Curtis's Guestbook

Hi Curt, I am glad things are going well. I have been communicating with Sonny a bit this afternoon. I am not the Lund that he knew, but it was interesting to communicate with him. Based on my visits with you in the hospital when Margaret was there, I would have to agree with Sonny\'s opinion of Margaret. I will see you in rehab, let me know when you start. John

Glad you are progressing; think you would have enjoyed the Singer\'s reunion Friday night. You are incredibly lucky to have Margaret around, but you did kinda sorta win her and that\'s fair. Get well soon! Sonny Brandau

Hi Curt, I decided to check and see if you had a blog here. Glad to see that you do. I will check in and see how you are doing doing your recovery. My recovery is quite a bit different from DVB\'s, hope yours goes better than mine. The doctor\'s and the rehab program\'s routine are a lot less aggressive than what DVB has done. He is definitely correct about the situps, I was surprised at how much I could use my abdominal muscles, they were not affected by the surgery. Now that I have been in rehab and have had longer walks, my heart rate has slowed done quite a bit, back to where it was before the surgery. Based on my experience at Parkwest Medical Center, you will be in a great place. John Lund

Hi Curtis. I\'m 5 months post OHS for mitral valve repair. Pretty much back to before, and trying to push beyond now. Following a recovery regimen was important to me. Immediately post-op I started walking at the first chance and was up to 3 miles a day when I left the hospital on day 4. I set a goal in rehab to get to a sustained pace of 6-minute miles on the treadmill. During that time I had 3 hrs a week of rehab, then a couple of runs a week, and two or three days a week I played ultimate frisbee. Started pretty slow but worked up to now where I can swim a mile, run 6 or 7, play ultimate for a couple of hours straight, and go on an all-day hike. If you are lucky enough to avoid complications, the recovery is amazingly fast. I think too that if you are recovering quickly there\'s less chance of complications, so there\'s a positive feedback loop initiated by getting exercise since it promotes healing (as long as you don\'t overdo it). The mild stress induced by exercise causes your healing pathways to activate more rapidly and effectively. So, uncomfortable though it is when you start out, getting moving early and often can be hugely beneficial. I like to think of it as embracing the gift given to me by 3-4 billion years worth of ancestors as they evolved these chemical pathways. An unbroken string of winners, all on my side. -- DVB

Hi Curtis. Prep for surgery. If your BMI is low, bulk up a bit, low weight is a risk factor for cardiac surgery. Get yourself in shape to do 10 situps in a row without a problem - this will strengthen your abs so you can get in and out of bed after surgery without using your shoulders & arms. Get educated about your condition and treatment so you can be your own best advocate. Treat yourself nice the day before you go in. Arrange a support team to take you to the hospital, be there when you wake up, and assist you in your recovery. After the surgery, get yourself moving as soon and as much as you can to jump-start the healing process. Use the spirometer religiously to keep your lungs clear and restore lung capacity. Push yourself physically everyday. SIgn up for and follow a full cardiac rehab course. Keep your sense of humor. Include your loved ones in your journey. Best wishes -- DVB