Belinda's Journal

Timothy Andre  Hi Belinda, I'm two weeks out from the "Ross". It seemed to be the right choice for me. I am 44 and didn't want blood thinners or a future surgery from a failed pig or cow valve. That being said, the "Ross" is a complex surgery and should be done by a surgeon with extensive experience and in a hospital that does a lot of them. Do your research and get 2-3 opinions. I wish you luck in finding the answers you are searching for and the right surgeon. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Cathy Zuber  Every day it will be better. I slept in a recliner for about 1&1/2 months. Sore body parts will get better!! Rest!!

Marie Myers  The first 2 weeks were the hardest. Then, day by day, you will start to notice small but steady improvements. Just have to be patient. Take pain Meds when you need them, and enjoy those naps!

Melissa Alfred  I'm so glad to hear you had a successful surgery! I used to be a moo, now i'm an oink lol. The only thing I can say is, recovery is slow and it takes time. I was a mess, crying one minute, passed out the next, in pain when I woke up. It's not easy but every day is better, I promise. I had numbness in my left boob which is coming back to life slowly still. Not sure about you, but I have big boobs, I learned after being in pain sleeping & walking around that I needed to wear a clasp in the front semi loose bra at all times to help with the pain-it really works. xoxo

Peter McHugh  Belinda, I had mine a month ago. I got the report immediately. I was still in the room where they did the procedure. I didn't even know they had finished. It wasn't scary and it wasn't at all invasive. My results were good ... no blockages. And, there's no problem with the food or water you have consumed. Let us know how you did. Whatever happens, they can correct it!!! Good luck and God Bless!!

Peter McHugh  Heart Warriors! I like that! My grandson made a sword and my granddaughter a shield. My other two granddaughters, Bible verses to post. I'm a a heart warrior and I'm ready for battle!!

Barbara Wood  He told me all was clear during the procedure- you'll be pretty lucid, just feel a little bit dreamy:)

Civita Fahey  Hi Belinda.. once you get the surgery date, you will have a slew of emotions from fright, to anxiety, to peace.. you need to stay positive and it will all turn out fine. I'm having mine next week and have been in waiting for a while.. it is stressful but we can do this.

Cathleen Weed  Belinda, I live in Huntington Beach just down the road from you. I can meet with you sometime if you'd like. I can answer all your questions ❤️

Cathleen Weed  💛 You can send me an email at hearthealthylifecoach@gmail.com and we can figure out a time and place 😊

Terrie Hodges  my understanding is you are helped up before leaving ICU for a cardiac step down unit...is that what you mean?...up first day, I hope!

Marie Myers  I think they got me up on Day 2. The difficult part was staying on your back all the time, or sitting up in the chair. My back and butt were tired!

Clare Auten  I remember walking to the elevator from my ICU room with the nurse and IV pole and riding down to the next floor to the step down room. They dont let you lay around for too long.

Noreen Kitchen  They had me up standing the same night as my surgery while I was in ICU. I was up in the chair that next morning for just a few minutes. They were awesome at helping me get up and making sure it didn't hurt too much.

Joshua Trimberger  tips: have access to a recliner. Walk a lot. nap when youre tired. drink protein drinks, a bed wedge helped too (when i slept in a bed again.) laying flat is super uncomfortable for a few weeks. Be prepared to go on an emotional rollercoaster after surgery. It plays with your hormones and can trigger really bad anxiety in the weeks after (i got my doc to prescribe atavian for that and it was much needed). Never turn down the fiber supplement stuff if they offer. maybe even ask about taking some a few days prior. If you can't go to the bathroom because the pain pills block you up they put a small tube up your nose and down your throat for 24 hours and its horrendous.

They make you walk on day 2. First 2 days really really are not fun to put it mildly. Day 3 or 4 you start feeling a little less pain and start feeling better I started rehab at 2 or 3 weeks which was really early. By 4 months i started feeling like a normal person again. 5 months everything was back to normal

Rita Savelis  You are not really "immobile" for long as encouraged to move right away (as after most surgery) but the exhaustion you feel for weeks/months makes it harder to do as much as you normally would.

Noreen Kitchen  They had me up standing the same night as my surgery while I was in ICU. I was up in the chair that next morning for just a few minutes. They were awesome at helping me get up and making sure it didn't hurt too much.

Catie B  Echoing what everyone has said. They will want you up and moving ASAP and will help see to it that you stand and sit and get walking. The walking really helps build back your strength. Best to you!

Noreen Kitchen  I had a angiogram before my surgery and it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was given something to relax me and there was nothing uncomfortable about it.i thought it took about 10 minutes when in fact it was a hour. I had to lay flat for a few hours after which seemed to be forever. I stressed about it for days and in the end it wasn't so bad. Good luck. You'll do fine.

Amy Steele  Hi Belinda! An angiogram is one of the standard tests prior to surgery. They want to know how your arteries look before they get in there. It's another step in a more complete picture of what's going on with your heart. If there are other issues such as blocked arteries, they can take care of them at the same time. Most people also have a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) and a CT with contrast.

Marie Myers  The angiogram and the TEE were both easier than I thought they would be. . I was pleasantly sedated for the angio, and out-for-the-count for the TEE. Try not to worry about them like I did.

Terrie Hodges  Belinda...the Coronary Angiogram done through a catheter in femeral artery (groin area) , mine was, lasted about 20 minutes...I was in the Cath. Lab room for about 30 minutes (on the table) before the Dr came in....I had no pain meds or anesthesia because I was interested to see the heart and arteries...and I avoid meds when possible because I have had an adverse reaction to so many meds...many people don't have any sedation...I had to be flat on the recovery bed for 41/2 hours ...that is to try to give the artery time to close up so you don't bleed and create a hematoma under the skin.....a nurse will probably stand by you and press on the catheter entry area...I did have a bleed when I stood up so I had to stay flat two more hours...I had a knot come up in groin and lots of bruising from the hematoma and the pressing.....PA, my Primary Care and the surgeon have all said it is fine...one thing I was not told was to drink lots of fluids after the procedure to rinse the dye out of your kidneys...that is very important...you are a smart girl...on top of it with your questions...you will do very well...Continue to ask questions...it is good for you and the people who answer you...We get to help😁

Barbara Wood  I had mine through the wrist & it was super easy. I was free to go about an hour after- no laying flat. Great way to go!

Noreen Kitchen  I had a angiogram before my surgery and it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was given something to relax me and there was nothing uncomfortable about it.i thought it took about 10 minutes when in fact it was a hour. I had to lay flat for a few hours after which seemed to be forever. I stressed about it for days and in the end it wasn't so bad. Good luck. You'll do fine.

Joshua Trimberger  Angiogram isn't bad at all. They will usually drug you up pretty well. My first i was in and out of it during the procedure...mostly out but didn't feel anything besides waves of heat when they injected dyes. 2nd procedure they knocked me out before the dr was even in the room. You'll have to sit without moving your leg in recovery for 3-6 hours so bring something to do or read (but you'll most likely just sleep). It will feel like you pulled your groin for a couple days after. The TEE procedure is awful if your awake. Thats the one where they go down your throat. I have had 3 done. once when they didn't give any knock out drugs for it. (it was awful). Once when they did knock me out (so much better but i had a killer sore thoat) and once when I was on the OR table immediately prior to surgery

Henry Brouwer  I had 2 angiograms and just had local freezing in my groin so I could watch the them do the procedure. You won't feel anything once local freezing has been administered. Hope that helps aliviate any fears you might have. All the best!

Noreen Kitchen  I had a angiogram before my surgery and it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was given something to relax me and there was nothing uncomfortable about it.i thought it took about 10 minutes when in fact it was a hour. I had to lay flat for a few hours after which seemed to be forever. I stressed about it for days and in the end it wasn't so bad. Good luck. You'll do fine.

Catie B  I was very anxious up till the day of the procedure, but things went very smoothly. I don't remember the procedure at all, due to the sedation. They used some sort of plug so that I didn't need to stay there too long afterwards.

Cathleen Weed  Most likely a year. At the very minimum 6 months....but if there's no rush then give your heart time to heal properly. Blood volume and blood pressure increase during pregnancy and put a strain on your heart and valve. You will most likely need to be on restricted activity and possibly bed rest the last trimester depending on how your symptoms are progressing. A low salt "DASH" diet as well during pregnancy. You will be treated as a high risk pregnancy to be safe, but you can do it. Depending on your symptoms they may schedule a C-section so that you don't hurt your valve with a natural delivery (pushing puts massive pressure on the valve). They will be treating you as 2 patients (mom and baby), but keeping YOU safe and alive will be their number one priority. That's how it works. So just be ready to follow instructions carefully and you'll do great. ❤️

  If your condition is congenital I would like to suggest genetics testing before becoming pregnant. Best of luck.

  Yes, I am aware. I am 46 and was always told I had BAV, until recent 3D TEE showed it was not bicuspid and rather severely diseased due to tissue degeneration related to a congenital disease. Its just a suggestion. I wish it had been caught in me earlier.

Cathleen Weed  They didn't know for certain with mine until they got in there. Once they do the surgery it's confirmed (or not) 😕.

  Was yours bicuspid? I honestly can't understand how a valve that isn't bicuspid and wasn't congenitally stenotic at birth has decompensated at such an early age (46). They don't know for sure, but no degree of stenosis was detected until in my 30s. The other thing I want to mention to Belinda is that my cardiologist sent my husband and I for pre-conception counseling at a high risk OB group to get a plan for how pregnancy would be handled.

Belinda Marsaw  Thanks for mentioning that! I'll ask my doctor about it. I'm sure he's going to tell me to wait until after my surgery and make sure I'm completely healthy before even thinking about a baby.

Cathleen Weed  I've had my aortic valve replaced four times. Don't let that scare you, it's a long story lol. Anyway, I know exactly how heart patients should be living. I'm a nurse and a fitness trainer and I wrote a book called Heart Healthy for Life for this exact reason. It's a fitness and nutrition lifestyle book for heart patients with lots of Mediterranean Diet recipes. It's available on Amazon.com. It's an easy to follow guide that breaks it all down in a very simple way. I give more advanced advice to private clients but the book is a great start and all you need as you prepare for surgery and go through your recovery. You are taking the first step to a very long, healthy life. Great job 😍.
Best wishes xo ❤️

Belinda Marsaw  Awwww thank you sooo much! I will go on Amazon and check it out. I'm so happy I stumbled upon this site. I have received nothing but positivity, people encouraging me to have faith and telling me that overall everything is going to work out. Thanks again!

Melissa Alfred  Hi Belinda. First I'm so sorry you've been hit with all of this. Second, I'm in the same boat, kind of. I had AVR 10 years ago, but have only been married for 3 Years now, I did get pregnant last year but miscarried & then my prosthetic valve started to fail & now I'm critical, I'm scheduled for surgery Tuesday. We desperately want children. I've decided on another cow valve so that I can do this, with no worries about coumadin. Ive only taken a baby aspirin daily for 10 years & that's how I want to continue my life as I become a mother. I understand ill require surgery again later in life, but if 10-15 years from now I'm looking into my children's eyes then this was all worth it. the surgeon is also enlarging my aortic valve area to allow a big replacement valve so it won't fail for a long time. It is so very possible to do this!! I know a lot of ladies who've done this & soon it'll be me. Xoxo

  I would like to suggest to you as well some sort of genetics testing prior to getting pregnant. Depending on if your issues are congenital. When I was 28 and trying to get pregnant, a new primary care physician took over my practice, he was young, but insisted on genetics testing before I become pregnant. I have congenital pulmonary and aortic stenosis. He just wanted me to know the facts before I decided. It was vital information I needed to make a decision. I had been seeing specialists my entire life and it had never been caught before. Best of luck to you. Congratulations on your wedding.