Patrick's Guestbook

Greetings from Dublin Ireland. Keep getting better. You v had it tough. I am 2 years post op, aortic valve n by pass. Doing well thank God. It takes time. Paula

Hi Pat What a wonderful way to express your feelings about the surgery. good Luck and happy trails for you. I am going on my fourth year now since my surgery. I had much more than you done, replacement of aortic valve, replacement of tricuspid valve, ligation of left atria appendage, triple coronary by-pass, pacemaker wires installed and a feeding tube put in my stomach. I couldn't talk, walk, or swallow any solid food when I went into re-hab Now three years later I am working out in the gym every day except Sundays, treadmill--bicycle--swimming etc. I feel great and thank the lord that I have a lot of happy life left ahead of me. I am 84 years old and the happiest man in the world!! Looik forward to meeting you one of these days, Bob Stoltz E-mail bob_stoltz@yahoo.com

Hello Patrick- I hope your visit with your Doctor gives you answers that you need. One thing I will mention is that in my 11 months of recovery-post op. I have heard/read of people having a dry cough early in their recovery and many people have been reacting to medications given after going home to recover only to find the dosage must be changed or medications changed and the coughing stopped. It is one of the things I hope is discussed while at your appt. One of the other things you mentioned-anxiety/thoughts about your surgery and ICU area/memories is something I also experienced for awhile after going home. I was told that many of the things we experience mentally upon going home are due to the fact we are still dealing with the results of having anesthesia take it's own sweet time leaving our system. We are given pain medications that mix with other new medications while our bodies are not getting the usual vitamins or other pills we had been on before surgery that especially with pain meds. can cause side effects. (Example: Diabetes pills). It is also a big change once home as you are eager to find the normalcy and your body isn't ready to meet you half way. It will take time and patience as your body regains strength to get out of an overwhelming frustration level to meet the day to day schedule of making sure you move(walk)when you can, sleep when you can, balance medications to promote your healing comfortably. (I took regular Tylenol every 4 hours after leaving the hospital due to a bad reaction to the pain meds. None of them would work without my mind going in circles so we opted for the Tylenol and it worked for me(Doesn't work for many as their level of tolerating pain is different than mine)but the mental stages will get better with time even though it is frustrating. I found the best therapy from the beginning of recovery to date is taking a walk outdoors for a change of scenery and fresh air making the walk short and increasing it as I felt safe to. I think having the issue with your lungs has to be mentally challenging and hope your Doctor gives you information today that will help you in your recovery and address ways to get your lungs healthy again. Patrick, you have one of the best medicines by your side daily(Wife) and I am sure your Wife will help you get through all of the changes you never expected but have encountered from having had this surgery. Mental changes were the biggest surprise for me and once I understood(from mostly people here in our community) that what I was feeling was in fact part of the aftermath of having gone through something pretty darn intense, I was able to move forward bringing a new "attitude" with me and feeling encouraged to move forward with recovery knowing that day to day things continued to change. I hope your new mattress gives you comfort and you begin to find a sleep pattern that helps you heal. Take care Heart Brother.

hi patrick this is me it may not be you but i have the problem of trying to get my breath if i wake up from sleeping to flat so i sleepin a power recliner halfway between siting and laying flat and it helps alot have been doing this since rehab after my ohs i am in phase 3 of cardio rehab now and will probably stay for the rest of my life it is good exercise and keeps your heart rate going

Trudy, thanks for the update and we are sending prayers for him and the family for healing and the tube to be out soon. I am glad you have a group of people that will be with you to add comfort and support while waiting! You take care, all of you and give our best to Patrick. Ahead is the gift of recovery and may it go smoothly.

Patrick- I will be sending off good wishes and prayers for your surgery tomorrow and hope that you are enjoying a nice quiet night with those you love tonight!