Had open heart surgery on the 19th, got home late Christmas eve. Day after my surgery two of my Wyoming friends came to visit me!
First night I got home I woke up at one am, and got real hot, got scared and called the ambulance.
I started feeling better when I got to our hospital.
Vital signs were good.
Ever since my valve repair and by pass I've been in and out of afib, a common side effect from surgery.
I have used a breathing tool to help strengthen my lungs again, walking about forty minutes a day.
Been getting 3-6 hours of sleep.
Two days ago I did my second hyperbaric oxygen treatment at home.
A half hour under pressure, I gained 300+ points in the breathing tool.
Another half hour yesterday I gained another 200 points on all ten trys.
I'm in the chamber now.
I walked outside yesterday, and twice today.
I'm not supposed to lift more than ten lbs, and a few other things.
I'm much stronger now, slept six hours last night.
Man it really sucks when they pull the drain tubes out of your chest, it felt like they were pulling my heart too, then last day they pulled the to temporary pace maker wires out.
That hurt almost as bad.
Surgeon said I had a beautiful heart with large heart arteries, he used a chest artery for the bypass I might not have needed.
He said my collateral arteries were big enough the bypass might not be able to compete with them.
My four holes in the chest look great , healing well.
I enter my vitals every morning on a tablet and Sioux Falls sees them, I send a picture of my scars to them too.
Hopefully everything continues to improve,
I'm thinking the hundreds of miles I walked hunting fox and coyote gave me the large arteries and strong heart.
The hyperbaric chamber will help everything heal faster
Thanks so much for your prayers and well wishes!
Kevin

Guy on the right owns the car dealership in Chamberlain SD


My very good surgeon, Dr V is awesome guy

Awesome news.Keep at it.

Dang it man!! Hoping for a full fast recovery!!

I will! I can't wait to get stronger, I've lost a lot of muscle, my calves are sore from the small amount of walking I've done
I crave protein.
I have to restrict some foods,band almost no supplements because they interfere with the warfarin blood thinner.
I had a new nurse every day almost, they were real awesome

Glad your doing good and you are probably right about all the walking you done prior.
This is just a beginning to a great new year for you and your family.

This is fantastic news. Thanks for the update.

Yup I hope to start working with in Three months
One carpet machine weighs 105 lbs!
I'm going to kill a bunch of coyote this fall and winter I hope.
I'm good at trapping them and I'm even better at stalking them on snow

Great stuff! You look 20 years younger in the last pic…lol

Had awesome pain meds lol
I took one pain pill my first night home, don't need them now
Thanks but I'm kinda old lol

That neck transfusion thing was uncomfortable, had three IV in me
I first picture the dark thing on my chest is a vacuum bandage, hooked up to pull any fluid coming out, everything looks like it healed great

Tac, you got a great attitude....you'll be back in the field in no time. Get healthy!

Rough stuff, my grand father had that done at 83 years old and was running a loader loading logs a month later! lol. But he wasn't human.

Long time on t man..........
Always thought everyone would not get old...
Pray for speedy recovery

Prayers sent. Looks like you're on the right track. Us old guys gotta keep on fighting.

Sounds like you're on the right path. God bless

I'm glad they got you put back together and you keep on getting stronger. I would get an apprentice to haul those carpet cleaners up the stairs. I still have a number of 'yote skulls you sold me that I need to get some teeth glued back into them and then sold. Maybe I can do that know after Christmas when I control the basement again in my own style.

I had the same thoughts.

Another reason to get old stories and life lessons learned written down or recorded. Oral and other histories are important to a culture. If they don't exist in some form, then a 100 years from now, they "never really happened".

Prayers for a complete recovery.

Thanks everyone!
Best night was the night before, 6 hours of sleep
Last night 4.5

I'm so glad the heart started again!
Got out of afib again last night