Judith,
First I have to say how much I love your sheltie puppies! How adorable! (One of my best friends has 3 shelties . . . great dogs!)
Ok, on to you! ...Read more
Judith,
First I have to say how much I love your sheltie puppies! How adorable! (One of my best friends has 3 shelties . . . great dogs!)
Ok, on to you! What a story you have. I can certainly understand your nervousness and disappointment having to postpone your surgery. It sounds like there are so many factors to consider; your case is certainly far more complicated that most peoples\'. You might want to get a second opinion from a major heart center - I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic but there are other places closer to you - Stanford or UCLA come instantly to mind.
I wish you all the best as you work your way through this.
Ricki Shine
The Shelties are brother and sister, Mac & Missy, and Mac in particular has been a wonderful nurse and psychotherapist during all my health crises. Like my previous Sheltie Gillie, who died young of lymphoma, Mac has an uncanny ability to sense when I am anxious or sad or in considerable pain. (There must definitely be something to the concept of "the smell of fear"!) He will immediately come and rest his chin on my knee and look at me sweetly for a long time, or start licking me gently like a mother dog cares for her puppies, then just snuggle up against me. I find that petting him or giving him tummy rubs while he does that really calms me -- so not only are my husband and adult kids and young grandkids all supporting me in numerous ways, but my dog is, too! His sister is less empathic, being more focused on looking out the window for birds or pedestrians or the dog next door to bark at :-).
I appreciate your interest and support. Dr. Verrier is actually on the recommended surgeons list on this website, and spends a lot of his time flying around the country teaching valve repair techniques to other surgeons and medical students. I have thought about traveling elsewhere, but for various reasons it would be impossible for any of my family to travel with me and I'd rather go through this close to home where I can see my loved ones.
Judith...wow...wow, that\'s a lot of stuff!!! You make me feel like a weenie...I don\'t have any other health issues and I am stressing while waiting for surgery. ...Read more
Judith...wow...wow, that\'s a lot of stuff!!! You make me feel like a weenie...I don\'t have any other health issues and I am stressing while waiting for surgery. I will pray that this team of doctors will come to the decision that is truly best for you! I\'m so sorry you are carrying such a heavy load.
The good news is...in my opinion, this journal site is very therapeutic. Continue to \"put it out there\" and you will receive amazing support. Thank you for sharing with us. Please keep us updated.
Still waiting...Linda Dixon
Judith Sylte Thanks, Linda, for your two responses. I'm sure as an ACOA you do know a lot about the emotional and ... Read more
Judith Sylte Thanks, Linda, for your two responses. I'm sure as an ACOA you do know a lot about the emotional and physical toll a loved one's addiction takes. It is always good to hear from others who have been in that scary and heartbreaking family dynamic.
I probably wouldn't be here writing this journal if Al-Anon hadn't taught me that isolating and brooding/endlessly analyzing are the least healthy responses you can have to a loved one's addiction -- that you urgently need to connect with others in your boat and get their support as well as offer yours to them. So now I am here at HVS.com trying to connect with community around an altogether different issue!
Prayers are powerful medicine and I thank you so much for yours.
P.S. One thing I have come to believe is that being a weenie now and then is just part of the human condition, and that it takes strength to admit it when you're feeling like one. So high-five to you, fellow weenie :-).
Hi Judith, welcome to the HVJ site. I have read your journal and I would just like to say \"God bless you\" and I will be praying for everything to go perfectly ...Read more
Hi Judith, welcome to the HVJ site. I have read your journal and I would just like to say \"God bless you\" and I will be praying for everything to go perfectly during your surgery and recovery. Everyone says it makes a huge difference in your life. I have aortic valve stenosis and am having replacement on March 13th. I am looking forward to having it all behind me. I am the adult child of an alcoholic mother and so I know of some of the things you speak.
Hope this site brings you some support, people are so supportive, it has been a great help to me as I wait for surgery.
Good luck with your preparations for surgery and please keep us updated.
Linda Dixon
I am from: Shoreline (Seattle suburb), Washington
The Shelties are brother and sister, Mac & Missy, and Mac in particular has been a wond ... Read more
The Shelties are brother and sister, Mac & Missy, and Mac in particular has been a wonderful nurse and psychotherapist during all my health crises. Like my previous Sheltie Gillie, who died young of lymphoma, Mac has an uncanny ability to sense when I am anxious or sad or in considerable pain. (There must definitely be something to the concept of "the smell of fear"!) He will immediately come and rest his chin on my knee and look at me sweetly for a long time, or start licking me gently like a mother dog cares for her puppies, then just snuggle up against me. I find that petting him or giving him tummy rubs while he does that really calms me -- so not only are my husband and adult kids and young grandkids all supporting me in numerous ways, but my dog is, too! His sister is less empathic, being more focused on looking out the window for birds or pedestrians or the dog next door to bark at :-).
I appreciate your interest and support. Dr. Verrier is actually on the recommended surgeons list on this website, and spends a lot of his time flying around the country teaching valve repair techniques to other surgeons and medical students. I have thought about traveling elsewhere, but for various reasons it would be impossible for any of my family to travel with me and I'd rather go through this close to home where I can see my loved ones.
Thanks so much for responding!