I got rhythm... or not

Tomorrow I go in for the first of my follow up visits. There will be an EKG, a chest X-ray, the removal of the remaining stitches. I am going to ask about the insomnia. I've always been a terrible sleeper, but it has been worse since surgery. I wake up a lot and stay awake longer. I am still useless at getting myself upright if I am lying down so this is all a bit frustrating.

I think I read somewhere that insomnia can happen after heart surgery. The heart is all about rhythm. During surgery, when a machine helps the blood circulate and keep oxygen going, something is put into the heart to chill it and it is essentially brought to a stand still, the heart loses the beat for awhile. I also wonder if my heart is functioning differently now. There is no more aneurysm, the valve isn't leaking and the huge amount of back flow is probably gone. So not only did my heart stop beating, when it came to, the rhythm must have been different.

I guess this means my heart with feet is dancing to a slightly different rhythm these days. It will take a while to settle into the new rhythm, and for all the other rhythmic things about my body and mind (such as sleeping) to learn the new steps. I'm sure I will stumble and teeter and sometimes feel like I am hanging on for dear life while something older and deeper whirls me round the dance floor. Right now though, I need to listen to the rhythm, feel the rhythm.... oh and get a decent night's sleep.