ricardo's Guestbook

Hi Ricardo Glad you have an appointment with a heart specialist. After an exam and maybe a few tests, he\'ll hopefully come to a plan to help you. Good luck. Fran

Hi Ricardo, So good to hear from you. I, too, have chest pain from time to time. The sternum bothers a bit and my incision will ache, especially with bad weather approaching. My heart is enlarged some, too, and was told it was because it had to work so hard before the surgery. I also have developed a Thoracic aorta aneurysm. Nothing to be worried about, I\'ve been told. Will keep an eye on it. So instead of going to the doctors once a year, I go every 3 months. Keep telling your doctors, like they always say, the squeeky wheel get the oil, or something like that. Keep bugging, and they will check you out, just to keep your quiet. LOL! I wish you all the best and keep us up to date on how things are going. Hopefully it is nothing, and just aches and pains that you will have. All my best, Diana

Hi Ricardo! Glad to read your latest. Sad though that things are still not perfect. I\'m not sure how the Canadian system works, but are you able to get a second opinion on your chest pain? It may or may not be heart related, hopefully it is not. But not knowing for sure has got to be rough. I don\'t know about you, but whenever I take my car in because something is wrong and I tell my mechanic what I think it is, I\'m wrong. Maybe if you can take the attitude that \"I\'ve got this pain, dunno what is causing it, but I want it to stop\" instead of something like \"somethings wrong with my heart\" it might open up some simple tests that will be conclusive. I know I get some minor sternum pain and muscle pain from time to time. It would bother me a lot if it were chronic. I think thats a common complaint of folks on this site. I\'m not going to say to trust your doctor 100%, but consider what they say as fairly good evidence. If a couple of doctors say the same thing that\'s more evidence. If you do a simple test that confirms what they say, that\'s even more evidence. I think a key thing is to go to another physician and ask them to do an exam and some simple tests. Hopefully that will rule out your worst fears. And if it turns out there is a real problem you\'ll be that much closer to getting it fixed. We\'re pulling for you buddy, we know its been a long road. You\'ve got a beautiful family and we want you to enjoy life with them. -- DVB

Hi there, I agree with Fran, your symptoms should be taken seriously. I can totally relate to what you are going trough, I had almost the same symptoms, so I went to emergency and they did a blood test, an x ray, and an ekg, all showed that my heart had improved and everything was ok. But I had those symptoms again, after several more tests I discovered that while my heart had returned to a normal size and evey test came back super good, I was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. My panic attacks caused chest pains, difficulty breathing, numbness on my hands, arms even part of my face, it also made my blood pressure go up and I had palpitations, at first I found it difficult to accept that panic attacks and anxiety do this but it does. I hope that you are able to get the tests you need to give you peace of mind or to find out what\'s going on. Many blessings to you, Patricia De Leon.

Hi Ricardo, I am sorry to hear you are feeling well and are having problems. I believe you should see another doctor. I understand there are restrictions in Canada when it comes to healthcare, but you know your body and you need to find someone to listen to you. I will keep you in my prayers. God bless!

Hi Ricardo The note from the 27th was from me. I know you are in Canada, but is your doctor a cardiologist? If not, maybe that\'s who you should be seeing to have some tests done to get to the bottom of all your current heart problems. I think your symptoms should be taken seriously by the doctor. Keep us up to date. Fran

Hi Ricardo Happy new year. Wishing you, your wife and child the healthiest year in 2012. We are fortunate to have had excellent surgeons to take care of our hearts.

Hi Ricardo, Yep, one of those down times. Its so early in your recovery, Ricardo, you must give yourself some time. Your body went through a tramatic experience, and its trying to recover from that. My surgery was 13 months ago, and I still have some ups and downs. More ups than down at this point. You may be lifting too much too soon, too, you will certainly feel the effects of that, too. You\'ll get there, takes time. Try not to get discouraged. I know, its hard, been there, done that. We all have, but I have to tell you that I feel wonderful now. You have so much to look forward to, all in good time. I rode my motorcycle for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and did great. It felt great to get back in the saddle again. Back to shooting, too. Life is getting back to normal once again, so give yourself time. You will get there, too. Promise!!!! Diana

Hey RIcardo. It\'s only been 7 or 8 weeks since your surgery. It sounds like your work is pretty hard on your body, hard enough that it may be slowing your recovery. So try and take it easy man. Nobody expects you to be in top form so soon. It\'s not supposed to hurt to breathe, so go get it checked out at urgent care. We\'re all pulling for you. You\'ve come so far and been so brave!

Hi Ricardo You are perhaps having a wee set back but you just cannot let a step backwards get you down. You are alive and at least that is something to work with! Do you not think it a little soon to be lifting anything too heavy yet at work? Does your doctor understand your work requirements? If you are in doubt about the pain you are feeling you should err on the side of caution and see your doctor. He can at least assure you of what is going on. You might also be experiencing a little bit of post-surgery depression. Ask your doctor about that. Recovery is not all downhill and as you well know from reading other journals, there can be lots of bumps. You want too much too fast and that is understandable but please give yourself more time and don`t be so hard on yourself. You will get better. Much better. It takes work and it takes time. Believe there has to be a reason God has brought you this far. In the meantime enjoy your wee family. Your wife needs you to be positive and your baby needs a mom and a dad. Cheryl, Ontario

Hi Ricardo Please don\'t be discouraged. Isn\'t it possible that this pain is due to pulled muscles from all the heavy lifting you do at work and not your heart? You might want to try moist heat or a heating pad on the area and see if it helps. Maybe a gentle massage in the area would help? Let us know when you improve. Enjoy that beautiful baby. Fran

Hi Ricardo Thanks for sharing your lovely photos with us. It\'s so nice to see who we are talking about. I know you are a very proud papa. You have to feel such relief having your surgery behind you. I think most of us heart patients end up on the low dose of aspirin and I haven\'t heard anything about it affecting the kidneys unduly but always best to check with your doctor. If you are experiencing really bad pain, I wonder if you should investigate a kidney stone? I had aches and pains all over my body for sometime after my surgery but eventually they all went. It\'s very normal to be extra cautious about how you are feeling post surgery. Cheryl, Ontario

Hi Ricardo, Oh, how precious of a family you have. I\'m so happy for you. As far as 81mg of aspirin. I, also, am on 81 mg of aspirin a day, and I have not heard anything about kidney trouble with it. I\'m sure if you had any kidney problems, it would have showed up in your blood work they performed before surgery. If you have a concern, its best to discuss it with your doctor and he can give you the story on it. It is not uncommon to have some discomfort in your back after surgery. Some people experience it in the shoulders, others just in the back area itself. Its wise to talk with you doctor with any and all concerns. I\'m so happy that you had the surgery and you will feel awesome after healing time, and you will be around for a long time for that little one of yours. Diana

Hi Ricardo Thank you for the photos, what a beautiful family. As a nurse I worked for 2 kidney specialists and there was always concern of using NSAIDs non steroidal anti inflamatory drugs such as Motrin, Advil, etc. Even following approved dosing caused problems for some people. Am not aware of the connection with aspirin. What does your doctor say? Since my surgery over a year ago I take 81 mg. aspirin daily (per the surgeon) and my cardiologist and kidney specialist approves. It\'s wise to investigate things but try not to make yourself unduly anxious. Fran

Way to go, Ricardo I told you it wasn\'t all that bad and you would feel so much better. Now you can concentrate on healing and playing with that beautiful baby boy. Keep up the good work! Diana

Hi Ricardo Can\'t believe you are on the journal already. Good for you. I\'m so happy to know you are okay and sounding pretty cheery to boot. Like Fran says, don\'t rush your healing. There will be many ups and downs but slowly you\'ll start to see your progress. I\'m just so glad you have finally had the surgery done and are on your way to full and better health. Your wife really has her hands full right now. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. Cheryl, Ontario

Great news, Ricardo What type of surgery did the doctors do for you? Glad your breathing is improved. Be patient in your healing and rest when you can. Your wife must be relieved. You\'ll have a story to tell your son when he\'s older. Fran

Hi Ricardo Just thinking about you today and looking forward to your return to the journal letting us know all is well. Honestly, I am so glad you are done. Waiting can put so much worry on patients and their loved ones. Your wife no doubt has her hands quite full at this time so I send her my well wishes too. Cheryl, Ontario

Congrats Daddy! How wonderful. Sounds a little scary what happened to your wife, but thank the good Lord all worked out OK for you. Good luck with your surgery. I\'m so happy to hear that your having it done. You won\'t believe the difference you will feel, and you\'ll be recouped enough to be running with your little one. Doing all the things that Daddy\'s do with their son. If I can be of any help to you before or after your surgery, I here for you. Give yourself time to heal after surgery, and remember, you will have good days and not so good days, its all normal and part of the healing process. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Diana

Hi Ricardo Congratulations to both you and your wife on the birth of your son. I\'m very relieved your wife is okay. Yes, that had to be a scary moment. Father\'s Day will be extra special to you this year because you will be about 3 into your healing. I\'m so glad you are going ahead with your surgery. Try and stay positive - you have so much to look forward to. Keeping you in my prayers. Cheryl, Ontario