Well I\'ve reached my one month anniversary for my aortic valve surgery....I feel great although I am still sore in and around my chest muscles...My stomach ...Read more
Well I\'ve reached my one month anniversary for my aortic valve surgery....I feel great although I am still sore in and around my chest muscles...My stomach can\'t seem to stay settled.....but overall i feel great...post surgery pain was not near what I had feared. I\'m up to 30 minutes a day on my ellyptical....and then I walk for 35 minutes extra....it makes me feel great....I would highly recommend Dr. Baker at Roanoke Carillion Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia...He was great. hopefully I will get to drive again tomorrow (funny how much I miss my drives) next post will be post appointment with Dr Baker tomorrow....Blessings to all
Well, one week ago today I was having my aortic valve replaced by Dr. Joseph Baker, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital...I came home from the hospital Saturday morning ...Read more
Well, one week ago today I was having my aortic valve replaced by Dr. Joseph Baker, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital...I came home from the hospital Saturday morning and have felt great...My surgery went fabulous and I definitely feel like a new person.....Dr. Baker is the greatest. as is the nursing staff at Roanoke Memorial...I will add more later but wanted to check in and shout halleluyah.....
thanks for the post....they did help take the edge off of the anxiety I was feeling.....my surgery is on August 7. then catch up time for all the times I ...Read more
thanks for the post....they did help take the edge off of the anxiety I was feeling.....my surgery is on August 7. then catch up time for all the times I have had to forgo doing the things I wanted to do...My post surgery goal is to hike the Appalachian Trail....I\'ve so missed those hikes...Lee and Linda I will keep you in my thoughts as your surgery approaches.....Trent thanks for the encouragement....
Well it\'s 12 days until my valve replacement and my nerves are really kicking in....I know everyone goes through this but the process isn\'t fun....I am overflowing ...Read more
Well it\'s 12 days until my valve replacement and my nerves are really kicking in....I know everyone goes through this but the process isn\'t fun....I am overflowing with questions that I\'ve answered over and over...but the questions just keep coming.....is this normal? I guess the what if\'s are here for the duration.....ridiculous I know but they are definitely there. any techniques to put them at bay?
Well I have chosen my cardiac surgeon and the date is set...Dr. Baker at Roanoke Memorial in Roanoke, Virginia will be doing the aortic valve replacement and ...Read more
Well I have chosen my cardiac surgeon and the date is set...Dr. Baker at Roanoke Memorial in Roanoke, Virginia will be doing the aortic valve replacement and the big date is August 7..Now the wait....I don\'t have much fear just a need to get my \"house in Order\"....I haven\'t posted in a while. but the clock is not counting down....my family has been so supportive....makes me feel very special.....I feel I on the homeward stretch now.....just a few month.. wish it were tomorrow so as to get it over
Its been a little over a week since I\'ve posted and since I had my first appointment with a cardiologist...My local cardiologist is Dr. John Starr of Carilion ...Read more
Its been a little over a week since I\'ve posted and since I had my first appointment with a cardiologist...My local cardiologist is Dr. John Starr of Carilion Cardiology Associates.He is a professor at UVA.
He said my aortic stenosis is on the moderate side of moderate/severe and that no enlargement of the heart has occured and only a little thickening of the ventricle wall. He feels that I have a bicuspid aortic valve. He wants me to do nothing special for 4 months, well no lifting heavy objects etc...and that then at my next appointment he would be able to evaluate any new damage and set a rate at which the valve is worsening. So again I wait...but he did say I could go back to exercising on my elyptical exerciser....as long as I didn\'t \"sprint\" at the end of the workout.....I do between 45 min to an hour a day, keeping my heartrate around 120-140 then sprinting the last 3 minutes (anarobic) and pushing my heartrate to around 155-160. Dr. Starr said no more than 120-130...(I\'m cheating alittle ....well just a little.)
Anyway....I didn\'t understand why he didn\'t say lets fix the valve now before further damage was done to the heart....my family physician said that\'s because the progression of the damage might be so slow that I never need surgery.. My thing is I don\'t want to live with the cardiologist imposed restrictions any longer than necessary...especially the rest of my life....***wry smile** after every workout....I proudly proclaim I win...I do this when hiking on the Appalachian trail on streneous sections.......I get to the top of the mountain and proclaim I win.....well I am gonna win this time too. Thank you all for your support....now...back to the holding pattern
I want to first say thanks for all the responses to my last journal post...They liftted my spirits....
the last couple of days have been uneventful except ...Read more
I want to first say thanks for all the responses to my last journal post...They liftted my spirits....
the last couple of days have been uneventful except I seen to be moody....wife says I have a definite short fuse....least I am getting plenty of practice apologizing..
I planted 110 daisy\'s and iris\'s day before yesterday, my way of saying thanks to mother nature and to recognize the coming of spring. was I sore yesterday..so I rested..got a letter from my family physician that said echo test results showed moderately sever aortic valve stenosis. and that he would set up an appt with cardiologist...kinda behind the curve here...but nice that he sent the letter. So I decided to work out...I know the doc said no....but i did anyway...30 easy paced minutes on the elliptical bike...kept close watch on heart rate and breathing....heart rate stayed in the 120 to 155 range except once it crept up to 170 so I eased off....but I feel so much better after the 30 minutes....hot cup of green tea and a bunch of romaine lettuce for lunch.....sorry rambling. I am glad to be here and have someone to listen.... Bless you all......and I think we have decided to head to Cleveland. not sure who we\'ll se yet but. there is time to decide that.....
Thanks for the post on where to get surgery. Cleveland sounds like the right place, and I have a brother-in-law that lives near there...sister lives in Niles, ...Read more
Thanks for the post on where to get surgery. Cleveland sounds like the right place, and I have a brother-in-law that lives near there...sister lives in Niles, Michigan...I don\'t think that\'s too awful far...If I had any doubts today ended them...I forgot to take my blood pressure meds this morning and, behold, of all days my daughter calls and gets me upset. Next thing I know I\'m having double vision and light headed....talk about symptoms..scared me.......did I call doc? no just took my meds and went to bed.....no doubts now.....go ahead and fuss...I should have gone to doc right then...I honestly was scared to...I feel better but iffy....no improvement by am I\'ll go to doc now.....the thing that amazed me is how quickly the stress and being upset caused a reaction....I know I know I am rambling on..when I\'m nervous I talk and since I\'m here alone right now....I guess the journal suffers..... i\'ll be so glad to finally see the cardiologist next week....if not sooner...
This has been a dominant question since the test results...I hike, cut firewood, split wood..all very active and never any hint of pain...I have noticed getting ...Read more
This has been a dominant question since the test results...I hike, cut firewood, split wood..all very active and never any hint of pain...I have noticed getting much more tired, more quickly over the past year, but still why no signs....I guess I\'m lucky I did not have a heart attack because the week prior to the stress test I was doing 40 minutes a day on my excercise machine....heart rate averaged between 80\'s to at peak of \"sprint\" 160 bpm. and I was feeling great....test result was a shocker.
Now just scared...not of dying necesarily but of the unknown.....what now....and where are the aortic valve doc\'s.....none showing up anywhere near..... **chuckle** I guess nothing comes easy.....on with the research. Terrell 1/27/2011