Cheryl's Guestbook

Cheryl Mann  Hi Scott. I am doing well. No need for any pain meds - I take Tylenol every now and then when I overdo it. Cardiac rehab is going well. I have one incision ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  Hi Scott. I am doing well. No need for any pain meds - I take Tylenol every now and then when I overdo it. Cardiac rehab is going well. I have one incision that had a tiny bit of drainage just last night - I am waiting to hear back from dr A about that. I am actually planning on going back to work next Thursday (the desk part of my job), so we’ll see how that goes... My blood pressure hangs out 90s over 60s, so I’m pretty much just waiting on more improvement in my energy level. How are you doing? I was worried about your long drive home.

Scott Kinghorn  The drive was no big deal. The skin on my R-pec and towards my R-lat is very sensitive and my intercostals are still pretty sore. Fortunately no incision ... Read more

Scott Kinghorn  The drive was no big deal. The skin on my R-pec and towards my R-lat is very sensitive and my intercostals are still pretty sore. Fortunately no incision drainage and most of the glue is coming of. Lol I've had some sort of irritation on the of my lower jaw that doesn't seem to be getting better so I'll see my PCP's PA tomorrow. Thought maybe it was from the laryno scope blade. Hope a simple cure. My energy seems to be ok. I just wish I was more flexible.

Cheryl Mann  I did stretching exercises pre-op for weeks and I’m also pretty flexible to start with, so I imagine that is why I haven’t had too much trouble. That being ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  I did stretching exercises pre-op for weeks and I’m also pretty flexible to start with, so I imagine that is why I haven’t had too much trouble. That being said - I am still pretty gentle w my right side. I think it was about 2 1/2-3 weeks postop when I noticed a little trouble w some sharp pains - I suspected it was just nerves “waking up.” Surgery is pretty extreme w body position and then add the trauma, and you know it will take time to settle things down. Frequent and gentle movement w mild stretching is the way to go. I hope your aches and pains resolve soon. Sometimes just knowing what caused them helps.

Cheryl Mann  Absolutely! I had my surgery at Mayo - I believe it is offered to all OHS patients there. I am not sure about other places. It basically numbs the nerves ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  Absolutely! I had my surgery at Mayo - I believe it is offered to all OHS patients there. I am not sure about other places. It basically numbs the nerves in the surgical area for about a day or 2. It was done while I was asleep. It helps w pain control during the most difficult period and reduces the need for pain medication. There are always potential risks/complications to every procedure, so talk to your doctor about what is best for you.

Cheryl Mann  Thank you so much Deena! Your humor, positive attitude, and encouragement are absolutely inspirational. I hope maybe our paths cross someday because I would ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  Thank you so much Deena! Your humor, positive attitude, and encouragement are absolutely inspirational. I hope maybe our paths cross someday because I would love to meet you in person. Thanks for everything.

Fathiya Nasser Said   Cheryl, ur poem is beautiful, keep on writing it will take ur mind away from the stressful thoughts of the surgery, I used to feel the same way and I took comfort ... Read more

Fathiya Nasser Said   Cheryl, ur poem is beautiful, keep on writing it will take ur mind away from the stressful thoughts of the surgery, I used to feel the same way and I took comfort in reading. We've all been there, the waiting anxiety is worse than the surgery itself, I haven't been happier since my surgery, I can now sleep well and walk around almost like a normal person. We're here with you and God will lead you to peace.

Cheryl Mann  Scott - I am happy to share my experience with you - especially if it eases your anxiety somewhat. I can tell you already that I am a nurse, I have taken ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  Scott - I am happy to share my experience with you - especially if it eases your anxiety somewhat. I can tell you already that I am a nurse, I have taken care of heart surgery patients in ICU - and I am comfortable with Dr. Arghami doing my operation. I have been impressed with everything at Mayo so far. I'm sure we will both do well with our operations and I hope you stay in touch.

Richard Munson  I was comatose already on that ride down the hall. Walking in the hospital door all alone due to covid was not the greatest but the heart unit at mass general ... Read more

Richard Munson  I was comatose already on that ride down the hall. Walking in the hospital door all alone due to covid was not the greatest but the heart unit at mass general in boston was great and made me feel at ease.

Elyse Sherman  Hi, Cheryl! I’m 13 weeks post op for aortic valve replacement and feeling great. As Tom Petty put it “waiting is the hardest part”. Believe me, what ... Read more

Elyse Sherman  Hi, Cheryl! I’m 13 weeks post op for aortic valve replacement and feeling great. As Tom Petty put it “waiting is the hardest part”. Believe me, what you’re going through now is worse than the actual surgery, having been there. This site, talking to my friends (even though they haven’t been through it) and taking long walks we’re all a tremendous comfort to me. The people on this site will become like family to you, let us all support you however we can, we all “get it”.

Cheryl Mann  Troy - thank you for your encouraging message. You are absolutely correct - the surgery has become much more common and the statistics are fabulous. I am ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  Troy - thank you for your encouraging message. You are absolutely correct - the surgery has become much more common and the statistics are fabulous. I am a nurse and my work focuses on process improvement - so this post really speaks my language.

Cheryl Mann  On the contrary- I find your story very helpful. My nursing experience in ICU was 15 years ago, so that part of my brain is a little dusty... and ICU is such ... Read more

Cheryl Mann  On the contrary- I find your story very helpful. My nursing experience in ICU was 15 years ago, so that part of my brain is a little dusty... and ICU is such a small part of the OHS experience. Also - it is totally different to be on the patient side of this rather than the nurse. I sometimes wonder if I look for more reassurance than the average patient. For now, my thoughts gravitate toward coming up w a packing list for the hospital and coming up w a plan to reduce my anxiety the night before and morning of surgery. Any advice there?

Joseph Heinzmann  I'm married with a adult daughter so I would never presume to tell a woman what to pack.

I brought a bag with underwear, socks that had treads on the bottom ... Read more

Joseph Heinzmann  I'm married with a adult daughter so I would never presume to tell a woman what to pack.

I brought a bag with underwear, socks that had treads on the bottom (no slipping), and a button front shirt that was easy to get on for leaving the hospital. Toothbrush and your brand of toothpaste. Cut my nails two days before so I wasn't cutting them after the special soap showers.

Two books. Computer and access to a movie channel on the computer so if the hospital TV was awful (selection or picture quality) I could access movies that I knew and liked because they would be easy to fall asleep to. Phone charger AND CHARGER CABLE. Headphones. Driver's license or ID. $20 that I stuck in one of the books just in case I needed cash (why? who knows?). A prayer book. A pen and notepad.

Dinner the night before is, in my opinion, essential. I ate pasta with chicken, olive oil, and a little broccoli. I ate enough to get me to a place where I fell asleep easily and the combination of protein and carbs gave me a good morning energy-wise so I didn't feel lethargic before surgery. I ate a light lunch that day to ensure that I really wanted dinner.

I had a friend drive me to the hospital. I did not want my wife to drive me because I didn't want to think about her driving home by herself. What I tried to do was put myself in a position where I didn't have to worry about anything unrelated to the tasks at hand. Others might have a different view on this and I respect that; this is what worked for me.

When I got to the hospital, I made eye contact with everyone I dealt with and spoke with them trying to be fully engaged. The result of that is that they fully engaged me. I felt like these conversations kept me from focusing on negative what ifs and instead allowed me to live in the present. So when I got to pre-surgical prep, the conversations with the nurse were fun and not at all stressful. Same idea going to the OR: Say hello, make eye contact, smile at people and they'll smile back at you. I never felt a moment of stress on the day of my surgery because everyone wanted to engage positively so give them the chance to do that.

The CICU nurses were the absolute best. Whatever apprehension you may feel about waking up, let it go. You won't remember the first wakeup at all and those CICU nurses will be sitting right there when you are conscious of waking up. They will do everything for you and they're the best at making you comfortable.

You're young and sounds like you're healthy so when they let you and you feel good enough, walk. They allowed three laps of the floor and I did that three or four times a day by the end of my stay. Whatever you can do, within the rules, do it because it really helps.

Something will not be perfect. Who knows what that will be? But it will be something and it will annoy you. When that happens, focus on the reality that you're healthier than when you got to the hospital, that your heart is working better, and that every day will be progressively better until you look back and say that it wasn't a big deal at all.

All the worries I had pre-surgery about what could go wrong I tried to resolve by telling myself that these people are the best at what they do, that cardiac surgeons are so laser focused on doing something unfathomable to us, but to them is as casual as changing a tire, and that they'll do hundreds of MV repairs like ours and they'll all go fine.

Finally, remember that you're already healthy. Sure, there's something that needs fixing, but you're not in a crisis and having surgery when you're experiencing severe symptoms. Your body is able to react and heal well because you caught this early. These surgeons save the lives of people who are far sicker than you are and I was. We are comparatively easy cases.

Nancy Sells  Well JOseph Heinzmann advice got me a little teary eyed! My surgery date if May 12th. Here is what's on my packing list so far:
Extra Long Phone Charge Cord ... Read more

Nancy Sells  Well JOseph Heinzmann advice got me a little teary eyed! My surgery date if May 12th. Here is what's on my packing list so far:
Extra Long Phone Charge Cord (everyone says this is a must)
Ear Plugs
Noise cancelling headphones? Maybe
Bathrobe
Slippers that easily slip on
Several pairs of socks with grip on bottom
Neck Pillow? Maybe
PJ's w. button front and large, roomy, bottoms
A "going home" athleasure type outfit..
Bra with front closure..purchasing a couple of options
Kindle for reading
Bible or just book of Psalms?
FOR AFTERCARE AT HOME:
Electric Recliner..still looking for this
Heating pad
Wedge Pillow

Joseph Heinzmann  Great list.

One word of caution would be the roomy PJ bottoms. A retired doctor friend of mine put it this way: "Glad it went well. Now don't do anything stupid ... Read more

Joseph Heinzmann  Great list.

One word of caution would be the roomy PJ bottoms. A retired doctor friend of mine put it this way: "Glad it went well. Now don't do anything stupid like fall down." Assuming you will be on anti-coagulation medications, falling is a problem and falling with a head hit is a trip to the ER. So please be careful about anything drapey in terms of clothing.

Patsy Stewart  You actually won’t need that much as
far as clothing. I was only allowed to wear
the hospital gown and the gripper socks that they supplied. I took a change ... Read more

Patsy Stewart  You actually won’t need that much as
far as clothing. I was only allowed to wear
the hospital gown and the gripper socks that they supplied. I took a change of clothes to come home in, toothbrush and paste, hair comb/brush, chapstick, pen and small notebook, a magazine or book, phone charger with a long cord, drop cord for just in case the outlet was too far away, undies and my robe. They decided that my robe was too heavy, so they used an extra hospital gown to cover my back side. I guess what I’m saying is you only need to pack the essentials that you use on a daily basis. I took more stuff...basically extra clothes, but I didn’t need them. If you use a CPAP, you will need to bring it along. The least amount you can pack in makes for an easier exit. I actually keep a bag packed with the essentials so that I’m ready for an emergency and it’s come in quite handy this past year. I love Lands End tote bags!