Anne's Journal

When I get the messages from Adam, it reminds me to check in on the journals for this wonderful site! I had AVR 3 years ago July 16. The best thing Adam did for me was tell me to get a second opinion. I went to Cleveland Clinic and had a pretty amazing experience. You can go back through my journal to see how quickly I was able to recover - thanks to their minimally invasive procedure. I still can\'t believe how it far surpassed any expectations I had about the recovery process. Not having my sternum split open was the key. Life has been SO much better these past three years plus I have quit worrying about the murmur my cardiologist was following for years. That was such a nagging concern in the back of my mind. So my advice from my current vantage point is to do your homework. One great thing that happened was that last summer Barry Stone from NM who followed me into surgery by about four months and did what I did. He went back to Cleveland and had the same amazing surgeon, Tom Mihaljevic. Well, Barry was headed for a family event in Colorado and was passing by my house. He stopped for lunch and it was just wonderful. He signed and left me a racing bib that he had worn - just because I had inspired him! What a fun visit it was - you know how close we get to our fellow journal keepers!

Hi guys, About 6 months ago I bought a \"Fitbit Ultra\" which is like a pedometer except it communicates with your computer and gives you a record and encouragement. The Fitbit itself is a small gadget that I clip to my bra first thing in the morning. I tells me steps, miles, calories burned, and flights of stairs climbed - or in my case - hills. My health insurance company sent me another gadget that clips on my shoes but I never get around to changing it from one pair to the next. Plus it comes off and the dogs find it and I don\'t need to know how far they are traveling! Anyway, I first found the Fitbit at the Cleveland Clinic kiosk at the shopping mall in Cleveland. Since then I have seen it at REI and other sports store. I am finding that it motivates me to get my steps in for the day. Oh, it also comes with a wrist band that holds it at night and gives you an idea of how well you are sleeping. This isn\'t a paid ad - I just love my Fitbit. I put it on in the AM and forget it. So happy to hear that Linda and Stephanie are doing great. My friends are beginning to wonder about me. I am always talking about these people I met on line who are having heart surgery and I am so excited when they are safely on the \"good side!\" Long, happy lives to all of them!

I have been very remiss in posting to my journal and see it has been almost one year since my last entry. I keep thinking I will write something philosophical and profound but that just never seems to happen. As I look back, my AVR has been nothing short of amazing. I had a cardiologist appointment last Friday and he continues to be impressed by my \"weekend surgery\", as he calls it, and recovery. My exam and EKG were both excellent. As you may recall, he was not really on board with my decision to go to Cleveland. He wanted me to go with the surgeons in his group who would have done the typical full sternotomy. I was told that the surgeon really needed to open my chest and have lots of room to work. I chose to look into Cleveland Clinic and am still amazed that I was able to make a phone call, get an appointment with one of the best heart surgeons in the world and schedule surgery. Dr. Mihaljevic replaced my aortic valve using a minimally invasive surgery as discussed by Dr. Gillinov on this website recently. My incision was about 3 inches down the center of my sternum. I went into the hospital on Friday about 10, had surgery in the mid-afternoon and was released from CC on Monday morning. I was able to shower, wash my hair and get dressed completely by myself. We flew back to Denver Tuesday morning. Before my husband left for work on Wednesday, I made him drive me to the store where I shopped on my own. Pain was nonexistent and my recovery was complete within weeks. Both my PCP and Cardiologist were amazed to see me looking so hale and hearty shortly after my return. In a subsequent trip, my cardiologist said he has told everyone about my \"weekend surgery\" and that the surgeons in his group have been in touch with CC to learn the procedure I had. He expressed an interest in seeing others who have had the same operation I did to see if they are doing as well. Unfortunately for me but most surely not for him, Dr. Mihaljevic has gone to Abu Dhabi to be Chief of Staff at the new Cleveland Clinic there. However, I would have no problem recommending any of the surgeons at CC, they all seem to be excellent. The entire facility is like a trip to the Starship Enterprise and everyone you encounter is first rate. Would be happy to answer any questions Anne P.S. Nancy from St. Louis - leave me another message with your e-mail address filled in so I can respond!

Barbara said on \"The View\" a couple of days ago that next Friday, which I assume will be Feb. 4, she is appearing in a TV Special with David Letterman, Regis Philbin, Robin Williams and maybe another celebrity or two. They will be discussing their heart operations - think the title is \"Matter of Life and Death.\" Should be interesting. Barbara had an article in \"Vanity Fair\" magazine a few months ago (accessible on the VF website) called \"Change of Heart\" - (catchy titles Babs!) - about her aortic valve replacement surgery. These might be of interest to HVJ readers! Anne

It\'s been over six months since my aortic valve was replaced by Dr. Mihaljevic at the Cleveland Clinic. If I didn\'t find myself silently thanking that brilliant surgeon daily, I would almost forget that I had major surgery in July. When I last made an entry in my journal, I was frustrated that I hadn\'t found a suitable cardio-rehab program. Shortly after I wrote that, I located an excellent facility - South Denver Heart Center. I began to attend classes three times a week right before Christmas and have been amazingly dutiful in driving the 40 minutes one way to the gym. The staff at SDHC and my trainer at Fitness Together (FT) have managed to inspire me to establish goals and I have been striving to improve my overall health with these goals in mind. Nothing like waiting until your late 60’s to decide to make your health a priority… I used to dread the periodic testing at FT. When they would put me on the treadmill and start the test program, I couldn\'t walk for five minutes. This was pre-surgery and I remember the feeling of failure that would overcome me because I was in such horrid condition. Now I realize that it truly wasn\'t my fault. I simply had no oxygen in my system and it was impossible to complete any type of test. I\'m not kidding when I say that it\'s a wonder I survived to make it to Cleveland! I was SO determined that nothing could possibly be wrong with me that would necessitate surgery. Four weeks after my Cleveland trip, when my Denver cardiologist cleared me to go back to FT, I remember my first warm-up on the treadmill. For the first time in my history, I could walk at a good clip AND talk. Such a great feeling! Despite my plugging along weekly, I just wasn\'t making that much progress as my periodic testing demonstrated. I was better, yes, but not as good as I could be. I think - FINALLY - that I have a program I can follow. I obviously never had a clue what constitutes \"being in shape.\" I know now that it is going to entail five or six days a week of working for 30 - 45 minutes with my heart rate in the target zone - OUCH! When I see a plate of desserts, I am trying to remember to superimpose a vision of a treadmill over them. There is indeed a price to pay for indulgences! This lesson has been a long time coming... One of the best things about SDHC is the Nutrition class that follows my Monday workout! A Registered Dietitian, Susan Buckley, speaks on various subjects for 45 minutes and then, (Drum roll!!!) we have a cooking demonstration by Richard Collins MD, otherwise known as the Cooking Cardiologist. It\'s been the best and I have learned tons of useful info! They have a cookbook, “Cooking with Heart” that has become a fixture in my kitchen. Another odd thing that has transpired since July is that I have been contacted by a wide variety of people wanting to know about my \"journey.\" They find me, not only through this journal, but through my social contacts and Erik’s business associates. It seems like everyone knows someone who has a heart problem! I know I am annoying in the extreme about my very successful outcome in Cleveland. But if I am annoying, Erik is WAAAY worse! He accompanied me to Ohio thinking I would need a good deal of care and \"nursing\". When it turned out I needed very little coddling, he was elated. Following my trip to Ohio, when his friends would ask how it went, off he would go! He loves to talk in the first place and this gave him a whole new topic to expound upon. He is fond of telling people that, if they had seen me five days after surgery, they would have asked when I was having my operation. I looked that “regular” that fast! I\'ve ended up meeting people (at their request!) in a variety of places and it has been very satisfying to share what I have experienced along the way. I have appreciated the advice all of you have shared over the past year. I am now trying to organize my notes, in addition to the assorted tidbits I have picked up from doctors, nurses, fellow heart valve patients and Erik, who can fill in details – especially about CICU – when I wasn’t really “with it”! If I am successful in pulling this all together, I will have an organized way to present information instead of the scattered non-method I now use! My best to all of you! And you all know what Adam says!!! Keep on tickin’

As of December 16, my shiny aortic valve has been in place for five months! Hard to believe.I can\'t think of a thing that I can\'t do better than before surgery. For those of you who are facing valve replacement and yet think you are doing just fine. You probably aren\'t! If your experience follows mine, I think you will find you have a new burst of energy after surgery. My only frustration is cardio-rehab - or lack thereof. My cardiologist seemed to feel I was \"beyond that.\" Well, despite my fast recovery, I\'m not. Today I had a great conversation with my trainer at \"Fitness Together\" about this. He has a background in rehab and cardio conditioning. I think that together we have come up with a plan that will improve my over-all health. Specifically my goal is to double my VO2 Max (whatever that is...) I think he is regarding me as a \"project\" which is great. I feel strongly that I owe it to my new valve and Dr. Mihaljevic to make the best of my new lease on life. I hope some of you saw Barbara Walters\' article \"Her Change of Heart\" in the December issue of \"Vanity Fair\" magazine. It was the one with Cher on the cover. Anyway, it now appears on \"VanityFair.com\". It\'s quite interesting. I understand that she is also doing a TV special on her aortic valve replacement. Happy holidays to all of you! Anne

I keep meaning to write an update to my journal but life always interferes! We have been having such a wonderful fall here in Colorado that it\'s always easy to find something more fun than sitting at the computer. I\'ve taken some spectacular walks in the Open Space near our house - the colors of the trees against the blue sky make every walk through fields of golden grasses a sheer joy! Joy Vera, if you are still reading, it\'s Elk Meadows in Bergen Park! My surgery in July seems so far away. I had a follow-up appointment with my cardiologist in mid-August and he seems to have changed his tune about the Cleveland Clinic based on my experience. He was not a supporter of my decision to go to CC, telling me that I would just be a number there. Well, as I found out that number is ONE. During my appointment, he had a question for me \"How did I feel different from before my surgery?\" He was asking because most other post-surgical patients he sees are in such discomfort from the procedure that they really aren\'t aware of the improvement yet. By 4 weeks out, I was feeling a lot more energy and able to keep an active schedule for an entire day. He also remarked that I had the smallest incision he had ever seen. After the consultation, I was at the appointment desk and another cardiologist came by. She stopped and said she had heard from my doctor that congratulations were in order because I had had heart surgery and was doing great. Then she added, \"And he said it was the smallest incision he had ever seen.\" So, again, it confirms that this type of surgery is not common in Denver. My recovery has continued without a glitch. I had an echo after three months to establish a baseline. The cardiologist told me that everything looked PERFECT. Love to hear that! Before I had surgery, I was concerned that I wouldn\'t be able to take part in a big dog show my local Golden Retriever club had been planning for three years. I was hospitality chair and the show would be taking place 10 weeks after my surgery. Dr. Mihaljevic\'s nurse assured me I would be fine but I took that info with a grain of salt. Well, she was more than right. It was a slam dunk. When the event finally arrived, I got up every morning about 6 and never got to bed before 11 and went full steam all day. I had energy to burn. One interesting thing I have noticed. Before my operation, I would take awhile to get going in the morning and had various aches and pains. For some reason, that seems to have gone away. Could it be that getting more oxygenated blood has improved that situation? Just wondering... I look back on life before surgery and realize how much I rationalized my condition. I was sobered by a comment made by the Echocardiogram guy at my appointment. He said \"Oh, and one of the symptoms of aortic stenosis is dropping dead.\" Yikes!!! As much as I pushed myself to exercise and pretend I was \"normal\" in my pre-surgery days, I see now that I really wasn\'t. Based on my experience, I want to assure those of you contemplating surgery that things really do get better! It\'s SO worth it. Another thing that I haven\'t seen discussed often is the cost. I knew I would be responsible for a portion of my surgery since my secondary policy doesn\'t cover procedures outside of Colorado. Erik and I were thinking we might have to pay in the range of $25,000 out of pocket. I finally got a bill from CC - four pages and it includes EVERYTHING - doctors, surgery, labs, tests) and it was less than 10% of what we expected. Amazing ending to an amazing journey! Hope all my buddies who had surgery before and about the same time I did are doing splendidly! Your encouragement and advice helped so much - Ricki, Mark, Sandy, Fran, Joy. Best of everything to all of you! Anne

It\'s hard to believe that three weeks ago, I was flopped in my bed in CICU at Cleveland Clinic! Mainly because I feel so back to normal now. My recovery has been pretty uneventful and that\'s a great thing!. Except that I have to remember not to lift heavy stuff, I can do any normal tasks around the house. I have tried hard to eliminate naps and to stay busy so I can return to a full night of sleep and a day of activity. Erik\'s attention was always drawn to the discussion of how soon after surgery people could return to work. I have been retired for four years and my skill at being a retiree is pretty much unsurpassed. However, Erik seemed to have his hopes up that I was about to jump back into the job market. Poor misguided boy! Anyway, it is apparent that if I felt the urge to return to work, I could easily do so now. It won\'t happen BUT if I were so inclined, I could be greeting shoppers at WalMart... One thing I have noticed is that before surgery, if I were going up a hill or riding a bicycle, I had NO strength in my legs. I\'m sure it had to do with no oxygen being pumped to those big muscles. Now I don\'t notice that sensation. I may be breathless from being out of shape but it\'s totally different. I couldn\'t be more pleased or amazed with my recovery. It is so different from what I planned on it being.

My good friend, Debbie, reported for duty yesterday morning as my chauffeur and package carrier. She ran me down the hill to see my doctor for a check-up. It was all good. First the nurse had a hard time believing I had open heart surgery on the 16th AND that I actually was released from the hospital three days later. She said \"You better spread the word, girl!\" I think the doctor was also startled to see me looking so hale and hearty. He inspected my incision and the wire and tube holes and pronounced all to be healing nicely. I suspect that their reactions indicate that this type of minimally invasive surgery is NOT commonplace in the Denver area. Now I just go back to see the cardiologist in mid-August which is a month after my surgery. Debbie was a good driver and took me to Whole Foods and then we went out to lunch with another friend. Her afternoon assignment was to run me up into the mountains where I got my hair cut and some grey relief... Great day with lots of laughs and many things accomplished! My shoulder/back pain hasn\'t returned since using the spirometer regularly - coincidence or the reason? Have been feeling really good - energetic, no discomfort and VERY happy to be on this side of the surgery. Overall. at this point out, I wouldn\'t say it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Not really even close. Falling off a tall horse onto a granite rock slab two years ago would win that prize! My entire body was purple and I could barely move for weeks. This operation has been far less painful. Doing lots of walking around the house and front yard because finding a level surface is a challenge at our house. Go out the drive and it\'s either up or down. Erik has been known to drive me places to make a few laps. We call it \"Walking Miss Bessie\" (the cow) as opposed to when he gets to \"Driving Miss Daisy.\" I have to remember about not lifting heavy stuff - like our tubby cats! Best wishes to all of you for a speedy and uneventful recovery!

Just checking in from Colorado. I\'ve been feeling quite perky since my return except for yesterday when I was a tad \"off.\" I had a pain in my back which, of course, got me thinking all sorts of bad things. We took a long drive to northern Colorado to pick up our lovebird from friends who were keeping her for us. When we got home, I went back over what I had been doing. First of all, I hadn\'t been sleeping well and I discovered one of my medications could cause insomnia so I moved my final dosage of the day to about 4 PM. Last night was much better. Then I reviewed Adam\'s book and found that when he had shoulder/back pain, he went back to using his spirometer. I did that hourly for the rest of the afternoon and evening and it seems to have cleared up the problem. Pays to follow those instructions! Tomorrow I go to my general practitioner for a check-up. I think all will be fine. I\'m very happy with my progress. I\'m looking forward to getting the OK to drive!

I know for the past few months I have used these journals for the express purpose of charting out what my timeline might be for recovery. Fellow HVJ people have been terrific about answering my questions and telling me what to expect. I\'m going to try and let you know what my experience was and maybe it will help someone! I know we all have different circumstances and come to our surgeries from different places so I can\'t promise that what I went through will be similar to your experience. I hope for your sake, it is!!! My yearly physical was May 9 and shortly thereafter I met with my cardiologist for an echo and evaluation. He delivered the bad news that I had to consider surgery. He gave me some options in Denver but then, I had read Adam\'s book and I knew what other plans of action were out there. For some reason, I decided Cleveland Clinic was the place. I selected Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic from their webpage and began to assemble my records to overnight to CC. They arrived on June 2 and Dr. M. reviewed them on June 7. I spoke with Kathy in Dr. M\'s office on June 15. I was offered a surgery date of July 16 and I was thrilled! I arrived in Cleveland a few days early to spend time with my 90 year old mother, and then began testing on July 14. I had an echo and a meeting with Dr. Mihaljevic on July 15. The echo tech showed me a picture of my crappy, crusty, calcium covered valve which was an eye opener. Then we met Dr. M and had a great meeting. I was totally comfortable with the decision I had made. Dr. Mihaljevic remarked that if I, in any way, considered this an elective surgery, it wasn\'t. It was TIME. I reported for the second surgery on Friday which is 10 AM. The worst part of my prep was having to gargle with that horrid blue Listerine! Because of the meetings with CC staff leading up to this day, I don\'t feel I could have been better prepared for the operation. I was asked the level of my anxiety regarding the operation and my answer was \"zero.\" Erik and I sat around PreOp until about 1:30 when I was wheeled up to the OR. Chatted a bit with the surgical team and then went to LaLa land. Erik says they told him about 3:30 that the actual valve replacement surgery was beginning. At about 4:30, Dr. M. came down to inform Erik that everything went perfectly. Erik visited me at 6:30 in CICU and says I was nodding yes and no. I was still outfitted with my breathing tube but the best part is, I can\'t really remember it. I remember on and off throughout the following night. On Saturday, I was aware of everything. The breathing tube was gone. By noon, they were ready to move me to a private room, but there wasn\'t an opening available. I finally got transferred to my private room about 4 in the afternoon. I had two wonderful nurses for my entire stay, Teresa for days and Shirley all night. My incision is about three inches long and goes from the top center of my sternum down. As Erik understood it, he split my sternum and stretched it apart. I may be totally wrong about this and will check further. Whatever it is, it\'s wonderful. If I didn\'t know better, I\'d think he really had done nothing... Sunday was uneventful. Erik brought my mother to visit and she was pretty excited about that. Meals arrived but I wasn\'t really hungry. AND if I was hoping for haute cuisine, then I shouldn\'t have gone to a unit where all sugar, salt, fat and flavor is pretty much removed from everything they offer to you. Monday morning about 9 AM, a cardiologist stopped by and told me that there was really no reason for me to hang around. HUH? (I had known going into surgery that Dr. Mihaljevic would be going on vacation on Saturday afternoon and that my follow up would be done by other cardiologists.) He removed my final tube and wires and I hopped in the shower, washed my hair, dried it and packed my stuff. Erik went down to the concierge desk and changed our plane reservations to Tuesday and we were out of Dodge! Tuesday morning Erik and I went to my mother\'s apartment and we went down to the dining room at her senior center for lunch. Her friends were amazed that I was up and moving easily. I was not in any pain, and I was not on any pain relievers. The flight home was direct and uneventful. I did get a wheelchair which Erik was contracted to push to the gate (I tipped him well!) and, once in Denver, I got a cart the length of the concourse but otherwise, I did the trip under my own power. We picked up a pizza and my little dog and went home. It was WAAAY wonderful. Here are some questions I had that I can now answer. A light robe is about all you need to take - except some clothes to wear home. A small computer or game supply will be welcome because the rooms are pretty boring - you really can\'t see anything in the hall to liven things up. You have a TV and about a million health info tapes to watch. When they suggest you sit up, try it, you\'ll like it! Yes, I was able to bathe myself and wash my own hair - they provide soap and basic toiletries but you need to bring your own shampoo and dryer. I really didn\'t feel any pain around my incision. I only felt degrees of discomfort in my back and shoulders (perhaps from the way I had been restricted on the operating table?). I was given Trama??? something that is a muscle relaxant and it pretty much took care of that. But I could lie in bed and think \"Does anything on my body hurt?\" and honestly answer NO. I can get up and lie down by myself. I can sleep on my sides easily. When I left the hospital, I had 4 RX. One for the muscle relaxer which I have only taken once, a beta blocker, something like Plavix, and lasix to remove the fluid they pumped in my body during surgery. I don\'t think I ever had a narcotic pain killer.I canceled my order for a lift chair because I can get up and down just fine myself. I have told my friends they are off the hook as far as babysitting. I just can\'t drive and the reason for that is that they don\'t want you in the front seat of a car in close proximity to airbags! I never knew that... Somehow I\'ll deal! I hope this helps some of you. I was described going in as a \"perfect surgical patient\" because I had no other issues and I don\'t smoke or drink. I am not especially fit or trim - just sort of a normal pudgy 69 year old woman. Perhaps some of you will fit this mold and, with lots of luck, you can hope for these results. I feel great today. Went to the grocery store and walked around and have taken a couple of walks outside. I am looking forward to a fast and total recovery! I am almost hesitant to post this because my experience has been so positive and I don\'t want to lead people astray in the opposite direction. But I do know I am wildly happy I did it on my terms. Last night I was lying on my right side and I heard my heart beating. It wasn\'t that same old mushy, swishy sound I had been fretting over for years. It actually sounded like it was opening and closing. I am loving the sound of my new valve job! I hope each and every one of you experiences the same sense of wonder and happiness over what you have done for yourself! Oh, our idiot house sitter forgot to bring in the bird feeders and a bear kind of decimated the feeders on the deck. The instructions were so simple \"If you can\'t remember to bring in the feeders, DON\'T PUT THEM OUT\". But it\'s wonderful to be home!!! Anne

My check-out from CC went as scheduled. The young doctor who gave me my walking orders told me he is doing research on the aortic replacement through the leg vein. So maybe we\'ll see him when replacement time rolls around! The concierge at CC got our plane reservations for tomorrow afternoon. We should land at Denver about 6. It will feel good to get home. Although I can\'t complain about Cleveland and the wonderful thing they have done for me, the humidity just kills me. The A/C is my undoing. Hot places are steamy and then going inside is REALLY cold! Or at least it seems that way. The fluctuation is killer! We\'ll make another visit to check out mother in the morning than head for the airport. Direct flight on the way home - and YES - I\'ll walk up and down the aisle and, yes, I\'ll get a wheelchair. As I recall, both Cleveland and Denver airports are far walks from the gaits to the terminal! Thanks ladies for your advice! Well, this might be it until I return home. I hope it is uneventful! I feel like a milkshake or something for dinner! Sounds like I am returning to normal!

The doctor just came by and I can gp home - or back to hotel. Erik just went down to see the concierge to change his flight, make arrangements for mine and get the wheelchair. Very few meeds too.

This is mostly a memo for those of you having surgery coming up. It\' s 54 hours since I went into surgery and it\'s all good. As pain there hasn\'t been any - mostly a bit of discomfort from back and shoulder stiffness. I have had tylenol occasionally and some torredal which is a muscle relaxant. Dr. Mihaljevia went on vacation to Croatia Saturday night and I haven\'t been aware of seeing him since my surgery but Erik says he has been by. I got out of CICU about 24 hours after surgery but that was because they didn\'t have a bed for me. Another Dr. Stopped by yesterday - sunday - and they removed my wires and drain so I am totally unhooked. I have taken a walk and can go to the bathroom by myself. Mostly the doctor wanted to talk about my iPad. Erik has gotten quite attached to it and I may not get it back! So this is a message to my HVJ friends - if you can keep your anxiety down, you. \'ll do better. I think I will get out of the hospital tomorrow and fly back to Colorado on Tues. Or Weds. I am doing great! Keep up your spirits!

Anne continues to improve with every visit. She is now out of ICU and in her own private room. She is conversational, though not chatty (yet), and in no pain (all things good!). I am bringing Mother to visit tomorrow. If there is anything that will incentivize her into getting out of bed (and getting out of Cleveland), it is the thought of multiple visits with Mother dearest! I hope she will take over the blog updates on her own tomorrow, and share her thoughts and experiences with you all in her inimitable style! Footnote to blog. I-Pads ROCK! More tomorrow, hopefully from the source! Erik

Good News! Anne had her procedure this afternoon and EVERYTHING went Exactly as planned! Anne is one amazing BABE! She knew it was time, she planned out every step, and Dr. Tom performed like the studley surgeon Anne knew he was! The Cleveland Clinic ROCKS! It\'s like going to the Cherry Creek Mall at Xmas. Everyone is extremely professional. Anne got called up to the big room around 1:30. At 3:30 her studly surgeon, Dr. Tom, sauntered in, performed his miracle, and by 4:30 he was with me giving me the assurance I was hoping for- that everything had gone exactly as planned! Anne is up in ICU for the night. Hopefully, regular room tomorrow and home to Colorado on Friday, I saw her tonight, for the briefest of moments, and she looked like a Princess..... Dr. Tom says in a few weeks, she\'ll have more energy than ever. Oh my god!! Volunteers anyone? Erik

Night before my surgery and all the testing has been completed. Last one was an echo this morning (done on a Phillips machine - Michael!) I met Dr. Mihaljevic this afternoon and I am totally impressed with him and the members of his team who have prepared me for what I am about to undergo. I report to CC at 10AM - surgery begins about noon. The tests have shown me to be \"a surgeon\'s dream patient\". I\'m translating that to mean \"dream girl\" because it just sounds better! My friend, Joyce, will think I\'m using a ghost writer if I don\'t spend a sentence or two whining about the humidity here. It\'s just miserable! Erik and I walked down to the 9th Street pier this noon to check out a Farmer\'s Market. It was pretty feeble - as in one farmer, a jelly seller and a hot sauce peddler. When it came time to walk back to the hotel, I looked at the hill and whimpered. Erik volunteered to go back and get the car. What a guy! I think he was afraid his little princessI would crumple like a wilted leaf and then he would be stuck with my inert body on a city street. And what would he do with that? It was easier to go get the car... My mother was all excited to spend the day tomorrow waiting at CC. To her, it\'s what mother\'s do. And besides - as she is fond of saying - What would people think if she wasn\'t there? The thought of her dozing in a chair that she can\'t get out of and freezing to death in the really chilly waiting room just doesn\'t make any sense! I have assured her that Erik will call her with any and all news and that it is just better to wait until Saturday to visit. She wasn\'t happy about that but she snuffled bravely and said \"If that\'s what you want...\" The guilt washed over me as it was supposed to... I am looking forward to being \"on the other side\" of this surgery! Most importantly, I am relieved to be leaving behind the ten or so years of anxiety this crusty old valve has cost me! I\'m sure I\'ll find something totally new to worry about for the next ten years but it won\'t be a heart valve. Thanks to all of you, friends and HVJ buddies who have sent me wishes and prayers! I have absorbed all of those positive thoughts and appreciate them more than you will ever know!

I\'ve found I have a lot more hair once the humidity takes hold! I arrived yesterday afternoon and picked up the rental car. The CC limo sounded wonderful but Erik has volunteered to drive back and forth transporting my mother so we needed wheels. Today Mother decided she wanted to go to the Art Museum which was pretty fun. The museum is in the midst of a major rebuilding project so it can be confusing to get around. Mother used a wheelchair and I was the designated pusher. She offered many critiques of my pushing style. Bite my tongue...You know, this condition we have -faulty valves - is pretty insidious. If you didn\'t have a doctor monitoring your heart, you just might not know anything was wrong. I cerrtainly wouldn\'t. I would just attribute symptoms to the aging process. Tomorrow starts the tests. Have to report to CC at 7:30. I did the online registration. The best part was the drop-down menu for the prefix to your name. There must have been 40 things you could call yourself - Admiral, Commander, General, Sheik, Vice-President among them. You could create a whole new persona! So far I\'m not feeling any anxiety over the impending surgery. I\'m just proud of myself for being here. I didn\'t get much encouragement from my doctors when I mentioned CC. Understandably they wanted my money spent locally. This just felt like a better solution for me and I figured out how to make it work (with tons of help and encouragement from Erik). Now I\'m here and can\'t wait to get it over with!

Tomorrow I take off for Cleveland at 10:30. Erik is following me on Wednesday and I will pick him up after a day of testing.I wanted to leave a day between my arrival and the start of testing just in case there was a problem with the airlines. I\'ll spend Tuesday with my mother so she will think that\'s a good deal. We often go shopping for clothes she doesn\'t really need but that bit of retail therapy perks her right up. She has a Minnie Pearl closet - price tags hang off about half the garments in there... Today and yesterday, I distributed animals to friends. Thanks to all of you who volunteered for that assignment! We are down to one dog tonight and it\'s very quiet around the old homestead. We still have a housesitter coming in to deal with two cats and three birds. It\'s not easy to get out of this place! The past two nights have been wonderful, cool, colorful Colorado nights. We sat on the deck and watched the breeze ruffle the aspen trees and had hummingbird buzzing around our heads. Then tonight we went up the road to see a herd of 60 or more elk grazing in a meadow. About 20 were babies in their spotted coats. We sat for about 30 minutes watching the babies spring in the air, race around the outside of the herd and chase each other. I\'d never paused to see that before. We also saw two coyotes nearby on the road. I don\'t think their presence was coincidental! I\'m trying to commit every peaceful moment to memory so I can recall them easily when I need to relax. Thanks to all of you who have signed my guestbook! I never thought it would be that important to me but I am most appreciative of your thoughts!

Considering I feel pretty darn good and happy, it is hard to believe that next week I will have my aortic valve replaced in Cleveland.For some uncharacteristic reason, I feel unusually well organized and prepared for this trip. Today I found a lift chair to rent which will be waiting for me when I get home from Cleveland. I had made about five calls to companies that don\'t rent - just sell. Was thinking I might have to buy one from Craigslist but then Erik sent me a web page where they actually had rentals. Great! I really didn\'t need a big honkin\' lift chair occupying space in my lower level. They are typically pretty ugly! Thanks to Mark and Ricki for their excellent input on the questions I raised in my last journal entry. Their posts are in my guestbook and may be helpful to those of you who are stll awaiting surgery.

Thanks to Ricki for responding to my initial post. It struck me funny to hear from her as she is one of the journals I follow most closely because I think her situation fairly well parallels mine. I have used it to get an idea of timelines for my recovery - assuming everything goes as well as I hope it will! She asked if I have questions and I thought of a few that have been on my mind. I know it has been suggested that you have a recliner available when you return home. Are we talking just a regular recliner or one of those lift type chairs? Is it primarily because I will be more comfortable sleeping there instead of my bed initially? I have a leather stress-less recliner but not one of those big upholstered numbers. I can rent if necessary. How do you plan for a flight home when you are from out-of-town? I have surgery on the 16th (Friday) and am hoping to return to Denver on the following Friday. That would give me time to have a follow-up appointment at CC before coming home. Do you wait until the CC says it OK to fly home? Erik has reservations on a non-stop that leaves Friday. Should I wait to book this flight or just assume everything will be OK and do it? I don\'t want to be aced out by a mass migration leaving Ohio on Friday afternoon. What should I plan to wear on the plane? Do I need a button-front shirt or can I slip a tee shirt over my head? How long after surgery until I can take a shower - and most importantly wash my hair? These are really superficial questions but I often think about them! Thanks for your help!

The background of my situation is pretty well covered in the \"My story\" section of this journal so I will try not to repeat myself! I leave for Cleveland next Monday and it will be a big change. I try to avoid the East in the summer and especially now with heat in the high 90\'s and humidity to match. In Colorado, we moan and complain when humidity reaches 30% so we are plainly spoiled! Our home at 7,300 feet rarely sees high temperatures. At least I will be in the air conditioned clinic most of the time, while Erik will be out and about in the soggy air. He also has volunteered (or been coerced) to deal with transporting my 90 year old mother back and forth from her senior living apartment to the Cleveland Clinic. She is thrilled I am coming to Cleveland so she can \"help.\" Wonder if Dr. Mihaljevic will have room at the operating table where she can stand and offer advice? She\'s extremely good at advice. Not necessarily good advice but advice nonetheless. Right now I am just trying to arrange all of the details here at the home. We have four dogs, two cats and four birds who all need attention while we are gone so I rely on a group of friends to pick up the slack! Over the weekend, I will be distributing pets to the lucky caregivers. The part of this process that is hard for me to grasp is that I feel really good. Except for walking up hills which is difficult, I feel like I am functioning on all cylinders - which we all know is totally incorrect given my test results. I am eager to see the difference post \"valve job\" when I am actually getting the oxygen I need. Maybe I\'ll be smarter too!