Steve,
I saw your message and you are right it is great to get the year of 2013 behind us. I am doing good, working a lot of hours. I am back up to running ...Read more
Steve,
I saw your message and you are right it is great to get the year of 2013 behind us. I am doing good, working a lot of hours. I am back up to running 3-4 miles a day less pace 9-10 minute miles. My last cardio check was perfect my heart has went down to normal limits,aorta 3.6 and mechanical valve working like a champ. I am not back to before surgery but I was running 3-4 triathlons a summer before surgery. My Coumadin levels have been steady I keep them around 2-2.2. Waiting for the PROACT trial to finish and maybe I will get lucky and get on plavix with my OnX valve. Great to hear from you I hope the fatigue problems get better for you. Again thanks for the pep talks last year. Good luck.
Alex V
Steve,
I am recently diagnosed and will be having repair surgery hopefully with Dr. Yun. Do you have any insight on your experience with Dr. Yun? I want ...Read more
Steve,
I am recently diagnosed and will be having repair surgery hopefully with Dr. Yun. Do you have any insight on your experience with Dr. Yun? I want to choose the best surgeon. Thanks.
Mike
Thanks for the message. First of all, you have been given a great referral if you are considering Dr. Yun. Dr. Yun in our opinion is an extremely gifted and talented surgeon here on the West Coast. He is personable and answered all of our questions very honestly and straightforward. As you might have read, I had Barlow's so my valves were very damaged and long. On top of that, they were heavily calcified. Dr. Yun skillfully removed the calcification around the ring in order to implant the mechanical valve. (Please note: I was not a candidate for a tissue valve due to age, and a repair was impossible to the significant damage). We are very grateful to Dr. Yun and his expertise in dealing with complicated cases. If you have any other questions, you can always contact us.
Steve Bond You can contact us at info@heartcarematters.com. My wife Aida started a support website for heart pa ... Read more
Steve Bond You can contact us at info@heartcarematters.com. My wife Aida started a support website for heart patients and caregivers at www.heartcarematters.com as a result of this experience.
Hi Aida and Steve,
I wanted to ask you both if you\'ve seen problems with mental confusion since your surgery? Mine has Improved but I still have days when ...Read more
Hi Aida and Steve,
I wanted to ask you both if you\'ve seen problems with mental confusion since your surgery? Mine has Improved but I still have days when I will tell Karl the same story 3 times or I\'ll be in a middle of a conversation and loose my train of thought as to where I was this heading. This drives me crazy. I was hoping as we get closer to the 9 week period that my skills will go back to where they were. Have you dealt with anything like this since your surgery? If so I would love to know you how you have addressed it.
Hugs,
Michelle
Always great to hear from you. I think I have officially become Steve's representative. I hope that is okay with you. :) I shared with him this morning before he left to work about your question and he shared with me that he sometimes has issues with memory. Personally, I have noticed that I have had to repeat things to him at least a few times (sometimes he has forgotten altogether). I haven't made a big issue out of it since I figured it was all post op adjustments that we both had to work through. In my humble opinion I think all these little things will work themselves out over time. You went through an incredible procedure that required you to be on the bypass machine for several hours. I believe that process alone affects our human bodies in more ways than we realize. So with that said, please try to be patient with yourself. Your body is working hard in restoring itself even now :)
Hi Steve,
I am glad to hear you\'re doing so well. Aida was a true blessing to me. She answered all my questions and calmed me down when I became panicky about ...Read more
Hi Steve,
I am glad to hear you\'re doing so well. Aida was a true blessing to me. She answered all my questions and calmed me down when I became panicky about surgery. You have a wonderful wife. I am almost 3 weeks post-op and the surgeon did discover I had Barlow\'s Syndrome while operating. I just wish I would have known how good I would feel after having this procedure. Granted, the first 8 days or so were rough, but each day I am getting stronger and reading about your progress has given me strength. My back/shoulder area hurts the most. I find that if I sleep slightly elevated on my back I can sleep most of the night. It also helps to take a sleep med at night. Take care of yourself and don\'t push too hard, I\'ve learned that the hard way. Please tell Aida hello and I am going to call y\'all one of these days.
Hugs,
Michelle
It was so good to hear from you! You are doing amazing. I have read your journal entries but time has gotten away from me as I get busy with the kids (still adjusting to Steve's Mom not being here :(...She was a great support. I wrote in your journal that Steve is working a part time modified schedule but even so he does tire easily. One day he will feel good but then if he does too much he will slow down for a few days. I hope your back/shoulder area is feeling better. God only knows what they do to your bodies during the operation! And yes, we would love a call someday!
Steve
Things seem to be getting better for me every day. I think you will like cardiac rehab,it just feels safe to really push yourself. I didn\'t have real ...Read more
Steve
Things seem to be getting better for me every day. I think you will like cardiac rehab,it just feels safe to really push yourself. I didn\'t have real bad symptoms before surgery,so I have been increasing my workouts each week. It is tuff to go back to work,first day was from 730a-9p. It was hard to get up this morning and doit again. Good luck at your rehab just keep workin hard. Thanks again for the prayers and words of encouragement.
Alex V
Good to hear from you. Sounds like you are doing just fine. It must be something else going back to work and putting in a long day's work. Will keep you in our prayers for continued strength and success. Not sure when I will be able to go back since I have such a physically demanding job but I am hoping my cardio rehab will help me get the strength and endurance that I will need. You and others supporting me all the way through this has been an incredible source of support. Thank you. Let's keep in touch.
Hi Steve and Aida-
That\'s great that Steve got to go back out to the work sites. I bet it felt good to experience a little bit of his \"normal\" life. I ...Read more
Hi Steve and Aida-
That\'s great that Steve got to go back out to the work sites. I bet it felt good to experience a little bit of his \"normal\" life. I will pray that he gets stronger each day since it sounds like he\'s still working on that.
As for me, I am pleasantly surprised that I feel like I\'m running on Energizer batteries right now, and feel pretty normal every morning when I wake up. I don\'t know if it\'s a result of being the mother of several children, or what, but I seem to have a lot of energy to get everyday things done. Also, I haven\'t had any BP issues. I\'m still working on getting my INR up and will go in to check it on Saturday.
I\'ve been sleeping in a recliner and am down to 3 pain pills daily. Hoping to wean that down to 2 and then maybe just Tylenol. Hopefully, my energy won\'t die out too bad once I\'m dealing with the pain on my own.
I\'m getting used to the ticking of my mechanical valve, too. It doesn\'t bother me, just sounds like a wrist watch. I noticed when I bend forward, it gets louder.
Take care and I\'ll keep your family in my prayers. Jean Trausch AVR 2-19-13
Hi Steve-
I\'m going in for my AVR surgery on Tuesday, Feb. 19th. I\'m starting to get a little nervous thinking about everything. It is so encouraging to ...Read more
Hi Steve-
I\'m going in for my AVR surgery on Tuesday, Feb. 19th. I\'m starting to get a little nervous thinking about everything. It is so encouraging to see your wife\'s posts about your recovery along with the others posts on here. I\'ll be praying for you and hope you do the same for me. Take care, Jean Trausch
Steve,
Glad to hear things are progressing well. I feel better everyday. My biggest problem is my stamina and my soar chest and right shoulder from having ...Read more
Steve,
Glad to hear things are progressing well. I feel better everyday. My biggest problem is my stamina and my soar chest and right shoulder from having the MIS thoracotomy. My INR has been ok at 1.9 need to get it up a little. I will start cardiac rehab next week. Again good luck and thank you for the prayers and thoughts during my surgery.
Alex Vigil
Glad to get all the positive notes on Steve\'s recovery. Hang in there, I know it might seem slow but you are making progress. Keep counting your blessings. ...Read more
Glad to get all the positive notes on Steve\'s recovery. Hang in there, I know it might seem slow but you are making progress. Keep counting your blessings.
Colleen C
I am from: Placentia, California
