Boy, oh, boy . . . it used to be “full speed ahead.” However, when you get older, you get slower. I’m really experiencing that in my present recovery stage from my surgery two days ago for a pacemaker/defibrillator replacement.
It seems to me that a little gash in your chest is not that big of a deal since they don’t go all the way into organs or anything like that. And, perhaps, when younger, that little gash wouldn’t be much. However, as you get older, gashes take on an entirely different kind of meaning.
For one, older means healing slower. I have to give myself the time I need to heal. I’ve been doing a lot of resting and employing of icepacks to keep the swelling down. I’m also taking Tylenol regularly for the incisional pain. Both work while employed. About a half hour after I take the icepack off, I can feel the chest again. I don’t want to keep the pack on too long or excessive cold could cause another problem.
In addition to age, I also have the general state of health working against me. I am a diabetic which means that I heal differently and, definitely, slowly. I have to make sure that I am careful so that I heal instead of allowing the wound to lead to infection.
Infection is the biggest danger for my type of surgery. Since the pacemaker has leads attached to it that go directly the heart, an infection could easily travel to the heart muscle as well. I don’t think I like that option too much. So, for a change, now that I am older, I am going to listen to my doctors and nurses and listen to my body and take it slow and easy.
My brain has already been saying to me, “It won’t hurt too much if you said just one Mass or go to the office to work for a half hour.” I’m old enough to know that my brain can make stupid decisions that get me in trouble.
Slow and easy. That’s the ticket.
