3.176 TAVReport 3 and hopefully last

Friday 05/27/2022

I had the usual hospital night. To much light and noise, and a really nice and kind nurse waking me up at midnight and at 4am to check vitals. Then the phlebomist at 6am to take only 3 tubes of blood this time, and at 7am, the nurse with a rolling EKG cart. And a little later, the nurse with a rolling echocardiogram cart to do that. This was really interesting, she was able to image the aortic valve in live operation really well and I could clearly see the little flaps opening and closing. And doing it perfectly.

At about 8am, Dr. Rammahan comes by very pleased with it all. The valve ought to last you the rest of your life, he said. And if it should start to break down, we could always put another one inside this one. I asked about the catch filter he put in the carotid: did it catch anything? Maybe a couple of little grains; he couldn’t tell if they would have caused a problem or not. He wanted me to go on plavix for 3 months. I told him all the reasons I hated being on plavix–bruising, nosebleeds that won’t stop, etc., and talked him down to 1 month only.

By 10 nurse Kim had pulled my IV, and I got dressed. At 10:30 another nurse brought the discharge paperwork for me to sign, and a few minutes later Dennis pulled up and I was on the way home. With a stop to pick up the plavix, I was home before lunch. Several of my neighbors welcomed me back, either then or later in the day. It was quite touching.

Spent a quiet afternoon. I had intended to go out to the Creamery for a chocolate shake for supper, but neighbor Patty insisted that was too much. She said I should take Betty and Jerry’s invitation for supper. Awww no chocolate shake? OK, she said, I have to go out for some errands, I’ll bring you one. And she did, about 3pm she showed up at my door with a Creamery chocolate shake. Which totally spoiled my appetite for supper, but worth it.