This morning we bought a screen door at Lowe's. Dave is installing it now. Yesterday he planted 2 new rhododendron bushes. Because we have been home so much during my recuperation, we, Dave that is, is getting a lot of home improvement projects done.

Today during my walk I listened to a White Horse Inn podcast. The topic was "Dividing the Word: Law and Gospel." It was very thought-provoking. I wish I had been able to take notes while I was walking. Their website is www.whitehorseinn.org Check it out!

Tonight we were invited to dinner at a friend's house. Yummy, healthy food was prepared for us. We sat outside enjoying the wonderful view from their patio. Good food, good friends, good conversation, good view, nice weather--what more could we ask for? Thank you, Tom and Cindi! We value your friendship!

In order to try and beat the heat, I just finished my mile walk today. One of these days I will have to try and walk more than a mile.

Last night I took a Zyrtec allergy pill and I did NOT have any itching! That made me very happy. I woke up about every 3 hours rather than every hour or two, so that was an improvement, too.

At cardiac rehab today, I used both the recumbent bike and the treadmill for 20 minutes each. I broke a sweat on both machines. They monitor our blood pressure while on the machine and off the machine. My blood pressure readings have been very good. The lecture part of the class was about cholesterol. I talked to the Kaiser medication management team and they are going to call again on Monday afternoon to monitor my blood sugar readings from the weekend. We're still hoping that I don't have to go back on the Lantus insulin. I'm still having trouble with itching during the night. We are off to the store to buy some doctor-recommended Zyrtec to try and help solve that problem.

Not that it's a race, but I'm getting a little speedier on my walk. Dave and I waited until around 8 pm to walk tonight so that it would be cooler. I walked a little over a mile in 30 minutes. I didn't have to stop to rest along the way.

Today was my first day off the insulin which I have had to take since I was in the hospital. The medication management people will call me on Friday to check on my blood sugar numbers. If the numbers stay good, I will be totally done with the insulin shots.

My first cardio rehab session went well. The first hour was a lecture about symptoms of angina and heart attacks. Not exactly relevant to my surgery and recovery, but good knowledge for the future. Then came the hour for exercise which is monitored for heart as well as blood pressure and blood sugars. Today I started slow with 15 minutes on a recumbent bike and 15 minutes on a treadmill. Everyone starts together with a warm-up of stretching exercises. My blood sugar dropped 50 points after the exercise--that's impressive. Before we leave our blood pressure has to come back down to a pre-exercise level, which mine did. The team of two nurses (also a physical therapist whom I haven't met yet) seem to know what they are doing.

Oops, I just talked to Kim at Dr. Shinn's office (the surgeon) and they recommend that I don't try to drive for 2 more weeks. It was a short-lived freedom. They want to give the sternum some more time to heal.

Dr. Angel, my cardiologist, said that I am doing great. He gave me permission to start driving again. I still have to wait another month to ride my bicycle. He also said that I may continue to have some chest pains for quite some time--it's scar tissue causing the pain. I am scheduled to have a new echocardiogram done on July 2 in order to set a new baseline for my heart function. I can also stop the Lasix, Potassium, and Pepcid pills when they run out in six days. This is all very good news!

We are back home from Seaside and it was a great trip. The weather was beautiful. Seaside was crowded but we found a parking spot. We brought our lunch along and ate it at a park in Seaside. Then we window-shopped as we walked up and down the street that leads to the middle of the promenade. Afterwards we drove to Gearhart and then on to our new discovery, Sunset Beach and the trailhead for the Fort to Sea Trail. Sunset Beach is one of the few beaches in Oregon where you can drive and park on the beach. We didn't drive it, but we did park for a while and enjoyed the sounds and sights of being right on the beach. Then we went on to Astoria where we ate an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Stephanie's Cabin.

Finally my ProTime is at 2.0 where it should be. Now I hear that they want it to go even higher than 2.0. Tomorrow is my follow-up appointment with my cardiologist, Dr. Angel.

We are off to the beach at Seaside, Oregon. First we have to make a stop at the lab for my ProTime test.

I had a slightly better night last night--finally. I was awake from 2:30-4 am, but I didn't have the itchiness. Things come and go, it's really a mystery. I know that I need to learn patience. Yesterday was a down day which probably means that today will be a good day. Dave was finally able to get back to doing his golf marshaling job today. Hope it's going well for him on this beautiful Sunday.

The fence project is done. I did nothing to help except to admire the end results. It only took three trips to Home Depot to complete the project. Now we have the south portion of the fence, which is a much longer section, to look forward to doing with another set of neighbors. Thank you to Dave for his hard work on this project.

I only went for a 30-minute walk today. It was good to get out but I didn't have as easy a time walking today. I have been having a problem waking up in the night with itching on my back, legs, and arms. It's better during the day, but it's one more thing that makes it hard to sleep at night. I'm still waking up every couple of hours all night long. I went back to bed after breakfast today and rested for another hour. This morning my chest area was a bit sore and it has stayed sore all day. Healing is a slow process and takes patience.

We picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner and drove out to Frenchman's Bar near Vancouver Lake. It was a bit windy but the sunshine felt good. We watched a kite boarder, a freighter ship that was moored in the middle of the river, and several other boats that went by. We didn't stay to watch the sunset, but it was an enjoyable trip.

Dave got home from his golf game earlier than expected today so he joined me on my walk. I walked west and then south today and saw lots of homes for sale in a neighborhood near us. I didn't need to take the walker today. Dave is working with our neighbors to the east to replace the fence between us. That's our big plans for this holiday weekend. We are enjoying the sunshine.

Today was my inital assessment for the cardiac rehab program. I am doing it at Southwest Washington Hospital in Vancouver. Their program looks good--it's an hour of monitored exercise and an hour of classes on all different topics relating to the heart. There are about 8 people in each group, all at different stages of exercise. It meets 3 times a week for 36 sessions in all. Because of the Monday holiday, I will start on Wednesday, May 27. This program should give me a good, safe jumpstart in addition to my own program of walking and eventually biking.

I also attended another CASA wraparound meeting today. I noticed that I was much stronger and more alert than at the meeting last week. It's nice to see weekly progress!

Hugo, Dennis, and I just got back from our walk. That is, Hugo, my walker and Dennis Prager on my ipod. Dave is busy with a long client phone call, so he wasn't able to walk with us. I walked up to Pacific Park, which is about 1/2 mile from our house. I took my lunch along and ate it at the park. My allergies began to bother me on the return trip and I got a little dizzy the last two blocks. Even though I have to walk fairly slowly, I'm glad to have accomplished another mile.

It's been 3 weeks since my surgery. Everything is going well. I have a bit of chest pain, probably because I have been squirming around more at night. I can move easier now and shift around more often. I still have trouble sleeping and wake up every hour or two. It makes me groggy in the mornings. Next week I am going to start bugging my doctors about when I can drive. I don't like being so dependent and I feel stuck at home.

The meeting with the dietician went very well. I am on the right track, only I need to balance out my carbs with meat and fat and also I need to eat more often. I can have 2 carbs at each meal and a carb/meat/and fat between meals. It sounds reasonable. My favorite restaurant, Chinese, will have to be a very occasional treat because it's way too high in carbs and sodium. Maybe I can find a new favorite. My diabetes in under good control now and that will help me heal faster. Hopefully in time I can drop the daily dose of Lantus long-acting insulin.

Yay, my ProTime level today was 1.7. Not as high as it needs to be, which is at least 2.0, but it's finally going in the right direction. Tomorrow is my appointment with the dietician, which I'm looking forward to.

I pushed myself today and walked 1 mile before it got too hot. Dave goes with me on these walks, which is good because I sometimes get a little dizzy. I usually need to rest a few times during each walk. Then we drove to the lab for my usual twice-a-week ProTime lab test. My levels are still not as high as they should be so I need to take more of the warfarin.

As requested, today is a better day. I still have the heart pounding thing but I don't think it's irregular. We went for a short walk today, about 1/2 mile. Then after a rest we went to Walmart to get a few items. Somebody stole one of our garbage cans, so Dave got a new one at Home Depot. Now we are indoors with our heat-pump air conditioning on so we will stay nice and cool this afternoon.

Yesterday Dave planted another lilac bush. This one is in our front yard. It is one of the Hulda Klager Congo dark purple lilacs. Lilacs bloom for such a short season, but I really enjoy their looks and smells.

Today I had a bit of a setback. I woke up feeling like my heart was pounding out of my chest. It made me feel uncomfortable all day. After debating about whether or not to call Kim, I finally called her around 4:30 pm. She reassured me that unless the heartbeat felt irregular or unless my blood pressure was really high or really low, it was probably okay. It felt to me a bit like the episode of atrial fibrillation that I had while in the hospital the night of my birthday. If it still bothers me tomorrow I can get it checked out at the hospital. There are so many unknowns in this recovery that it's a bit stressful at times.

FINALLY I can report that I had a night where I didn't wake up choking and coughing. I must have gotten it all coughed out earlier in the evening. I still woke up a few times during the night, but that's far preferable to waking up panicked that I am choking and coughing.

During the past 2 1/2 years, I have volunteered as a CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate. We act as the "eyes and ears of the court" for children who are in foster care and dependency court. Today my life returned slightly to normal as I was able to attend a wraparound meeting for one of my cases. Dave had to drive me to and from the meeting, and I was tired afterwards, but I was able to be there and ask some questions and get up-to-speed about what's happening in the case. The case goes to court on Tuesday, and I won't be able to attend because court can be an all-day affair and I'm not up to that. But it felt good to be able to participate in today's meeting. Next Thursday there's a meeting for my other case, and I hope to attend that meeting, too. So, in a small way, I'm starting to get back in the swing of things!

Dave and I spent a great day today celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. We drove to Trout Lake, WA, where neither of us had been before. It was cold and windy there, but it was a beautiful drive. We had rain off and on during the drive. We went out there on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and came home on the Washington side. Then after a nap, we went out for dinner at one of our favorite Vancouver restaurants, Osaka House. The food was yummy as usual. Just two weeks ago today I had my surgery. Even I now admit that my recovery has been remarkable. Thank you God, for my wonderful husband and for all of Your blessings to us!

Today I had a post-op appointment with Dr. Shinn. My incision looks a little red so he gave me a prescription for some powder to put on it and for some amoxicillin just in case it's a bit infected. We talked about some techniques to improve my sleep, including deep breathing and using my incentive spirometer before bed. I was glad that he was not in a hurry to give me a bunch of sleep aids which would have their own side effects. He reminded me that prayer and Bible reading before bed is the best medicine. Other than that, I am healing well and they seemed pleased with my progress. I feel a lot stronger than I did a week ago, so I know I've made progress.

Nights are definitely a problem for me. Last night it wasn't a coughing fit, however. Last night I somehow knocked my nightstand table over and my water, phone, and other stuff went flying. Dave got me squared away. Tonight I am expecting NO PROBLEMS!!

On a happier note, we went to Vancouver Lake today and took our comfy Lafuma chairs which I was able to get in and out of without too much of a problem. I felt like I slept/dozed while we were at the lake, but I was still sleepy on the way home and took a nap after we got home. I am still having some problems with low/high blood sugars (mostly high) which I hope will resolve themselves soon.

I had another scare during the night last night. I woke up around 1:40 am, which was fine, and turned off my light again around 3:20. But around 4:15 am, while I was sleeping, I had a very bad coughing fit. I finally got it under control and went back to sleep at 5 am.

But today is another good day. We had a visit from Tim and Kiersten in honor of Mother's Day. Then I walked all the way around the block. This time I took the walker with me, which helped me pace myself during the walk. I don't really need the walker, but it helps me feel more secure.

Dave just left to referee a semi-pro football game at Kiggins Bowl. He enjoys doing it, so I'm glad he didn't have to get a substitute. I'm glad that I am well enough to be left alone for a few hours. Sometimes it seems to me like I don't make much progress, especially with all the coughing, but last Saturday at this time I wasn't even home yet!

Dave and I had a yummy dinner out at Applebee's. They are one of the few restaurants that offer "Weight Watchers" choices. I felt almost normal while we we were there. Then we came home and watched some TV. I would like suggestions of other restaurants that offer low calorie/heart smart choices. Now I'm ready to take some Tylenol and go to bed.

At the Port of Camas/Washougal park, I walked around the path twice, which is equal to 2/7 of a mile. After that we came home and I took a long nap. Even though I can't sleep at night, at least I can sleep during the daytime. Sometime maybe my days and nights will stop being mixed up.

Several people have mentioned that they don't know how to comment to the blog. You don't need to comment, and you can continue to send me email. But if you want to learn how to comment, here is how to do it:

At the bottom of this post, click on comments. That will bring up a box where you can write your comment. Be sure to include your name or at least your first name and last initial, so that I can see who the comments are from.

After writing your comment (send a short one, just to try it!), you will need to select your profile. If you don't have a Google account (which is not necessary), click on "anonymous".

It might ask you to type a verification word. That is to prevent spam comments. Just type the word it asks for. You can then post your comment or preview your comment and then post it. It sounds much harder than it is. Just try it and you'll see that it's not hard to comment.

I had a morning nap and a shower and I'm feeling much better. We're going to get some Subway sandwiches for lunch and go sit by the water at the Port of Camas.

I'm feeling better this morning, but today Dave has a sore throat. I had another night of sleeping only 2-3 hours. When I take Tylenol I don't sleep much but I don't wake up as groggy. When I take oxycodone I don't sleep much either, but I wake up feeling very spacey and groggy. Last night I took tylenol. My coughing is better in that the amount of coughing that I am doing has lessened.

I'm not doing as well today. The coughing still really hurts. I'm tired. I am very cold and am wrapped in an afghan. The Lasix (fluid removal) pills seem to be kicking in overtime. We went to the lab for the blood-thinner ProTime test and then I went straight back to bed for a nap. Now I'm up and have had lunch and am going to try and watch the Netflix movie "27 Dresses."

A step forward and a step back--that's what they told me would happen. I had a visit with my good friend, Sandy, then a nap. Then Dave barbecued some chicken and we had a good dinner. After dinner we walked all the way around the block. When we got home from the walk we tried to watch some TV but I had to cough a lot and it REALLY hurt to cough. We gave up on TV and I took 2 oxycodones and am going to bed.

Special Update by Guest Correspondent

Carol had a great day today! First of all, we did not have to go to any Kaiser location for anything! The car didn't know where to go! Carol had two of her friends over to visit for part of the afternoon which allowed me to sneak out and get in 9 holes of golf. Thankfully, she has lots of friends.......

And you can tell she is really on the mend. Hard to believe that last week at this time she had just been operated on and was in the CVICU ward with over 30 tubes, wires, springs, rubber bands, twine and whatever else connected to her. Tonight she went shopping at Wal Mart and walked the whole way! While we took Hugo, her new walker, she really never sat in it until waiting in the checkout line. (by then, I wished I had one of those walkers!) So you can tell the difference in just one week. Dr. Shin and Nurse Kim would be proud to see her up and around. They obviously did a great job and the Kaiser team continues in that tradition supporting her along the journey.

Last night was a good night. First, I was able to sleep. Well, I had a little help in the form of 2 percocet tablets. I had only been taking Tylenol at night and the extra oomph of the Percocet helped me sleep better and pain free, too! The only problem was that I dreamed that people were trying to kill me.

Also last night, I was able to get in and out of the hospital bed by myself. Yay! Now I am not so trapped in bed. It's still a process but I'm sure it will get easier in time.

Saint Dave had to deal with one more issue today. Our heat pump stopped working, so he had to get it fixed. I'm so glad that we are on the Dave Ramsey program and have a hefty emergency fund!

This afternoon I had my first diet cherry 7-up since the surgery. And it tasted terrible. I've noticed that my taste buds are off, probably because of the medications. I'm not complaining, and if God wants to take away my craving for sweets and sweet drinks, I'm more than happy to go along with it. It's just amusing to me!

We made an unexpected trip back to Kaiser Mt. Talbert to see Dr. Shinn. Before I had my shower I noticed a huge (to me) bump at the top of my chest incision. We called about it and he said to come in and luckily he wasn't doing surgery this morning. He examined the bump which had gotten smaller in size by the time we got there. He said it was fluid and that everything looked fine. My sternal incision is already starting to heal. I was afraid I had overdone things since I had gotten home. They are still amazed with my progress.

Kim, the coordinator, went with us to Costco to buy a walker (Hugo brand) so that I have a high place to sit when I go out. We can't believe how helpful and accomodating she has been. They are really making a special effort to get this new cardiac program off to a good, solid start.

When I got home I had phone calls from a pharmacy manager who talked to me about my meds, and from the INR Clinic (International Normal Ratio), which used to be called Pro-Time. It's the place that manages the results from the lab work which checks the levels of warfarin/coumadin (blood thinner). For now, I will get my INR tested every Monday and Thursday. Then they will call me the next day to tell me if I have to adjust the amount that I'm taking.

So it's been another busy day and now I'm ready for a nap!

Daytimes are going well for me, but nights are still going poorly. I had to wake Dave up twice to help me again last night. Even though I have the luxury of sleeping in a hospital bed and can automatically raise my head and feet, I still have problems getting comfortable. And I need help getting in and out of bed. And I need help dressing. I am very fortunate that Dave is willing to help me with all that.

Today was my first full day at home and it was great. I need help getting in/out of bed and up from some sitting positions. That's a pain, but we can work around it. We had to drive back down to the Mt. Scott Kaiser Clinic to do a lab test for Pro-Time (coumadin blood thinner) levels. Tomorrow we can do that at the Orchards or Cascade Park Clinic. We need to buy a few supplies to make life easier for us. We tried to anticipate what we would need but underestimated. I walked to the mailbox after the trip in the car.

Jonathan is going to help me with changing my eating habits. He sent me some valuable information about good foods/bad foods.

My cough is bugging me but I am assured that I just need to get it all coughed out in order to get well. Kim, the surgery coordinator called this afternoon to check on me. It's nice to know that they do a good follow-up on their cardio-vascular surgery patients. Tim and Kiersten visited this afternoon and Warren and Sandy visited this evening. Yes, I am available for limited visits! It will be good to see people. Just make sure you call Dave ahead of time in case I am resting. . I think afternoons and early evenings will be the best time to visit. Dave even got the lawn mowed today while I was resting in the Lazy-Boy chair.

I know, now that I am home I should be able to sleep at night, but here I am awake and posting to the blog! A heartfelt (get the pun?) thank you to all who prayed for me during my surgery and hospital stay. And after finally getting a chance to read the blog updates and blog comments, a big thank you to Dave for writing it and to friends and family for writing comments for Dave and me to enjoy. It's amazing to feel the love and care that went into those comments and emails. I also am very thankful to the whole Kaiser staff, from Dr. Shinn and the team of doctors, to all the nurses and CNAs who took care of me. To me, Kaiser Sunnyside has a special place in my heart (there I go again!).

Now the true recovery begins with major lifestyle and eating changes as well as the physical healing of my bruised and battered body. I was able to take a shower at home tonight which made me feel human again.

Of course, the true credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me a new lease on life and for strengthening my faith so that I could place myself totally in His care.

Update 7:45pm Saturday By Dave

We arrived home at about 7:30 after a very long wait at the pharmacy to get all of Carol's meds ready. The pharamacist said we have the record for the most prescriptions in one order for the day - 16! You don't even want to know what it costs. However, if you see anyone by the side of the road saying that they will pray for you to get money for meds, that is probably me.

Carol had a nice low calorie, low everything else (and to me, low taste) meal of fish that I made for her (thank God for microwave premade dinners). Now she is busily reading emails and comments on her computer.

I believe this shall be my last post to the blog (at least I hope so, because if I'm still posting, something must be wrong!). It's been great keeping you all in the loop, and now we return you to your regularly scheduled correspondent, Carol!

Update 3@pm by Dave

Attention!!!
Elvis will be leaving the building shortly.

Update 8am Saturday by Dave

Just had a call from Caroll (which I missed cause I was in the shower) but she left a voice mail which said she had a really good night last night. They removed all remaining IV's (at least for now) to see how she is doing. She only has the Oxygen and pacemaker left. She did really well on her walk las night without the oxygen so I suspect that may even be gone when I see her this morning. And Dr. Shin (Old Slit 'em and Stitch 'em) said the pacemaker should be out today.

She also said that there is a chance she is coming home today. The nurses were really happy with her status and it witll be up to the doc this morning. So it looks like either today or tomorrow for sure she will be back in residence at Casa Vancouver.

Update 4:30pm Friday by Dave

Carol just had 1 of the 3 IV ports removed and may get another removed shortly. She has had several consults today for some of the home activities. Looks now like Sunday is the more likely day for her to come home.

Update 11:00am Friday by dave

Carol just completed another 300 foot walk with flying colors. There is a good possibility she may go home tomorrow too!!!

Update 9am Friday by Dave

I just talked with Carol on the phone and she sounded pretty good. Her voice was a bit weak but I think that is because they have her up getting lots of things done and she gets tired easily. She did say that the Artrial Fib problem had gone away so that is good news. I'll be heading there shortly and will probably update here after lunch or so.