Kenneth's Guestbook

Kenneth Hart  Hi Tina - I am almost back to normal - I cannot run or exercise until after my November 22nd post op appointment with my surgeon. Running and exercise was a large part of my weekly activities so I am anxious to get back into my normal routine. Back in May I signed up for the St Jude's Childrens Hospital marathon in Memphis on December 2nd but I will have to forfeit the event this year and look for something in the spring. How is your recovery going? Are you able to travel more of Italy with your walking app? I think it would be a lot of fun to do a virtual tour of a place that you have never been - now you will have to plan a post op trip to Venice! How was your post op appointment with your surgeon? I realized after my post op that my surgeon was referring a lot my cardiologist recommendations - which made me realize that surgeons really want to focus on the surgical part and post surgery they hand you back to the cardiologist to maintain your heart health. I hope your recovery is going better than expected - pre op can be a stressful time but it is amazing how we are able to recover from such an invasive operation.

Tina Williams  Kenneth-Hello! Just reaching out wondering if you are all recovered and back to living your life? Do you forget you had surgery most days or can you always feel "something different" inside you? Curious if you have resumed running?

Kenneth Hart  .....Hi Tina - I know the feeling of seeing everything through a different lens post op. I think some of it has to do with how focused we become when we realize that we need to prioritize our health over everything else. It is hard to stay grounded when you know the decisions that you are making have an enormous impact on your future and now that the bulk of our worries are in the past we see the future in a brighter light. You are right about the changes in the season and the changes in our lives - this is a good time to enjoy both! I went to Johns Hopkins yesterday and they removed the drainage tubes from my leg that was placed last Friday during my surgery. The technical name is lymphovenous bypass surgery - not something that is discussed very much on Adam's site - but it is - as I can testify - a complication that can result from this type of surgery since the artery in your groin is a main access point for the heart lung machine. So I will be taking it easy for the weekend - unlike my heart surgery where they recommend a lot of walking - the post op recommendation for this surgery has me off my legs for a couple of weeks and no running for six weeks - now that's the most painful part! Glad you are recovering well!

Tina Williams  Oh my gosh- off your feet?? From the little we have written I feel this could be torturous for you....however ....again - it’s a beautiful time of year for getting well-Let your family pamper you🍁. But...That sounds like an awful complication! You are in my thoughts - hope you have Netflix, or maybe some work to catch up on online. I actually signed up for an on-line course🤓Yet somehow, deep inside I feel a speedy recovery is right around your corner💪. Best wishes!

Kenneth Hart  Glad you are back home - it is a great feeling and your real recovery starts at home. Keep up with your walking routine - the weather is perfect to enjoy some fall air!

Kenneth Hart  Hi Tina - good to hear you are doing! The stairs are good exercise but it does wipe you out by the time you get to the top floor! The first week back home will not yield any noticeable improvement - your body take some time to adjust to the new you. I was on Lasik for about a week and it works but it also keeps you on the go. It took me about two weeks of being home to feel 75% and probably about four weeks to feel 90%. I still am not allowed to run - but I am being good and following the doctor's orders. So glad that everything is working out for you - it is major surgery but the minimally invasive process is very amazing!

Tina Williams  I’m already amazing myself- each day seems slightly easier. At least I navigated stairs- can’t wait for a real shower at home. I’ve had issues with low potassium and oxygenation - hope it doesn’t stall my homecoming - my dog and nurse x1wk patiently waiting. Did you totally lose your appetite? What this hospital lacks in food they make up for in tv stations - HGTV! Yah!!!

Kenneth Hart  ....Hi Tina - each day does get a little easier. By the third day in the hospital I wanted to shave before walking the halls and was told by the night nurse (who ended her shift at 7:30 AM) that I could not shave since I was on blood thinners - but fortunately my day nurse said that I could use a straight edge since 40+ years of practice probably taught me a thing or two about how to shave - but yes a shave and a shower at home was a nice welcome back. My oxygen and potassium were ok - it was my low blood pressure that was the issue that held me in the hospital for one extra day - four nights instead of three. But it hs not been a problem and I monitor my vitals (even today) about three times a day. My appetite was low - but I came home very bloated from the fluids - but my weight went back to normal after about a week. I was told to eat a lot of protein - so I bought some protein bars and snacked on them - usually one bar a day and I had a smoothie everyday with protein since drinking felt better than sitting down for a meal. I was in the ICU room for my entire stay and did not have the TV on - there just seemed to be so much going on that a TV was one more distraction. The ICU rooms only have a curtain that separates the room from the hall and most of the time it was open so coming home was a nice change of scenery! Use your spirometer and do your breathing exercises as they recommend - it is very helpful and it also make you tired - so do it before you want to gets some ZZ's!

Kenneth Hart  Hi Tina - I was in intensive care for four days and then released from the hospital. They kept me in ICU because my blood pressure was low - 85/60 but my blood pressure has typically been low. I did not go to the step down unit as planned because of my low blood pressure but I felt good and was walking loops around the unit in the hallway the day after surgery and doubled my loops every day until I was released. My blood pressure since I arrived home went back to a 115/75 range and it has been steady since I came home. I was expecting a day in the ICU - a day in the step down and on the third day would be evaluated for release - but I stayed for four nights only because of my BP. Good luck with your surgery - I would recommend robotics to anyone undergoing a repair. My recovery wasn't as easy as expected - I had excessive drainage from the site tubes which lasted for a week, I developed a severe rash with an itch about two weeks after surgery and I had a bout with Afib but a lot of the recovery has to do with your heart and systems getting used to the new you. I am four weeks out as of toady and feel about 90% of how I felt before surgery. Where are you having your mitral valve repaired?

Kenneth Hart  I was very nervous as well - but I think we focus on the worst possible things that could go wrong or that may cause us pain but doctors understand this and they will do everything they can to keep you comfortable. Stay ahead of your pain. Foolishly on the second day I was feeling great and wanted to ease off the Percocet and by the evening I was nearly in tears with pain and learned a lesson. I eased off the Percocet after 10 days and transitioned to Tylenol and did well for the next ten days. Just reassure yourself prior to going into surgery that you are making a good decision and your health will be better when surgery is complete. Waiting will only weaken your heart and a repair is sooooo much better than waiting until you need a replacement. You are doing the right thing. Be good to yourself!

Tina Williams  Kenneth - I was sorry to hear you had some struggles post-op but thank you for your words of wisdom. I might have traveled right down your same road had you not shared - pain meds terrify me! I have to accept that the people at the Heart Center in Indianapolis are experts in their field and know exactly what they're doing! Were you able to have visitors in ICU on those first days after surgery....or did you even feel like it?

Kenneth Hart  Hi Tina - being on percocet was necessary and the ICU nurses assured me that it would not be addictive for the short time that I would be taking it and they were right. I weaned myself off it within 10 days but I was taking two pills every four hours after surgery and the next day and then tried to take one every six hours the next day but the pain caught up to me and I took two every six hours and but the fourth day I was taking one every six hours with Tylenol in between as needed until the tenth day I was taking percocet only twice a day and mostly Tylenol in between and the 11th day I was able to go off percocet entirely. The ICU nurses were right - by the time I went off the painkillers there was no desire to continue taking them and eventually I reduced my intake of Tylenol and by the third week I only took it occasionally if needed but its been awhile since the last time I took anything.

I had an unusual situation - after my surgery the hospital did not have an open ICU room for me so they held me in the operating room for five hours. My family was told by Dr. Guy that the surgery went well at 1:45 PM (surgery started at 9:00 AM - and I was prepped for surgery at 7:30 AM). my family was expecting to see me in abut an hour in the ICU room but they waited until 7:00 PM until a nurse showed up to tell them that I was set up in a room. That was a long wait! The upside of waiting for five hours in the OR - by the time they had a room available they were able to take out the breathing tube so I woke up and was able to talk and I met my family in the ICU room and they stayed for about an hour and I was able to have a conversation with them I remember being very tired but I remember seeing them and conversing with them. Walk as much as you can. I walked eight miles this afternoon and my lungs feel good and I wear a heart rate watch to constantly monitor my HR. You are in good hands - listen to your nurses - they have plenty of experiences with people that are recovering from this type of surgery. You will be pumped full with a lot of liquids during surgery so they administer Lasix to rid the liquids so the first couple of day and nights you will be 'on the run' but your body will shed the liquids within four to five days. I went in pre op at 168 pound and post op I was about 188 but it went back to normal within a week. It is an amazing process - I interviewed several hospitals and Dr Guy in New York gave me the most confidence in the minimally invasive process.

Tina Williams  That had to be an excruciating wait for your family! So did you and your family travel far for surgery? Im trying to get timing right. Family wants to come but hospital is 3 hrs from my home and further for them - just thinking about cost and inconvenience. Did your family alternate visits in ICU? Sorry to ask so many questions....but I have so many questions😬 -tina

Kenneth Hart  With all of the great medical institutions in the Baltimore/DC area I was a little disappointed that I could not find a surgeon locally that would perform a minimally invasive repair so my family and I drove to New York - about 3 hours and 45 minutes and all of us stayed in a hotel next to the hospital. The four of us went up the day before surgery and had dinner then up bright and early the next morning for surgery. They were able to join me in the preop room for about 30 minutes while they prepped me which was nice. After about 30 minutes the anesthesiologist came in and needed to start with the spine block (you feel nothing since they start putting you twilight - and from that point I do not remember anything else) to numb the upper torso and my family had to leave and that was the last time I saw them before I met them in the ICU room that evening. It is really nice to see your family after the surgery. It is just a little boost to your morale even though they will not be able to spend a lot of time with you. If they cannot make the trip that afternoon then I would suggest coming early the next morning after surgery and plan on spending the day with you. You will be tired and just talking for 20 minutes with your family will be exhausting but you will catnap often and getting a solid 6-7 hours of sleep will not exist since you are constantly being tended to by the nursing staff but spend as much time with your family as you can. You may find lot of activity around you and a lot of noise may be a little tiring. Have them walk with you often. It will exhaust you and have them remind you to do your breathing exercises - which will exhaust you as well but it is all a part of the recovery process. Get home as soon as possible - that is where the real recovery begins!