Rob's Guestbook

Hi Rob, This is Anna Thomas. I happen to be on our Google account right now which I believe has my husband's name on it. I was just going through some of our old correspondence from people that kept in touch, donated, sent cards and such before my surgery. I just wanted to check in and say thank you again for being so kind and to see how you yourself were doing! I hope all is well. It was very kind of you to think of me and will never be forgotten. This site and people on here, well, hold a very special place in my heart. Big pun intended! I sure hope this finds you doing great! With sincerest regards! Anna

Hello Rob . Just finished reading your Story, Journal and guestbook! Liked reading it as it and most of these posts become like reading a good "book", don't they? I loved your attitude from start to finish and you taught me quite a bit in your writing(especially that you paid attention to your Wife! which is something I will have to do better with my Husband who lately has gotten a bit more frustrated with me! chuckle. I read that you had an ablation not long after your surgery which is something I was scheduled to have before my latest tests showed it was time to schedule surgery for Aortic Stenosis. So I will be having an ablation in the near future after the surgery as well for SVT problem. I had a quick visit to the ER when they couldn't get a rapid heartbeat to back off. I have been on an added medication since that has seemed to work for now but will look forward to an ablation to hopefully erase the problem. Pretty awesome they can do such a thing. Congratulation on all your successes and continue to heal. Be patient and love to your wife for taking such good care of you too.

Rob, liked your journal entry and pleased that you are positively almost there! Could you explain what "EF" Is. Why is it important ? I am trying to learn all of these indicators prior to my surgery because we live several hours away from my surgeon and cardiologist and we must be self reliant and problem solvers in many ways. Take care.

Rob that is a small world that your first name is Willard and I enjoyed reading about your family.I read a lot about heart valves and I never heard of a horse valve being used.I know Arnold S.and Adam Pick had the Ross operation that is suppose to last a long time.

Rob I had a bovine valve put in Feb 2010 at 67 yrs.old What is a pony valve and how old were you at the time you had this done.how long did they say it would last?

Thanks for your response and I'm so glad to see that your wife was supportive and encouraged you, especially regarding your quality of life together. My husband is supportive as well, and I have to believe that makes a world of difference. I can't imagine going through these things alone. I am Anna Thomasq and can't figure out how to fix that. :) My best to you and your family and May God continue to provide you with an abundance of blessings!

That was an amazing post. Some of the things you said hit home for me. I'm only 47 and struggling with what to do...it's a birth defect, I've gone this long without doing something, why shouldn't I keep status quo, etc. You talking about your family was all I needed to see to know that's why I can't keep things status quo. Thank you; it made a difference today!

You hit some excellent points in your journal entry. Im glad you're doing well! I tried to keep the smile in the hospital as much as I could. To see my nurses come in each day, smiling, willing to do anything to help you do the simplest of tasks to the less desirable, why not make it at least a bit more pleasant for them too. I'm grateful for all the staff that made my stay truly amazing along with the help of my husband spending long hours by my side. I'm 33 and will see my cardiologist Thursday and am curious about rehab. I got the "baby of the bunch" honor at the hospital :)

Welcome from another misplaced Texan. Good advice, you hit it all right on the head. I just turned 50 the day after my surgery in September, so I'm a little bit younger than you. I tell everybody to keep smiling too, and to be patient. It's not easy though. There can be some pretty darned frustrating times during recovery. I'm 6 months post op, and still having some memory issues, but my memory was a bit hit and miss before surgery, so it's hard to tell if it's worse. Heal well.