The weblog of Darren Friesen

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Blah Blah Blah

I just thought I'd ramble a little here. I don't do much these days, as I am recovering from open-heart surgery on June 18th. For those who haven't been following, I had my mitral valve replaced. Most of my day focuses on doing my exercises and walking, eating well, and resting. Because of the extent of the anesthetic's work in my body, it takes days or weeks for different parts of my body (i.e. - lungs) to fully awaken. My stamina is down, and my patience doesn't like that too much. I've been watching a lot of TV, not much reading or writing. I had hoped to be able to "use the time wisely", but energy levels are not allowing for that. So I still seem to be waiting, albeit something different than I was waiting for before

Thursday, July 05, 2007

The Latest on the Heart Saga

So I had a little glitch in recovery yesterday. I had an appointment scheduled with my GP yesterday, and that got stretched into a 24 hour stay in emerg. The blood thinner has not been kicking in as expected, and that puts me at risk for clots, which can lead to a stroke. My GP, being the thorough guy he is, did a bunch of tests and the sent me to the hospital for more tests. My warfarin was too low, so they hooked me up with some IV to get the ball rolling. I was also experiencing afribulation (sp?), which means that my upper heart chambers were quivering instead of pumping. This is often a problem with valve replacement, but one that can be fixed relatively easily with medication. Needless to say, it is always a little scary when these things come up, but they are not out-of-the-ordinary. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. I am back home and getting back into my slow routine.

Political SLAM!!

This may be one of the most calculated, scathing commentaries on anything political that I have ever seen. Whether you agree or not, it is an amazing piece of writing, and it is refreshing to hear someone say what they think.