Good Morning...

I'm delinquent in keeping up my end of the bargain on this blog. I may have a reason to be a bit tired, but that isn't really an excuse. I'm feeling very well today, even better than yesterday which I think has been my best day so far since the surgery. My vitals are rock solid, I've lost 12 pounds since I left the hospital loaded with water, and I'm sleeping pretty well. My appetite is definitely off, which explains the weight loss, but I'm getting 3 squares a day thanks to Deb's efforts. Hasn't she just been great through all this. I know I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for putting up with my crap as I recover, sometimes crabbily. She did a fantastic job with the blog while I was out of circulation and I will encourage her to keep posting her side of the story as we continue to move forward on this detour through life.

The one problem I still have, that is a known side effect of this surgery, is that my vision is extremely muddied right now. I don't know what the cause is, maybe heart-lung machine, maybe anesthesia, who knows (I'll look it up online later). No matter, I can't wait for this effect to fade so I can get back to reading at my normal glacial pace.

We are waiting to catch the Vikings-49ers game this morning and looking forward to a wonderful and relaxing Sunday in CA. Tomorrow we go see the surgeon for my wound check and to get our "walking papers" back to MN. I am really looking forward to getting back home and settling into the rest of this recovery. Not sure what setbacks may be facing us, but so far so very good! Tomorrow I should find out when my tentative "return to work" date is and we will work toward that. Conventional wisdom says 6-8 weeks minimum from date of surgery for the sternum bone to heal. That would put us somewhere in the Nov 2 - 16 timeframe for at least a part time return to work.

We are looking forward to catching up with Mom and Dad and thanking them profusely for their fantastic support of both of us during the first week of this journey. We are also looking forward to a visit from my daughters and their families. We have really missed them and we want to see our wonderful grandsons, even if it is just a short visit!

Have a great day everyone. I know I will never be able to thank you all enough for the good thoughts, prayers, and energy you've all sent our way and the help it has given us in getting through this!

Thanks,

Jon