Melinda's Guestbook

Positive energy. I’ll take it. Thanks. Just got home from a 3 mile dog walk. Hot, whew. The result was a happy but hot dog. ( his cooling collar works great however) and an unhappy companion , me, who finished in pain. Hoping this surgery will ease this pain and let me enjoy what i enjoy.

Richard-if anybody gets how you feel, it’s me. I wouldn’t wish anxiety, apprehension, second-guessing, knowing too much on anyone well I can say to you is if love, support, and well wishes can help then I think you have a lot of help. everyone loves you and most of us never met you. I can’t wait to hear that. You’re fine on Thursday and I know you will be prayers, hugs, and kisses and many licks from biscuit are sent you away. trust me, I would never wish anyone the Melinda syndrome. I still have rumblings of it every now and then and it overwhelms me. almost 12 months. cannot wait to hear that you are walking Shadow. xoxox

Hi Richard. You are the best doggy Dad to Shadow. Thankfully you had some air conditioning. This weather was intense. Yes, the operation was overwhelming for me. Mentally and emotionally was all encompassing. I doubted my decision so many times that I need to have the surgery, however, I have a totally different mindset at this point I had no symptoms or at least I thought I did not. It took me a long time to feel better. Sometimes I would let myself go over things and worry about if the decision was the right one, but I always come back to the same conclusion, which was I am so happy that I got the surgery and I really am on the road to recovery. When I got my echo last month, and the doctor said, I only have trace regurgitation in both my valves. It put me at ease and it helped a lot. He actually said my valves had my surgeons’ ‘stamp’ and if he had to guess he would have guessed the hospital and surgeons!! I guess I’m the doubting Thomas and I had to see it to believe it. I appreciated that you were really there all the time teasing and commenting. It made me feel normal. A lot is going on these days. I retired from my full time teaching. I’m going to start part-time in a private school in September just two hours a day, I will be watching my youngest grandson who is just 6 months old as well. I have four little grandsons who I absolutely adore and of course, biscuit. There’s a lot of love and I’m very lucky woman. My family had a retirement party for me last Sunday and it was quite a surprise. I still think about surgery a lot! I put so much of it out of my mind - some of the days I still do not recall. I was truly traumatized. The whole heart rate not about 35 bpm for 8 days really knocked me off my feet, literally. My surgeons, Dr. Adams and Dr. Boateng were remarkable and the bedside manner and support from Dr. Boateng was second to none. Everything he said would happen, did. I am eternally grateful to them. My husband and I were just talking about the first three days after surgery I didn’t speak to anyone or call anyone because I was frozen. That’s how scared I was. And very grateful for meeting you and the gang on the website wish I knew how to work it better. I don’t see anybody’s posts much of the time and I have to go in there and look for them. Maybe if I knew how to work it better I would post more, now that I’m a little more “normal” I’ll investigate. Thanks for your post and yes, you did drive me a little crazy, but it was much appreciated. Xox always

This is very true. Sums up how I felt. Most likely how we all felt ** I cannot take credit for this. Copied and pasted. Don’t know the author. ‘Before heart surgery, there is a conversation that no monitor can hear. It's the conversation between a patient and their own heart. "Will I make it back home?" "Will I see my children again?" "Is this the last time I'll hug the people I love?" For many of us in the operating room, heart surgery is something we prepare for every day. But for the patient, it is the single biggest moment of their life. Long before the first incision is made, a different battle has already begun. A battle against fear. Against uncertainty. Against the terrifying thought of placing your life into the hands of people you've only just met. No one truly prepares you for the night before heart surgery. The quiet hospital room. The unanswered questions.u The memories that suddenly feel more precious than ever. The silent prayer whispered when no one else is watching. And then morning comes. The doors of the operating theatre open. The patient lets go of the hand they've been holding. For a few moments, they must do something incredibly brave. They choose to trust. Trust the surgeon. Trust the anesthetist. Trust the nurses. Trust the perfusionist who will keep their blood flowing while their own heart rests. Trust an entire team with every heartbeat they have left. What many people don't realize is that heart surgery isn't just about repairing a valve or bypassing a blocked artery. It's about giving someone another chance... Another birthday. Another walk with the person they love. Another family dinner. Another chance to watch their children grow. Another sunrise they feared they might never see. So if you are waiting for heart surgery, or recovering from one, I want you to know this: Your fear is understandable. Your tears are understandable. Being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid. It means you choose hope, even while your heart is trembling. And when you finally wake after surgery, surrounded by tubes, monitors, and unfamiliar sounds, remember this: Every scar on your chest tells a story. Not of weakness... But of courage. A story of a heart that was given another opportunity to keep beating. Sometimes the strongest hearts are not the ones that have never been broken. They are the ones that were repaired... and chose to beat with hope once again. To every heart surgery patient: your scar is not the end of your story. It is proof that your story was worth fighting for....’

Hi Fidel. So nice to hear from you. I am coming along. Not checking my heart rate and bp a hundred times a day - maybe 10 lol. Finally been to the hospital to get an echo and the results were wonderful. I only have trace regurgitation in the mitral valve and the tricuspid valve so I was happy to hear that. I go and meet with my cardiologist on June 12 a little nervous about going to the dentist today but I have no choice I have my meds. You have been such a tremendous help and I thank you always so positive and informative. I am still a little scared every day, but trying to get there. The surgery really took a toll on my emotional and psychological status. Thanks for checking in on me.Xox

Melinda, I'm very glad hearing your news. I have as well a mild regurgitation in tricuspid and aortic valves but I think that it is a small luggage that one can bear. I have also to go to the dentist in June to have my teeth yearly cleaning and have to take the one dose of antibiotics one hour before the cleaning. I still keep going to the gym 3 times a week plus the hiking walk every saturday with the group of friends. Wishing you the best moving forward. Xox.