Two weeks ago today I got the call. I have been out of the hospital since last Thursday, July 10th. This morning I walked 2 miles on the treadmill. I don't find that particularly impressive but what I felt when I walked was. My heart is denervated, meaning the main nerve to my heart from my brain is cut. This happens to all transplant patients. The effect of which is several things. First, my sympathetic nervous system is no longer connected with my heart. So if the smoke alarm went off in my house my heart would keep beating at the same rate. After a few minutes my heart would catch up to my body and start to pump harder. This impacts me when working out because I need to warm up slowly, like a cold car engine in a MN winter. Secondly, my resting heart rate is higher than the normal persons because the vegus nerve, the one that is cut, is the brake to your heart. I have no break now so my resting heart rate is 85-90 BPM. At any rate, once I got warmed up I was able to turn on my music and hum along and feel stronger than I would have thought 12 days after heart transplant. The vegus nerve regenerates less than 5% of the time, but the body adapts to things.
I have been fighting some terrible side effects of one of the drugs, cell cept. I have lost 20 lb. in three days and have no real appetite. Today for the first time in three days this seem to be slightly better. When one approaches transplant a certain amount of research is done, education etc. But until it is experienced first hand it is hard to fully understand the way you will experience things. Brushing teeth water bottle water, constant bitter/iron taste in your mouth, diarrhea. No complaints here, one day at a time. But this is definitely a test.
My driveline wound is closing. It is weird to look at my stomach and see what looks like an apple corer was taken to my stomach. Tomorrow is another biopsy and right heart catheterization. And I get my stitches out.
Erik Compton tee's it up tomorrow morning at the British Open, cannot wait to see he take the Claret Jug.
Strength and Honor.
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