Hello Lee!
I came across your story while I was researching trying to figure out the best surgeon for my impending Aortic valve replacement. I am 39 and have ...Read more
Hello Lee!
I came across your story while I was researching trying to figure out the best surgeon for my impending Aortic valve replacement. I am 39 and have severe regurgitation.
What was your feeling of Dr Castro compared to Dr Slachman? and was it insurance reasons only that you chose to go with Dr Slachman? I am up in Redding, so I will be traveling either way. sigh. Glad I ran across your journal here!
Tammy
It has been awhile since I checked this site. It goes to show you how much life has been "normal" since my heart surgery. I'm 52 now and have no restrictions at all.
I had/have Kaiser who referred me to Dr. Slachman of Dignity Health. His group is the top valve surgery hospital in Sacramento (and apparently a top hospital nationwide). So although I was "stuck" with my HMO, I feel very fortunate now.
However, I did research other surgeons and met with Dr. Luis Castro in the Bay Area. I stayed with Dr. Slachman after Dr. Castro vouched for him.
In fact, my mother-in-law is requiring aortic valve replacement surgery and I recommended Dr. Slachman to her.
I recommend him. He did a full open-hear surgery on me. At the time he had around 30 minimally-invasive surgeries (all successful), but I didn't think that was enough experience at the time. By now, he has probably done a lot more.
I can appreciate what your going through. It is a very tough life-changing situation. If you do end up with Dr. Slachman, I'll be glad to give you my thoughts during your journey.
Hi Lee,
I remembered that you insurance didn\'t do Cardio Rehab so I posted my Cardio Rehab plan on my Journal in case it\'s any use. interestingly, they ...Read more
Hi Lee,
I remembered that you insurance didn\'t do Cardio Rehab so I posted my Cardio Rehab plan on my Journal in case it\'s any use. interestingly, they do not want you to push too hard. 10 minutes warm up, Hit your training target BP for 6 m at a time, lighter work to drop it back down... Then rinse repeat for total time 30-40 min, 10min cool down and then relax....
Hope all is well
Paul R
Good posts on your NSR and Cardio Rehab. I waited 3 months before I started on the weight machines at the gym. I'm purposefully taking rest breaks and staying within my target BP during most of my exercises. I'm not on any Beta Blockers. Just one 81 mg aspirin each day. My resting heart rate has decreased to around 92 bpm versus 96 bpm. I hope it continues to decrease.
The holiday season is upon us. I hope you have a great one!!!
Good news, Lee. I\'m doing well now that A-Fib is gone. Life is lonely without my sweet love, but here I am 2 years later with a new heart valve and a ...Read more
Good news, Lee. I\'m doing well now that A-Fib is gone. Life is lonely without my sweet love, but here I am 2 years later with a new heart valve and a 10 year guarantee. I\'m leaving Canada for a 3 week vacation to visit a good friend in Australia for the holidays and New Year. Need to reboot. All the best to you and yours .
ken
I hope you have a great time in Australia - I wonder if water actually does go down the drain in the opposite direction?
After going through this, I realize it's not the material stuff that is valuable, but the relationships I have in my life. Nobody will replace the love of your life, but judging from your guestbook there are other people who hold you close in their hearts.
Lee sounds like you are doing really well! I am amazed at how far you can walk/run! Please keep posting your milestones and updates! It really helps those ...Read more
Lee sounds like you are doing really well! I am amazed at how far you can walk/run! Please keep posting your milestones and updates! It really helps those of us coming along behind you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, I'll be more diligent in posting. I remember before surgery how I enjoyed the post-surgery posts from a lot of people. It really gave me encouragement.
Hey Lee,
I so enjoyed reading your journal. Great post! Congrats on designing and executing your rehab plan. You are a true inspiration to the newbies and ...Read more
Hey Lee,
I so enjoyed reading your journal. Great post! Congrats on designing and executing your rehab plan. You are a true inspiration to the newbies and others, as you take charge of your recovery! So very impressive!
Great to hear you are doing so well! The best to you & your family!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Connie T
Thanks for your continued encouragement and enthusiasm. I'm happy that you are keeping your positive attitude. Don't go too crazy at Honda's gym though! Perhaps you can find a treadmill or stationary bike that can measure your heart rate.
I also have a little leak that my cardiologist and surgeon are OK with. So I'm OK with it (although no leak would have been better). I feel much better now compared to before the surgery. I'm able to breath deeply and I don't have weird angina-like pains in the chest.
I hope your eyesight in your right eye improves. Besides your sternum aches and pains, it's a reminder of what you've been through.
Great post Lee. So glad to hear you are doing well! I just noticed your 6-month goal below. Pretty impressive. I am aiming for a half marathon at the 1 year ...Read more
Great post Lee. So glad to hear you are doing well! I just noticed your 6-month goal below. Pretty impressive. I am aiming for a half marathon at the 1 year mark, but given I have never run more than 6 miles at a time, this would be a milestone for me. If we ever get back to the Bay Area, maybe we can plan a race together.
Best of luck on your continued recovery. Take care!
-Thomas Hunt
Nice to hear from you. There is a Rock-n-Roll half marathon in SF I'm aiming for in Apr 2013. That's about 8 months after my OHS so that should be enough time. My strategy is to run with scheduled walk breaks. This keeps my heart rate well within the 70 to 85% of my maximum recommended heart rate.
I found another article from a different source about the effects of running. I guess don't overdue it!!! See below:
I'm going to continue running, but I'm going to be sensible. For me diet makes a bigger impact on my health (less meat and processed carbs and more veggies and fruit). Whole body exercising with dumbbells and machines will also be part of my routine.
I'm glad you are doing well!!! It would be great to race together either in the Bay Area or in Dallas.
That\'s funny about the lobster thoughts....but it reminds me that you can\'t have lobster anymore unless you want to add a gout flare-up! Glad to hear about ...Read more
That\'s funny about the lobster thoughts....but it reminds me that you can\'t have lobster anymore unless you want to add a gout flare-up! Glad to hear about all of your progress. You exercise more than I do, so I should be inspired by that to go to the gym! Speaking of the gym, we got guest memberships, so you can visit when you are here (it\'s a really cool gym)! When will you be well enough to travel? Love, your sister
Yup. No gout for me that's for sure. Too bad we aren't coming to MI for the holidays. Looks like next year for sure.
My days are relatively normal. I don't get tired as fast anymore so I can travel without any restrictions. It will be interesting to see if I can go thru the airport metal detectors without any problems. LOL.
Great to know you are doing well, Lee. It\'s true the mental thing is a factor. We tend to visualize potential problems and dwell upon them. I\'ve done ...Read more
Great to know you are doing well, Lee. It\'s true the mental thing is a factor. We tend to visualize potential problems and dwell upon them. I\'ve done the same thing with A-Fib.
Keep the good work.
Ken Curry
Yes, I'm trying to get out of my way mentally and let my body heal and recover naturally. I've hit a plateau fitness-wise, so I'm going to push myself a little harder in December. I don't want to lose all the hard work I've done.
I hope you get your A-Fib under control or easily managed. It sounds like you are on top of it. Just remember you are better off after the surgery. Can you imagine if you were still waiting for it or if you delayed it?
Feels good to be out walking and running. I'm fortunate to have a pathway near my house. Lots of other people use it, especially in the early mornings.
Just this past weekend my wife and our sister-in-law did a relay in a half marathon - Sacramento's Urban Cow Half Marathon. I waited at the halfway point to see the "hand-off". It sure was motivating to see all these people with determined looks on their faces!!
My goal is to run in a half marathon next Feb 2013. That would be 6 months after my OHS.
Hi Lee,
You have been quiet for a while, how is your self driven rehab going, well I hope and not reverting to the refrigerator shuffle :-)
In the UK we are ...Read more
Hi Lee,
You have been quiet for a while, how is your self driven rehab going, well I hope and not reverting to the refrigerator shuffle :-)
In the UK we are lucky as the surgery and rehab are funded through our National Health Service. It really is a good system.
Trust no news has been good news
Cheers
Paul R
Yup - no news is good news. Sorry about that. I'll post more often. My recovery plods along slowly, but still moving forward.
I'm doing much more walking everyday. I alternate between a "high-mileage" day and an easy day. So I'm up to 3.5 mi (5.6 km) on the "high-mileage" day at a fast walk. Heart rate is about 118 BPM. So heart wise, I'm OK, but my little legs can only walk so fast before I have to start running!!!
I have a heart rate monitor from Garmin. It also measures distance via satellite. Gotta keep my heart rate between 130 to 145 BPM which is 70 - 80% of my max for my age. So far so good.
Initially concerned that my HMO doesn't have a rehab except for the very worst patients (heart attack patients). However, since I'm progressing OK, not too worried now.
Hope you found some good answers on SCUBA. I wouldn't think that after you are recovered there will be any issues (especially if your AFIB is resolved.)
Hey Lee...
Look at you \"gettin all well-n-stuff\"!
You sound great! I can understand your comments on being in a \"funk\". I have been dealing with the same ...Read more
Hey Lee...
Look at you \"gettin all well-n-stuff\"!
You sound great! I can understand your comments on being in a \"funk\". I have been dealing with the same issues....and know this shall pass as my normal energy levels return. I just started cardiac rehab this week (finally)....so I am \"on my way\"! :)
It is so wonderful, your first walk of the day, is with your sweet little daughter. She may not remember as she gets older, but you will....on the vital role she played in your recovery! :)
Continued Success, Lee, with your recovery!
Connie T
I was referred to cardiac rehab today by my cardiologist. I'm not sure what kind my HMO (Kaiser) has, but I'm happy to be starting a formal rehab instead of just "winging" it.
Yes, my daughter reminds me everyday of what's most important in life. She doesn't talk much.....says only 2 words at a time, but she really enjoys walking.
Keep trucking on your recovery Connie!!! We are examples to folks following us. Like Linda H!!!
You are doing great Lee. A couple comments. You will recall I had my AVR Aug 14th.
My heart rate has been high recently on occasion. This evening it popped ...Read more
You are doing great Lee. A couple comments. You will recall I had my AVR Aug 14th.
My heart rate has been high recently on occasion. This evening it popped up to 108. I have a prescription for a beta blocker: Metoprolol. I\'m supposed to take 1/4 of a 25mg pill twice a day. My cardiologist told me I could self dose, based on need. This evening my heart rate went to 80 then 108. So took an extra 1/4 and the rate dropped to 67 after awhile.
Your chest pains. I have them in my right chest and it radiates around to my shoulder blade. I was told when in hospital that because the sternum is cut, the rib cage spread open my arms strapped in a rather uncomfortable position during the surgery that it is not uncommon to have a problem with those muscles. I\'m going to a physio therapist once a week for a massage. That helps.
I drove my car today for the first time to visit my GP. no problems.
Keep up the good work.
Ken Curry. I\'m a former S.F. boy but moved to Toronto when I retired.
Thanks for the info. Good idea for the weekly massage. I'll start doing that next week.
It sure is liberating to drive again, eh? I went to my local shopping mall to walk 2 miles and have lunch. Felt normal. On my way home I drove thru a car wash. I do make it a point to use both hands on the steering wheel and try to use minimal movement of my arms (by letting go of the wheel, one hand at a time, instead of keeping my hands on the wheel for a full turn).
I read your journal post. I hope your A-Fib and high-heart rate can be controlled and in time resolve themselves.
You must have Canadian citizenship. I wouldn't retire in S.F. because the cost of living is too high nowadays (housing, health care, etc.) 8-(
Uh oh, if you\'re getting off of sugar, I\'d better send you your gifts from the cruise ASAP! Heh heh. There\'s something sweet in there for your wife and daughter, ...Read more
Uh oh, if you\'re getting off of sugar, I\'d better send you your gifts from the cruise ASAP! Heh heh. There\'s something sweet in there for your wife and daughter, and a gift Paul and I picked for you from Russia.
Thanks for posting those updates. You really know how to paint a picture with words.
I\'m glad your recovery has been progressing smoothly. I\'m impressed ...Read more
Thanks for posting those updates. You really know how to paint a picture with words.
I\'m glad your recovery has been progressing smoothly. I\'m impressed that you push yourself to walk even when you don\'t feel like it. I say that as I\'m trying to push myself to the gym this morning.
And as you said doing the walk is another way to keep your spirits up. Hang in there your body has been through a lot.
Even though I\'m not calling like I did after your surgery, know that you are in my thoughts.
love,
connie
Yes, I don't want to go back to normal in the spiritual sense. It is easy to not appreciate the important things in life, to not be grateful, to not be thankful, and to get caught up in our hectic daily lives.
So what you helped me on is still very real to me and what makes us human.
When I see my chest scar I'm reminded of all the people who prolonged my life. Not sure how I can give back, but I'll work on "paying it forward" from now on.
Hi Lee,
On the walking front my Rehab Nurse asks that I go faster over shorter mileage, they want me to do a \"brisk\" walk, so that is 3.5mph ish for thirty ...Read more
Hi Lee,
On the walking front my Rehab Nurse asks that I go faster over shorter mileage, they want me to do a \"brisk\" walk, so that is 3.5mph ish for thirty minutes plus a warm up / cool down. I\'m pretty comfortable at it now and up to 4mph for 2 miles in thirty minutes :-). If I walk much faster I will be running!
Great to hear that you are progressing well
On the speed of progress, I can empathise, but when you look back every week or so you will see a difference, it\'s just that the daily improvements are small. To quote the British Olympic Cycling team (lots of gold medals). It\'s a game of incremental gains.
Don\'t push too hard, the frustration will be worth it in the end.
Cheers
Paul R
Good idea!!! I think I'll start speeding up my walks, especially the walk I do on my own (without the toddler). Your 2 miles in 30 min is pretty fast. Not sure if you are doing it the way the Olympian walkers do 8-)!!! I tried and got a hip cramp and a lot of stares from people.
Hope all is well with you and that your heart rate is going back to normal.
Hi Leo,
Great to see that you are progressing down the recovery road. It takes a while for the sternum pain to go completely, it seems to go to a dull ache ...Read more
Hi Leo,
Great to see that you are progressing down the recovery road. It takes a while for the sternum pain to go completely, it seems to go to a dull ache that is there but only when you remember to think about it as you go forward.
Remember not to push the walking too hard as your heart took quite a beating :-) in that surgery. Slow and steady wins here.
Keep that zipper line healthy, and wear it as a badge of honour (I know UK spelling:-)
All the best
Paul R
(fixed the typos in this one)
Yes, the sternum pain is a dull pain. Also, I feel the incision more than I did before - kind of prickly. This is OK for me. Before the surgery, I was imagining months and months of pain, but the reality is that once I got the pain management handled, my recovery is much easier.
Recovery is slow though. The first 2 weeks were exponential healing. Now the healing has slowed, but I realize it will take several months to feel "normal" again.
When I walk, I walk slowly. I mostly walk for distance rather than time. Sometimes I walk faster if I feel like it.
Lee - So glad to hear you are home! My wife has me in the back seat too....feel a bit like \"Driving Miss Daisy\" but better safe than sorry. My energy level ...Read more
Lee - So glad to hear you are home! My wife has me in the back seat too....feel a bit like \"Driving Miss Daisy\" but better safe than sorry. My energy level is low after three weeks post op but walking three times a day at 10 minutes...plus walking around the house. Feel like a tortoise, but hear stories about over doing it and falling back. Remember keep it slow...take your pain meds and hug that pillow. God Bless you in your journey....it\'s great to be home! Charlie Messineo
I can relate to the back seat. Feels weird to be back there doesn't it? I've had to run some errands, but my wife would have to drive.......or my mother-in-law. It's all good though!!!
I've stopped taking my hydrocodone and rely on Tylenol nowadays. This seems to keep the pain down. I must admit I can push it one day with a lot of walking then the next day I'm wiped out. Too tired to walk, but I force myself.
I'm glad you are progressing. Keep it steady and slow. It's not a race.
Hi Lee, Glad to see that you are home and happy Birthday. it must be something about Leo\'s and Mitral Regurge - my Birthday is end July! Take it easy on the ...Read more
Hi Lee, Glad to see that you are home and happy Birthday. it must be something about Leo\'s and Mitral Regurge - my Birthday is end July! Take it easy on the walks, your body knows if you are pushing too hard and will wreak revenge the day after if you over do it. Remember it is not a competition, but a slow and steady recovery and there will be ups and downs, but as you move forward the up\'s will out number the downs
Paul R
You can say that again. When I have a good walk, I feel good. I've worked up a sweat and life is good. Then later on that day or the next, I'm wiped out. Tired and sore. Moving slow.
So I'm thinking of dividing my one daily walk to 2 smaller daily walks. We'll see how it goes. I think the rest between them will be helpful.
Thanks for the support and advice. I'm right behind you in recovering. Keep up the recovery.
Hey Lee Happy Birthday may you have many many more of them. Now you have 2 birthdays, so you get 2 cakes from now on. Reading all this on and round your birthday ...Read more
Hey Lee Happy Birthday may you have many many more of them. Now you have 2 birthdays, so you get 2 cakes from now on. Reading all this on and round your birthday sounds good to me getting rid of all that stuff. My present to you is to have a good and speedy recovery. Keep up the good work.
Mooving on up
Linda H
Thanks for your post on my Guestbook, Lee. I\'ve just read your Journal. Glad to know thing are moving along
I\'m still surprised about the walking. This ...Read more
Thanks for your post on my Guestbook, Lee. I\'ve just read your Journal. Glad to know thing are moving along
I\'m still surprised about the walking. This morning I took specific notice. If I walk at what I consider a normal unhurried pace I get about of breath on a slight incline in 50 meters. If I walk at a very slow pace and I an go double that.
Ken C.
Yes, anything with an incline is tough for me also. I have stairs in my home and I get short of breath just going up and down them. So I take it easy and amble along outside just after sundown when it is cooler in my neighborhood.
Great post Lee! I was laughing as I read your story about the dangling phone. I know exactly that feeling of helplessness. I would be a little annoyed with ...Read more
Great post Lee! I was laughing as I read your story about the dangling phone. I know exactly that feeling of helplessness. I would be a little annoyed with the nurse though. She should be a more aware that a post-op OHS patient can\'t go 2 hours without painkillers! I was taking hydrocodone up to about 6 weeks after surgery. By the end though I could feel a slight addiction to the meds coming on and stopped them cold turkey.
Sounds like you are already on your way to a good recovery. You will have good days and bad, as everyone warns, and there will be times when you wonder if you are really getting better. But one day several weeks from now you will start to have those first feelings of normalcy. Best of luck to you and will keep looking for your updates.
-Thomas H.
PS, liked your pain scale summary. Wish I could have had your experience with the breathing tube...still have memories of that miserable morning :-)
I think my scale would have changed if I had been awake for the breathing tube removal. Alas, I will never know (which is OK by me).
Seems easy to pop the hydrocodone pills as long as I take the stool softener and eat enough fiber. However, I think I'll start to wean myself off soon. I'm going to wait a few days to replace the mid-day dose to just extra-strength Tylenol. Then wait a few days before switching another dose over to Tylenol.
Sounds like you are back to your "new normal". I'm happy for you.
Hi Lee, I haven\'t been on in a couple of days. So happy to read that you did really good. Sooo Welcome to the other side of the mountain. Heres to a speedy ...Read more
Hi Lee, I haven\'t been on in a couple of days. So happy to read that you did really good. Sooo Welcome to the other side of the mountain. Heres to a speedy recovery. Keep up the good work.
Mooving on up.
Linda H
Lee Castro Hi Linda - your day is getting closer. Just take it one day at a time. The other side to the mounta ... Read more
Lee Castro Hi Linda - your day is getting closer. Just take it one day at a time. The other side to the mountain feels like going downhill. Just have to concentrate on the recovery!!! You're in my prayers!!! Regards, Lee
Hi Lee..
So glad you are home and doing so well!
I think you are going to love your new recliner! It is so amazing how one little chair becomes the center ...Read more
Hi Lee..
So glad you are home and doing so well!
I think you are going to love your new recliner! It is so amazing how one little chair becomes the center of your universe!haha
Continued success on your slow & steady recovery! Just sit back & enjoy the pampering from your wife & adorable little daughter.....it won\'t be long before life will be back to normal! (yippee)
God Bless,
Connie T
Lee - Yes...the recliner is wonderful! Charlie is sleeping in it now! That was the best thing we did for him. I think he actually sleeps better there then ...Read more
Lee - Yes...the recliner is wonderful! Charlie is sleeping in it now! That was the best thing we did for him. I think he actually sleeps better there then in bed. He hates the oxycodene it constipates him so much. He now is just using the tylenol but I am going to keep him to a regime of it every 4 hours...he let\'s himself go to far up the pain scale. Trying to keep him slow and steady. Will read him your journal when he wakes up! Keep up the slow pace! Julia (Charlie\'s wife)
My new recliner is great. Now I have a bed and recliner depending on how I feel. Very easy for me to get tired and have to take a nap. This is OK because I don't want to rush the healing process.
Keep recovering - sometimes 2 steps forward and 1 step back.
Hi Lee, Great to hear that you are progressing well.. I made the same mistake on cutting back on those painkillers an morphine would not touch the pain that ...Read more
Hi Lee, Great to hear that you are progressing well.. I made the same mistake on cutting back on those painkillers an morphine would not touch the pain that night - it just isn\'t worth cutting back too early it in hospital of for a while after! I had the sterniotomy too, what a zipper line;-) It\'s 5weeks post Op and I am just coming off my last two HydroCodeine a day, and still on the weaker ones 8x 500mg paraecetemol (acetaminophen Tylenol? in USA) per day. It works and was not addictive, although everyone is different and I\'m no GP it has made a huge difference to my recovery. No/ low pain makes the breathing, walking and other recovery easier.
My pain levels where pretty close to yours except the Chest Drain removals were 1 - they gave me gas and air mix which in turn made the birth of my tubes really easy. The catheter was also pretty pain free, they timed taking it out around my painkillers kicking in.
Take it easy on the recovery, slow and steady in this race.
All the best
Paul.
(ex-regurgitator and.zipper club member)
Thanks for the info on pain management. I'm on 3 Hydrocodone per day (for pain), 1 aspirin (325 mg to keep blood thin), and 2 Docusate pills (100 mg each for stool).
I could "tough it out" but low or no pain will allow me to breath and walk easier for better recovery. I'm trying to add 1 block a day so after 14 days, that will be 14 blocks.
Looks like you are plugging away at your recover. Keep is steady and slow!!!
I am from: Roseville, California
It has been awhile since I checked this site. It goes to show you how much life has been " ... Read more
It has been awhile since I checked this site. It goes to show you how much life has been "normal" since my heart surgery. I'm 52 now and have no restrictions at all.
I had/have Kaiser who referred me to Dr. Slachman of Dignity Health. His group is the top valve surgery hospital in Sacramento (and apparently a top hospital nationwide). So although I was "stuck" with my HMO, I feel very fortunate now.
However, I did research other surgeons and met with Dr. Luis Castro in the Bay Area. I stayed with Dr. Slachman after Dr. Castro vouched for him.
In fact, my mother-in-law is requiring aortic valve replacement surgery and I recommended Dr. Slachman to her.
I recommend him. He did a full open-hear surgery on me. At the time he had around 30 minimally-invasive surgeries (all successful), but I didn't think that was enough experience at the time. By now, he has probably done a lot more.
I can appreciate what your going through. It is a very tough life-changing situation. If you do end up with Dr. Slachman, I'll be glad to give you my thoughts during your journey.
Regards,
Lee