Hello Mary,
My prayers have been answered on your behalf. God is good indeed ! Today I discovered your Journal and was delighted to be able to keep up with ...Read more
Hello Mary,
My prayers have been answered on your behalf. God is good indeed ! Today I discovered your Journal and was delighted to be able to keep up with your recovery journal. The only reason I continue to subscribe to THE SUN is your column. You bring me right down to Earth with your writing's and I may not get the read the paper until the following week but the 1st thing I look for is your column. You and I met and chatted about a year ago at the Pet Store in Wolf Ranch. We probably could have talked a lot longer but both had things to do. Take it slow and continue to recover day by day.....Patience, Patience.....Who am I to talk God didn't grace me with that skill. LOL
Hi Mary its the other Mary from Cornwall. I am so pleased you are through the surgery and on the road to better health. I was thinking of you the day of your ...Read more
Hi Mary its the other Mary from Cornwall. I am so pleased you are through the surgery and on the road to better health. I was thinking of you the day of your surgery and when there wasnt a post was concerned that everything went well. So pleased to did well and will soon be back with your family. m
Hi Mary, it is normal to be scared and normal to have some apprehension, but you will do well. I am 73 and just had my Aortic Valve replaced. You have a good ...Read more
Hi Mary, it is normal to be scared and normal to have some apprehension, but you will do well. I am 73 and just had my Aortic Valve replaced. You have a good support system and that is important. God is good and He is looking out for each of us.
Hi, Mary,
Glad to hear your surgery went smoothly & your on your way home. You said you were terrified of having a tube stuck down your throat. That is all ...Read more
Hi, Mary,
Glad to hear your surgery went smoothly & your on your way home. You said you were terrified of having a tube stuck down your throat. That is all over now. You will be working on getting better & healthier now. Good luck & my thoughts will be w/ you.
Mary, glad to hear you may be going home tomorrow. Wishing you all the best with your recovery. Remember that it takes time to recover from the surgery and ...Read more
Mary, glad to hear you may be going home tomorrow. Wishing you all the best with your recovery. Remember that it takes time to recover from the surgery and the anesthesia and don't expect to be able to do it all right away.
While you may feel like you aren't making progress or feeling better each day (there WILL be good days and bad days - it's not a linear progression by any means) - ultimately you'll find you can do more, feel better, take less pain meds, etc....which is all good progress.
Thinking of you and wishing you well.
Best Wishes to you, Mary, for a quick and complete recovery. I love reading your column and look forward to many, many more! My thoughts and prayers are with ...Read more
Best Wishes to you, Mary, for a quick and complete recovery. I love reading your column and look forward to many, many more! My thoughts and prayers are with you, Cathy Pyka
Hello Mary. I wrote in your guestbook on the 16th. and wanted to make sure I got a chance before your surgery(which I believe is tomorrow).to send Prayers, ...Read more
Hello Mary. I wrote in your guestbook on the 16th. and wanted to make sure I got a chance before your surgery(which I believe is tomorrow).to send Prayers, and good wishes that all goes well and you start on the road to a healthy recovery. With all the great energy coming your way from the heart community here you have to feel the love! Looking forward to hearing how things went and how you are doing.
Hi Mary,
I read your journal and just want you to know I'll be praying like many others. I understand your fears but remember most people in here say it wasn't ...Read more
Hi Mary,
I read your journal and just want you to know I'll be praying like many others. I understand your fears but remember most people in here say it wasn't as bad as they feared... I pray God multiply his peace on you! I will keep watch on how you are doing...
mary in cornwall posted a note for Mary that says:
Hi Mary just wanted to post love and prayers for your operation. I will be thinking of you and I am sure many others on this site will be thinking of you too ...Read more
Hi Mary just wanted to post love and prayers for your operation. I will be thinking of you and I am sure many others on this site will be thinking of you too at this time. love m
Hello Mary! I was TERRIFIED of waking up with the tube down my throat! I barely remember opening my eyes in my hospital room and seeing the large clock on ...Read more
Hello Mary! I was TERRIFIED of waking up with the tube down my throat! I barely remember opening my eyes in my hospital room and seeing the large clock on the opposite wall, with a little sunlight coming through the blinds. I looked around, saw a nurse looking at me, and barely registered a tube coming out of my mouth. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and relief and gratitude that I had survived the surgery. Then I closed my eyes. That whole scenario took about 4 seconds. The next time I opened my eyes the tube was gone and my husband was holding my hand. The people here on Heart Valve Journals are a source of comfort and inspiration for me, and I hope they are for you as well!
-Peace
Hi Mary, before my surgery when I talked with people I would say, "well I hope I see again". I began to accept the fact that I might not make it thru. I'm 67 ...Read more
Hi Mary, before my surgery when I talked with people I would say, "well I hope I see again". I began to accept the fact that I might not make it thru. I'm 67 and had already out lived my mother by 10 years. She died suddenly of a heart attack. I started to relax about it and as the time got closer I was calmer. Courage is being afraid but doing it anyway. And you will and the odds are with you to be better after you heal. I had surgery May 15, am recovering well. And most important it didn't come anywhere close to how I imagined it would be. I used to ask people to pray that I would have courage and I did. I pray that your courage increases each day as you approach surgery
Hello Mary. It is only 4:22 a.m. here in California and I am having coffee as I sit to write you this morning. I am 65 years old and going to have surgery ...Read more
Hello Mary. It is only 4:22 a.m. here in California and I am having coffee as I sit to write you this morning. I am 65 years old and going to have surgery in 66 days like yourself for aortic stenosis.
The fact your focus changes from one thing to another is just part of this experience & you are not alone. At our age it is real easy to run our life like a movie reel spinning out as we revisit all the things and people so important to us and yes who we darn well aren't ready to give up without a fight! SO DON"T GIVE UP! NO NEED TO!
You need to put a splice in this film that allows you to see how good life continues after the work is done on your beautiful heart s this life continues. The issues you are facing including the "tube" are shared by us all but remember the tube in particular will not be there as long as your imagination is holding on to it! That we have a tencancey to think of the worst case scenario as just a part of the state of pre-surgery anticipation. I hope you will try to re-route the fear knowing from the sounds of it you have John, your Daughter and granddaughter and your dogs to go home to in just a short time.
Think with all these years under your belt how many things you have been a part of and witness to in this life so far and that this is just another part of the adventure & that yu will be healthier and stronger when this is over. My Heart Sister this is DOABLE!
Since I will be going through my replacement surgery after you I will keep up with how you are doing.
Normal life for the summer will be traded UP for better life as you head towards a winter with your Family/Friends and DOGS at your feet while you gain strength and better health. Best wishes and Prayers for strength to you and all you love. Remember we are all here for you at this site.
Mary,
I had my aortic valve surgery on 5/15. I understand how you feel about nothing under your control and that is terrifying. However, you know your surgeon ...Read more
Mary,
I had my aortic valve surgery on 5/15. I understand how you feel about nothing under your control and that is terrifying. However, you know your surgeon probably has done the same operation hundreds of times. The ICU staff has seen OH patients day in and day out. They know what to do and they want you to get well. You just need to focus on yourself. Don't worry about your husband or family. If you are well, they will be too. I won't say it's easy. I am still struggling to get back to my normal self a month out, but what is the alternative? I was given the same warning: sudden death in a year if I don't get surgery. (The surgeon confirmed it when he took out my aortic valve.) Just think, they know the problem and better yet, they have a solution! I take this over some prolonged disease without a cure. Good luck to you.
Thanks for the response! It's good to know that other people feel the same way I do. We are comfortable (as much as possible) with the surgeon we chose; another doctor friend says he is "magic", and he does have great ratings and in person he is forthright, kind, answered every question straight up, made great eye contact(a thing of mine), and no doubt knows what he's doing. It will be done in the Heart Hospital in Austin; should be a good spot to be in. The hard fact is, no matter how it affects my family and my dogs, there's no way around it. Our son is a retired firefighter and a pilot. When he first began flying I was a basket case and worried a lot, but he said," Mom, when your number is up, there's nothing you can do to change it. If it's not, nothing can hurt you." Spoken like a true pilot, I was told by the surgeon. Since the alternative is a given, and not a pleasant prospect, and since it's a done deal, I'd just as soon get on with it, scared and all. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can start recovery and the sooner I can get back to at least some version of my old self. (No pun intended.) Julia, you are right about being lucky to have something there is a solution to. My mother had Alzheimer's and my Dad had emphysema. Two more dreadful diseases I cannot imagine. Except for a crappy valve and one so-so artery, the rest of me, while stiff and creaky sometimes, is in pretty good shape for the shape it's in. And Mary, we have more in common than just our names; sounds like you're just about where I am. You smell the roses and I sit with my dogs and listen to our granddaughter talk about music and boys and what's for dinner - that's happiness. I'm delighted to read about good outcomes, interested in having some insights into recovery, and wish the best for you both. Love to you, m (I do that, too)
oh mary this is another mary feeling like you do absolutely out of control and depending on complete strangers to make sure i can continue to live. i think ...Read more
oh mary this is another mary feeling like you do absolutely out of control and depending on complete strangers to make sure i can continue to live. i think this site we can express the fear we all feel, not just about dying (after all, we wont know anything about it that were to happen) its more about being out of control and having to depend on others to do all the things we would normally do. its about being a 'patient' and not an individual. its about putting our trust in a complete stranger who will open up our chest and play around with our heart. but what happens if we get through this and out of the other end ? will there be a catharsis and our life will change. think of the alternative. these surgeons arent amateurs, they know what they are doing and carry out this surgery many times. they want good outcome just like us so perhaps we just have to sit back for a change and let others take control. its good to vent our fears but we must brush ourselves off and start all over again. focus on the long life ahead of you and all those things you will be able to do again. on the walk back from town where i live there are a bed of bright orange roses with lovely perfume. its on the main road but i always make a point of stopping to have a sniff. perhaps this is our time to stop and smell the roses. your fear is shared by many but we are all here for each other. love m
I am from: Florence, Texas
