Kate's Guestbook

Kate, This is awesome news that your husband can be with you! I had open heart surgery in 2016 and having my husband by my side gave me great comfort. I had an aortic valve replacement and aortic aneurysm repair and relied on my husband to keep me company, to walk around the hospital with me, even to help me wash my hair when I got home ... or in my case, lift me out of bed in the middle of the night every time I had to hobble to the bathroom! Never underestimate the contribution of your caregiver... I could not have gone through OHS without my hubby. Best wishes for a smooth and successful procedure... we are all rooting for you and here to answer questions or share our experience!

I find your story so intriguing since it's similar to mine. I also had mitral valve repair in Sept of 2019. I was 37 years old at that time. I have 6 children and have been married for 18 years. I can definitely sympathize with you with your emotions being up and down!! Last summer was very difficult as I awaited my surgery. ( it was scheduled 3 months in advance) recovery for me was very rough but I'm so so thankful to be able to say that I'm feeling so much better then I have in quite a long while! Just give yourself plenty of time to rest and heal, it takes alot of time and patience but it'll get better! Hang in there! Love and prayers as you await surgery!

Hi Kate, I'm 3 weeks to the day (May 15, 2020) since my MVT surgery. I was diagnosed 35 years ago and kept seeing a cardiologist every year or two. Finally, in April, Dr. Cedrone from South Denver Cardiology saw the ECHO and said it was time. Because the rest of my heart was strong and normal he didn't want to wait till it got any worse. So I found Dr. J Mehall a specialist in Mitral Valve repair. He felt it was time also. So off I went on the internet looking for others with the same issue and other doctors who do the surgery and that eased my worries quite a bit. I was scared, don't get me wrong, but I had family and friends sending prayers and good vibes my way. I don't want to candy coat this, but the more I found out the better I felt. The surgery is the easy part. It's the healing post-op that is hard. I don't want to go through what I went through because you probably talked about that with your doctor. If you want to know what I went through, just let me know. All I want to say is Meds work. I never took any heart meds or anything else but maybe statin for cholesterol. Just know you will be tired and fatigued. Side effects of the meds. Know this, YOU WILL BE FINE!!! It will take time and patients. For me the 10 mark was a turning point. Just lay back and enjoy the rest. You can't get better quicker than the body wants to. I wish you ALL the BEST. We both had/have excellent surgeons who have done this operation many times. They know their stuff. Don't be afraid, maybe a little, you will come out better than you went in. God Bless, and Many Prayers and Good Vibes coming your way!! Best Regards. Joe Rotondo

Happy Anniversary, Kate!! I know what you mean about the emotional roller coaster during the waiting period! I felt the same way. Waiting is tough, and you have the extra Added bonus of the Covid stress. Just take one day at a time, and Soon this will all be a memory. Wishing you peace during your wait!

Hi, Kate. I am 11 months post surgery. You will do fine. I am a lot older than you, (74) and had the same worries that you do. Doctors wanted to replace my mitral valve while I was healthy and not wait for an emergency situation. I am back to my activities before surgery, yoga and walking. (Our gyms are closed so no weights). I I am working on doing more biking. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help after surgery and get plenty of rest. Several weeks after surgery I was relaxing on my patio, and I heard my neighbor Yell, BEAR. Here comes a bear lumbering through my yard. I never ran so fast up the stairs to my deck!! I was a little out of breath. I will pray for you.

Dear Kate, You are going to do very well for sure. Comments below are excellent. In my mid-40s, I had open heart mitral valve repair almost one year ago now. While in the hospital, I asked for minimum visits: only my wife and my oldest child. Being alone was a good solution, as the hospital stay is busy. You will be out before you know it. I then focused on improving my performance (walking, breezing,etc) every day, just one day at a time. Keeping notes helped documenting the progression. This process helped very much to stay focused on healing. Best,

You ate going to do great Kate! I too had minimally invasive mitral repair. Truly the anxiety beforehand was almost worse than recovery. Your medical team will take great care of you. The recovery is not pain free, but it is manageable. Best wishes to you! Be well in the days leading up to your surgery date.

Kate, I too was diagnosed with a heart murmur and mitral valve prolapse in my twenties. Two years ago I was told surgery was in my future but that I had to wait until the timing was right. Those two years were terrible. In November I had my echo and like you knew it was different. I had my open heart with a mitral valve repair in December. My words to you are do not worry even if you have to be there by yourself. You will need your rest. Bring your cellphone and bring an extra long phone charger as the wall outlet to plug in the phone charger might be a little far from the bed and you do not want to be getting up and out. Time passes very quickly and I am so thankful to have this part of my life over and you will too. I had the full open heart and I am doing fine. Minimally invasive should even be much easier and you are much younger then me. I know it is frightening but don't be as it will be done and over before you know it.

Katie - If you're having the minimally-invasive, mini-thoractomy for your mitral valve repair, you've got nothing to worry about. I had the same procedure and it was waaaaay easier than I ever anticipated. Every part of the process was completely tolerable - I wouldn't describe any of it as painful. I was on a beta blocker, blood thinner, and several other drugs when I got home. I was taken off everything in the weeks and months that followed. There are tons of mitral valve repair heart warriors on this site! If you have any questions, just ask! You'll do just fine! AND - we'll be here cheering you on every step of the way!

How exciting to think you will be moving from the mitral valve regurgitation group to the been there done that group. The pre surgery time is the absolute worst. I remember the night before surgery when I had to take the antiseptic shower and scrub like my life depended on it. I entered the shower very anxious but strangely as I scrubbed I became calm because I knew my road to better health had just started and I was committed to do my part. No one in my family had had heart surgery and no one I knew had had it. Thank heaven for this site. What should I pack, what about pain, what about meds, what about food, what about my long hair, what about clothes, what about .....Soon your surgery will be in the rear view mirror and you will think I am in control, I did this and perhaps I overworried. But as they say the only major surgery is your own so this was major surgery. I too had mitral valve repair. My gp, two cardiologists and two surgeons did not agree on whether surgery was necessary ( did I say second opinions are nice and five is a bit over the top but I have one heart so I wanted a complete picture). I had no symptoms but a heart murmur that the doctor said didn't need a stethoscope. Every step of the way, I wondered is this the right decision. To be honest it took a few months after surgery to conclude yes. I remember asking someone will I ever not think of my heart issues after surgery and their honest reply was that one day you will wake up and realize I haven't thought about my heart for days, then weeks. They were right. I visit this wonderful site periodically to remind myself I was once where you are. It keeps me grateful. Where I am now is where you will be soon. Friends and family are nice, but in the end I think it's the attitude and personal strength we find within that sees us through. Friends can't know when there is pain (unless you are a total whiner) and friends can't know when there is gain (unless you are a total braggart) but you know. I kept a journal because some days it seemed the progress was slow (did I say I am an impatient patient) and I would realize I slept better or I needed one less pill, or food tasted better. Best of everything to you. I will be thinking of you. Your upbeat attitude will be your best medicine.