Don Husi - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

Don Husiposted a journal

2634 days ago

1 person reacted to this

I am almost three months out and have had recurrent pericarditis which has been extremely painful and makes it difficult to breathe at times. Anyone else experiencing ...Read more

I am almost three months out and have had recurrent pericarditis which has been extremely painful and makes it difficult to breathe at times. Anyone else experiencing this type of issue?

Phyllis Petersen I'm sorry to hear you're having issues. Did they have to replace or were they able to repair the valv ... Read more

Phyllis Petersen I'm sorry to hear you're having issues. Did they have to replace or were they able to repair the valve?

Shannon Gray Hi Don! So glad you are reaching out to this community. One week exactly after my aneurysm/ aortic re ... Read more

Shannon Gray Hi Don! So glad you are reaching out to this community. One week exactly after my aneurysm/ aortic replacement, I fell very ill and taken back to hospital. I had a severe pericardial effusion which required surgery to drain the fluid around my heart. Again, it happened so fast and a severe reaction. Once I weaned off my medicine, pericarditis returned ( which is just the inflammation). I understand the pain and frustration involved with this beast...it's tough! I relied on my dr.s top knowledge, on medicine for 3 months solid, and used a tapering scheduling once it was time to go off the meds. I made sure m heart rate stayed fairly low and tried not to do too many high endurance exc., just gave my heart a lot of time to call itself down. If you use the search tool at the top of this site, type in pericarditis, and many of us who have written about our exp will come up and you can read others dealings. I wish you the best..take gentle care of yourself!

Don Husiposted a journal

2698 days ago

It's now been three weeks since the surgery. I am up and about. I still have fairly significant pain at the incision site and the surrounding ribs. Two ...Read more

It's now been three weeks since the surgery. I am up and about. I still have fairly significant pain at the incision site and the surrounding ribs. Two questions for folks. First, i have a numbness in my left thigh, below the incision site in my groin. Anyone else with this issue? Does it resolve itself over time, or am I looking at a lifetime of numbness in that leg. Second, when I get up, I often get dizzy and several times have almost passed out. They have modified my diuretic meds, but I still seem to be having the symptoms. Any thoughts? Thanks to all who post on here. It has been very helpful

Steven A Husted NOT SURE BUT I THINK IT WILL WORK IT SELF OUT MY NUMBNESS WENT AWAY AND IN TIME YOUR BODY WILL GET ST ... Read more

Steven A Husted NOT SURE BUT I THINK IT WILL WORK IT SELF OUT MY NUMBNESS WENT AWAY AND IN TIME YOUR BODY WILL GET STRONGER AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET UP MORE EASY WITHOUT GETTING DIZZY TIME IS A GREAT HEALER

Phyllis Petersen I still have numbness around my incision sites. I'm hoping that it eventually resolves as it's been c ... Read more

Phyllis Petersen I still have numbness around my incision sites. I'm hoping that it eventually resolves as it's been coming back little by little. As for the dizziness, I still have to watch for that when I bend over. My cardiologist didn't seem too worried about these symptoms.

Don Husiposted an update

2718 days ago

Chris Vereb, Barbara Laurie, Shannon Gray and 2 others reacted to this

Last Night before surgery. Feeling a great deal of anxiety. I'm not sure I'll get much sleep. I did want to thank all of you who post on this site. It has ...Read more

Last Night before surgery. Feeling a great deal of anxiety. I'm not sure I'll get much sleep. I did want to thank all of you who post on this site. It has helped me prepare for the surgery better than any other tool I have used so far. Prayers for all having surgery in the coming days.

Kate Watson Try to focus on good things to look forward to after this is behind you if you can. I wish you all t ... Read more

Kate Watson Try to focus on good things to look forward to after this is behind you if you can. I wish you all the best with your surgery and recovery and hope you get some rest tonight!

Chris Vereb Soon you will in control again of your life. Your healing will be fast.

Barbara Laurie Don, tomorrow will be fine, you're in God's hands. ❤️️All the Best❤️

Phyllis Petersen Hoping all is going well!

jerry grimes Thinking of you today, Don. Hope all goes smoothly.

Steven A Husted best wishes and prayers

Ellen Leng Hope all went well today!

Catie B Don, I hope all went smoothly and that you're coming along well with your recovery.

Don Husiposted a journal

2725 days ago

Darlene Smith reacted to this

Today I have my pre-op appointment. I have no fears going into this, but certainly many questions. Reading the posts on this site has helped quite a bit with ...Read more

Today I have my pre-op appointment. I have no fears going into this, but certainly many questions. Reading the posts on this site has helped quite a bit with the questions. It seems like the surgery date has been creeping up very, very slowly. Trying to wrap up work and make sure there are no loose ends there.

Ellen Leng Best of luck, Don. Seems you've already been through a lot! Hope you're asking questions about likel ... Read more

Ellen Leng Best of luck, Don. Seems you've already been through a lot! Hope you're asking questions about likelihood of repair v replacement as well as types of potential replacements. I assume since you've been following, you are aware of the general pluses and minuses. In some ways the pre-surgery time is more difficult than post-op. Best to you!

Phyllis Petersen Pretty soon you'll be joining us on the other side of surgery. Recovery is no joke, but it's a time f ... Read more

Phyllis Petersen Pretty soon you'll be joining us on the other side of surgery. Recovery is no joke, but it's a time for looking forward with anticipation instead of dread. The main advice I'd offer you is to have patience with yourself. As you've seen on here, no two people have the same surgery or recovery. You're in the hands of someone you trust, which is the most important thing. Ask any question that comes to mind and speak up about your needs. Good luck!

Bridget Sawmiller You will do great, I am 3 months post op and I feel 100% back to normal. The first 6 weeks are challe ... Read more

Bridget Sawmiller You will do great, I am 3 months post op and I feel 100% back to normal. The first 6 weeks are challenging, but it will get better. Prayers for a successful surgery tomorrow and speedy recovery!