Guestbook of Howard Powders

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Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

864 days ago

Lilian Peña posted a note for Howard that says:

Hello Howard😃 how are you these days? I hope you’re doing great with the love of your wife🥰 God Bless and stay well.

Howard Powders Hi Lilian! 😊

I’m doing okay. Yes. My wife is terrific! She keeps me going and motivated. ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Lilian! 😊

I’m doing okay. Yes. My wife is terrific! She keeps me going and motivated. How are YOU doing, Lilian? Hope all is well with you. Thank you for thinking of me!
Regards,
Howard 😊

Klara Čičić I am glad you are OK, Howard, and talking so nicely about your wife

Lilian Peña Yeayy! Thanks God you’re okay same with Klara! Everyone here are my inspiration to keep going, keep ... Read more

Lilian Peña Yeayy! Thanks God you’re okay same with Klara! Everyone here are my inspiration to keep going, keep moving! Yes, pain still in me, but tolerable😊 on going nerve healing🙏😇my heart is great now❤️

Howard Powders Hi Klara. Doing well. Hope this is now a distant memory for you too! 🙂

Howard Powders Hi Lilian. Glad to hear. Sorry you still have some redidual pain. Yes. Keep moving! I walk a mile and ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Lilian. Glad to hear. Sorry you still have some redidual pain. Yes. Keep moving! I walk a mile and a half every morning.🙂

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1018 days ago

Brady Busch, Lilian Peña reacted to this

Klara Čičić posted a note for Howard that says:

How is it going Howard?

Howard Powders Hi Klara. Okay, thanks. Not 100% yet, but bp is good and heartrate down to 88 from 99. So, how are YO ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Klara. Okay, thanks. Not 100% yet, but bp is good and heartrate down to 88 from 99. So, how are YOU doing? It’s always best to have this behind you! Big relief! By the way, I quit my rehab after 15 sessions because I don’t believe it was helping me. I have a nice exercise machine at home plus I walk a mile every morning. Good enough! So now, you are a patient of your local cardiologist. My heart surgeon’s nurse made it clear to me: see my local cardiologist after the surgery. In other words: ‘you had your surgery, so now, don’t bother us!’😂

Angela Meletiadis Hi Howard. I appreciated my follow-up cardiologist telling me to reconnect with my Dr. in my town bec ... Read more

Angela Meletiadis Hi Howard. I appreciated my follow-up cardiologist telling me to reconnect with my Dr. in my town because I live two hours away from St. Luke's Hospital where I had the surgery. I've only gone back once in the 3.5 months postop. My local cardiologist is a ten minute walk from my house! No tolls, gas, or aggravation!

Klara Čičić Good to hear from you, Howard! Interesting you quit your sessions. I wonder will it be the same with... Read more

Klara Čičić Good to hear from you, Howard! Interesting you quit your sessions. I wonder will it be the same with me. I feel ok, I don't know, pain in the right thorax prevents me from sleeping, those wounds in my chest are pain in the a**, 😂 but I should be grateful

Hahaha about the surgeon, I have exactly the same impression about my surgical team in Germany. ,"we fixed your heart, now go to your cardiologist, you are their problem, not ours anymore" :))) but as Angela says, it truly is more convenient :)

Angela Meletiadis Klara, my surgeons never said much about the pain, but ALL the nurses said that the pain will take so ... Read more

Angela Meletiadis Klara, my surgeons never said much about the pain, but ALL the nurses said that the pain will take some time to go away. I'm beginning to accept that and strive for good overall health. I've noticed that the pain is worse in my "tired hours" - just before lunch and late evening. I try not to plan much during those times. Also, trying to really relax! You're in my thoughts and prayers for sure.

Ana Brusso Howard, so glad to hear your progress and recovery is going well. I didn’t do cardiac rehab on my f ... Read more

Ana Brusso Howard, so glad to hear your progress and recovery is going well. I didn’t do cardiac rehab on my first surgery and I don’t think I will do this time either. I walk and work on my garden and keep up with housework and to me that’s rehab. We are all different and need different things. Klara you are in my prayers. Angela, you said it before is one day at a time. God bless you all 🙏❤️

Angela Meletiadis

Howard Powders Hey all!! I just got an ID card in the mail stating my surgeon installed an AtriClip somewhere in my ... Read more

Howard Powders Hey all!! I just got an ID card in the mail stating my surgeon installed an AtriClip somewhere in my aorta to neutralize part of my heart that produces 90% of blood clots, mostly due to afib; but I never had afib. However, it means I didn’t need to take blood thinners, which I told my surgeon beforehand, that I couldn’t take because I have Reflux disease. I just assumed he did the mitral repair with the ring and nothing else. I went back and read his voluminous notes and sure enough the AtriClip procedure was buried there. It’s similar to the Watchman! Future MRI’s are fine. He did me a big favor by installing it.🙂🙂🙂

Howard Powders Angela, my surgeon’s staff won’t even return my phone calls. He is DONE with me after 3.5 months! ... Read more

Howard Powders Angela, my surgeon’s staff won’t even return my phone calls. He is DONE with me after 3.5 months!😂

Howard Powders Hi Ana. The machines weren’t doing anything for me and most of the other rehabees looked to be in h ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Ana. The machines weren’t doing anything for me and most of the other rehabees looked to be in horrible condition. I considered myself lucky compared to them.🙂

Howard Powders Hi Klara. I called my surgeon’s office twice with questions recently and they didn’t return my ca ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Klara. I called my surgeon’s office twice with questions recently and they didn’t return my calls. Very cold attitude! After 3.5 months, and being fully paid by insurance and copays, they are DONE with me!😵‍💫 I did 15 rehab sessions. It was enough, and I couldn’t believe there were any benefits. I have an aerobic machine at home plus I walk a mile every morning. Good enough! Cheaper too! Many of those folks at rehab can barely move. Most are in horrible shape! It took me 3 weeks at home before I could finally sleep on my right (incision) side comfortably. It will ease up!!🙂🙂🙂

Ana Brusso Howard, that is the case with most surgeons. My surgeon this time told me he will see me in 6 months ... Read more

Ana Brusso Howard, that is the case with most surgeons. My surgeon this time told me he will see me in 6 months and then once every year to make sure everything is ok. My previous surgeon was done with me after my surgery, I’m glad your surgeon inserted that AtriClip if it’s helping you.

Angela Meletiadis Howard, that's a sad situation and I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose my follow-up was a bit better a... Read more

Angela Meletiadis Howard, that's a sad situation and I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose my follow-up was a bit better at my hospital because I paid out of my pocket (one year of my teacher's salary). My other option was the state system which does not have many choices and would have been a longer wait. As for rehab, I still haven't connected anywhere, even at a physical therapist, because I need to have a referral. Aside from the pain (which I won't complain about again and for which I've been going to acupuncture at my own expense) my heart condition is moving along well. I walk over one mile, twice a day, and climb a couple of flights of stairs with a 5 sec break in between flights. I'm going to try some mild abdominal excersizes this week to see if I can tighten up my middle, and avoid my on-going sciatic pinch. I think the important thing is to know your limits. Do you have some kind of heart or pulse monitor for exercize? (I don't!

)

Klara Čičić Howard, I too had left atrial appendage closure, most of mitral valve surgeries include that automat... Read more

Klara Čičić Howard, I too had left atrial appendage closure, most of mitral valve surgeries include that automatically, it's a logical step since it takes only a minute during the surgery, and LAA is a place where clots most often are made (in case of Afib in the future). But clots can still be made in the atrium itself and thromboembolism can still occur. This is just lowering the risk by closing this appendige where clots most often made. It doesn't automatically mean that you don't need blood thinners. There are lot of factors when considering blood thinner for a patient. Please make sure once sagain with your cardiologist!

Hope you still don't need it, but just be sure.

Lilian Peña Agree to you guys who did the walking as exercise, household chores and gardening too according to yo ... Read more

Lilian Peña Agree to you guys who did the walking as exercise, household chores and gardening too according to your limit will help to recover fast and be ourselves again😃though I suffered a lot of pain but tolerable, as long as I feel the pain, I stop and take a rest. And your right, most of the time chest pain and shoulder and back pain occurs in the afternoon when you’ve done a lot and i experienced headache.. maybe due to my stressful work in the production as strategic planning head😔Sad to say, I file my resignation to fully focus on my recovery.. no mental stress till I recover fully🙏💙I asked God to lead me the way..We need to take care❤️

Howard Powders Thanks for your latest inputs, Ana, Angela, Klara and Lilian. My surgeon was good, but cold. He told ... Read more

Howard Powders Thanks for your latest inputs, Ana, Angela, Klara and Lilian. My surgeon was good, but cold. He told me at 4 weeks post-op, “Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.” Didn’t realize returning patients’ phone calls were an exclusion to that! Didn’t realize installing the atriclip was standard procedure, Klara. I figure now at 4 months post-op, I am just about clot safe, Klara. Glad my experiences seem to be the exception. You know, Sarasota in general, is a cold place. Reminds me of NYC. Not meaning the weather!🙂

Klara Čičić Haha, yeah, it's usually that way with surgeons, here especially, they do the surgery and bye bye, yo ... Read more

Klara Čičić Haha, yeah, it's usually that way with surgeons, here especially, they do the surgery and bye bye, you are now in the hands of cardiologist. And, well, they do and should know these things better. So your cardiologist should, on basis of all your medical record and findings, decide whether you need anticoagulant therapy after these mandatory three/four months or just baby aspirin for life. Or even nothing. Some studies show it could also be a safe option for some. It is complex decision, and most importantly -individual for each patient :)

Howard Powders I should have known. His nurse was extremely protective of him. Every question I asked her, she defle ... Read more

Howard Powders I should have known. His nurse was extremely protective of him. Every question I asked her, she deflected as not his pervue. But I was taking baby aspirin and he asked me why. He said I don’t need it because I don’t have coronary artery disease. So I stopped it. So far. So good.

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1043 days ago

Klara Čičić reacted to this

Mary Ann Callison posted a note for Howard that says:

Oh my. Thank you that I no longer think I will be normal in 2 weeks. What a shock that would have been.

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1052 days ago

Klara Čičić reacted to this

Jay Waddell posted a note for Howard that says:

Hi Howard. I really appreciated your story and all the comments others have shared. I had a mitral valve replace surgery (minimally invasive - robotics) six ...Read more

Hi Howard. I really appreciated your story and all the comments others have shared. I had a mitral valve replace surgery (minimally invasive - robotics) six weeks ago. Yes, it is major surgery. I felt pretty beat up by it. The incisions hurt and my scapula really hurt. They must contort you during the procedure. I was in quite a bit of pain for three weeks, then it started to lessen. I went into afib after a week and had to do a cardioconversion to get back into sinus rhythm. My internal debrillator triggered at home on the day I was discharged from the hospital. This is the first time it has shocked me in seven years. It was definitely eye opening (i.e., I jumped up off the couch and yelled). But I felt pretty normal very quickly. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. It triggered two more times while I was sleeping and I never even woke up. I have been going to cardiac rehab for three weeks now. It is great. They gently help you return to exercise while safely monitoring you. It is a super positive experience that makes you feel empowered. I have high hopes that my new mitral valve will actually improve my stamina and exercise tolerance. Fingers crossed. I am 67 and I am used to being pretty active (tennis, dog walking, spin bike). Cheers. Jay

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1052 days ago

Liza Norman posted a note for Howard that says:

Hi I'll chime in. I'm a woman, 72, had minimally invasive mitral repair oct 2019. 3 years ago. I can no longer remember being out of breath after a little ...Read more

Hi I'll chime in. I'm a woman, 72, had minimally invasive mitral repair oct 2019. 3 years ago. I can no longer remember being out of breath after a little exercise. I basically feel normal, always want the challenge to hike the hills as fast as possible to raise my heart rate.
My scars are still sensitive to the touch in places, but my heart and stamina are good. You'll get there if you don't do too much too quickly, but rather slow and steady as you
build up . Covid hit in the middle of my rehab so I switched to walking hills instead of working on machines. I enjoyed it more too.

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1112 days ago

Ruth joy posted a note for Howard that says:

Howard , I hope you start to get some improvement sooner rather than later .
Any surgery to our hearts is a big op , however it is undertaken ...Read more

Howard , I hope you start to get some improvement sooner rather than later .
Any surgery to our hearts is a big op , however it is undertaken .
Do you need the diuretics reviewing ? Try using a urinal bottle at night , it might help you to get some sleep . Once you start to sleep , you ‘ll start to feel better in yourself . Try taking regular paracetamol or the pain killers that were prescribed for you , I know you were trying to not use / take any . Take care , things will improve .

Howard Powders Thanks, Ruth. I just wish some of the advertising surgeons spent a bit more time on the negative effe ... Read more

Howard Powders Thanks, Ruth. I just wish some of the advertising surgeons spent a bit more time on the negative effects. My surgeon was the same. He mumbled something about potential afib really fast. Luckily, I don’t have afib from the surgery. I did take 4 days of Lasix and on days two and four of taking it, I did lose significant water. The morning after getting home, I got on the scale and couldn’t believe I gained 10 pounds!!🫢 Thanks for your tips, Ruth!!🙂

Richard Munson Howard, your home, thats a big step. I agree on the negative side but it is open heart surgery so the ... Read more

Richard Munson Howard, your home, thats a big step. I agree on the negative side but it is open heart surgery so there are bound to be some bumps in the road. Lasix makes you go for sure but the goal there is to reduce your fluid and weight. When i told my wife to pull over to the side of the road coming home she was mortified. She insisted we would be arrested for over exposure. We did it after a few beers back in the day. Or was she jealous i could do it but not her. Being of similar age to you, you will improve but not overnight. Its been a year and a half for me and i feel great ( as great as an 80 year older can feel) . Stay the course, better days are coming.

Howard Powders Thanks, Richard. Sometimes these surgeons sound like used car salesmen!😂 I took the Lasix for 4 da ... Read more

Howard Powders Thanks, Richard. Sometimes these surgeons sound like used car salesmen!😂 I took the Lasix for 4 days. I lost most of the 10 pounds I gained from 4 days post-op in the hospital. Took me 2 weeks at home.

Richard Munson Go like a racehorse as we used to say.

Richard Munson And another incidental, i had a short duration pain just the other day like a second, and i had minim ... Read more

Richard Munson And another incidental, i had a short duration pain just the other day like a second, and i had minimally invasive a year and a half ago. They cut nerves i am told which take time to regrow. I still think its better than the zipper if you qualify. My surgeon told me its all about going in and coming out. Once in there its all the same.

Howard Powders I get some weird small pains occasionally, especially near my right breast, close to the incision-a b ... Read more

Howard Powders I get some weird small pains occasionally, especially near my right breast, close to the incision-a burning that lasts for 2 seconds and disappears. Well, 4 weeks sure beats 12 weeks of recovery!😋

Richard Munson Yup, thats it man. So here is an uplifting story for you because we are close in age and had similar ... Read more

Richard Munson Yup, thats it man. So here is an uplifting story for you because we are close in age and had similar surgery. We have a new puppy and he is black. At 4:30 this morning he got me up and i took him out side to go. It is pitch black at 4:30. Long story long, i dropped the leash by accident and he took off into the night like a shot. My heart was pounding, he blends into the night and my first thought was that i killed my new dog. I repeat, my heart was pounding, my newly repaired heart. I raced around calling his name but nothing but black. Finally headed back to the house to wake my wife and he was sitting on the back steps. Good ending but my heart so far, took the stress. End of story.

Howard Powders Great to hear! Similarly, I got a new TV. Played great for a month. Turned it on a few days ago. No s ... Read more

Howard Powders Great to hear! Similarly, I got a new TV. Played great for a month. Turned it on a few days ago. No sound. Unplugged it and it rebooted itself just fine. Turned the TV on the next day and no sound…for one second…a normal delay…but my heart assumed the worst…and I survived the heart stress just fine too! Not bad for 80 and 77!! 😋

Deena Z Right on, you guys! Howard, I had the zipper and could barely get in and out of bed for weeks.

Richard Munson And now look deena, you are just zipping around.

Howard Powders Hi Deena! When I had an inguinial hernia operation, I couldn’t get out of bed either for a few week ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi Deena! When I had an inguinial hernia operation, I couldn’t get out of bed either for a few weeks. It’s all behind us. The battlescars of life!😋

Deena Z Richard and Howard, humor and optimism, gets us through life so much better. Thxs

Richard Munson Sorry howard but a hernia operation is not behind you. Lol.

Howard Powders Good point! 😂 It was hell trying to get off the bed. The pain was just about the same between the ... Read more

Howard Powders Good point! 😂 It was hell trying to get off the bed. The pain was just about the same between the heart and hernia surgeries, but the hernia was the worst for getting off the bed.

Richard Munson One of my dark moments howard a few years back was a kidney stone. Possibly the worst ever. It can ma ... Read more

Richard Munson One of my dark moments howard a few years back was a kidney stone. Possibly the worst ever. It can make you cry. And then when they show it to you after its hard to believe something that small can hurt so much.

Howard Powders Been there, done that Richard. Extremely painful! I was lying on the floor. Excrutiating.

Deena Z Ok, you two have become heart brothers.

Howard Powders Lol Deena! The home nurse just came and was happy with my vitals. Next week, the surgeon. Hope he is ... Read more

Howard Powders Lol Deena! The home nurse just came and was happy with my vitals. Next week, the surgeon. Hope he is happy too!🙏

Richard Munson Howard i was also rolling on the floor in agony and Thought about begging my wife for a bullet but wa ... Read more

Richard Munson Howard i was also rolling on the floor in agony and Thought about begging my wife for a bullet but was afraid she might do it.

Howard Powders Lol!😂 I think I drank a ton of water and finally excreted the mischievous varmit out. Complete ago ... Read more

Howard Powders Lol!😂 I think I drank a ton of water and finally excreted the mischievous varmit out. Complete agony!

Richard Munson Mine got hung up, no pun intended, and they had to go get it. The good news is that my ultra sound ye ... Read more

Richard Munson Mine got hung up, no pun intended, and they had to go get it. The good news is that my ultra sound yesterday showed no new ones.

Howard Powders Hi, Ruth. I feel better stopping the daily aspirin. My stomach was seriously upset for the 30 days I ... Read more

Howard Powders Hi, Ruth. I feel better stopping the daily aspirin. My stomach was seriously upset for the 30 days I took it. I stopped it when my surgeon asked me “why are you taking daily aspirin?” He claims for my procedure and history, I don’t need it. You know, the going to the bathroom for quite a few ‘number ones’ at night, helps to get my walking time in!😂

Howard Powders Thanks for your encouraging words, Ruth. Just what I needed!🙂🙂

Howard Powdersgot a new guestbook post

1124 days ago

Susan Lynn, Lilian Peña reacted to this

Kristine Schroeder posted a note for Howard that says:

Glad you are home. Keeping you in my prayers for healing and rest. You are on your way. I can imagine it’s not easy. One day at a time. My 4 hours of preop ...Read more

Glad you are home. Keeping you in my prayers for healing and rest. You are on your way. I can imagine it’s not easy. One day at a time. My 4 hours of preop is on Thursday!

Oh Howard, you are home and I’m so grateful for you. Please follow your medical team instructions s ... Read more

Oh Howard, you are home and I’m so grateful for you. Please follow your medical team instructions so we can continue to read your posts. Praying for you in your recovery and know that God is touching you with his healing hands. God bless you dear friend. 🙏❤️

Howard Powders Thank you, Ana. Good to be home. Gained 8 pounds lying around for 5 days in the hospital.

Only 8 pounds, don’t worry they will be gone in no time. Have you started walking? What else did th ... Read more

Only 8 pounds, don’t worry they will be gone in no time. Have you started walking? What else did they tell you to do? I’m sure you are exhausted but even so try to walk inside the house. I’ll continue to keep you in my prayers. Blessings 🙏❤️

Lilian Peña Thanks God for your successful surgery @Howard😊Wish you well and be patient with yourself for a su ... Read more

Lilian Peña Thanks God for your successful surgery @Howard😊Wish you well and be patient with yourself for a successful recovery🙏💙

Howard Powders Thank you Lilian. Today is week one anniversary already! Hope you are doing well!!😋😋😋

Lilian Peña Yeayy, happy one week anniversary of having a new valve😃😇enjoy the rest of your life! Live to t ... Read more

Lilian Peña Yeayy, happy one week anniversary of having a new valve😃😇enjoy the rest of your life! Live to the fullest, serve your purpose. Here in the Philippines, many are afraid of having heart surgery because it is too expensive😌that is why many Filipinos died due to heart problem❤️Sorry to share my opinion. Lucky I am and forever grateful🙏😇for my 2nd chance in life💙

Howard Powders Thank you Lilian! My wife is Filipina. She's taking great care of me!!!

Deena Z Congrats, Howard. Already in recovery and ready to charge forward! The weight gain is most likely f ... Read more

Deena Z Congrats, Howard. Already in recovery and ready to charge forward! The weight gain is most likely fluid build-up and will go away soon.

Howard Powders Thanks, Deena! I lost 3 of the 8 pounds since Wednesday already.Recovery! Yes! It's a miracle! Compa... Read more

Howard Powders Thanks, Deena! I lost 3 of the 8 pounds since Wednesday already.Recovery! Yes! It's a miracle! Comparing myself on day 2 to currently day 8. Two different people!

Howard Powders Sunday. Five pounds lost. So much fluid!!

Deena Z You will probably find out that you lost weight!

Howard Powders I have 3 pounds to go to break even, Deena.🙂🙂🙂

Lilian Peña Oh wow! Nice to know that your wife was a Filipina @Howard🥰 please give my warm regards to her❤... Read more

Lilian Peña Oh wow! Nice to know that your wife was a Filipina @Howard🥰 please give my warm regards to her❤️Salamat p

o😊 😃