That is wonderful news!!!

Thanks for the updates. We'll keep him in our prayers for a speedy recovery.

Matt Fountain

Jon, June and family,

Glad to hear that he is doing fine. Thanks for the updates.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Matt Fountain

Jon, June & family, It is now 10:53 am and you must be well into the surgery by now. I hope all is going well and pray that you have a speedy recovery, so we can all go camping and celebrate life. Love you all, Perry and Tina Leone and family.

Jon,

You are going to be fine buddy. You are in my thoughts and prayers :)
Jeff Roemer

June - thank you for the update. I have been praying for him (and you and the family). I'm sure he is going to do great in surgery.

Please feel free to reach out if you need anything.

Matt Fountain

Jon & June - My thoughts are prayers are with you and your family today. You will feel so much better afterward! God bless. Kellie

Hi Jon!! Tomorrow is my one year anniversary post surgery. My prayers and thoughts will be with you. I will be looking forward to reading your updates.

Beth Fox

Jon, post you on the other side of June 2. I have every confidence that we will both be fine. Beth Graves

Hi Jon,

Your meal tonight sounds great. I hope you get some sleep. You will be in my prayers tonight and tomorrow. Soon you'll be past the anxiety provoking part of all of this and this all will be in your past.

Chris Ohannessian

Jon,

You're going to do great. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I am new to this online community as of yesterday and love the support and friendship on it.

Matt Fountain

How's this for irony. I was checking out your online photos and I just had to tell you that your picture in the top left, I have that exact same shirt. The black one with the lighter stripes. Fun-ny! Good luck tomorrow. Maybe one day we can wear our shirts on the beach with our families. Take care and God Bless ya man.

Jim D

You know we will all be thinking about you and praying for you and all of your family. Im sure everything will turn out fine, hope you sleep well tonight.

Jon, I know all too much how you are feeling this evening. I was able to take 2 Benedryl the night before my surgery and actually slept well. I am one week and one day out and let me tell you that this time next week you will feel so much better. I will keep you in my prayers tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. You will be fine. : )

Rena

Jon,

I'll be anxiously waiting for your wife's updates! I just *know* you're going to come through this with flying colors!

At least this is the last night of dread you have to experience. You will be on your way to being good as new at this time tomorrow.

Please enjoy your family and your steaks and cake! Yum!

Take care and praying for you!

Lisa Snyder

Good Luck Jon. I will be thinking of you. Stay postive and eat lots of chocolate cake tonight! :)

Randa Gaalswijk

Jon,I'm praying for your successful surgery, I know you will do just fine and I hope you will continue to update this journal so we can all be kept updated on your progress. Tomorrow will be behind you and your worries will be over. You are in mine and everyone's prayers.. Take care,
Love you Jon..
Jackie W.

Jon
I know that surgery is fast approaching. I will be thinking of you and praying for you. I hope that as my time approaches I will somehow be more at ease. Somehow I doubt it. My surgery isn't until September. I hope I'm not in the looney bin by then. I will talk to you soon. "Let not your heart be troubled, have faith in God, have faith also in Me.". God be with you brother...
Jim D

Jon,

Thank you for your encouragement. You and I do have alot in common. My wife and I were married just 2 years ago (May 15). I too, will be having surgery in June, and have chosen a mechanical valve (don't want to be opened up a second time any time soon) I am not looking forward to a lifetime of blood thinners, but given the alternatives... enough said.

I will have my surgery performed at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. I really felt a bond with my surgeon when I met him. I am a retired S.W.A.T. team member from Dayton, Ohio. The surgeon stopped in while I was having my heart catheterization and introduced himself. When he shook my hand, he gave me a look like my former team members always did, like he was saying "Hey buddy, I've got your back!"

Jon, I know with the time for your surgery drawing closer that you are feeling a mix of emotion. Just remember that your family and friends love you and support you! Like you, I have read everything, watched videos and acquired information overload (and if we hadn't, then we wouldnt be communicating on this great website). Even though I am not a surgeon, cardiologist or a doctor, I know exactly what you are going through. Any time you need to vent, laugh, worry or just talk... you have a new friend. Don't worry buddy, I've got your back :)

Keep On Ticking
Jeff Roemer

Hi Jon! Yes we do have quite some stuff in common. June 2 2011 will be my one year anniversary from when I had my aortic valve replacement surgery. I got married in October 2009 and it has definitely been eventful for Adam and I. Going through this experience together at just 8 months of marriage truly showed us just how powerful our love for one another is. It only cemented for me even more than I had chosen the right man for marriage. Jon- I will be praying and thinking of you on your surgery day and will be looking out for your updates. Please feel free to email me anytime you want to talk or have any questions at blotterstein@msn.com. I wish you only the best. Beth Fox

Godspeed brother
Jim D

Jon, have you thought to ask your doctor for some ativan or some other anti anxiety drug - I will.

Jon,
Missy and I head out tomorrow afternoon after I finish up in the office. My schedule is light tomorrow. Pre operative tests start at 0730 on Thursday. Hopefully will know the plan by the close of business on Thursday. Will keep you posted.
Jim

Jon,

I hope time flies by for you so you can get this surgery behind you and get back to your normal life! :)

Take care,
Lisa

Jon
Thinking of you. I'm praying all goes well. I have all my Pre operative testing this week. Like you I'm just tired of waiting.
Jim D

Good Morning Jon,

Dr. Crestanello from Ohio State University's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital is the best in Columbus. I did extensive research on him when I was searching for a surgeon. If I had stayed close to home, he would have been my choice. I'm sure you know that you are in excellent hands.

I hope all the best to you in your upcoming procedure and a speedy recovery. God Bless you and your lovely wife.

Mona

Thinking of you!
Love,
Aunt Cathy

Jon,

It stinks that you have this condition, but at least you know about it and can fix it! Take care! I'm going to sign up to get updates about you.

Take care,
Lisa Snyder

Hey Jon, Praying for you!!! This is relly a great way to stay conected during this, very nice! Carol

Jon,
Good luck tomorrow. I though you said you had an appointment tomorrow. Take care. I, like you seem to get more tired all the time. Might just be mental fatigue. Tired of worrying about all this foolishness. Keep us updated.

Jim Davis

the message onapril 28 @ 5:20 Am was from me your Aunt Nancy. Love you and please take care!!

Hi Jon,
I had AVR at the Cleveland Clinic last July. I hope you are considering them for a second opinion. You might read my journal to see how it all worked out for me.

Good luck with whatever path you take!

Anne Shannon

Hi Jon - Randa Gaalswijk again - I am feeling great now. 3 weeks post op. the body really is an amazing thing! As for your kids - how old are they? Mine are 11 and 4. The 11 year old had a hard time, but the 4 year old did not really understand. For the 11 year old I got the school councelor involved and that seemed to help. I also wrote him letters and he kept a journal. That was my biggest worry and the biggest reason I knew I had to do this - for my kids. I knew I wanted to be there for them! Don't let the stress get you - it is the worst part. Randa

Hello Jon,

Yes, the dreadful stress is the worst part. There are ways to deal with it. I kept a journal and did some writing, excersised when possible, and took prescribed anti-anxiety medication. Basically, you have to beleive in time and it does heal all. I am now 4.5 months post-op and life is fully back to normal for me.

best of luck to you!

Terry Tannenbaum

This is very interesting to me because I was diagnosed with a heart murmur when I was in my thirties and it has gone away. Your blood pressure was enough to scare me. I am glad you have a great doctor and I am very interested in the procedure, so please keep me informed. As with my brain tumor , you must keep a positive attitude, because that is a large part of recovery!! Love you and take care.

Jon
I just wanted to let you know that I just went through all those tests and it is very scary. I started to have symptons the end of January and its been scary since. I thought I was perfectly healthy and blamed mine on brochitis. I was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago with severe mitral regurgitation with prolapse. I have a murmur along with irregular hearbeats caused from my heart working overload. It all has been over whelming. My surgery is scheduled for Wed the 4th of May. I think one of the most impotant thing is to have total confidence in your surgeon and a large support group. Knowledge, knowledge knowledge, that is what my doctors have told me is never too much

If you are going to Cleveland, then you are at the very best there is in this country. I have already had two ablations there, one in 08 for a-fib and one in 09 for PVC' - I now go back on Aug 18 to have a mitral valve repair. I am trying to prepare and get answers on questions (1) can I get family members with my blood type to donate blood, (2) select another doctor here in Tidwater for my follow up care that won't get his nose out of joint because I went to CCF to get it done. I did have to deal with that in 08 and 09 - I will keep you in my prayers, will follow on your date, maybe we will be there together. Emilyrae Helfen

Jon~
I just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you and your family. I know first hand from what we have been through, the fear and stress is sometimes extemely difficult to handle. But, together you and your family will get through it. With alot of prayers and faith in the doctors you will do fine. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you or if you would just like to talk . I will keep you in my prayers and will be checking your journal for any updates. Take care.
Love, Aunt Cathy

John - I was born with a bicuspid valve that was detected 9 years ago. I am now 46 and just had my valve replaced in Boston. So far, so good- 3 weeks post surgery. I was incredibly scared - but in hindsight, the fear was the worst part. I will be thinking of you - let me know if you have any questions. Randa Gaalswijk

Jon,

I guess by now you have figured out no good deed goes unpunished. I live in Cincinnati and have a bicuspid aortic valve and dilated root and I am waiting on word back from Cleveland about a root repair and valve surgery. I know how you feel. I found out about this nearly two years ago when I flipped into atrial fibrillation after a vigorous run. I have been dealing with the mental aspect of preparing myself for surgery since then, after the denial of course. If you ever need to chat, just let me know. These journals are filled with stories of how we all have dealt with this. We all seem to be at different stages of the process as well. It is quite comforting to know that you are not alone. And indeed you are not. Please keep us all posted and I wish you God Speed and Good Luck.

Jim Davis