Trouble of another kind

Sometimes trouble comes when you least expect it.  A couple of nights after I made the last post here, I was awakened in the early AM hours.  I was gasping for breath and wringing wet with sweat - no pain.  I staggered out of bed, took an aspirin, and made the 911 call.  A short time later the paramedics arrived in an ambulance and hauled my carcass to the nearest hospital some 25 miles away.  I spent 2 days there while they built me up enough to transport me to a larger hospital, approximately another 75 miles away.  I spent another 2 days there and was finally operated on to replace a valve in my heart which had simply worn out.  After several days to recuperate from the surgery I was transferred to a nursing facility a short drive away.  I was finally discharged yesterday and allowed to go home.  It has been a hard fight with a short stick, but I am finally gaining ground.  I can feel myself getting stronger every day.  I went into the surgery expecting pain, but what I wasn't prepared for was the loss of strength.  I had little choice about the surgery.  The options were few - have the operation or die.  Some choice!  For several days after surgery, I couldn't have whipped my way through a box of new born kittens!  I wasn't allowed to get out of bed without at least 2 people holding onto me for support, not that I could have made it to my feet anyway; but they soon had me up in a walker for short walks in the hallway.  Once I transferred to the nursing facility, there were physical therapists there who exercised me every day.  Although I am home now, I am still a long way from getting my full strength back.  Have to take it slow and easy while still trying to stay as active as possible.  How long it will be until I am able to take short walks in the woods, and do a little predator calling, is anyone's guess.  My dog, big Bear, is with some good friends in Nevada who were kind enough to drive over and pick him up.  I was obviously in no condition to take care of him, so that is a big load off my mind.  So that is about it for now, until I have something more interesting to write about.