Suzanne's Guestbook

Suzanne, Does your chest still hurt? Mine still has these sharp stabbing pain at random places from time to time. They say it's nerve repairing, but it's annoying. BTW, what color is your incision? My is still red. I have seen someone's incision at rehab that is white after 4 months. But my is still read after 3 months. Just wondering. Hope all is well with you.

Suzanne, One more thing. My incision and my chest still hurts too. Not constantly, but sporatically. The pain is sharp and very short, kind o like tinkling. The area near the incision feels numb when I touch it. I think it just takes longer for me.

Suzanne, Glad to see you are back posting. I was wondering how you are doing. BTW, we had surgery the same day. It has only been 7 weeks, not 8. You had me scared for a moment. I am also still struggling w/ sleep. Ambien did not work for me. Melatonin helps but it was not deep sleep. Hope your heart beat issue will resolve itself.

Hi Suzanne! Glad you are doing well. Made me laugh about your walk with the bears. I guess it is ok unless they beat you home! I hope you are sleeping better too! I am going to have a Bovine tissue valve as my valve replacement on Aug. 20th. so I guess we will be related, Ha! Take care and keep up the walking! I hope you keep improving day by day.

Terrie, thanks for asking, I am doing well. It's been four weeks and things get better every day. On nights I don't sleep well, the next day I feel tired but hoping that will improve soon. I live inthe country and I walk in my neighborhood, it's about a mile from start to finish. It's about the only place I can walk unless someone drives me somewhere. On Wednesday it seems two bears were taking the same route at the same time. Have to go to plan B to get my walking in I guess.

Last night I took an evening walk, had a cup of coffee at 5 pm ( so I could stay awake past 7 pm) and took a Unisom at. 9:30 and went to sleep. It seemed to work. I did wake at 1 am but fell back to sleep till 5 am. For me that was progress. When I wake in the middle of the night I am In pain, I guess because of the position I have slept in. I also have to wear a CPAP machine so that complicates things.

Same thing is starting to happen with me with the daytime sleepiness and not being able to sleep at night. Sounds like many of us are in the same situation.

Suzanne, Glad to hear that you are doing well. I have my surgery the same day as you. I still can't sleep well. I don't turn on TV, but I came out to the living room and tried to sleep on the recliner. Sometimes that works and sometimes not. I can only sleep on my right side, which makes me uncomfortable.

I still wake in the middle of the night and turn on the TV. I hope you can kick that habit better than I could. Keep moving. Walking is great exercise. Glad your vision is better.

I saw the comment about the vitamin d3 and was going to look into that - I already take 10,000 IU daily to help with bipolar depression....maybe upping the dose would help both. I'll check with my drs before doing anything though. Glad to hear your ride home was relatively comfortable. Yeah, that Percocet is pretty good stuff - I finally stopped taking it completely about 2 days ago. Worked for the pain but it always made me so groggy and put me to sleep. I don't even want to think about what the airbag going off would feel like..... I had a car accident a few years back where the drivers bag went off and I don't remember much about the impact of the bag - or it even going off - except the pain and swelling in my thumb (which may have been in the way of the bag) and the coughing/choking fit I had from the dust/powder when the airbag deployed itself. I wouldn't want to be trying to deal with that a few days after OHS - THAT'S for sure. Glad you are doing well :)

Hi Suzanne, Hope things are still going well for you. Was reading through some of your guestbook and it makes me feel a bit better.... I have had ocular migraines for years but not this frequently. Since having the surgery done I've had about 4 occurrences plus a lot of the little zippy glow streaks... It makes me feel a bit better that others have experienced it too. My dr's PA says this is sometimes a common thing and should subside with time. Hope so. How was your car ride back to New Jersey? I made the mistake on my car ride home to sit in the back seat - before we realized that the seat belt back there continues to cinch itself down --- very painful. Had to pull over and get in the front seat instead and take our chances with the air bag. Much more comfortable. All I could think about before we pulled over was I don't know how Suzanne could do an 8 hour drive in this much pain..... Again, hope you are recovering nicely and that things are getting better and better each day. Take care...

HI Suzanne, So glad to see your doing well. I wrote to you before. I told you that I will be anticipating aortic valve replacement in about a year. I wanted you to know I get the auras in my vision also I have had them off and on for 10 years. my dr said they were a form of migraine, I never ever have headaches.but I did find out that I was deficient in vitamin d 3 I started taking them and after I did my auras just about stopped I got I in the last year. just thought id share. warm regards Joan R.

Suzanne, Sounds like you are on the right track. I have had the auras you are talking about. When I was young I would get them and then have a full blown headache. When they happen now, its just a mild headache that doesn't even require meds. I do see floaters occasionally too. I think what I have now are an ocular migraine? Hope this helps.

I had the visual migraines - the wavy lines in my peripheral vision - frequesntly a few eyars ago, but not so much leading up to surgery. I've had a few since then, About the eyes focusing separately - YES! And I could never describe it so my doctor could understand. I've kept track of it and it seems (for me) to be related to many different things - caffeine intake (more or less than usual), lack of sleep, monthly cycle, and increased stress. It used to scare the crap out of me when it happened while I was driving. I found if I closed my left eye and turned my head to the left it would subside after a few minutes. it was like my eye muscles were arguing with each other. A dark quiet area and a bit of chocolate usually made it go away. I suspect they are closely related to the wavy-line migraines so many of us have. Glad to hear you are walking more and more, keep it up!

I have little "fireflys" in my peripheral vision at times. I had it a lot right after surgery, but it has subsided a good bit now, but still happens a few times a day.. I'm 8 months post op.

Suzanne, Thank you for your kind words & encouragements. I am happy to see you doing well & having some new toys to play with. I have a blood pressure monitor & just got a finger blood oxygen monitor. Pretty cool. Best wishes to you on your recovery.

Thanks Suzanne for your "take" on the cath procedure. I am fine this morning with the whole thing as I want to move forward and feel good knowing this test will let the cardiologist know the next step. I am going to look at this as the "next step" into pointing me towards having more energy and getting back to being excited about making plans for the future. I am learning from the journals to grow with this experience instead of fearing what lies ahead like I had been previously. Adam's book was my first step into realizing just how common these valve replacements are and that each of us will have our own unique experience. How nice it is not to feel like we are the only one's having to make these decisions. To know how to prepare for things after the surgery too has been a big help and thank you to all of you who are sharing the experience. I hope you all out there are doing well, gaining strength and taking the opportunity to exchange your ideas and feelings in these journals. Thanks Suzanne for helping me also find the humorous moments in some of it as well.

Hello again. Terrie here. Great to hear that you are both getting some sleep and the teeth are dong better. I applaud your enthusiasm but think you better be careful on those stairs Lady. Falling would not be "a good thing"! Be patient! I am going in for sure for Angiogram this Friday and all of a sudden getting a bit nervous but know I really want to get this done and know more about my beautiful heart. I am nervous about what to eat the night before so that I will be able to sit still for the hours afterward it takes to heal up the cath-hole! Anybody out there want to put their two cents worth in on that?!!! I find I am getting jealous of all of you who are so far ahead of me as I can't wait to be on the "mend". The waiting is not going to be easy, is it? Well, hummingbirds drank up all their food in record time so I am off to go make some more and get them fed. Good thoughts and the best energy being sent to all the Heart-folks tonight!

I felt the same way about side sleeping. At my 3 week post op appt with the surgeon, he said, "If it feels good, do it!" But you should definitely talk with the PT. Yay for not having to sleep on our backs anymore!

Good morning(here anyway)Suzanne! Thanks for the Birthday wishes. Had a good/quiet one. Too hot hear to do much outdoors. Glad to hear your tooth problem may be answered. I also appreciate your sense of humor as I find humor is powerful! I am glad your experience seemed to be probably less difficult than you might have imagined going in- Your journal is helping many of us and I keep reading it and others now with great anticipation! It has become the "good book I can't put down". So many people out there going through so many of the same feelings and circumstances. Before I found this site it seemed like I was so alone.(No poor me here, just a bit too shy to venture out into opening up and to the topic of heart surgeries, etc. Now I am less intimidated about just coming out with it and it feels really good. I have to say I am actually looking forward to moving forward instead of dreading it. I guess "Adam" just knew what He was doing, eh? I am making a binder of each of the people that are responding to me as a way of keeping it up front that this is a journey we are all not going on alone. I also have to say I am especially enjoying seeing how family/friends and spouses especially have stepped up to the plate too. (standing ovation here!) So I am out to change the hummingbird feeder and dead-head some roses! Good Day. Terrie

Hello Suzanne. I just started actually posting my own journal last week and hadn't read your postings until today. I thought this might amuse you to know that today is my 65th Birthday and I am now sitting here reading your "journal postings" start to finish and reading aloud to my husband so that each of us gains knowledge through your experiences! I hope you are doing better soon and want to thank you for the "Birthday and Anniversary" gift of your expressing yourself through your journal! So thanks and Happy Memorial Day.

Hi Suzanne.. I went to CCF and came home with tooth pain as well. :( Just before they put me to sleep one of the "fellows" told me they may chip a tooth. I have had many surgeries and no one ever mentioned that to me before! I also had my dentist check it out (several times now) and it still is very sensitive 22 months later! The dentist found no problem, but did tell me they were instructed to tell patients the same thing when he was in school and observed in surgery. I do use toothpaste now for sensitive teeth and it does help some. I just figured it was "self inflicted" since I probably "clamped down" on the "tube".. lol Whatever the cause..tooth #7 has never been the same. Continue your walking.....it truly helps in your recovery! :) Take Care..

Suzanne, Before surgery, I sleep on my sides & stomach. Now I can only sleep on my back. Sleeping on my left side give me chest pain. On the right side is ok but makes me cough. Anyway, I hate sleeping on my back.