Debbie's Guestbook

Debbie Moriarty  I am so glad to hear from you!!! I think about you often!!!

And...how exciting!!! You are such a good fighter!! You just kept after what it is you wanted!!
Congratulations!! On your almost approval!!! 🙌🏼
And March 6th is right around the corner!!

Guess what! I was approved for driving yesterday at my folllow up of my follow up Cardiologist appt!!
And what a perfect day for driving today!!

Debbie Kelly  Thank you, Debbie. Congratulations on finally getting the freedom! I am so happy for you! Please stay in touch, and keep posting pics!

Debbie Moriarty  Hi Debbie!! How are you feeling these days?? And hopefully you are staying warm and dry in all our crazy cold, drizzly weather!!!

I am managing about one activity a day!! And still out walking my dog!! About all I can do but I am pleased with that!!
I’m starting cardiac rehab next week!! Finally and yeehaw!!

I’ve got your surgery date on my calendar!!!

Debbie Kelly  It's so good to hear from you, Debbie! I am getting, somewhat, nervous as time gets nearer. Most of that has to do with me living alone and having to depend on friends for this surgery. But, it will, all work out, and this time next week, I should be home. If not, I will be home on Saturday!
I know this weather really stinks! I am hoping it all clears up soon.
Let me know about cardiac rehab. I think you will, thoroughly, enjoy it!
Talk to you soon, my friend. I will be on the flip side, in no time!

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you, Jeremiah. And wishing you the same!! It’s a crazy journey sometimes!
Did I read that you have already started cardiac rehab??

  Your welcome Debbie!
Yes, this recovery journey is something else!
Very unpredictable.
Things can flare up out of the blue.
Oh btw, no cardiac rehab for me.
My surgeon and cardiologist didn't feel I needed it due to the fact that prior to surgery (at least before my mitral valve condition deteriorated) I was working out regularly and was in good physical condition.
They both cleared me to begin working out but on a light basis, which is what I am doing twice a week. Right now just light excersize and no weights obviously.
It feels good to be able to hit the gym again, but I'm not pushing myself.
Peace and blessings to you!

Debbie Moriarty  I was planning on working out with my trainer the 5 months prior to my surgery. However I broke four toes and was in a boot til the week before my surgery!! The best laid plans.....sigh.

Debbie Moriarty  I feel like I’ll be driving soon and starting cardiac rehab in a couple of weeks! So I have to do some catching up!!

Debbie Moriarty  Belated Merry Christmas to you, Debbie! And all my heart warrior buddies. 🎄
I am home and healing! Pain is manageable with a couple of Tylenol here and there. Tylenol 3 at night. But I’m making progress. Still trying to wrap my head around what just happened!! Crazy!
I’m 4 1/2 weeks out! Nice to be this far along!

Debbie Kelly  It doesn't seem like you are over four weeks out! Well, maybe, for you, it does. You picked a good season for the surgery. We went from a beautiful Christmad to this nasty weather. Oh, well, at least we had a couple of great days.

Debbie Moriarty  All my kiddos and grands went to the zoo today! Can’t wait til I can go with them again!!
Been sneezing from all these weather changes! Been hugging my pillow tight!!!

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you!! And thank you for letting me know there are scary moments!! I need to keep looking at the forest instead of each individual tree!! I’m already feeling stronger than my first time home!! Praise Jesus!!

Debbie Moriarty  Hi Debbie!! So thankful for your continued prayers. I am slowly beginning to feel human again. I am on day 11 post surgery. I will have a lot to tell you soon. Right now pain management is my main focus.
I would have been so lost without all of you on here sharing your experiences. Much love to everyone!

Debbie Kelly  Hi Debbie, how are you? I hope you are out of the hospital and back on the road to recovery. Did the doctors find out the source of your infection? I have been praying hard for you.

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you, Debbie. You are so amazing! I’m grateful for your prayers.
Two parts of same infection - a pocket of fluid below my right lung which had to be drained and apparently a uti which happened during surgery. Not gonna lie, draining the fluid easier than trying to knock out the uti. I got home yesterday and have been on a bazillion antibiotics! And for two more weeks.
Hah!! I think I’m gonna make it, Girl!!

Debbie Kelly  My goodness, Debbie, you have been through it! I am so glad you are home now. You are back on the road to recovery. In no time, you will be holding those beautiful grand babies.
Please keep me posted on your progress. Hugs, my heart warrior friend.

Debbie Moriarty  Hi Debbie! I thought I posted a note to you? Don’t know what happened?
I am healing and trying to be patient with the process.
Have you met your surgeon? Set a date?
I am happy you have chosen TAVR!!! Very happy for you!

Debbie Kelly  Hi Debbie, I am so glad to hear from you. I know your surgery is a slow process, but it sounds like you are doing better. In the next few weeks, you should see a major improvement. As far as me, I am praying to be a candidate of the TAVR and am so thankful that the procedure is being used on the lower risk patients. With me living alone and having to work, I don't think I can go through what my mother and you went through. Not now, at least.
Please keep me posted. You are in my prayers. Post a pic of those beautiful grandchildren!

Debbie Moriarty  Patricia!! I want to follow in your footsteps!! Thank you for sharing!!
I had an amazing surgical team who are pleased with my surgery. Had a couple of glitches after surgery but am at my sister’s recovering!! She is my angel and helps me look beyond each pothole in my road to recovery! Cheers!

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you, Debbie and Jill! The first day was not bad at all
Second day,,however, I’m not gonna lie, was not as smooth at all
Made lots of friends here at hospital , I always tell them about this wonderful forum and and how knowledgeable and kind you are!,
I will write more tomorrow and share some of my experiences with y’all!

Jill McDonald   Thank you for taking the time to post! We will look forward to your experience! I do just love this forum. Healing and Blessings to you and your family!

Debbie Kelly  Yes, thank you, Debbie for your post. Just think, you are four days into your recovery. God bless you!

Louanna Miller  Praying for you and your surgery tomorrow. May you have peace tonight and in the morning,, a successful surgery, little pain or discomfort, and a complete recovery to excellent health.

When you feel up to it, let us know how you are doing. I’m the mean time, I’m going to be praying!!!

Rob Sparling  Debbie, thinking of you tonight and tomorrow! Dig in, hold on tight and do the time travel boogie. The road to recovery is only several hours away! ❤️💪

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you so much!! Y’alls words of encouragement are what I take with me into the operating room!! 🙏🏼

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you, Dan. As long as I’m busy I’m good. I wrote to a lot of friends last night and that was tough. People I thought would want to know. Everyone was shocked! I have been pretty quiet about my surgery up til now. I think I have notified everyone. Whew!! Praying for peace and that what my friends are praying for too.

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you so much!! I need those prayers! My head is just all over the place!!
Getting flu shot and pneumonia shot today! Just so many things!

Debbie Kelly  I will be seeing my new cardiologist next week and am waiting until the first of the year for my surgery. I was wondering if the flu and pneumonia shots were a requirement. Did your cardio tell you to get them?
I hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays with your family, Debbie. Hopefully, our weather will be nice.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Debbie Moriarty  Hey Debbie - actually it was my surgeon who recommended the flu and pneumonia shots. I couldn’t get them til this week because I actually just finished a round of antibiotics for bronchial pneumonia!! Sigh, it’s always something, right!!

Debbie Moriarty  I was debating waiting til the new year as well. Back in July my cardiologist recommended within 6 months but wanted it by Christmas.
Did you decide to go down to the Medical Center downtown?

Debbie Moriarty  Dr Gerald Lawrie did my brother-in-law’s valve repair. Even with that he had a full sternotomy. BIL was in Memorial Hermann.
My mother used Dr Casseli (sp?) about 8 years who is supposed to be the best surgeon in the downtown med center. She was at St Luke’s (I would not recommend) but I think he also operates out of Methodist.

Debbie Kelly  Good Morning Debbie, I am changing cardiologist and see him next Friday. He has offices at Willowbrook Methodist and the Med Ctr. I have had my heart set on having Dr. Lamales (out of St. Luke's) perform the surgery, minimal invasively; that is, if I am a candidate. Now, that I will have a "Methodist" cardiologist, I may be referred to their doctor, who also performs the minimal. My hospital, of choice is Methodist, but my surgeon of choice is at St. Luke's. We shall see.
My mother had hers replaced by Dr. Ott at St. Luke's. She was 83. I am 61. I have questioned during one of my pity parties why I am so much younger than what my mother was when she had her surgery. lol. She had a full sternectomy eight years ago. She was such a strong woman, and I am the complete opposite. I wished she would have been offered TAVR then. She had very little pain, but lost quite a bit of blood. She had several transfusions in the hospital, and it took about two years to get her blood count up to normal. Other than that, she bounced back fairly quickly.
I have heard many great things about Dr. Casseli, so he will be my first choice of surgeons if the other two cannot do the surgery on me.
Debbie, I will tell you what everyone else says; although, I am the worse of following my own advice. You have a strong support system. Think of how much better you will feel to enjoy those grandbabies. We will both come out of this with more energy.
Take care, my heart warrior friend.

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you so much, Louanna! Pre Op went well. I still had more questions so they kindly called the surgeon’s office for me. No one had told me to discontinue any medications??!!! But I need to! I am ordering a surgical bra tonight on line. They were gonna tell me after surgery 🤷🏻‍♀️ Went home and played with my grand babies until I collapsed and napped.

Louanna Miller  I wasn’t told about the surgical bras until I was in the hospital, too. I bought several but the one that I like the most is: Amoena
Women's Frances Front-Closure Leisure Bra. They are available through Amazon in different colors.

When is your heart catheterization?

Debbie Moriarty  I think they are not doing a heart cath???
And yay, that’s the same surgical bra I ordered!! 👍🏼

Debbie Kelly  HI Debbie, I recommend you call your doctor. As far as I know, everyone has a heart cath prior to surgery.

Debbie Moriarty  Uh oh!!! My cardiologist had ordered one and it was scheduled for the day that I ended up meeting my surgeon. So cardiologist office cancelled it saying “it’s okay, the surgeon will order his own!”
But then when the pre op nurse called to ask for me, the nurse said no. I admit it was very confusing. I have been disappointed in lack of communication from my surgeon’s office. I have had to call and ask for everything. And now of course everyone is closed until Monday, my surgery date. Sigh

Debbie Kelly  I am so sorry you are having to go through this, Debbie. Looks like surgery will be postponed. The heart cath will show if you have any blockages. If you have any that are a certain percentage, those will need to be corrected first. That is usually done by putting in stents at the time of the cath. I am sure you know all of this. Praying for you! It's frustrating, I know!

Debbie Moriarty  Nothing could make me sadder than having to have all this postponed. My nerves can’t take getting all prepared again!! Though I know some of you have experienced postponement!

Debbie Kelly  Debbie, I am the worst of following my own advice, but. please don't panic. Everything will work out. As most say, the waiting and the anxieties that come with it are the worst. I know I will be in your shoes in a couple of months. Is there any way you can call and ask for your surgeon to be contacted. Prrhaps, he would call you back this weekend and, at least, tell you what the next step is.

Debbie Moriarty  No worries on the spelling errors. I think we all type so fast and with so much emotion, the keyboard can’t keep up with us!! 😅
I will see who I can contact!! What a waste it would be for this to go sideways at this point!! Thank you for your help!! As usual 😍

Debbie Moriarty  Pre Op good. I only teared up twice! Seeing “Open Heart Surgery” written on paper overwhelmed me.
We actually called my surgeon’s office from Pre Op. No one had told me to discontinue my Eloquis (blood thinner) FIVE days prior to surgery!
Thanks for the reminder, Jill. I do want to make a playlist of some sort!

Debbie Moriarty  Oh no!!! That is terrible. I will look up her profile. Thanks for telling me!
I’m not very good with finding stuff on here!! But I love having the community!

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you. Puzzled about some pro op things. Should everyone have a heart cath before their surgery. My cardiologist had ordered one but that was the day I met my surgeon. The surgeon’s office never scheduled one for me? Several people said this is part of Pre op???

Catie B  Yes, it usually is. One reason is, if there turns out to be a blockage that requires surgery, they want to take care of it while they are operating.

Debbie Moriarty  Ahhhh, got cha!! I sure hope I don’t have blockage. Or that they can fix it anyway while they are in there! 🙏🏼

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you. We are on a similar time line! Yes, I am reading about as many experiences as I can. I trust all who have gone before me here!! 😊

Debbie Moriarty  Thank you so much for the wise words. It helps knowing others have been apprehensive. Positive self talk, gathering info, and sometimes just not talking about all of this helps!! 😊

Meredith Geneja  Agreed!!! It's quite the journey we are all on. One day at a time, one step at a time. The photos and reports of those in recovery & further down the road are such an encouragement to us all.