So today was a bit rough for me. Not rough as in painful, or discouraging, or anything like that (with the exception of the aforementioned blog post being eaten) [Am I allowed to bring that up if I'm trying to recreate the original post?? Heck, it's my blog I can do whatever I want!]. No, today was 'tender'. Let me explain.
Today I had 4 heart-related activities that needed to be accomplished. One was a simple form that needed to be signed at the surgeons office giving them permission to share medical information with the company that manages Medical Leave of Absences for my employer. That's a no-brainer because without that signed, they wouldn't share the info and the FMLA folks wouldn't process my claim to be paid while I'm recovering!!
Another activity that I completed today was a call to my health insurance company to confirm that all of the providers that will be working with me are covered fully "in network" by my plan. I was assured that the hospital itself and the surgeon and his team are covered by my plan but that I should take extra precaution to find out who the anesthesiologist will be and pre-screen them because many people get caught out with a large "out of network" bill that has no agreed pricing and the doctor can come after you for any differences between the covered amount and the actual charge. I called the hospital and they let me know that they us a local provider for all of their anesthesiology needs and recommended that I call them. When I called them, they assured me that they are fully in network for my insurance provider. This was all good news and somewhat of a relief to know that it is fully covered. Someday maybe I will write a blog post about the cost of all of this stuff (it's astronomical) and I'm incredibly lucky that my employers have wonderful benefits and that the entire debacle from the event in Vegas to the surgery next week will cost me no more than $1500 in total out of pocket expenses.
Next up was a 'pre-operative pre-admission" thing a the hospital itself, where we got all the paperwork out of the way now, so as not to have to deal with that on the day of the surgery. This also included taking some 'vitals', a couple of chest x-rays, an EKG (on a side note, am I the only one that is bothered by the fact that it takes 5 times as long to get the clips and probes in place as it does to do the actual test?? Figure it out people!!), some blood draws for various things including typing and cross-matching me in the event that I need blood transfusions during the surgery, and a nasal swab to test for MRSA colonization (MRSA + heart surgery = bad).
After that, the final chapter of today's hospital activities was a visit with the Occupational Therapist to discuss various elements of my post-surgery recovery. We were greeted by a soft spoken lady name Sue who was very pleasant. Sue asked various questions our house and my recovery team (i.e. who will be around me when I return home and what type of obstacles will exists there). She wanted to find out out if we had stairs in the house, how many steps up to the front door, what type of shower we had (to see if I could easily get in and out). Nothing out of the ordinary. Sue went on to demonstrate various activities that I will need to be cautious doing during my 4 - 6 week 'sternal precautions' time. These included sitting and standing from a chair, getting in and out of bed, and the reaching/grabbing/lifting/pushing/coughing limitations that I will have during that time. She explained that the time frame for 'sternal precautions' will be determined by the occupational and physical therapists that are assigned to me at the time. We covered return to work expectations and a better insight into things like not being able to drive during that time and things that I will become used to over the coming weeks (like ways to easily get comfortable i the bed).
I was also introduced to my new heart pillow from the hospital (not to be confused with Pumpy) which will be used during the aforementioned activities during the 'sternal precautions' time. This pillow (which is pretend heart shaped similar to the one on the right) is held against the chest to provide additional support to he healing sternum. Apparently the pillow even has a handy strap for taking with me wherever I go. There were some very strict instructions in the use of this pillow with dire warnings for not using it (or using it incorrectly).
Sue also covered some of the other elements of post-surgery life at the hospital including a fair warning that I won't get much sleep in the first few days with all of the nurses checking vitals, running tests, getting me to go between bed and chair, taking me on walks etc. She noted that the Occupational Therapist and the Physical Therapist assigned to me will set some goals during the recovery, and meeting these goals will be critical to my discharge from the hospital. One of those goals will be for me to take a shower. I was surprised to hear that the first shower that I take after surgery will also include my wife and the occupational therapist in the shower with me!! It seems somewhat unfair (but understandable I suppose) that I will be the only person actually without clothing but I was assured that my "personal privacy" will be maintained to the best of their ability... Sue noted that most people are so happy to be actually having a shower that they don't really care who will be in the room with them.
So all of these proceedings went down without a hitch. The hospital events were very efficient and all of the staff were their usual friendly selves. So why does today feel tender? I think it is a mix of a few things, not the least of which is that this day next week is the day of the surgery. In fact, this time (11:30pm) next week, I should be well into my recovery, maybe already out of bed, breathing on my own, been seen by my family and being taken care of by a group of highly trained professionals who have my health as their number one priority!
Maybe it's the "being at the hospital" today and seeing patients being wheeled around, and visitors coming and going, that makes the surgery that seems so far away that much more real and happening. I am reminded by a great scene in a great movie that I wanted to share with you I'm feeling right about now. Skip to 1:23 into the clip for the reference:
That's right... It's Happening Reg!! It's no longer something that's way off in the distance but something that's happening "next Monday"!! I'm really excited about the restorative power that this surgery is going to have. I'm feeling overwhelmed by the wonderful family and friends who are pulling out all the stops to help us get through this. I'm keenly aware of the fact that not having this surgery would ultimately result in my early departure from this world. I understand that it's better to get this sorted sooner rather than later. I know these things to be true, but this evening I'm still a little tender.
I'm going to try to sleep it off and take Tuesday by the horns.
