Mike's Guestbook

Chris Calhoun  Mike - lay on the bench and stretch before using any weight or even using the bar - you are going to have to open that motion back up and it will hurt and will be a process - I had a lot of trouble but can now bench press 135 again - pre surgery could bench 225 - I may never get back there

Mike Roskowinski  Hey Alex - Sorry have not logged in for a little while been busy with kids at home and working. As for pain I really didn't have much pain. I only took medicine for pain the first 3 days I was in the ICU. I got C-Diff so I ended up being in the hospital a lot longer than I wanted and in the ICU for a long time. The times I had discomfort was when I was sleeping. I am a side sleeper so it bothered me at time with the incision. That if I remember went away probably after 5 months. As for working out it was a little weird feeling and tight when I first started back doing certain exercises. While in the hospital I also got a pacemaker installed since I had some issues with the communication between my chambers. So as the muscle was growing around the pacemaker I could feel it sometimes feeling like it was pulling off the pacemaker. That took sometime to start feeling normal. Otherwise I am back to working out and playing sports like normal. Since the lockdown I have picked up some equipment and still do my workouts at home. My bench is up to 185 but I am not trying to go heavy anymore. I am looking at more reps and less weight as it is better on the joints. I think if I went back to my old lifting routine I would be able to lift just as heavy as I did before all this started. Good luck in your journey Alex. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Alex Sigalov  Hi Mike, thank u for sharing that. I get some discomfort in my chess sometimes and not sure if its pain from sternum or muscle or chess pain; wanted to increase my expercise load but affraid before i have Echo done, but at this point dont know when that will be since noone is doing any appointments.

Mike Roskowinski  Hello Herb - No I had no symptoms. I remembered that I had a heart murmur growing up and had an echo once before. So I turned 40 last December so I thought I might as well get everything checked before I turn 40. That is when they found out I had a bad valve and aneurysm. Just got lucky I would have to say. Yes they were surprised that I had unicuspid valve and they took pictures for me of it. But I still have not looked at them yet :)

Herb Greenberg  Mike, I was thinking about your situation after I had a bout of some sleepy bowel syndrome. That’s an anesthesia-related complication that hits at least 50% of heart surgery patients… The older the more difficult it can become. And one way to treat it is with antioniotics, which can cause c=diff. And then they found an incidental abscess in my prostate, which they’ve never seen before in relation to heart surgery. Of course this isn’t something that occurred because of her surgery. It’s something I probably had a fairly recently or for very long time. And as a result of that now I have to figure out what to do… Because the last thing you want for the first six weeks is a heart issue as a result of an infection.So where as I thought I would be leaving the hospital today I’m now in a holding pattern of certainly several days until they figure out what to do but then I look at you and what you went through and how long it took… And look at you now!

Mike Roskowinski  Yeah the CDiff was terrible. I ended up asking the doctors if my wife could bring me in food to eat since the food there was not helping. She brought in lots of yogurts and foods high in starch. Stouffers microwave dinners were pretty helpful. Getting those antibiotics from yogurt helped a lot. I was there for a total of 16 days due to the C-Diff complications. Try to get some food brought to you that is better than hospital food. I hope that it helps you through.

Mike Roskowinski  Yeah the CDiff was terrible. I ended up asking the doctors if my wife could bring me in food to eat since the food there was not helping. She brought in lots of yogurts and foods high in starch. Stouffers microwave dinners were pretty helpful. Getting those antibiotics from yogurt helped a lot. I was there for a total of 16 days due to the C-Diff complications. Try to get some food brought to you that is better than hospital food. I hope that it helps you through.

Mike Roskowinski  Yeah totally get it. Common thing you will hear around here is that the waiting is the hardest part. It is a scary thing to deal with but there are so many of us out here that will tell you how much better everything is when you are done. This website was my saving grace since talking to real people going through it instead of asking Dr. Google to answer questions.

Bradley Dunn  I am not Mike but I will try to answer some of those questions (hope neither of you mind).

I hear it clearly. I hear it more in some positions than others. I even swapped sides of the bed with my wife so I could hear it less based on how I sleep. I woke in the ICU hearing it. It was a little scary as I was supposed to get a repair.

I practice baseball with my kids 5 days a week. At the present time, I have bruises on my inner forearm, joints from swinging a bat too hard and from throwing too much. They are slight muscle tears that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the medicine.

My surgery was Aug 28th of last year. I finished 27 or so Cardiac Rehab sessions and I worked hard. A few times they told me to slow down as my blood pressure was getting too high (I was the only one in the room jogging at times). I threw a baseball in Dec and was on the field coaching a team in the Spring ( while all the healthy fathers sat in chairs watching)!!!

The On-X is the best choice due to your age and the INR levels it allows. There isn't another choice really. Do your research and I am thinking you will come to the same conclusion.

Mike Roskowinski  Hey Erik welcome to the community. Yes the Mayo was great and Pochettino is awesome. Very nice guy and easy to talk to. I got C-Diff in the hospital and ended up staying there 2 weeks and also getting a pacemaker inserted. The entire staff at the Mayo was great and friendly.

As for the valve I agree with what Brad says. Yes you can hear it and so will everyone else when it is quiet. You get used to it. I have been out of surgery 10 weeks now and it does not really bother me. I tell my wife that at least she can hear me ticking and know my heart is still beating. I also went with the On-x valve as that is the best out there. They will recommend that one to you also when you meet with them.

As for exercise and being active that should not change. I started Cardiac Rehab 4 weeks after surgery. I am already jogging and running with official graduation date of 7/23. I walk 6-8 miles a day and lift weights for roughly one hour a day. Last night I went back to playing sand volleyball with my team and played all 3 games. I don't feel like I have any restrictions except for the 12 week weight restriction. They tell you not to lift more than 10 pounds for 12 weeks. The last couple of weeks I have increased my weight lifting little by little as I am 1 1/2 weeks away from being at 12 weeks. Now I am getting ready to go play golf! Good luck I hope you find information out here useful and feel free to shoot me a message anytime.

Carlos Banuelos  Hi Erik, I too got the on-x valve. But I’m 44, not 55. If I was 55 getting the procedure done, I would consider a tissue valve bc in 10-15 years when you might need a new valve, they will able to replace your valve using the TAVR technique. That would likely give you about 30 years between the two balance surgeries. Anyhow, I think it’s something to consider and talk to your surgeon about. I immediately heard my valve when I woke up in the ICU and was told that I will always hear it, but that I should get used to it in the next couple of months. It has actually kinda lulled me to sleep the past 2 nights. Anyhow, good luck with your decision. Either way, I’m sure it will turn out well.

Erik Jensen  Thanks guys! Very helpful. Yeah, I'm sold on the On-x. I've been researching the options and it seems like the clear winner. I'm a sound sleeper too so I'm hoping the ticking won't be a bother. I'm sure I'll just settle into it like you guys have done. Thanks again for the input. I look forward to staying in touch!

Erik Jensen  Hi Carols. I just saw your post. More than anything lately I've been struggling with the valve decision (tissue vs. artificial). I've contemplated exactly what you've suggested and will talk to my surgeon about it pre-op. When we had my original consultation back in May he was very straightforward about the artificial valve being my best option in his opinion. I think part of that decision was based on the fact I'm already on a blood thinner (Xarelto) because I had an AFib episode last Fall. With the On-x I'll have to move to warfarin but it's still a blood thinner. Tough decision!

James Martinez  Hi Erik, have you considered a Ross procedure? I recently had a Ross Procedure as I wanted to avoid taking blood thinners. I know you mentioned you have AFib. Will the AFib be fixed during your valve replacement? I wonder if both the MAZE procedure and a Ross can be done at the same time? Perhaps this could get you off blood thinners completely. https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/videos/atrial-fibrillation-valve-disease-concomitant-therapy

Carlos Banuelos  Hi Erik, that makes sense. Yeah getting the on-x at my age was a no brained for me too. At end of day, it just has to be what you are comfortable with since you will hopefully have it the rest of your life. And having just gone through surgery, I don’t ever want to do it again. It’s amazing how incapacitated I am.

Rob Sparling  Erik, there are other options that are compelling. I am 52 years old and had my aortic valve replaced via Ozaki Procedure. Check it out, too. Whatever you choose will be right for you.

Mike Roskowinski  Hey Joe. I went with the mechanical valve as I did not want to have additional surgeries. I was told 9-15 years on the tissue valve. I take vitamins and supplements daily so taking warfarin for the rest of my life is not a problem. Go with the On-x valve. You will find information on this site about it.

https://www.cryolife.com/products/on-x-heart-valves/

Joe Tarango  Thank you for the quick reply. Your progress is inspiring. I'm nervous to be on blood thinners and not being able to be as active as I am now.

  Hi Joe, I am 35 and went with a mechanical valve. My surgeon only offered the St. Jude. I was also told that the tissue valve wears out quicker for younger patients so that I would almost certainly need additional surgeries. It's been only 4 weeks since my surgery so it's hard to say what the impact of being on blood thinners is. But, it was really hard to sign up for more additional surgeries. I'd rather deal with the dietary restrictions and the monitoring.

Peter Eglinton  Hi, Joe. Deciding on a valve was one of hardest things for me. (Feel free to check out my journal.) In the end, the surgeon was able to repair my valve, so I do not have personal experience with either the tissue or mechanical valve. Good luck with your surgery. You've come to the right place for support and information.

Willie Radl  I also went with the on-x at age 32. 1.5 years later and I have no regrets. As Mike mentioned for younger patients tissue doesn't last as long and I didn't want to be worrying about another surgery in a few years down the road. The Warfarin has not been an issue at all for me, I don't really pay attention to what I eat vit K wise or worry much about the INR. My numbers have been very consistent. Cuts and scrapes may bleed a little more than you're used to but it's not nearly as bad as some people make it out to be. The tick was annoying at first for a month or two but it doesn't bother me at all anymore.

Mike Roskowinski  Hey Linda. Yeah it seems heart issues don’t care about your age. It was lucky that I found what I had and was able to get it resolved so quickly.

Mike Roskowinski  Thanks Greg. Yeah I have read your story and it is amazing what you have been through. I was really fit and active before the surgery and I really want to get back to doing my normal things. I know it takes time to heal but patience is not one of my best attributes. 4 weeks on Monday so I guess i still have some waiting to do before I can get out and play some sports. Right now I am walking 5 to 6 miles a day. Thanks for the message and being such an inspiration

Mike Roskowinski  Hey Chris. Thank you so much. Yeah it was a rough start to recovery but so far things are getting better. Walking a lot and finally got some metropol from my cardiologist and now my heart rate is settled down. I can finally sleep at night. Hope things are going well for you as it has been a long time since your surgery. I am ready for cardio rehab and getting back to normal activities.

Christopher May  Yeah, 12 weeks tomorrow for me. I did cardio rehab, but had to cut it a few weeks short once I returned to work. It’s definitely worth it. I feel better and have more energy now than I have in several years. I’m on metoprolol too, but weening it down. I’m so happy that things are falling into place for you! Keep getting better. It’s summertime soon!