104 – Staying Alive, Part 4: 23 November 2024

I was discharged from Griffith Rehabilitation Hospital on Monday 11 December 2018.  By that stage I was bored by being stuck in hospital for weeks on end.  The Nursing Discharge Summary given to me when Margaret took me home said this about my progress.

Past Medical History Hypertension, GORD Stomach Ulcer, Mitral Reguration [sic, probably regurgitation] Coronary Artery Disease Admission Progress Mr Hankin is an alert and oriented 69 year old.  Admitted 30/11/18 from Ashford Hospital following a coronary artery bypass with valve repair 20/11/18.  He has attended physiotherapy and occupational as part of his rehabilitation programme.  Mt Hankin has improved his endurance and is keen to discharge home on 11/12/18 Observations Vital signs range this admission afebrile pulse 58-70 Blood pressure 100/50 – 150/75 Function at Discharge Mr Hankin is currently independent with showering standing.  He is independent with dressing and toileting unaided.  Nil equipment needed for discharge’ Mr Hankin’s wife will manage the domestic tasks.  No concerns discharge home. Clinical Management INR test attended 11/12/18 before discharge and results will be forwarded to GP Arrange with your GP date of next INR Please ring GP in the afternoon of discharge for INR result and warfarin dose (record details in your warfarin book) Hygiene Care Plan 2: independent with self care/ standing to shower Mobility Care Plan 3: Independent with transfers.  Walking with nil aids Wound Care Care Plan 4: sternal incision – dry with small scabs – nil dressing required.  Left leg incision x groin to knee – dry with small scabs nil dressings required

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On Sunday 16 December, Anne Ryan drove me to Morialta and I walked from Stradbroke Road to First Falls.  The distance is about 2 kilometres (1 ¼ miles) and the road slopes uphill, although it is not a steep slope.  I noticed the slope only because I was still recovering from the heart operation.  This walk took me about one hour.

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The photo above shows First Falls at Morialta as it was on Sunday 6 August 2023.  On that date, Margaret was still waiting for a bed to become available in Griffith Rehabilitation Hospital.  The cat scans had revealed that she was no longer dying because the cancer had completely disappeared.

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I walked to First Falls at Morialta yet again on Sunday 23 December 2018.  Although I found it difficult to do these walks, I was satisfied that I had the stamina to try something more difficult.

On Sunday 30 December 2018, I tackled the steep path that leads to a lookout platform immediately above First Falls.

 

This is a photo of the First Falls lookout as seen from First Falls below the lookout.  The lookout platform can be seen in the middle of the photo to the left of the cliff where the ground drops steeply.

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I repeated the walk to the lookout platform on Sunday 6 January 2019 and by then I was anxious to test whether I still had the endurance to walk the perimeter of the park.  

Before the operation I used to walk the perimeter every Sunday and it usually took me about 3 hours 45 minutes to complete.  This was the walk that had worried the anaesthetist before I had the Chain Saw operation when I asked if it was okay for me to do it.  The anaesthetist knew in detail the terrain I wanted to walk through and banned me from attempting it.

This time, I didn’t ask the anaesthetist.  I reasoned my heart had been repaired so there was no need.  I made some reluctant friends walk the perimeter with me on 6 January.  I managed to walk the complete perimeter, but it took me 4 hours and 45 minutes and I was completely exhausted by the time I had finished.

Satisfied that I still had the endurance to walk in the more rigged part of the park, I decided I would give myself a rest for the next two weeks.  Instead of tackling the perimeter walk – and frightening my friends – I merely walked to the lookout platform above First Falls on Sunday 13 and Sunday 20 January 2019.

By the time Sunday 27 January came around, I decided I was fit enough to resume normal walking and resumed my perimeter walks.  Within two weeks, my friends had exhausted their stamina and I walked alone on several occasions.  Obviously, I did not tell Margaret I was sometimes walking on my own.  I did not want her to worry any more than she already was.

Even for people who have not had open heart surgery, walking in Morialta in December, January and February can be dangerous.  Apart from the danger of falling on the very rough tracks, these months are the hot South Australian summer months.  Temperatures can get dangerously high and snakes are quite active in the hot weather.  The bite of most Australian snakes will usually kill you unless you get anti snake venom quickly – and the chances of getting anti snake venom in the middle of Morialta are vanishingly small.  I always thump my boots down as hard as I can on the ground to warn the snakes I am there.  Snakes will usually get out of the way if they know someone is coming.

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Apart from the scar left by the line of stitches down the middle of my chest, I managed to recover from the Chain Saw operation within a few short months.

I had no way of knowing that the Chain Saw operation was merely the beginning of a drawn out struggle for me to stay alive