Rob's Posts

But only for about 5 hours. And then I came back to life, and with a brand new aortic valve. So far it has worked well. It hasn't made me 35 years old again but probably that was too much to expect. So, for all you newbies out there: there is life after death, and it is a great feeling.

I haven't posted in my journal for a while. No good reason to do so since things have been pretty normal and ordinary for quite a while. As noted above today is exactly 6 months for me. That period of time ago I was on the table, dead for 4 hours (kept alive only via machine), and hoping (had my mind been functioning) to someday recover from the ordeal. Well, it has happened. I'm now fully back, have been back for several months in fact. I'm doing 3 miles a day on my treadmill, going on hikes with my long-suffering wife, and enjoying life as before. So thanks again to all my friends on the heart valve forum. It has been good to have this medium for fellow sufferers. I hope everyone can have the same success I've enjoyed as we've ridden down the aortic cascades together.

Today is for me eleven weeks 'off the table.' I continue to make normal progress and consider myself about 95% of the way back to normal. I'm seeing my cardiologist every 3 months at this point. I did go to cardiac rehab for about a month and then decided I could do the same thing on my home equipment with less expenditure of time and money. I'm walking 2 miles a day which is pretty much what I did before surgery. And I am working outside doing autumn tasks, which are plentiful where I live. The bed experience is pretty much back to normal. The first month at home it was painful getting in and out of bed or turning over. Now it is not a problem. I am glad I had the recliner for the first week or two but I haven't been back to it. I would sell the thing - not the most attractive piece of furniture - but my wife wants to keep it for whatever reason. So, again many thanks to all my well-wishers on this site and elsewhere. I believe I have made it through. And it turned out to be quite a bit less traumatic than I assumed would be the case. For newcomers to the forum who have yet to go through the 'great experience' take comfort from my story. You will, almost surely, make it through - as I did.