I Am Finally Home

Thursday, July 21, 2022

YEAH !!! I AM FINALLY HOME !!!

I am finally HOME after spending a total of SEVENTY (70) DAYS in a hospital and then at a physical-rehabilitation facility. I am massively happy that I will be able to spend my wife's birthday with her and my mother tomorrow either at our home or at my mom's nearby home.

Prior to arriving at my physical-rehabilitation facility on June 3, 2022, I was in the hospital since May 13, 2022, when my wife brought me to the emergency room when I was experiencing severe chest pain. While at the hospital, I would then endure and recover from two (more) surgeries.

I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery on March 9, 2022, but I required two plastic-reconstructive surgeries within and on my chest in May 2022.

For my surgery on May 19, 2022, my plastic-reconstructive surgeon removed metal sternal plates from within my chest due to a staph infection. The infection was probably caused either by lingering osteomyelitis (a bone infection) within my left foot or by engaging in cardiac rehabilitation too soon. These plates were installed during my initial open-heart surgery and were not replaced due to my chest infection.

For my surgery on May 25, 2022, my plastic-reconstructive surgeon cleaned out the remaining infection from within my chest. He then partially closed my chest by first clipping off the tips of my ribs and then by reattaching my chest muscle flaps to my body.

My surgeon used seven spaced-out sutures to close the eight-inch-long, vertical incision in my chest initiated by my open-heart surgery and made worse by my two subsequent surgeries, leaving me with eight deep holes in my chest to heal. He attached an electric wound vacuum to suck discharge and any remaining infected blood from within my chest and from my wounds. My sutures and my wound vacuum were removed on June 20, 2022.

I was discharged from care by my plastic-reconstructive surgeon's office on July 11, 2022, meaning bandages on my chest were no longer required from that day on.

July 1, 2022, was my last day of receiving intravenous-antibiotic infusions every day for six weeks for a staph infection within my chest, a blood infection, and the lingering osteomyelitis within my left foot. I received three bags of the antibiotic every day in the hospital and one bag every day in my rehab facility.

The antibiotic was administered through one of two ports of my PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter), which was about 53 centimeters long (about 21 inches long). It ran from the upper part of my left arm through my veins close to my heart. The other port was supposed to be used for extracting blood for testing and for flushing the line with saline solution, but it was only used once in the hospital for blood extraction. Blood was extracted here at my rehab facility every few days using a needle stuck either into one of my arms or into the back of one of my hands.

My PICC line was removed on July 8, 2022.

In recent years, I have endured many of these six-week-long regimens for many cases of cellulitis in both of my legs individually and for the lingering osteomyelitis in my left foot. I have had four surgeries on my left foot due to diabetic ulcers: one to remove part of a decayed bone, two to remove bone fragments, and one to remove a benign tumor that was growing within a diabetic ulcer. I had the latter three surgeries last year.

In January 2021, while in the midst of another six-week-long regimen, both of my kidneys stopped functioning. This required six weeks of dialysis (four straight hours, seven days a week). Luckily, both of my kidneys regained functionality. (This was a concern in regard to my open-heart surgery.)

Over the past several days, I have done well with testing by my physical therapists and my occupational therapist. This partially made it possible for me to return home, along with the completion of my intravenous antibiotic regimen. However, I still have a Foley catheter installed, so I need to make an appointment with my urologist to deal with that situation.

While at my rehab facility, I had severe pain from the Foley catheter. I was taken to the emergency room of the hospital, where I had CAT scans of my abdominal and pelvic regions. Everything was OK, although it was determined that I have gallstones.

While I am stronger than I was, I am still far from being strong. I still need many more months to recover. My chest is still swollen and sore. My occupational therapist told me that I would probably require about a year to be fully healed. I will continue to strengthen myself by walking with a walker and engaging in exercises that I learned from my therapists.

Again, thank you for your prayers, well-wishes, and support during my rather challenging, continuing ordeal. I will continue to pray for everyone who is going through rough times.

Because I have been telling you about my many physical ailments, I will mention the thoracentesis procedure that I had last year. 650 milliliters (about 22 ounces) of fluid surrounding my right lung were drained through a catheter that was inserted in my back and into my chest cavity. Also, last year, my white-blood-cell count was near zero, but returned to normal levels; my hemoglobin and iron levels were very low, requiring intravenous infusions of iron and a blood transfusion; I had pneumonia twice and a covid infection that required an hourlong, intravenous infusion of an antibody. (I also required a blood transfusion during one of my surgeries this year.)

While my medical "fun" never seems to end, I do not require pity. I just enjoy telling you about my medical adventures.