Hi deb,
That is so frustrating and I'm sure pretty scary. You have been so strong and patient thru this ordeal and I'm sure it is a lot tougher than you have let on. I am thinking of you every day and just wishing the docs would hurry up and figure out how to get your ticker under control so you can get back in action sailing and skiing!

xoxo,
Kitty

Hey Deb! Sure wish you could get some definitive answers on all this, but also sounds as though you have excellent doctors helping you. Frank and I just raced to Akron City hospital (it's about an hour south of Cleveland) this morning because his mom had a major heart attack. She actually had two minor ones last week in Florida but "didn't want to go into a hospital down there because she didn't know any doctors". Good Lord. It was a blessing she made it to the surgeons in time, but two stints later, she is doing MUCH better and we are all learning more about heart health, etc. -- She is in ICU but if all goes well, she should be back home in a few days. I can't help but think about how bright your future is compared to hers though because you are so much younger, so much more active (when allowed) and just generally so much smarter to notice your signs and do something about them! We all feel this was a wake up call for us to INSIST she take better care of herself and for once, I think she'll finally start to listen. Keep us posted on what your new specialist says about the holster readings. I am starting to get "mother of the bride" assignments out the wazzzzuuuu and am really thinking that paying them to ELOPE would be the best option! ha. We'll keep you posted from this end too. Love ya, Amy

Deb, I can imagine all of this is so frustrating, but just remember....we are the fortunate ones...to be able to have surgery. Our first symptoms weren't sudden death. I know they will get your ticker straightened out, it just wants a little added attention, lol. (I know, that's not funny). Let us know what the monitor shows.
Still waiting...Linda Dixon

Hey Deb!! Sounds as though more is going right than wrong, and I admire your stay-positive attitude! I am just about to get back into exercising (just some routine calesthenics and then I swim 40 lengths) so I will be WHINING loudly about how sore I am. Emily keeps sending me "Mother of the Bride" dresses via on-line sites and I just laugh out loud because the models in the pix are sure as hell not MOTHERS! Sigh. Actually it's going pretty well on that front cuz Emily is almost 29 yrs old and not a Bridezilla... at least not yet. Hallie is the only bridesmaid and Pat's brother is the only groomsmen (best man?) -- They both care more about everyone having FUN (translate that ALCOHOL) than whether the napkins match the dinnerware, etc. Thank God for that, cuz I totally agree.
I am not teaching any classes this semester (by choice) but still work with the athletes. I actually have time to check my personal email during the semester now. :) Well just glad to hear that you are making progress and will be curious to know what this new specialist says. Thanks for keeping all of us posted! Love ya, Amy P.S. Did you get video of DOG vs GOD? I thought you'd like it! :)

Hang in there Deb....you've been such a trooper, this is just one more little blip on the radar for you to deal with. It's great that you decided to continue on with your rehab and that they realized that this is something that needed a doctor's attention! We'll keep you on the prayer list for continued healing.

Snowshoeing when you are up for it???

Willie and Hoopie

Hi Deb:

I have been following your updates and I'm always amazed by your courage and willingness to deal with things as they are. You are my role model!
I hope to see you soon and I send you my prayers for your ongoing healing every day.

Barb Adams

Deb,

If in fact you have no leakage, then you have a lot to be grateful for! I do beleive that many of us, myself included, have some degree of leakage post surgery. And, I also have some tenderness, numbness, and pain in the muscle area despite passing my 1 year anniversary.

Terry T.

Hi Deb,
You wrote in my journal and now its my time to write in yours. As I said in my reply before I am so glad you are doing well. Just so you know, I am a chiropractor and I use some of the latest technologies and therapies. Here is a suggestion that may help and that I plan on doing after my surgery to speed healing. Have you ever heard of "cold laser" therapy, aka Low Level Laser Therapy? It helps SPEED the healing of tissues. I cannot even begin to tell you how many patients we have helped using this. Everything from tennis elbows that no one else could help, carpal tunnel, plantar fascists and even one long term stubborn case of costochondritis. It is very good for scar healing and burns too. Please check out some of the videos at this You Tube link below and I also am included a link to the company's website. Please ask about this and try it. It is a NON-heat producing laser (not actually cold, just non heat producing). It is painless to have done, you feel nothing being done, and it takes about 99 seconds per area treated. It is many times truly miraculous! I will be using if after my surgery to help the sternum heal faster and to control pain. Hope this helps. - Jeff

You Tube Videos on the ML830 Laser:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cold+laser+ml830&oq=cold+laser+ml830&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=4979l11183l0l13178l20l17l1l4l0l0l196l1366l4.8l12l0

Company Website:
http://www.microlightcorp.com/

Deb Sounds like things are improving. Sorta funny you said about your pain in your chest. As for me I only had a port in my chest for a few month's. But when I move my arm or tighten the muscle in my chest it still hurts some.Ya gotta remember you were invaided with guys with knives it might take awhile. I hope not. Take care Bill Best

Deb,
Just to the left of my sternum, I still have a focal pain that comes and goes. I never got a great answer either. I seem to remember having my post op echo is right where the pain is. Maybe that's the sore spot because that's where all the work was done!
Jim Davis

Dear Deb. So glad you are doing so well. I called your Hartland phone number and it was not in service so started googling and found this. I was shocked to find out about your surgery and would love to give you a call. Please let me know a phone number and email address to contact you.

I know you are going to have a very happy holiday after these months of stress. Suz Loker

Good to read you're doing so well. I live in Nashville and had my aortic valve repaired and my aortic root replaced at the Clinic on the 18th. I think I posted once to your journal pre-op but never got to stop by while we were at the hospital. I was a patient of Dr. Sabik's so I think we were on the same recovery floor. All going well here too and having some of the same concerns with a couple irregular beats and some sleepless nights. I do take Ambien a couple nights a week and it works well. It reminds of the sleep you get as a kid. You fall asleep and the next thing you know it's 7 hours later. I figure even if it takes me time to get completely off of it, right now my body needs the rest more than pretty much anything else. Good luck with your continued success and have a great holiday season. Bill McAllister

This is great news !!!! I am sooo happy for you --- My valve repair had the same outcome at the Cleveland Clinic --- 100% perfect with no leaking :) It is also great to hear that you are off all of your meds --- I am working in that direction --- keep smiling and walking :)

Darlene Nowak-Baker
P.S. I take my tylenol PM at night -- it helps me sleep -- my Dr. doesn't have an issue with it and suggested it for what that is worth --

Hi Deb, that is awesome news from the cardio guy that your repaired valves aren't leaking at all and you're off all those crazy meds! Way to Go! You do need to sleep in order to heal so a sleep clinic might be worth a try but in the mean time keep taking the benedyrl and tylenol pm and alternate them with the ambien. If you take two tylenol pm and wake up in two hours it would probably be ok to take one more especially since you're off all the other stuff. I just think you need to do whatever it takes to sleep. Two hours a night sounds dangerous.
Thinking about you and just wishing you the best!
xoxo,
Kitty

THUMP THUMP.......THUMP THUMP.....THUMP THUMP.......Hugs and Smiles--- When r u coming out?

I cetainly hope and pray that your heart settles into a normal rythym. I had a mazeprocedure done along with mitral valve replacement and it took a whole two months to get back to sinus rythym.I am one year into my surgery and i still have extra beats and fast beats during the day but not intolerable though. Hope you feel better soon

Sara

l'll be here all weekend if you need to talk to someone:>) Tell Jim to dress warm it's turned cold and we had a little snow last night. Love to you both!
georgy

Good Morning Deb, I've been catching up to your updates during my scintallating Thurs AM conference call. Sorry to hear of the bumps in the road but know you're up to the task. Take care and we'll see you sometime soon.

Hi Deb,

My doctor gave me a prescription for Temazepam yesterday. It did help, as I got about 6 hours sleep last night.

He told me I should take it 3-4 days in a row and then see how I do off of it for a night.

I hope you can get some good sleep too.

Hang in there,
Dan P.
Cottage Grove, WI

As always we're following your progress and are keeping you in our prayers. lf there's anything we can do just give us a call. We love you and are wishing you a peaceful heart!
Georgy

Hi Deb,
I'm on metoprolol also and when I don't take it for a day or 2 I also go into A-fib. I can see your frustration but believe that time will be what you are needing. Also, as soon as I go into A-fib, I try to change what got me in that state, (if it isn't because of not taking the pills), like running if I'm sitting, or vice/versa. Jumping jacks seems to work also.
Take it easy and try not to get too frustrated, you are on the mend.
Pam:)

Hey Deb + family! So glad to hear that you got your Rehab schedule set up. Just knowing that is ahead of you and all organized is a huge part of getting back to 100%. Plus, knowing you, it will become a little competition that you'll look forward to each day, seeing how or where you can improve a little bit each time. Too bad I can't be there to coach you - lol. (Still have my whistle and coaching shorts... at least I could guarantee you would laugh!) -- Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and got some of that "good" weight back on your bones! Both girls were home so we were happy; did some wedding stuff and gorged ourselves and put up Christmas... pretty much ran out of time after that. Keep those journal entries coming! Love ya, Amy

Hi Deb,

Glad to hear that most things are going good, except a few bumps in the road. Not sure when you last had your H&H (hemoglobin and hemtacrit) checked at the doctors office but usually after heart surgery if your H&H is low you will feel cold, especially on coumadin. This usually takes a few to several weeks for your H&H to go back up to were it was before surgery.
Glad to hear you got into rehab finally. Where are you doing your cardiac rehab at? Did you find a cardiologist in the area?

Samantha Hanson

Hi Deb

I'm not a doctor but I do know that feeling cold can be an indication of low metabolism.'If it were me I would have an Endocrinologist check my throid panel and investigate the cause. This is not normal.
I understand that hormonal unbalances can result from heart surgery. Ask your primary doctor if he concurs with what I have said and authorize an endocrinologist.
Hope this helps.
Neale

Deb,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and Jimbo! (We know what you are thankful for this year!) We are having a quiet celebration - neither of the girls are coming home for Thanksgiving. But, we'll all be together at Christmas, so we are looking forward to that. I hope that you are surrounded by those you love and are celebrating your successful surgery and looking forward to the new, healthy you! We are hoping to grab dinner with you two soon.

All our best,
Willie and Hoopie

Hi Debbie,
Hope your feeling better soon, i am glad I did not send Bella this week! I will try to bottle some of this Florida weather and bring it to you to warm you up. Siesta key is awesome! Hope you have a happy turkey day! Talk to you when I get back.
Love
Heidi

Hi Debbie,
Hope your feeling better soon, i am glad I did not send Bella this week! I will try to bottle some of this Florida weather and bring it to you to warm you up. Siesta key is awesome! Hope you have a happy turkey day! Talk to you when I get back.
Love
Heidi

Must be a Cleveland Clinic thing, about the cold. For some time after I got home and particularly after I started back to work, I absolutely could not get warm. I thought it was the coumadin at first. The sensation has eventually improved and now I am almost back to normal, temperature wise anyway! Me being cold was absolutely unheard of. I had previously always been very hot natured and rarely wore a coat unless it was <20 degrees outside. That also passed with me as well. If you have any more weirdness, let me know. I probably blazed that trail a few weeks ago. Take care!
Jim

Deb,
As a matter of fact I am on coumadin and was on coumadin while I was on the NSAIDS. It was a calculated risk, I realize. But for me it was worth it. The NSAIDs really helped me. The palpitations really frightened me and I wanted them to go away at just about any cost.
Jim

Deb,
My palpitations were really bad about the same time frame as yours. They were much worse at night time as well. My cardiologist told me that it was probably some mild pericarditis after the surgery. I took some. NSAIDS for about a week and they went away. I remember being very scared about them. I remember not wanting to go to bed, as lying flat seemed to really make them worse. Thankfully, that is now behind me. I suspect that they will pass. Hang in there!
Jim Davis

hey debbie,

hang in there...nothing a few turkey cookies can't fix. :) thanks for keeping us posted on things, so sorry you had such icky setbacks this week, how frustrating. I was wondering when you would break the no driving rule! ha ha. Cherrie would have lasted one day, be proud you last 4 weeks! xoxo

Hi Deb
Holly cow! Nobody told me you had surgery! What a ordeal you have been through! I have read your journal entires and I am glad you are progressing. Mom finally sent me your website today and that is how I found out. I guess I need to communicate more with family! What caused your valve problem? Must be the Ziegler blood with the heart issues! I hope you recover enough to enjoy the upcoming Holiday Season! Our prayers are with you.
Love JJ and Annette

All of the Nielsen Family are sending their rmost sincere wishes for a complete recovery and good health. Sometimes we have to be very patient.. It takes time.

Debbie....too bad your your day of driiving and errands ended up with heart palpitations and sternum pain! I am sure you just need to heal more so don't get discouraged.

Wishing you and your family a great Thanksgiving.

Love Scott

Deb,
We're so glad to hear that things are falling into place. The no-sleep thing is a bummer. I remember that was one thing you hoped would improve following your surgery. I went to the dog park on Saturday morning and was hoping that I would run into you. I would love to pick you up so we could go there together but don't know how we'd fit all four dogs into my car and have room for you and me! I'll have to work on that one. Willie and I have been thinking about you and would like to visit. Are you up for some company?

Hoopie

Hi Deb! I just can't believe how fast you've bounced back into ALMOST normal state! I mean really, if you could get decent sleep, you'd probably be even more antsy to go out driving and stuff, so maybe that's the silver lining... it's forcing you to be a bit tired and therefore less "driven" (?) -- Sure wish I lived closer so I could help drive you around. That would be a "hoot", except you and I would always spend 90% of our time at the dog park! ha. The card I sent you from Vegas finally made its way back to my house in Ohio so I'll send it on just for the hell of it. Thank you for your VERY SWEET note about coming up to have dinner with you all and after all the times you seriously saved my sanity by providing nutritious meals for my family....it was the LEAST I could do to treat you three to one stinkin' meal!! haha Best of all for me was to see the beautiful young lady Josie has become inside and out, and to also meet Jim. QUITE THE BARGAIN for the price of that meal! :) Love reading your journal entries, so keep 'em coming! Love ya, Amy

so no news is good news!! Right Hope all is well. Merle

Hi Deb,

Glad to hear you are doing so well. Sorry about the new pain. A saying I've used all my life, "and this too shall pass". In a short time from now we both will be able to put this all in our pasted, and go on and enjoy the rest of our new life. God Speed to you and be well.
SWAK, Frieda

Hey Deb! Glad to hear that you are making progress! Dog park has to be fun! I guess it wouldn't be "normal" if you didn't have some setbacks now and then, because it was MAJOR surgery, after all. Your positive attitude is the best possible tactic you can have to keep things going forward and I admire your drive (laced with good patience) so much! Coming up to see you and Cindy is definitely in my plans for the near future (2012 or 2013) so that gives you awhile to get ready for the Buckeye invasion! Enjoy reading your entries! Love ya, Amy

Konichiwa from japan (my current home away from home)
The merry go round of drugs doesn't sound like much fun at all. Hope you made it to the dog park for some fresh air and entertainment. I bet Bernie is smiling a lot to show off his sparkling clean pearly whites.

Don't forget to take it easy and get plenty of rest.

Love, Kitty

Yes I ment it, All you got to do is whistle, you know how to whistle don;t you? The only day my dance card is filled is Tues. the 8th. Hope you are doing better!! Merle

Hey Deb! So glad to hear that you are settling back into your home comfortably!! I had the WEIRDEST dream about you last night - it was so stupid. You were a big balloon like we see at Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and part of your therapy (after surgery) was to be in some parade where doctors each had a "guide wire" and were pulling you through the streets of Pullman, Washington! (I don't recall any stores but in the dream it was right close to WSU) -- I kept running around under you asking if you were ok and YELLING at the doctors to be careful about not pulling your stitches out. lol! Well, I guess I got your back, but I'm about 2 weeks late, eh? I didn't take any sleep aids, either, in case you are wondering! :) Love reading your posts, so keep 'em coming! ~ Amy

Geeze Deb arn't meds fun ! If you need any thing or need a ride you know I just sit around ,would more than happy to help you out. Just call. I;ll be there. Bill Best

Hey deb,
lf you need anything next week l can come down during the week.
Georgy

Hello Deb, wow you really got me thinking. The side affects you listed are really very similar to what I have experienced, except I'm not on any meds, hmmmmmmm....
Hope you're resting well. .
Steve

Happy Halloween, good news you're home safe and sound we loved getting back in town last night and finding out you all made it:>) Love to you all,
Georgy

Welcome back home! Oh, Jim wanted me to ask you when you thought you might be able to rake?
Glad that all is well. Howard

Yipee! you're home. what a relief. enjoy your home, your dogs and your new lease on life. we're rooting for you all. vicki & dave

YAY for the Gluek gang making it home aok! I'm so glad you let us all know... I thought of you several times while I was "hostessing" the wives of Frank's buddies today. I thought we were all going to the football game but two wives didn't want to go (too cold) (<--holy shit, it was a GORGEOUS day for late October!) so I had to find something else for us to do. Sigh. So, I ended up piling them in one car and my 4 dog buddies in my car and took them for a walk at the farm. Next time they'll be smart enough to go to the dang football game, eh? ha. We did have nice time overall tho. I'll look forward to your next post! Oh, and do you wanna bet on the OSU vs Wisc game tonight? lol (notice my timing... cuz I think we're gonna get slaughtered) --- Love ya, and SOoooooo glad you are home! ~ Amy

Congrats Deb, quite an adventure and I've got to say it's been an inspiration to me. The prep work you did and the courage to soldier on showed. It was great that you had the support staff on hand-great job by them. Now that the platitudes are out of the way, is Jimbo going to be Elvis or a surgeon tonight at the PYC?
See you soon, Steve