Brent's Guestbook

Hi Brent, I have sleep apnea and find my self waking up in the middle of the night, which as happened and now that I'm a recent "valve job" (as I call it, too) alumni, I find myself cruizing HVJ land. Looking at your Journal, I'm inclined to share a Web Site I found while researching cardiac rehab, a Site that was inspirational to me, a not so old, old(er) young man...pushing 70 has got to be the new pushing 40 or so, right? Anyway the site is at www.ironheartracing.com. If you go there, you will see a photo on the right of the page of a fellow in bed after OHS, David Watkins, and if you put your cursor on the photo and click, a video will start that plays the Nike song "Its Not How You Start, Its How You Finish" in the background. That tune has a phrase in it that goes "...everybody gets knocked down, how quick you gonna get-up...". I will tell you right after I woke up from surgery and the nurse asked my how I felt...and I said "I feel like shit" (my wife says I used my full vocabulary, but I don't think so)...right after that in my head that tune phrase was stuck, like can happen with a song...and it just kept playing in my head over and over and over and over and over...and I was soon, with little tiny steps, doing laps around the ward, at first with my wife, sister, and daughter with me, but soon the steps got bigger and before long the wife couldn't keep up. My surgery was Mar 111th and I started rehab Friday, Mar 15th, five weeks after surgery...and they worked the hell out of me...perhaps my fault...but, you know, that sweat pouring from my brow as I did the treadmill and stationary bike felt so very good. The young cardiologist that takes such good care of me, the one that said exercise has a different meaning to some than to others...to some it means getting up and walking...and to others it means pouring sweat and maybe even vomit...and told me I would be stronger after my valve job than before...and that damn tune phrase comes back a lot, although not now like those first days when it haunted me...would not leave my head. Keep movin', Brent...keep movin' ...Barry on the mtn in New Mexico

Hi Brent, I am so glad to hear the surgery went well and that your recovery is also going well. Be sure to take it easy as directed. You may feel you have more energy, but don't be tempted to overdo it. I wish you all the best with your recovery. Tia Phillips