Kenneth's Guestbook

Here in southwestern Ontario we just had a massive dump of snow last night. I'm happy about that because I'm into cross country skiing. It's a winter wonderland out there. There are some advantages in being a heart patient, Kenneth. One of them is that the doctors encourage us to get exercise: to walk, hike, ski, etc., but to avoid, at all costs, shovelling snow. There's something deadly about the lift-and-twist motion. Not a recommended set of movements for heart patients. So this morning as I'm skiing nonchalantly down the street towards the forest my wife, my wonderful beautiful wife, is shovelling huge piles of snow in our driveway. Some will frown. But I was only obeying orders! Doctor's orders! Kenneth, when I insisted that I could help her and moved aggressively towards the second shovel, she not only refused my help, she actually beat me back with a corn broom. Can you believe that? Anyway, Kenneth, I hope you're feeling a little less anxious as more information around diagnosis and treatment options become clearer.

Hello Kenneth, I'm across the lake in southern Ontario. I'm 4 months post-op after my bicuspid aortic valve was replaced in a Ross procedure. I'm doing well. This is to reassure you that the feelings you experience around your diagnosis are natural. You can take comfort, though, in knowing that successful outcomes are the norm, not the exception. Thousands of heart valve surgeries occur every day and most lead to very good outcomes. That said, we probably can't avoid imagining the unsuccessful scenarios when we're facing life-saving surgeries. Some of those thoughts and feelings, however, can help us "put our lives in order", or understand better what is truly important. In my case, people close to me did what people close to us do: they sugar-coated the news to make themselves and me feel better. They do that out of love, so that's beautiful in itself. I was particularly fortunate, though, to have a partner who allowed me to express my feelings, including my doubts and fears, and not dismiss them. Doing so helped me prepare for surgery and recovery, and I believe her listening has served me extremely well. During the coming months being "listened to" will be helpful. And getting work done at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic will be a real plus!