Jerry's Posts

I can't believe how time flies! On May 31st of last year I had my surgery, and to be honest, I rarely think about it any more. Life after surgery has been very good for me. The hospital stay was a little rough, but I improved rapidly once I was home. Pain management was easy for me. I felt stronger and better virtually every day in my recovery. All in all I found the process much easier than I expected. Cardiac rehab gave me the cofidence to push myself hard and before and after stress tests documented a major increase in fitness. I am completely pain free, and continue to walk about 100km (about 60 miles) per month. Steep hills are not a problem any more. I had a mechanical valve and found that my Warfarin levels have been very consistent and easy to control. My doseage was only changed once in a year! To all of you entering this process, keep your chin up. This is not as difficult as you imagine. The medical teams are incredibly skilled and will make you better. Pain management is excellent and you will recover well if you do as they tell you and use your spirometer and exercise. I would be happy to answer any questions if you post them in my guestbook. Good luck and good health to all! Jerry AVR and double bypass May 31, 2012 St Jude valve

Boy, time flies! On May 31st of this year, they opened me up and fixed my heart. The first ten days were a little rough at times but it was a gradual improvement from then on. I will complete my four month rehab in a couple of weeks and it was very beneficial in my opinion. They start you out with a stress test, advise you what target heart rates to work at, and watch you carefully the first few sessions. The biggest advantage of rehab in my opnion is that it gives you the confidence to push yourself harder and ultimately increases your stamina. This new higher level of fitness makes it much easier to get through a normal day. Overall, I have absolutely no complaints about what I have gone through. Pain control was phenominal in my case and my biggest problem was re-establishing a proper sleeping rythym after coming home. The Canadian health care system was very responsive to my needs and took excellent care of me.

Four months ago today I was in ICU recovering from my surgery. A lot has happened in this journey in my life since that day and mostly all of it was good. The first week was a bit rough but easier than I expected, and since then it has been basically a countinous upward trajectory. Currently I am in the middle of cardiac rehab and feeling stronger every day. I am more fit and feel much better now than before the procedure. My coumadin levels have been easy to control. We are all blessed that modern medicine has perfected the surgery that allows us to prolong our lives with full quality. We wouldn't be this lucky twenty or more years ago. I don't even think of my surgery at all any more. All I can say to al of you preparing for the surgery - this very do-able and you will do well. It is not nearly as difficult as you imagine. You need to try and relax and let the professionals do their jobs and do what they say. I won't be posting here often as I have nothing new to report but would be glad to answer any questions any HVJers have. Just leave a message in my guestbook if you have any questions. Again I want to thank all my friends, family and HVJ members for their support. It was very much appreciated. Good luck and good health to all! Jerry Vernhout AVR and double bypass May 31, 2012 St. Jude mechanical valve