Beth's Journal

Hi everyone! I've been off the site since January 28 and today I realized that it's been 3 weeks since my OHS on January 30 to replace my bicuspid aortic valve. First, I want to thank you all for your words of encouragement. Your stories and uplifting words were incredibly helpful and provided such comfort as I prepared for my surgery date. Now that I'm on the recovery road, I continue to be grateful. I am amazed each day by my progress. I've been off all pain medication for 2 weeks and I only experience discomfort when I sneeze or cough - thank goodness for my heart pillow. The breathlessness continues with any activity, so I'm looking forward to cardiac rehab and regaining strength and lung capacity. I developed a very red and itchy rash over the majority of my body when I left the hospital which I believe was a result of the solution they swabbed on prior to surgery and the Lipitor. It created significant swelling so I had to go to the ER for assistance - just a minor inconvenience in the midst of recovery. It disappeared after 5 days, so I'm no longer dealing with that. I still sleep quite a bit but am able to do a bit more each day. My follow up with my surgeon is on the 28th, so I'm hoping I'll be able to drive and return to work for a few hours each day after that. Thanks again for all the support and encouragement.

Only 1 more day to wait. I found myself feeling apprehensive today and thinking about a few things I've been concerned about with surgery - the breathing tube and the sternal wires. It comes as no surprise that I would receive the following excerpt today from Abraham-Hicks Daily Quote - "Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want." I'd say that message was heaven sent. So as I complete my final preparations tomorrow, I am no longer worried. Instead I am incredibly grateful. Grateful that I am so fortunate to have options and that I have an incredible support team on this site and all around me. I'm ready.

As my rescheduled surgery approaches, (January 30) I find myself full of anxiety about the sternal wires. I’m to undergo a mini sternotomy and asked about getting the sterna lock system. The response I received was that I could have it, but that I’d need the wires as well. Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

My new surgery date is a bit more delayed than I had hoped, but I know if I’d gone in today, recovery would have been quite challenging. The 23 day wait begins till the new date of January 30.

This morning I made the decision to postpone my surgery. I’ve been fighting a bad cold that dropped into my lungs for almost 2 weeks now. I’m still coughing uncontrollably at times, so it didn’t feel like I was well enough to undergo OHS. I certainly didn’t want to start off in a depleted state or complicate my recovery. So now I’m filled with many emotions, relief (because of the concern about pneumonia), disappointment because I was emotionally ready for the procedure, and apprehension since I’m back in the “waiting” game all over again. I’ll be assigned a new surgery date next week. Thank you all for being here.

Tomorrow morning marks the one week countdown till surgery. I’m wondering, and quite honestly a bit concerned if it will be a go, because I’m fighting a terrible cold and have been working to get rid of it for almost a week now. I can’t take any supplements beginning tomorrow, so wondering if there will be a delay. Any thoughts or helpful suggestions are greatly appreciated. I continue to learn so much from everyone here.

As the holidays draw ever closer, I find my emotions changing on a daily basis. One day I feel confident about my surgery decisions, and the next day I find myself wishing it was a dream. This coming Monday will be the 2 week countdown, and I’m apprehensive and want to withdraw....not a good place for me to go. I need family and friends around me. I so appreciate all the sharing here. You all help me more than you know. Thank you!