Robert's Guestbook

Robert Frederick  I saw a local cardiologist first. I went out of town for surgery. Came back under cardiogist care after I got home. Worked well for me.

Robert Frederick  Dear Cheryl:

Thank you for writing. My recovery has been miraculous. Here is the overview:

Monday:
Surgery last Monday 12/14/2015 about 9:00 AM where Dr. Lewis and team completed a mitral valve repair. They took me off the ventilator before leaving the operation room. I went to intensive care. The longest night of my life. I think they have special clocks in the ICU where the minute hands runs like an hour hand. They removed one of the line from my neck.

I left ICU with the shift change on Tuesday morning after they removed my catheter.

Tuesday:
Walked to bathroom 4 times on Tuesday. Just concentrated on hanging together. Started eating. Still having back pain.

Very talkative. My particular body had trouble regulating temperature going from sweaty to bone shaking chilled when I took off my blankets etc. I kept up my pain meds. like clockwork.

Wednesday:
Nurse wanted to make sure I did not lie in the bed so I got up and said "OK, glad you asked!" got ready, buzzed him and we went for a short walk at 5:30 AM before the 7:00 shift change.

Took first shower. Walked 5 times total that day in the hall. Big chest tube came out. (Something to look forward to) Back pains greatly reduced.

Thursday:

Went into Atrial Fib while taking AM medications. They began to treat it immediately. Told AF happens about 50% of the time after surgery.

Subsided within hours after start of the treatment. Elected to go off narcotic pain med. and replaced with Tylenol. Walked some but the AF was a small setback in my energy. No shower.

Slept great except when they awoke me a 9:00 PM, 11:30 PM, 1:30 AM, 3:00 AM, 3:30 AM, and 5:30 AM that night for various tests and medications etc. :)

Friday:

All lines, drains, tubes, etc. out. Lots of walks. Scheming to smuggle food into the hospital. Preparing for home trip. Appetite returning. Took shower.

Watched White Christmas on Netflix with Wife and daughter while eating Domino's gluten free pizza. Heaven. Cried six times before the movie was over. Must be the after effects of something.

Saturday:
Good shower. Dressed. Walked. Hugged my nurse. Released for drive home. Competed 2 hour drive home and climbed up one flight of stairs and took a 2 hour nap. Felt good to be home.

Very restless sleep first night: up 4 times. This is important for your helper because this will wear them out if they are doing a day shift (of any kind) too.

Sunday:
A lot like Saturday, but just getting stronger and more stable. Sat at table with family a meal.

Monday:
Feeling better all the time, but still fragile needing rest and some comfort from others.

So it think it is remarkable that one week ago I had surgery. The whole event affects all parts of you and your body, mind, and soul find the ways to bring you through the recovery process.

It was hard for my spouse to agree with going for surgery since I was very asymptomatic. My advises is to take all of the health you can into surgery and do not allow time for things to get worse. You will appreciate the edge that heath gives you in your recovery.

Another note: I think we are the same age. Everyone a the hospital will call you "young." It's great!

Dr. Lewis, his team, and the team at the hospital are a close knit community. Issues are addressed and we never had the feeling that we were in trouble and no one was being responsive. Everyone was interested in me and helping me get better. The guest rooms on site were extremely helpful for my wife and daughter who were there the whole time.

Cheryl Smith  YES! About to get hubby to come read this. So glad your recovery is going well. Young makes me giggle! Glad it was all attention to you and getting better. I am asymptomatic too. I go 24/7 but the TEE shows severe regurgitation so this has to be fixed now. Dr. Lewis didn't want to wait until school was out. Glad to know your timeline. One daughter in Dothan will be there for surgery and days after and hubby of course. Then daughter from Houston flies on Saturday. Thanks so much for everything. Continue to get better.

Robert Frederick  Cheryl:

I have been very fortunate. Getting from the operating room to the exit door is still a challenging process and will challenge you and your family. Perhaps its a little like labor and delivery, you know its coming, you can't change the course, it is a big deal, and if everything goes well, a positive life event.

When I was in ICU, I started having some palpitations and "noise" in my chest. A sloshing noise was ticking along with my heartbeat. My first thought was, "Something came loose inside of me and they will have to operate again!" It was not a happy thought. Like talking about another child in the delivery room.

I asked for a Dr. to come and look and look at me and they sent one down. The noise, which I could hear with just my ears, had gone away. I think it was probably some interactions of the liquid in my chest with my heartbeat because they done some adjustments to my drain before it happened.

Hope that each day in recovery will be better. When you start fantasizing about how to smuggle food into the hospital, you will soon be ready for discharge.

Cheryl Smith  My family was so appreciative of your day to day information. This helps them prepare mentally. Hopefully 2 weeks from today I will be past the ICU gig. Your positive words have helped us all. Continue the road to recovery and a full life.

Cheryl Smith  How are you doing Robert? How did you choose Dr. Lewis? My surgery is one week from today. Anything I or my caregivers need to know?

Robert Frederick  Cheryl:

For the surgery I was facing, mitral valve repair, I wanted the following: 1) robotic surgery for a repair and not a replacement, 2) a surgeon who did a good number of these operations, and 3) a surgical/hospital team that had good experience with all that this would entail.

If I could get all three in Alabama, it would be much easier for my family to provide me with support during the process.

So I found that Dr. Clifton Lewis and his team are quite good. Some of the nurses told me while I was recovering at the hospital that he has done as many a 7 operations in one day although that is not his normal routine.

The hospital is no 5 star hotel, but I felt like everyone was capable and interested in my welfare. The doctor was never far away and I saw him every day after surgery. The staff definitely know the way he wanted things done and ensured that things were taken care of.

My opinion is that Dr. Lewis might consider the robotic surgery on a broader array of clients than perhaps other doctors/hospitals because of his experience, the experience of his team, and his own strategies for success. But I can't really speak for him.

So, I felt that Princeton Baptist and Dr. Lewis' group had what I needed. My experience there confirmed these initial impressions.

Robert Frederick  Cheryl:

I found that after surgery, my internal body thermostat was very touchy. I could get a little sweaty in bed and then go into total shivers if I had to get out to the bathroom. Even after I got home, I was very sensitive to temp. The breeze from walking across the room could send me into the shivers and cause a rise in blood pressure.

I found that layering clothes and a good body length blanket that I could get under in my chair or throw over my shoulders when walking helped me regulate my temp. I also have used extensively a little electric heater in the bathroom. I turn it on whenever I go in there and can open the door to regulate the temp as required.

When I got home, I was up the first night 4 times. Three times the second, and it has lowered to one. I think it was mainly to pee as the catheter had made things a little sensitive.

I also had some busy thoughts after going to sleep. I had to tell myself before going to sleep that I did not have to act on any of the items that my mind was working on through the night to relieve myself from the burden of trying to resolve all of these thoughts.

Surely the disruptions of surgery, medications, and some pain will affect each of us differently. Just know that It will get better each day.

Cheryl Smith  Hi Bob and Lynn,
My middle name is Lynn. I am fine. Been through all the emotions since Nov 19 and just ready to get it done. Ron is becoming a basket case. He will struggle in the hospital. The daughter from Dothan will be there Wed - Sat and daughter from Houston flies in Sat to Bham. So the girls will be Charles in Charge. My sis and bro and sis in law will be there too. And prob 83 yr old dad that is more like 63. I hope your thermostat issues are resolved. When I am healed they two of you should come to the Shoals for dinner. Continue healing. We go tomorrow for pre op and surgery Wed. Ready to feel good.

Robert Frederick  Cheryl:

I have three children: Laura, Age 27; Rebekah, Age 22, and Anna, age 14.

Laura got involved. We had her come to the hospital from college to support my wife and me at the hospital. Laura and I discussed all of the details of my condition and surgery beforehand. She is in graduate school in Marriage and family therapy and counselling. So she kinda went on the journey with us.

Rebekah is quieter and a little overwhelmed with life at the moment. She and her little sister stayed behind with their grandmother. When my wife started freaking out before surgery, she turned some to Rebekah (As Laura was away at college) but Rebekah did not have the capacity to help her. We talked this through and I helped as much as I could.

It was then that I realized that this surgery was much bigger than our family could handle alone. So I brought in a few more trusted friends to help us.

I think Rebekah held it all inside. I talked with Rebekah privately before surgery and arranged a trusted friend to drive her and Anna to the Hospital two days after surgery for a short visit. I wanted her to be able to participate and not be overwhelmed. She, however, caught a cold and we cancelled the trip. We talked on the phone. Before I left, I explained to her, "I feel this inside of me every day. I think it might be a little worse than they think. This is why I am not waiting. I have not told mom this, but I will after surgery."

Anna, is my sensitive one. We did not go thought the details of the surgery with her. We talked and I gave he an outline of what we expected would happen as far as times, places, and activities. We talked on the phone after surgery and she was my walking buddy after I got home. Ann got her comfort from her grandmother.

I think it may have been hardest for my wife. The thought of me not making it and going in on the early side for surgery was really working on her. I was asymptomatic which makes it hard to rationalize a big surgery. The rest of the family had to step back a little as she tried to process all of her thoughts and feelings about this.

What helped her was discussing details with the doctor and me sharing with her some of the research I had done and reasons for going ahead. She likes to plan, and we were going on a fast timeline: Scheduled Dec. 14 surgery in mid. November, heart cath. before Thanksgiving, consult with Doctor Dec. 8 and surgery Dec. 14. I just had to hang in there with her and be glad to be with her even when her emotions were overcoming her.

Knowing that we were not withdrawing from her I think helped a lot. The final discussion with the surgeon was also helpful. She wanted to be sure that we had good information necessary to go ahead with the surgery and that it all wasn't a misinterpretation of one ultrasound.

I think also what helped her was my resolve at a certain point to go ahead. We are usually the opposite. I like to put things off and she likes to get them planned and done. In this case, I was interested to get it done.

So, that is a summary of how we processed thing up front on the surgery. I had to be sort of the strong one to help everyone else process the upcoming events. That's what dads and husbands do if they have the capacity to pull it off.

Also, the email I sent the day we left for the hospital borough an outpouring of kind messages and prayers. It was good in our case to send it out the day before surgery so that Lynn did not have to process all of that beforehand. It helped her to read the kind notes while I was in the ICU.

Cheryl Smith  You have a way with words Robert and have been a source of strength for your family it seems. I know my family has gained from your words as we start this path today as we go for pre op. Surgery tomorrow. I am ready to get this behind us and not feel this inside me each day. Ditto the above for me being asymptomatic and being proactive on this.

Robert Frederick  Cheryl: Lynn and I will be praying for you and your family.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Cheryl Smith  Robert and Lynn. This verse sustained us last Wed. It was a long day. I was in ICU until about 10 am Thur. I was well taken care of there. Thur afternoon was just surviving. Friday they took out the catheter and chest tube. Wow that made a big difference. I am doing the spirometer and walking. The care here is amazing. I may be released tomorrow. Thanks to both for the help upfront on what to expect. Our daughters are changing shifts tonight. Dothan one going home and Houston coming here for a week Thanks again.

Sophia Ridley  Your story sounds similar to mine. I hope all has gone well. I was told by a colleague whom had a quad bypass "don't rush back". I'm 4wks post OHS, I couldn't imagine returning to work in two weeks. Best wishes for your recovery.

Emily Rowley  How did the Robotic (not fully open?) Surgery went Robert?
Whoa, it took me about 6 months to return to School-went well the first week then had alot of days off after then. I plan to take 3 months off work this time-maybe more if I need it!

Robert Frederick  Moving around more and feeling better. Eating a little smaller portions that usual. Energy improving each day.

Robert Frederick  12/16 Made it thought Christmas. Incisions healing. Eating well. Sleeping about two hours at at time (get up to pee). Walking up and downs steps 4-5 times per day.

Physically I am coming back.

Mentally, my mind has been pretty clear. I use Sudoku puzzles as one measure. I could do an easy one in about 8 minutes before surgery. Four days after surgery, I could not complete the easy ones because I kept making mistakes. Lights were on, but nobody home on the numbers part.

I wrote myself a note before surgery that I put it my desk that said,

"remember, you might forget a few things."

Memory, seems OK now and I am back to 8 minutes.

Emily Rowley  That's great to hear your recovery (both physically and mentally) is going really well for you :D Great note. Did you also write a letter before Open-Heart Surgery to yourself or family/friends? I know my concentration level was poor Post-Op, how's yours? I am worried I will forget important passwords and things Post-Op, has this happened to you? Wow, takes me 20 mins to complete one Sudoku puzzle lol. What food did you eat in Hospital and now at home?

Sorry for my late response, I only just saw it on my Computer.

Robert Frederick  Here is the email I sent to my friends the day before surgery. I sent it to all my home email list (about 125 people). We received a good response from this.

All:

I will be in Birmingham Alabama for heart surgery on Monday December 14, 2015.

Dr. Clifton Lewis and his team will be repairing my mitral valve using the Da Vinci Medical Robot. It has damage that has developed from a congenital condition. I feel fine but the condition will continue to get worse if untreated. I feel very calm and hopeful for a good outcome.

Please pray for any aspect of this endeavor as you see fit. We should know how things are progressing after the surgery by the end of the week. I am planning medical leave until 1 February, 2016.

Lynn's email is _____ if you would like to send her a note of encouragement. She may not have time to get back to you (this email is going to 125 people) but would appreciate hearing from you if you have time.

Sincerely,


Bob Frederick

Emily Rowley  Aww lovely email, your message is well conveyed. How did your children (although growing up everyday) respond and feel?

Robert Frederick  I have three children: Laura, Age 27; Rebekah, Age 22, and Anna, age 14.

Laura got involved. We had her come to the hospital from college to support my wife and me at the hospital. Laura and I discussed all of the details of my condition and surgery beforehand. She is in graduate school in Marriage and family therapy and counselling. So she kinda went on the journey with us.

Rebekah is quieter and a little overwhelmed with life at the moment. She and her little sister stayed behind with their grandmother. When my wife started freaking out before surgery, she turned some to Rebekah (As Laura was away at college) but Rebekah did not have the capacity to help her. We talked this through and I helped as much as I could.

It was then that I realized that this surgery was much bigger than our family could handle alone. So I brought in a few more trusted friends to help us.

I think Rebekah held it all inside. I talked with Rebekah privately before surgery and arranged a trusted friend to drive her and Anna to the Hospital two days after surgery for a short visit. I wanted her to be able to participate and not be overwhelmed. She, however, caught a cold and we cancelled the trip. We talked on the phone. Before I left, I explained to her, "I feel this inside of me every day. I think it might be a little worse than they think. This is why I am not waiting. I have not told mom this, but I will after surgery."

Anna, is my sensitive one. We did not go thought the details of the surgery with her. We talked and I gave he an outline of what we expected would happen as far as times, places, and activities. We talked on the phone after surgery and she was my walking buddy after I got home. Ann got her comfort from her grandmother.

I think it may have been hardest for my wife. The thought of me not making it and going in on the early side for surgery was really working on her. I was asymptomatic which makes it hard to rationalize a big surgery. The rest of the family had to step back a little as she tried to process all of her thoughts and feelings about this.

What helped her was discussing details with the doctor and me sharing with her some of the research I had done and reasons for going ahead. She likes to plan, and we were going on a fast timeline: Scheduled Dec. 14 surgery in mid. November, heart cath. before Thanksgiving, consult with Doctor Dec. 8 and surgery Dec. 14. I just had to hang in there with her and be glad to be with her even when her emotions were overcoming her.

Knowing that we were not withdrawing from her I think helped a lot. The final discussion with the surgeon was also helpful. She wanted to be sure that we had good information necessary to go ahead with the surgery and that it all wasn't a misinterpretation of one ultrasound.

I think also what helped her was my resolve at a certain point to go ahead. We are usually the opposite. I like to put things off and she likes to get them planned and done. In this case, I was interested to get it done.

So, that is a summary of how we processed thing up front on the surgery. I had to be sort of the strong one to help everyone else process the upcoming events. That's what dads and husbands do if they have the capacity to pull it off.

Also, the email I sent borough an outpouring of kind messages and prayers. It was good in our case to send it out the day before surgery so that Lynn did not have to process all of that beforehand. It helped her to read the kind notes while I was in the ICU.

Robert Frederick  PRAYERS ANSWERED

DRBOB V 2.0 Heart Upgrade
Successfully Installed and Operating Properly.

On Monday Morning, December 14 at 8:45 AM, I was rolling down a long corridor towards the operating room.

On Saturday December 19, I was rolling out the door to go home.

A million things happened in between in perfect order orchestrated by the Father and bathed in the prayers of his people. I requested your prayers, and we felt them each step of the way.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Robert Frederick  Enrique: Thank you for your note. Pray for my wife. it is impacting her more than me at this point.

Robert Frederick  Cheryl:

We live in Huntsville. My wife and I went to Princeton Baptist on Tuesday this week for pre-op testing and a visit with Dr. Lewis. It is an easy drive down I-65 and not too far off of i-20.

I had my cath. done by Dr. Cox at Crestwood Hospital in Huntsville. A lot of waiting and the procedures only lasts about 20 minutes. They gave me something to relax me and I was"awake" during the procedure. Just felt some pressure etc. You are there for a while afterward until they make sure that the site has healed to the point you can walk.

If you are a scientist, ask them for a copy of the DVD. It is cool.

Also, have your family helpers keep after the medical records folks and pre-arrange to get the DVD and other records to Dr. Lewis. There is a lot of bureaucracy here, and it did not seem to work very reliably for me anyway.

Sincerely,

Bob Frederick

Cheryl Smith  We live in Muscle Shoals. I had my TEE last month. Had my cath at Princeton Wed and my scans today (Thur). Surgery is Jan 6, 2016. I have to get the DVD's. Gloria said after surgery I can get them. Will be great teaching tools when I teach waves and sound. Best wishes on your surgery and comfort for your wife.