Rebecca's Guestbook

Hello Rebecca. I was out for my walk and thinking of you as I watched some girls bicycle by with their Mom. How are things going with your recovery? I am out of surgery almost 6 weeks now and very impatient as my strength is not moving fast enough to suit me at times. I hear that is typical! How are things across the Pond? Are you home with the girls or back to work? Hope you are still taking it slow and steady. You take care and know many here at the "site" still thinking of you. Terrie

Hi Rebecca, I'm just checking on you to see how your recovery is progressing now. I know you were wanting to reduce the pain meds. Also, there was some concern about something that felt like a wire poking you in the chest area. I was wondering how you are doing with both issues. As well as the noticeable clicking of the valve. I hope things are getting better and falling into place now and I hope you're not hearing the valve quite so much. Continue to take good care of yourself. Be kind to yourself and celebrate that you are no longer planning that surgery, it is done. Take care and be well. You're still in my prayers. Karen

Hi Rebecca - finally sorted out how to add to guestbook. hope you are mending well but take it slowly as with a young family all too easy to overdo things. am sure your daughter will lend a hand knowing mum is poorly. i have good days when i overdo things which means the following day i pay for it taking paracetemal in the mornings and last thing at night and find this heads the pain off at the pass. not really pain but those niggly prickly sensation around the scar. now dealing with infected theortica dissolvable sutures which arent. Dont forget your had a pretty major surgery and will take time but am sure you are now headed for a long and healthy future. love m in corwall

Hi Rebecca, Just checking in to see how you're doing. Is the valve still sounding loud to you or are you getting used to it? I'm sure your girls are happy that you are done with the surgery though. When I saw that you were in the hospital longer than expected due to the blood thinners and the pacemaker, I was worried about your oldest daughter. I know how anxious she was already. How did she end up handling it? Well Rebecca, keep on healing, take good care of yourself and enjoy every minute with your family. Karen Pineda

hi rebecca - thank you for posting to my guestbook. yes now sweating about small stuff like the ticking heart and itchy scar. silly really when you think of the humungous process you especially have been through. it is a slow process this recovery but life can only get better from now on. take care and loads of cornish luck flying north.

Hi Rebecca, I had a mechanical arortic value put in about 2 1/2 years ago. At first, I thought it was loud and annoying. But it didn't take too long before I started not to notice it as much. And when I did I thought of it as a reminder of how far I had come since surgery. I'm on warfrain too. I've had good luck that after the first month my numbers were steady and they kept lengthing the time between checks. I at 6 weeks between INR draws now. I hope it all goes well for you too. Best wishes for a full and quick recovery. Dan P. Wisconsin - USA

Hi Rebecca - I joined the group while you were busy in the hospital :-) but I read all your old posts and then the new ones once you were home and they really helped me a lot - especially since you have younger kids too. My son is 13 and, although he doesn't say much, I know he's super anxious about my surgery. Some of that I know he's picking up from me - although I try to just stay in the moment and not stress, I'm not always so successful! How are your girls now that you're back home and recovering? How were they right before you left to get the surgery - and did they visit you in the hospital? (They're adorable, by the way!) I have a hole (VSD) that needs to be repaired, a sub-aortic stenosis (membrane) that causes a lot of problems with velocity. I also have moderate aortic stenosis and at my last visit, they said that they may or may not replace the valve once they're in there. Surgery maybe in November. thanks for being out there, Rebecca!

Hello Rebecca! Thanks for the offer of mailing yourself over to give me some of that British Spirit! My "ol U.S. spirits are doing pretty darn well so far but it certainly will be advantage to have spirit flowing from anywhere it is so graciously offered, Right?!!!!!! I am so glad that you made it home and are doing so well. I bet the girls are so happy to have their MUM back! After gowing through so much young lady, I am so very proud of the way you and your Family pulled together in strength to have you come so far! I felt really bad when we hadn't heard from you and would flip back and forth to your beautiful Girls that you were so ready to get home to and Yes! There you are! Continued progress with your recovery and I hope to have my husband(Gary) posting before too long that I am joining you on the "Recovery Road"! Take care. Love, Terrie

Wow Rebecca, that's quite a ride you had. You are such a strong lady to have dealt with all of that. I knew a man once that I used to work with who actually went to a therapist because of the clicking sound his mechanical valve was making. It was giving him anxiety and panic attacks. I'm a bit of an obsessive person so I can totally understand how the sound of the valve could be an issue. Most people do say they get used to it in time and that they really don't notice it after a while. I hope that is the way it goes for you. So good to have you back here. Thank you for sharing your story.