. Hope, by the end on the month I will be able to learn to read musical notation. (Tried once before but give up).
What I have learned during this difficult time is that how to be humble and to accept the generosity of friends. In the past I have always enjoyed the joy of helping others. It truly gives me a lot of satisfaction and joy but on the other hand I am not the one to receive the assistance from others no matter how bad I felt. This time I realized that my selfishness is robbing all my good friends the joy of helping. So pushing my macho image aside I decided to humble myself to accept all my friends help. I will definitely have to send out tons of thank you cards later but it was a right decision.
For now I have been grounded and handicapped because I cannot drive for six weeks after surgery. On the bright side I only have two and a half weeks left to freedom. Next Wednesday I have two doctor’s appointments and then the final consultation with my heart surgeon on May 4th 2009. Hopefully, I will have the good news that my surgery wound are healing well.
With all the time in the world I was starting to get bored and really had hard time to kill time. With a piano and a keyboard at home, I decided to take up piano lesson from book. So far I am doing not too bad. Hope, by the end on the month I will be able to learn to read musical notation. (Tried once before but give up).
What I have learned during this difficult time is that how to be humble and to accept the generosity of friends. In the past I have always enjoyed the joy of helping others. It truly gives me a lot of satisfaction and joy but on the other hand I am not the one to receive the assistance from others no matter how bad I felt. This time I realized that my selfishness is robbing all my good friends the joy of helping. So pushing my macho image aside I decided to humble myself to accept all my friends help. I will definitely have to send out tons of thank you cards later but it was a right decision.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A long recovery
It is more than two and a half weeks since my surgery and I am recovering very fast. Today I was at church attending my first Easter Sunday service since surgery. Everyone who knew me was somewhat surprise that I was alert and able to attend church. Other commented on my weight. I have lost some weight before going into surgery but right after surgery I gain some fluid weight. As of today I have lost a total 20 lbs and struggling to lost another 20 lbs more. Standing at 5fts 51/2 inches tall my ideal weight is about 145 lbs. Currently I am about 165 lbs. The next 20 lbs that I needed to shed will be a real struggle. My appetites are very good even all the food I have been eating is salt less and tasteless. The biggest hurdle is to reduce the amount of food I am eating. I have to settle with empty stomach a few evening at around 10:00pm and hoping that I will get around those problem and not yield to temptation.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Yesterday (April 8th 2009) was the first time visited my GP Dr. Rodney Ng after the close call and the 2nd visited to St. Michael Hospital. This visit is to have the stapler removed from my chest. The nurse from the office just asked me to lie still while she used a $5:00 stapler remover we bought at St. Michael Hospital to removed all the metal from my chest. It only takes about 5 minutes and all of it was removed (no pain).
After that was the consultation with Dr. Rodney Ng. He informed me that he would make arrangement for the 1 phase of my recovery process. He will schedule me as soon as all arrangement can be make for Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Today Mrs. Tee and I went out for a short walk to build up my strength. Unfortunately, it was still a bit cold. We take a short walk in the park right across form our home. I am still exhausted easily so I am taking it easy to slowly build my stamina.
After that was the consultation with Dr. Rodney Ng. He informed me that he would make arrangement for the 1 phase of my recovery process. He will schedule me as soon as all arrangement can be make for Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Today Mrs. Tee and I went out for a short walk to build up my strength. Unfortunately, it was still a bit cold. We take a short walk in the park right across form our home. I am still exhausted easily so I am taking it easy to slowly build my stamina.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Air Lift to St. Michael
Good to be back again. Sorry for no update lately because I was just re-released from St. Michael Hospital on Saturday at 10:00 am.
As in the previous update in this blog you will know that I was release by St. Michael Hospital on Monday March 30th 2009. Everything was going fine until that night. The cough kept me awake whole night.
Melissa arrived from the airport late on Tuesday morning and I am glad she home to take good care of me. Melissa’s drop Mrs. Tee to the GO station to go to work and than quickly return home to be with me. She prepared all the meals and my medicine and during through the day always constantly staying by my bedside.
That evening, Alan and Liz (close family friend) visited us and spend a good evening with us. Although I was tire, I was unable to shut my eye for some rest, even for 5 minutes. Tuesday night was a very bad night for me. I have not slept for 24 hrs and trying desperately to sleeping but the coughing kept waking me up. The next morning I inform Mrs. Tee the situation is now critical and we needed a solution to fix my sleep.
At 7:45 am on Wednesday morning (April fool day) Melissa drove Mrs. Tee and me to Dr. Rodney Ng office hoping the see him first in the morning. Unfortunately, Dr Rodney Ng will not be in his office till 9:30 am. Dr. Rodney Ng associate Dr Venturi was in the office but was fully book and unable to see me. However, after a few cell call we were able to see Dr. Venturi right away. After the initial investigation and consultation Dr. Venturi prescribe me Apo-Loranepam and send me home.
At home I took the medicine and tried to sleep, however that did not help and by mid-afternoon the situation is bad. I knew I was getting agitated easily and not my self. The following summary is from Melissa and Mrs. Tee’s statements because I have no recollection my behavior after 12:00 noon.
I was told I was acting erratic and Mrs. Tee was able to make another appointment with Dr. Rodney Ng for 6:30 pm after his last appointment. However, sometime at 3:00 pm the situation turn worse and Melissa and Mrs. Tee once again communicated with Dr Rodney Ng their intention to send me to the emergency but Dr. Rodney ask them to bring me to see him immediately. Once at the doctor’s office I was usher to see Dr. Rodney, and after examining me he request an ambulance to send me to Mississauga General Hospital. However, the ambulance sends me to Credit Valley Hospital. I was later told by my wife that I was at Credit Valley Hospital at 4:00 pm and by the time I was somewhat stabilized. When I come around all I heard is that they are using the helicopter to send me to St. Michael.
Sometime after that I was strapped and transported to the helicopter pad to be air lifted to St. Michael Hospital. After giving me a few short instruction I was place in the helicopter and send to St. Michael Hospital.
At St. Michael I was able to recall all the familiar nurses placing oxygen mask over me. I was able to have a good night sleep that night. By the next morning I woke up at 9:00 am to see my younger sister Lee by my bedside.
Later Dr Finley who was my constant physician at St. Michael during the post surgery care came by to inform me that there was a huge amount of access fluid in my lungs that he needed drained. After the routine check up he informed me that all is well and that, he will get the nurse to clean my dressing.
That afternoon Dr. Finley return to drain those access fluid in my lungs and he showed me a jar more than 1-liter fill with black fluid that was taken from my lungs. After that my breathing improved.
For now I will stop my writing and continue with more updates later. As you can see my recovery is progress steadily.
As in the previous update in this blog you will know that I was release by St. Michael Hospital on Monday March 30th 2009. Everything was going fine until that night. The cough kept me awake whole night.
Melissa arrived from the airport late on Tuesday morning and I am glad she home to take good care of me. Melissa’s drop Mrs. Tee to the GO station to go to work and than quickly return home to be with me. She prepared all the meals and my medicine and during through the day always constantly staying by my bedside.
That evening, Alan and Liz (close family friend) visited us and spend a good evening with us. Although I was tire, I was unable to shut my eye for some rest, even for 5 minutes. Tuesday night was a very bad night for me. I have not slept for 24 hrs and trying desperately to sleeping but the coughing kept waking me up. The next morning I inform Mrs. Tee the situation is now critical and we needed a solution to fix my sleep.
At 7:45 am on Wednesday morning (April fool day) Melissa drove Mrs. Tee and me to Dr. Rodney Ng office hoping the see him first in the morning. Unfortunately, Dr Rodney Ng will not be in his office till 9:30 am. Dr. Rodney Ng associate Dr Venturi was in the office but was fully book and unable to see me. However, after a few cell call we were able to see Dr. Venturi right away. After the initial investigation and consultation Dr. Venturi prescribe me Apo-Loranepam and send me home.
At home I took the medicine and tried to sleep, however that did not help and by mid-afternoon the situation is bad. I knew I was getting agitated easily and not my self. The following summary is from Melissa and Mrs. Tee’s statements because I have no recollection my behavior after 12:00 noon.
I was told I was acting erratic and Mrs. Tee was able to make another appointment with Dr. Rodney Ng for 6:30 pm after his last appointment. However, sometime at 3:00 pm the situation turn worse and Melissa and Mrs. Tee once again communicated with Dr Rodney Ng their intention to send me to the emergency but Dr. Rodney ask them to bring me to see him immediately. Once at the doctor’s office I was usher to see Dr. Rodney, and after examining me he request an ambulance to send me to Mississauga General Hospital. However, the ambulance sends me to Credit Valley Hospital. I was later told by my wife that I was at Credit Valley Hospital at 4:00 pm and by the time I was somewhat stabilized. When I come around all I heard is that they are using the helicopter to send me to St. Michael.
Sometime after that I was strapped and transported to the helicopter pad to be air lifted to St. Michael Hospital. After giving me a few short instruction I was place in the helicopter and send to St. Michael Hospital.
At St. Michael I was able to recall all the familiar nurses placing oxygen mask over me. I was able to have a good night sleep that night. By the next morning I woke up at 9:00 am to see my younger sister Lee by my bedside.
Later Dr Finley who was my constant physician at St. Michael during the post surgery care came by to inform me that there was a huge amount of access fluid in my lungs that he needed drained. After the routine check up he informed me that all is well and that, he will get the nurse to clean my dressing.
That afternoon Dr. Finley return to drain those access fluid in my lungs and he showed me a jar more than 1-liter fill with black fluid that was taken from my lungs. After that my breathing improved.
For now I will stop my writing and continue with more updates later. As you can see my recovery is progress steadily.
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