I'm back

Frank Fusco

Member
Messages
12,782
Location
Mountain Home, Arkansas
Family, it has been a rough road and I have not reached end yet. But, today I was discharged from the hospital and am home. For those who may not know, I hade a quintipule (that's 5) artery by-pass. This is a chest opening and heat stopping procedure. As surgeries go this ranks as major-major serious.
My heart history previously was, I had no heart history.
OK, in the hopes it will help others, here is my story:
Friday night I was getting ready for bed and anticipating a meeting the next day almost 3 hours driving from my home. As I was doing this I suddenly got an overwhelming urge to close my eyes and go to sleep. Plus I was sweating profusley and had a small amount of chest tightness. But there was no pain and I was breathing OK. So, I went to bed.
The next day I fet fine, got up and went to the day long meeting plus the six hours driving.
That night as I was undressing I got some sharp pain on the left side of my chest, not a lot but some. I also had pain down my right arm. This was enought to tell me I needed checking out. Our daughter was visiting and I had her take me to ER.
That is where it started. We are fortunate to have a great heart surgeon in my town. He did what was needed.
However, when I woke up in CICU and the nurses tried to walk me this was the worst experience of my life. I never have felt more helpless or weak. I honestly felt like if this was to be my life I wished they had let me die. But, they were great nurses and encouraged me to do what was necessary. Each day there was small improvement and some of my strength came back.
So three weeks later, I'm home. I'm restricted to what I can life (no shop time) but improvement is expected daily. They say it will be a minimum of eight weeks for full recovery. I'm hopeful.
Those of you who contacted me contributed greatly to me recovery. The friendship and well wishes had a profound effect on my spirits. Better than any pills any time. Thank you.
 
Yay! I'm glad to see you're still among the living and that you're back home, Frank. :thumb: Here's to your steady and complete recovery.
 
Not sure of the exact time frame but I had similar surgery many years ago.
I went into rehab unable to open the door and it was an easy door to open.
Something like 8 or 10 weeks later I was using the rowing machine.

Hang in there Frank. Do the exercises and your strength will come back.

You know the real job of a Physical Therapist?? To push you a little further than you would go on your own because it hurts to much.
 
Keep on mending. We all missed your posting. The best for a speedy recovery. Mind the doctors. They are supposed to know what they are doing.
Then why do they call them "practising physicians"?
Get well.
David
 
Frank, glad to see you back online and at home! Thanks go to Jay Caughron for keeping us informed and telling us initially about your situation. Yes when my wife was doing her physical therapy she called her guy a "physical terrorist!". Strength will return and glad to see you online again!!
 
Last edited:
Top