Lisa's Guestbook

Lisa it is a scarey feeling having the afib issues. I believe that in one of my recent posts to you I mentioned afib. It took me about 3 days to finally get back into normal sinus rhythm and stay there. So do not worry, you will get there. I went on coumadin and another medicine, then had to have coumading levels checked until about three months post op. Now I am only on lopressor for blood pressure, and this is a small dose. I was worried that this afib stuff might happen once I got home. The good news is it did not happen. The. heart gets angry as so much is being done during the surgery. Once it calms down then everything should be smoothe, . Stay in the hospital as long as you need to. Big hugs from Michigan. Love Mia (Mary)

Lisa and Larry, that is great that Lisa is sitting in the chair. I do remember sitting in the chair on my second day in hospital. I sat there for about six hours. It felt so wonderful to sit up. I was in ICU about four days as I had AFIB and needed more monitoring. Once that was under controll I went to the step down unit. Once I was in the step down unit, that was when I felt like the weight was lifted from worrying about surgery. My first visit with physical therapist was pretty awesome. I walked a short distance, and was so excited. After that I went to my room and napped. Each day I got stronger and stronger and then there was no stopping me from doing laps around the halls! Of course I was walking with all the poles! So Lisa... you are on the way to experiencing so much. Just remember baby steps. You will tire quickly. Sleep when you can. Sending hugs from Michigan! LOVE, mia

Lisa and Larry, Thank you Larry for letting us know the waiting is over. Please let Lisa know we are all thinking of her. Please give her big hugs from her new heart sister Mia! Larry you try to get some rest, this has been a long day for both of you. The worry, is over and you both can relax. Night!

Lisa and family-Thoughts and prayers going out to you all that Lisa's surgery is on schedule today and that all goes well. It is good when all of the waiting is a thing of the past and I am sure that when Lisa wakes up it will be an enormous weight lifted to know she is on the other side of it and heading for a "healing time". Looking forward to an update and hope are all ok. Take care, Terrie

Good to hear from you this morning! Sorry you did not sleep much. Keep up the joking , that really helps. Couple tidbits for after surgery, have something to eat a graham cracker with milk, applesauce, or yogurt when you take meds. It took me a while to figure out, that I needed something in my stomach. If your nauseous ask for a milkshake or smoothie! My nurse suggested I order one of my favorite foods. I did and was absolutely delicious. My appetite then improved. Rest, relax, and walk as much as you can!!! I am 7 months post op and am feeling awesome. I did not even realize that my calcified mitral valve was really effecting so many functions in my body. Again, your heart family is here for you. I will look for the updates on your surgery and progress. Hugs to you and your hubby! Mia

Thinking of you Lisa. Try to get some sleep. All your heart family are here for you. You will do wonderful and as the healing begins, all the worry will fade. Look forward to hearing that your surgery is complete, and healing is starting. Hugs from my heart to yours. ❤ ❤ Mia

Don't worry about it Lisa, it's a lot easier and less painful for women according to my surgeon. I had valve replacement and aortic root replacement on October 30, 2014. I also had my surgery moved back and it caused some stress. I just tried to relax and go with the flow. You will forget about it all when they are prepping you for surgery.

Hello Lisa. Since you haven't written I am hoping that you are working on getting help with the anxiety. I am here for you if you want to talk, gave you my email. I really want things to get calmer for you and get to where you are not so frightened as do all of the heart community so if there is anything we can do please let us know. Thinking of you and want you to be confident with things for Wed. Your new friend and heart sister.

Hi Lisa. My name is Linda and I live in Melbourne Australia and it is Tuesday 24th Feb 2015. I have just come from having an echocardiogram. I was advised I had a bicuspid valve about three years ago and really did not think too much about it as I had no symptoms at all. Today I was advised I have medium stenosis and am still in the "watch and see" category. I started looking for more information and came across this site and saw that you are having your operation on the 25th Feb. I just wanted to wish you well from Downunder. xx

Good afternoon Lisa. Thank you for your heart felt response. Friends, yes. I am here for you and want to say a few more things to you today that I hope will help. First and important! I feel it important to know that you need to really work on all of the things that will go RIGHT! You mentioned weight and exercise. Before my surgery in Aug. I had spent years swimming many laps, kayaking and biking knowing that my valve was getting worse. I also developed(what many of us do)a habit of binge eating when the thoughts started to infiltrate my days and nights leading up to each doctors visit trying to explain away the reasons I was not losing weight. Right up to my actual surgery I had not been able to swim, kayak. But I packed and moved several cities away, painted my house and continued to bike outdoors 5 miles daily for over a year until I had to cut even that back. I continued to eat and lose focus on the weight. I am truthfully telling you that over the past four or five years I let my fear and panic of the surgery weave it's nasty way throughout every inch of my life. Being alone most of the time and with the few friends I have been fortunate enough to have living further away from me I kind of put myself in a little whoa is me- I am so alone and so few people love me or understand "teepee" and shut myself off more and more as I didn't want to burden anyone with the mounting panic that I could hardly keep at bay. My family whom I was once close to , like you,I became distant from (mine due to a choice we all made to keep the cycle of long lived dysfunction at a distance.) As it is, it was best for all but still left moments of doubt and times I wanted to reel them in but know I in the long run made the right choice for me-they for them.....So being in this state of mind just let me see-saw through first years, then months of kind of losing focus on the weight even though I knew the time would come and it might not be a good thing to be carrying the extra weight. I want to tell you something I learned. At the time of surgery. I discussed my weight with my surgeon and the cardiologist as well. They both told me this. Take it to heart dear heart sister. "Yes it would have been nice for you to have lost more weight but now that surgery is near it is better that you maintained the weight and worked on staying positive and strong for what lies ahead. There will be time for exercise, diet and life changes when your heart is in better shape to give you the better energies and abilities to do what you need to do to move forward with a "healthier you". Both my Cardiologist and Surgeon let me know how detrimental it would be to beat myself up for what I could have done to present smaller at time of surgery as apposed to showing up with a calm, positive outlook. You do yourself, your husband, family and friends a disservice not focusing on what a giving, loving, human being that YOU ARE. Don't beat yourself up over things you couldn't or didn't change before this surgery. Your Surgeon and the Team that will assemble on your day need YOU to believe in all of them and the magic that will take place the day of your procedure. Going in with anything less that the knowledge that you are meant to live a full long life is not acceptable for the MOTHER OF A TRUE WARRIOR! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT Heart Sister! The People here in our community are going to be sending prayers to lift you up, let your spirit soar with the confidence that when you wake up from your surgery you will be just as happy and relieved as we have been to know we are on the other side and can once again live our lives and follow our dreams. You WILL take that Granddaughter of yours to Disney World and your BRAVE WARRIOR to Las Vegas but you must work now on reading and believing in all of the love and support your Family and what friends stand with and beside you are trying to get you to take to Heart! Like having two candles. One PEACE, One DOUBT/FEAR. Both lit. Imagine the small flickering flames of both. Blow out the flame that represents your fears and watch as the spiraling smoke disappears and fades from your life as the remaining flame of PEACE continues to burn and the Light builds strong within you. Take all of that peaceful energy into surgery with you soon and when the doubt starts to build remember all of us lifting you up in prayers, sending love and waiting to hear that you are among one of the "Mended Hearts" continuing her journey and ready to recover with so many of her heart brothers and sisters. One of the best things I can pass along as one of the survivors of this surgery is that it is going to amaze you soon enough that your fears and panic felt up to the procedure were much worse in your imagination that what they were in reality. I hope that you will continue to interact with us all online if any questions pop up as there are so many of us who want you to do well and know exactly how this is and how you feel. I have to tell you Lisa that this Community and all of our heart brothers and sisters is what made my Journey possible and you will find it to be the same in your case. Hope you are doing well today! Take care. Your new Friend and Heart Sister, Terrie

Hi again Lisa. I am not sure if the post where you are talking forever friends is meant for me?! If it is please email me at: tsyvertsen1@sbcglobal.net or send another post asap. thanks, terrie!

Hello Lisa, I just read the post that my dear heart sister Terrie sent you. She is totally right. I had my surgery about one month before Terrie. The connection that I made with this wonderful heart sister was absolutely amazing. We even talked on the phone. Your feelings are not wimpy. I was so anxious right up to about two weeks before my surgery. Then I finally started concentrating on positive things everyday. One of my other heart sisters, dear Ginger had mentioned that when we stress it stresses our hearts. You know she was right. From that moment on, I went into chill mode. I put my trust in God that he would help me through this journey. He did, and the support from this site, and my family and friends was astonishing. Now seven months post-op I feel absolutely wonderful. I can perform exercises, tasks, work more than before surgery. My lungs have cleared up. I had wheezing etc, seems like all my life. This is gone. I also have sleep apnea. I sleep better now too. You will do fine. If you need to talk please let me know and I will give you my phone number. My email address is: kidsjunction@gmail.com One of my other heart sisters is Olga. We recently talked on the phone and she is doing fantastic. She could hardly go up the stairs without getting winded. So once surgery is done my dear you will be able to do so much. I do want to tell you do not be surprised if at some point after surgery you have afib. I had afib two dates out. It scared me half to death. I was still in ICU and nurses and doctors come flying in my room. My heart was beating sooooo fast. It was just afib, and it passed within about four days. I had to have some medication and went on coumadin for about three months. Now I am coumadin free. I only take lopressor now and my 81 mg. aspirin. I forgot to mention that my valve was a mitral valve. I chose the tissue valve, as I really did not want to be on blood thinners the rest of my life. I am pretty active and this would have cramped my style. Remember you have a whole village of heart sisters and brothers behind you now. I will remember you in my prayers each day. Welcome to our Heart Family! This is no other family like this one!!!! Butterfly kisses and Eskimo hugs from my heart to yours! Mia (Mary from Michigan).

Hello again Lisa. I agree with others and especially with Cheryl when she refers to being a "wimp" before surgery! I think it comes with the territory and having to face the fear of the great "unknowns" that come with any kind of medical procedure we have to face. The trick now is...How do we get "Lisa" to feel She can let go of some of the anxiety and fear that is building up inside like a tea kettle and make it back down to where She(You) are more confident that You have every reason to believe that your Team of People who are in charge of "wheeling you off to" surgery" are going to do everything they have trained for-have experience in-most importantly chose this out of LOVE to be their life's work, are going to get the job done! I will tell you that the last thing I remember after my husband smiling down at me is the fluffed up surgically clad "Surgeon" stepping up to the side of my gurney, His bright and "ready to go look on his face" backed up by this enormous smile bending in lower to my face and saying"Are you ready?" and without hesitation I put my right arm in the air and gave him my greatest smile ever and a HUGE thumbs up and said "I am not only ready but confident in you and your team". We returned a brief smile as someone pushed the gurney through double surgical doors and I have to tell you Lisa that I thought of my husband and I in our kayaks out on the Lake and the calming effect swept over me and I swear that this is the last thing I remember next to waking up in the ICU. It seemed that I had just been smiling up at the Surgeon. I was confused and thought for a minute in that large buzy brain of mine that perhaps they had had to postpone it or I was just going through the prep routine but NO. It was all over. In the Past! I was ready to join the ranks of the "Recovery People!". It was the greatest feeling in the world to JUST WAKE UP! I imagine it is a similar feeling for most. Waking up and thanking God or the Universe or both that the horrid wait was over and You are on the other side of it all!. Lisa...this is what you have to look forward to. The worse part of this whole surgery business was waiting the days, hours, minutes before settling down on a gourney that would deliver me to some pretty wonderful, special and talented people who you will learn have nothing but positive feelings about seeing you through every darn minute, hour of this HUGE Event in your life. I think you will share that feeling of "pleasure" Yes I said "Pleasure" that comes with knowing the surgery is over and you have been handed over to even more professional, friendly and trained people set to treat you like you are the most important person oin the Universe as you are on their "Watch" and they will be damned to let anything happen to you!!!!! Everything that goes with this experience is different from person to person but I doubt you will hear any heart brother or heart sister who will tell you that the first minutes of being aware that you are alive and "ticking" aren't some of the most blessed moments of your life. And Lisa.. I hope and pray with all of the others here in the community that you will be online with us in just a short amount of time sharing your stories with other "Newbies" who are going to show you that you were not wimpy but going through the normal process that goes with this Journey we travel on but most importantly that you are armed as they will be with the constant supportive love, prayers and information from all of us here, your Heart Family, Village and never alone. Please feel these words I write to you today and know that between the ones you hold closest and love most and all of us you will realize in not to many days from now that all of this energy leading up to your surgery was a lot worse in the IMAGINATION than the reality of what took(takes) place. So be strong. Have confidence. Think go all that will be possible for you to do once you have recovered with that new Beautiful mended heart of yours!

Lisa, Just read your post and totally understand having a pity party! If you read my journal, I had many before and during surgery, resulting in just being a huge baby. AND, felt it was justified. However, I do think I'm the biggest wimp in the world and hate even getting a shot, but had mitral valve repair on Dec. 16 and really did well. I think you will, too! I also think you will be surprised at how well you recover at home and won't need tons of help for very long. Anyway, know you are in my thoughts and prayers and happy to answer any other questions for you. I did rely on God's Word as well and it helped tremendously.

Hello again Lisa. I was trying to have you email me so I could give you my phone number and if you want we can talk before you head for your surgery. If not, no problem but you sounded pretty upset and I would like to talk to you as I have had the surgery and it might help for you to be able to talk about it. Your choice kiddo. (tsyvertsen1@sbcglobal.net)

Hello Lisa- Funny thing. I just finished folding my "Big Girl Panties" Pun intended as I was out doing laundry and came in and read your post. If you have a few minutes please email me at tsyvertsen1@sbcglobal.net. I would like to see if I can be of help, ok? Later. Terrie

Hi Lisa, I just read your journal entry about getting prior authorization from your insurance company. I worked for health insurance companies for many years--it is the obligation of your doctor's office to obtain prior authorization, not you. Insurance companies will request records & test results from your provider to show medical necessity for the procedure. The four days they allowed you is linked to the procedure code your doctor's office provided to them. Any additional days have to be justified by your doctor, who will be contacted by the insurance company for a report on your progress. I had mitral valve repair Dec. 26th & my insurance also only pre-approved four days (I got a letter). I was inpatient five days, but my doctor would've allowed me to stay another day if I felt I needed it. He would've made it justifiable to my insurance. I hope all this makes sense, Lisa. I just didn't want you or anyone else on here to spend time on the phone with an insurance company when your doctor's office has likely already gotten the prior authorization, often before even scheduling your surgery. This is how they make sure to get paid in a timely manner. To be sure, call your surgeons office & ask if they've gotten the authorization. I know what a stressful time it is these last few days before surgery; waiting is the worst! Take care, Jenni

Hi Lisa !! Hang in there, you are less than a week until your surgery. Our valve situation is similar, you can feel free to read my journal if you like. You can get lots of information from this site, as well as Adam's book is very helpful. Surround yourself with a supportive and positive group if possible! My thoughts and prayers will be with you as you continue life's journey!!!! Be strong!! Wendy Smith R.N.