Duane's Guestbook

Duane, I haven\'t been on the heart valve forum in a long time, but I was just checking in to see how all my old friends are doing. It\'s good to hear you\'re doing well. Joel Bryan, Iowa

Happy 2nd Anniversary Duane! What a trophy of the Lord! So great to hear how good things are going for you. I remember praying for you each step of the way as I was being prepared for my upcoming surgery. I have pulmonary hypertension that surfaced on an echo in August, also revealing a mild-moderate tricuspid leak that I never had before. Have had testing and more suggested but at the moment resting in the Lord. Our Precepts B.S. just started the book of James...guess I\'m just where He wants me. :) Blessings! Carla

Dear Duane, Happy Anniversary! It is so great to hear from you, and to mark this milestone. Those of us who have traveled on this journey know how many obstacles you have had to overcome. You are a testament to the healing power of the human spirit. Your words have always inspired, and filled me with hope. Your love of Jesus leaves me striving to do more to bring Him into my life. Thank you friend for the power of your words. May this year bring you the gift of continuing health! God Bless, Theresa C.

Duane I\'m close behind, 3/22/10. You\'re right, two years seems like a second. Glad you\'re doing well! Don\'t think I\'ll join you in the marathon. I\'m impressed! Sorry we haven\'t had the opportunity to meet in person! Best wishes for your continued healing! Michael Bartlett Knoxville, TN

Can\'t believe it\'s been 2 years. You\'re definitely a rock. Thanks for all the support you\'ve given me through the last couple years. It\'s encouraging to hear about all they physical activitiy you are doing. Patrick in STL

Congratulations. Hard to believe it\'s been two years. I remember following your entries and praying for your recovery what with all the serious complications you had. Now you\'re running races. God is good, the great Healer. See you soon for our mini reunion. Fran

Dearest Duane and Peggy, We are thrivers not just survivors! Well done on all of your accomplishments - I love the way you write and I would love to hear your \'sermons\' (do you call them that?) - bet they are full of laughter and tears. How about podcasts? I am grateful every day for my health and happiness and concentrate on not taking them for granted! I\'ll be updating my journal in 4 weeks time... We will meet one of these days! Love and hugs from Penny (Scotland)

Hi Duane Another milestone. It\'s funny how we mark the anniversary of this particular surgery giving it the respect of the life-changing event it is. You remain a great inspiration and I thank you for it. You have to stay healthy to entertain those ten grandchildren. See ya. Cheryl, Ontario

Duane, thank you for posting again. i found your comments about how life has changed and how it is supposed to change very comforting. I only have a small sense of that because I am still waiting for surgery on Feb 2. Yet, your words resonate. I wish you all e best. - Mitch Friedman

Bless you my brother, your journey has been inspiring but moreso your faith. Glad you can celebrate life for His glory. I\'m only well into 7th month of aortic valve (mechanical) replacement. I have been blessed with no post op complications other than a mix up on meds by which I wound up in emergency twice. Other than that I would say I have regained full exertional strength but still a long ways to go in stamina. You\'re right about once a heart patient, always a heart patient. I\'m a stubborn Scot, so God often has to take the woodshed route with me. Mostly in learning to live with and within my limitations. Still a ways to go but He who has begun the good work will be faithful to complete it. Blessings upon blessings to you and yours.

Hi Duane That was some diagnosis. I had to google what it all meant. Did you ever think at the beginning of all of this you would one day become so knowledgeable in heart defects? Thank goodness you live your faith which obviously helps you get up each day and live such a full life. You continue to be a positive influence for so many here. Keeping you in my prayers. Hi to Peggy. Your friend, Cheryl, Ontario

You\'re not alone. I\'m 52 also and facing some serious heart issues. It sounds like I\'m better than you though. Keep your eyes on God. Ruth (Riley) Mitchell P.S. My ejection fraction was 35.

Hi, my friend, When we last spoke, you said you\'d try to write in your journal and so glad you did. We all look for good news on progress that we make as we journey through these amazing surgeries. God does answer prayers and we know that. You have continued to live your life to the fullest and plan for the future. You\'ll do well at elevation, remember I was at Yosemite and walking around at 7000 ft only 5 months after my surgery? Love to Peggy and the two soon to be additions to your family. Love you, you are an inspiration and proof of living God\'s word. Fran

Duane, So glad to hear the good news. This report sounds much better, scary that you are such an expert on cardiac issues. I know you will move forward in faith and not let anything hold you back, because of your belief in God. I am once again inspired! Be well, my friend. Theresa C.

Hi Duane, I enjoy following your journey, being a fellow wayfarer myself. Our God is an awesome God. I am also a Gaither fan. For an inspiring testimony, see Dan Miller’s on youtube. He was invited to a Gaither gathering and in his recounting of his journey, the Lord’s Presence became very strong, touching people’s hearts to the core. I too am constantly “dying” to my dreams. The other night during the wee small hours I sensed a struggle going on in my heart. You see, before this “journey of the heart”, I had dreams, big dreams. For example, I am especially interested in the spreading of the gospel through radio and have been a follower of Voice of the Andes (now extinct) for several decades. They are now known as HCJB, Heralding Christ Jesus’ Blessings. Their engineering headquarters is in Elkhart Indiana. I have been there on two occasions, and spoke with the director on the 2nd occasion. They said I could start the next day once the paper work was done. They needed people in various areas of the world to assemble, erect towers and aim antennae. I love heights and climbing, travelling and doing things that are out of the ordinary. I am also an outdoorsman, love hunting, fishing, and wilderness excursions. To go where no man has gone before really motivates me. Just to cut to the chase here, in my struggle I realized that these might not be appropriate activities for someone who will be on anticoagulation soon. It was a long dark night as I died handed these dreams over to the Lord, but I had serenity during the day knowing that God had won in another area of my life. Later during the day I heard His still small voice telling me that my loss would become my gain for His glory. I made another entry in my journal. While I am awaiting surgery I am limited in many ways, and loneliness is a major part of my journey, except I’m not alone. Just to close off here, your journey is an inspiration to many including myself. He that endures to the end shall be saved, including the “journey of the heart”. God Bless you and your family. Paul M

Good morning Duane I\'ll be look forward to your posting next week and will be praying for some good news. April next week - finally. You are deep southerners are probably gearing up for the real heat while we here can\'t wait for the warmth to reach the bones and shed the coats. Have a great day. Cheryl, Ontario

Dear Duane, Great result on your Shamrock run, who would have thought just 14 months post op! Inspirational as ever. Apart from Warfarin are you on any other meds? Since my episode last month I am on 2.5mg of bisoporal and 40mg of forusmide (duiretic). I have just developed a slight facial tremor and I know that one cause could be yet another a side effect of amiodorone but I have been off that drug for 6 months so unsure how long it stays in the system - I read up to 2 years. I will go to the cardiologist and get checked out next month. I am strength training with TRX system using body weight and suspension - it\'s brilliant but not sure if the cardio team would recommend... Watching out for your postings with much love from Penny xx

Hey Duane, you\'re covered in prayer on two of our national prayer chains. As I understand it, you have gone from one valve issue to multiple valve issues, is that correct. As for the weaker moments, I can surely relate to you on that. I\'m talking spiritually now, but somehow we\'re all hitched up into one, spirit, mind, soul and body. My expereince has been that when one part of us starts to wobble it can throw the rest of us out of balance, excpet God in us never doubts or stops believing. And that\'s where the support team comes in along with mighty prevailing prayer. Last night I had a night like I can\'t recall. I strained my left ventricle on Wednesday, post exertion Day 1 I knew I had done it but just sensed the fatigue, exhaustion, along with breathlessness, inability to talk, etc. Day 2, whaam, down for the count. Mild depression, totally off my game, etc. Then at night I had these wild dreams, every couple of hours popping me out of sleep like a blue whale surfacing from the deep. On one occasion I awoke and immediately sensed a fear and foreboding that had nothing to do with the dream. I discerned it to be spiritual, so in faith and standing on the word rebuked it, but thought to myself, \"I need a little overkill on this\", like not taking any chances. So I called the 24 hr prayer line at 3 AM, the annointing came over the prayer warrior, and that was the end of that. Still had a turbulent night but awoke in a differnet spiritual environment. My sister in the Phillippines tells me that fear is over rated as she was tormented for 20 yrs by it. She has just finished reading a book on counting your blessings (thankfulness) which is an anecdote to fear. I have been journalling for years, closets of motebooks, etc., and still am, but I am going to change my focus more to the greatness of God and his goodness relative to the \"mountain\" in my life. Mark 11:20 - 22. It\'s easy to \"drift\" from that, as in Peter walking on the water. God Bless fellow sojourner Paul M

Dear Duane, Thank you for your beautiful response. If you wrote an inspirational book, I am sure it would be a bestseller! Just to answer your questions....My daughter is a beautiful 24 year old young woman who just received her Masters Degree.,She is followed by her cardiologists with echos just like we are. She is fine today, but it never leaves you watching your child go through it, and yes I would have done anything in order for her to avoid it. I feel bad for my husband who watched his father, daughter and wife go through it. We each have our journeys to travel, and I thank God for his help and the new friends he has placed in my path. Keep in touch! Theresa C.