Prison Quality Fit; an overdue update

Looks like I haven't posted regularly here in a while, which is good in a way, as it means I was out doing stuff. Which was the whole point of having open heart surgery and a  valve replacement in the first place I reckon.....

Anyways, for those of you who have been through this yourselves or have a loved on who is going though it, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Once you get past the first couple of months, things get better fast. Granted it takes longer to get back to 100% (I'm gunning for about 12 months post-op to be at what I consider 100%, pushing 85% plus most of the time now) and 100% may never be exactly what you were pre-symptoms, or maybe it is over 100% of what you were before. Either way, stick to your goals (mine are scuba diving, and getting back to kendo among others) and work at them, one little bit at a time. IN my case, I've been slowly adding to my fitness "regimen", mostly concentrating on diet recently (more on that later...) while adding in more exercises here and there. 

Protime update

Just had my most recent protime done last week, and scored a 2.6, which is pretty much where the docs want me with the On-X. Originally my surgeon was aiming for a range between a 2.0-2.5 (people who aren't on anti-coagulants are usually around a 1.0-ish) although I'm happy with being around a 2.5-30. No clotting events for me thanks! Staying steady on the coumadin dose, and my diet and supplements etc, are pretty consistent, so hopefully not too many more swings in the protime levels. 6 week checks at this time.

I would love to have a home tester, but technically I don't meet all the criteria for home testing so the insurance won't cover it. Saving my pennies, as you can buy anything off of ebay, and the additional readings will give me a little more peace of mind. As other coumadin patients have told me, I dose the diet, not diet based of the dose.