Richard's Guestbook

Richard Buckley  Hello Brian, you seem like an ideal patient for your surgeon. You should improve his or her success rate! Prior to my surgery, I had no symptoms and was pretty active. I ran a couple of miles three days a week and sometimes cycled. The valve leak was a surprise discovery. It sounds like you are in somewhat the same situation. The wait was hard,for sure. I tried not to think about it too much. I also had minimally invasive but no robotics. The surgery went well .. the doc said it could not have been better. They removed my breathing tube before I left the OR, which I'm told is rare. The 24 hours in ICU were pretty lost to me but they seemed long. I probably wasn't really awake or alert for about 18 hours after surgery ended. The incision didn't cause much pain; I remember more pain from the drain tubes. Two months later the nerves around my right rib cage bother me a little but not that bad. I steadily increased my walking and am in a cardiac rehab program. I went back to work about 4 weeks after surgery. Aside from the first 24 hours, my recovery has gone great. I'm not back to pre-surgery strength, but I'm on the way. You are 16 years younger than me so so reason why you shouldn't duplicate a smooth recovery. The Cleveland Clinic is well known for valve repair so you will no doubt have excellent care. Again, I understand the waiting is stressful, but that will end. The way you describe your condition, you will have a good recovery. I wish you the best and please write anytime.

Brian Havlin  Thanks Richard! Appreciate your comments and it certainly helps ease my mind a bit. Hope you get back to 100% strength soon!

Richard Buckley  Brent, hope for success for your surgery. As my sister reminded me the other day, I will be the only one in the OR who hasn't been through this before, and my only job is to lie still.

Richard Buckley  Brent, hope for success for your surgery. As my sister reminded me the other day, I will be the only one in the OR who hasn't been through this before, and my only job is to lie still.

Louanna Miller  Praying for your surgery, Richard. May it be successful and your recovery smooth without any complications.

Mary Woods  Really helpful info. Looks like my surgeon does loads! Wallpapering the hallway through a letterbox is a worrying analogy!