NIEVES's Journal

NIEVES VELAZQUEZ  10 NOV 2014 - I DECIDED TO STAYED AT A HOTEL NEAR ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL RATHER THAN TO DRIVE IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING AND WORRY ABOUT MAKING IT TO THE HOSPITAL ON TIME… GREAT IDEA. MY SISTER, MY OLDEST SON AND I STAYED 3 MINS. FROM THE HOSPITAL AND WE WERE ABLE TO SLEEP UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE PRAYING FOR ME, I WAS COVERED BY G-D'S SHALOM AND JOKING AROUND WITH OTHERS ON THE SAME BOAT AS I (READY FOR HEART SURGERY). THE SURGERY WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS BUT GENERAL ANESTHESIA ALWAYS DOES A JOB ON ME. ALTHOUGH I CAME BACK WITHOUT VOMITING AND ALERT. I USUALLY HAVE TO SLEEP FOR DAYS AND DAYS AND DAYS AFTER GENERAL ANESTHESIA BUT THEY WOULD NOT LET ME… ALSO I HAD NO PAIN WHATSOEVER! THE NURSES KEPT SAYING IT WAS BETTER TO KEEP ME ON PAIN KILLERS BECAUSE THE PAIN WOULD SURELY HAPPEN BUT IT DID NOT. I KEPT SAYING NO BUT THEY FELT THEY KNEW BETTER. ON THE 12 OF NOV. THEY DECIDED TO PUT ME ON A PACEMAKER… BACK TO SURGERY, BACK UNDER GENERAL ANESTHESIA. BEFORE THE SURGERY THEY HAD TOLD ME I WAS NOT A CANDIDATE FOR A PACEMAKER WHICH I WANTED, AND HERE IT IS ANYWAY… GO FIGURE. THEY TRIED PLACING THE PACEMAKER ON TOP OF MY HEART BUT I AM AS SCREWED UP INSIDE AS OUTSIDE SO… THEY HAD TO CLOSE THAT WOUND AND GO TO MY RIGHT SHOULDER, WHERE THEY PLACED THE PACEMAKER RIGHT UNDERNEATH IT. I HATE THE WAY IT LOOKS AND FEELS BUT HEY! IF IT WORKS WHAT THE HECK. THEY SENT ME HOME WITH THE PAIN KILLER AND I NEVER TOOK ONE. NO PAIN, NO PAIN, NO PAIN - NOTHING, NADA! LIKE IF I NEVER HAD SURGERY AT ALL.
ON 2 DECEMBER 2014 MY LEFT LEG GOT REAL SWOLLEN AND I WENT TO THE CARDIOLOGIST, THEY DID A SONOGRAM AND SENT ME TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. I HAD DEVELOPED MULTIPLE BLOOD CLOTS. THEY PUT ME ON XARELTO, GAVE ME A "GOOD" PAIR OF SUPPORT HOSE AND SENT ME HOME. FOR SIX MONTHS I WAS MISERABLE WITH THE BLOOD THINNER. IT MADE ME DIZZY, IT BLURRED MY VISION, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FAINT ANY MINUTE, ANYWHERE. I COULD NOT DRIVE AND WHEN SOMEONE ELSE DROVE I FELT SICK. HORRIBLE. I HAD A NEUROLOGIST DO A CT SCAN JUST IN CASE THERE WAS A BRAIN BLEED, IT FOUND NOTHING. WENT TO THE EYE DR., NOTHING. WENT TO THE ENT, NOTHING SO IT HAD TO BE THE XARELTO. SO I WAITED UNTIL I COULD GET RID OF IT. I GOT RID OF ALL OTHER DRUGS THEY GAVE ME EXCEPT THE ONES I USED TO TAKE BEFORE THE SURGERY - BLOOD PRESSURE PILL AND THE THYROID PILL - THAT IS IT! ONE DOCTOR WOULD SAY WALK AND BE ACTIVE, THE OTHER WOULD SAY NOT TO DO IT. I FELT SO BAD MOST OF THE TIME, I FINALLY DID WHAT MY SPIRIT TOLD ME TO DO AND MY BODY WOULD ALLOW ME TO. THREE WEEKS AGO, THE XARELTO HAD DONE ITS JOB AND I DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE IT AGAIN. ALL I HAVE ARE SCAR TISSUES ON MY LEFT LEG FROM THE CLOTS. I DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE BLOOD THINNER. I DO NOT HAVE TO SEE THE CARDIO VASCULAR DR. AGAIN UNLESS THE LEG ACTS UP AGAIN. I HAVE TO WEAR A GOOD SUPPORT HOSE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE BUT MY LIFE IS COMING BACK, THE DIZZY SPELLS ARE AS GOOD AS GONE (ALTHOUGH MY HEAD IS NOT QUITE RIGHT YET BECAUSE OF THE EFFECTS OF THE ANESTHESIA - THE DOCTORS SAY IT WILL TAKE TIME TO ADJUST), I HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AROUND THE HOUSE SINCE 3 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY (FEEDING ANIMALS, DOING HOUSEWORK, ETC.). BEING CAREFUL TO FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS (NO LIFTING, NO PULLING, ETC.) I SAY AROUND HOME BECAUSE OF THE FEAR TO FAINT (XARELTO).
I WOULD DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT. I WAS 68 YEARS OLD WHEN THEY REPLACED THE AORTIC VALVE AND INSERTED THE PACEMAKER. I WILL NOT OUTLAST EITHER ONE OF THEM AND IT IS O.K. WITH ME. TO G-D BE THE GLORY. BY THE WAY… I HAVE NOT HAD IRREGULAR HEART BEATS (THAT I KNOW OF, I THINK I WOULD KNOW), NO AFIB SHOWING, NO TACHYCARDIA EPISODES, NOTHING! FEELING GOOD AND PRAISING G-D.