brian's Journal

Lilly Black  Brian, I used to live in Douglaston, NY. Interesting! I found it difficult moving my arms side to side, for instance when I was mopping, or wiping down something. Be careful because although you may be feeling better, the sternum takes a while to heal...at least for me it did. I had a lot of sternum pain, but my chest was opened twice due to 2 OHSs. I'm perfectly fine now but it has been 15 mos. Let me know if you have any questions.

Steven A Husted  yes i agree with lilly dont rush it it takes time for the sternum to heal some longer than others i am a pretty quick healer and i would say it took me about 6 months before i started lifting any thing heavy like moving a piece of furniture even know i have a small pain once in a while in the sternum i think it is probably nerves i have heard from so many others to take it slow dont rush even adams wife told him to take it slow if you have not had any cardio rehab i would highly recomend it it helps to get you back to some of your old self again

Wanda Mroz  Ohhhhhhhh.... I'm sorry. Just remember everything happens for a reason as did this. I had a little sore throat before my surgery and was terrified that I was going to get sick, but I managed to stay healthy. Feel better... I know this setback is difficult... but this too shall pass and soon you'll be on the other side of that fence. Hang in there...

  Patience is hard with a surgery like this. So sorry. I hope that they are able to reschedule it when you are well. Best wishes to you.

Mark Caswell  I'm a day behind you Brian and having the same exact feelings. We are both going to do amazing. Hopefully we can laugh about it soon.

Sophia Ridley  Brian, Mark, I was similar but tried to keep busy. You will reach a stage of acceptance and then it will be all over. Although recovery has it's challenges, I am still amazed that I had surgery only 6wks ago. I think that the exhaustion afterwards was the biggest shock so take it steady. Best wishes to both of you!

  You and Mark will both do great!! Hang in there. You are having normal thoughts, but it will all be a big blur soon and you can focus on recovery! Best wishes to you!

Melinda Queliz  You sound just like me! I have good days and then I have days where I just cry and am terrified which I think it 100% normal for all of us. My surgery is March 3rd and it is like a big black cloud following me around. I just said a prayer for you and for God to be with you and everyone involved in your care. Keep us updated as you can. I often look to this site and look at all the ones who have already been through it and doing great, that alone is great inspiration to me! I saw a photo that was circling online and it was a 3 year old boy who was having his 3rd OHS and I thought to myself 'okay if this innocent child can do this then I can too' and we will! We all will and we are all here to help one another.

Michael Bronshteyn  Hi Brian. I had same feelings as you. I think everybody who has to go through OHS feels the same. I think I had same surgery as yours, valve, root and AFIB ablation. In my case my aorta was at 5.5 cm. I new that there was no other way around. To give myself a chance to live I would need this surgery. Finally I came up with the reason for myself. Imagine you are on the plane and the plane is going down. The only way out is to jump with parachute. Jumping with parachute is not fun and has its own risks. But in this case it is the only option out. Hope it helps.

Liz Burroughs  Best wishes for a successful surgery! You'll do fine. I was very scared to have my surgery but I went through with it because it was the right thing to do. We'll be with you in spirit. Our thoughts & prayers will be with you.

Lynee Casper  Brian, wishing you a successful surgery, and speedy healing. I sure understand your feelings, and I am thinking I would like to be having my surgery now, rather than waiting till March 3rd as scheduled. I will be pulling for you, seems there are so many smart, strong people to share what they have learned here in this heart community. That is a comfort to me, and why I check in to hear how everyone is doing, and send wishes to those like you who are getting on with it, towards the road to a better heart and recovery. Good luck!

Rhonda Rawles  Everyone says it and they are right, the waiting is the worst part. May you find the courage and strength you need this week to conquer your fears. Good luck and God speed!

Emily Rowley  How did the testing go? I too have mixed emotions, it's understandable. Know we all will be looking out for you, sending our warmest wishes (mine are 40 degree warm from Aus haha 😃) and updates from you 😊

Stephen Vieira  Hi Mark, I'm also getting mine done tomorrow and can relate to how your feeling. I'm first in at 7:15 am . Beth Israel in Boston. I told everyone it has to go well. I want to watch the Pats in the playoffs next Saturday!
Best of Luck and a speedy recovery. Steve

Kathy Gray  Writing for my husband. Richard had AVR April 15 2015. He just turned 73. He is doing pretty darn good. He is very compliant with all orders. I am praying for you. It is amazing how well you can recover from this. Every day a little better.

brian anderson  Well I got a chest cold couldn't have the surgery til the 26 it went fine went in on Monday had the surgery Tuesday Jan 26 was home Sunday surgery went great! Going back to work light duty tomorrow!

  Hi Brian, I had AVR about 2 weeks ago. I am 40 and in good health otherwise. Like you, I have significant anxiety about it and having to wait for surgery was the worst. Just remember that the statistics are solid for successful valve replacements. I was able to inch along by talking about the surgery with people close to me and kept busy with a "to do" list of things I needed to get done before surgery. I also found comfort in reading entries on this site. It helped me prepare mentally for what I was about to endure and also normalized the replacement surgery
(made me realize I wasn't the only one who needed it). There are a lot of great people on this site who have had similar surgeries who will be able to provide extra support. Best wishes to you and I will keep you in my thoughts.

Sophia Ridley  I echo many of Laura's thoughts...

I had my mitral valve repaired 4 wks ago. My approach was to turn the whole thing into a project (had 3 months), planning out tests, what I needed to do in work to handover, finding out as much as I could, talking to as many people and understanding what support I needed to get through this emotionally and physically. Finding this website has been and continues to be an absolute blessing, I had dissolved when I found out I needed surgery as hadn't even been under prior cardiologist care... My murmur to me was just a quirk and had been told not to worry about it. I knew no one who had had OHS.

When i got over the shock, I knew that not having the surgery meant I was not going to get better. I have two young girls and when I realised what this meant there was no option. I have a genetic tissue disorder (EDS3), my younger has hypermobility and the older is showing signs. MVP is linked but not in all cases, but a driving force has also been to give them a positive experience incase, God forbid, that they have to go through the same. I won't paint you a rosy picture, it's tough but the joy when you know you're through surgery to me was immeasurable. There are wonderful people on here, their stories and attitudes are inspirational. They have got me through with their honesty, support and compassion. We are all here for you.

Meredith Bray  Talk to someone, face to face, who has had the surgery. Ask you doctor, nurse, pastor, neighbor, bus driver, grocery clerk, ANYONE, if they know someone who has had surgery. I wish I could have spoken with someone prior to my surgery. One of my friends just had his operation on Monday, and keeps saying how thankful he was that I reached out to him last week to talk about procedures and clothes and food and fears and preparations, just to have someone near that understands and "gets it." If you wanna come down to Florida I'd love to have lunch & coffee with you! :)
-Meredith

Neil Collins  I'm 3.5 weeks out and like they've said above my best advice is to stay busy, read the responses from others and just think about the recovery. Like you I was anxious for the surgery and the fear of the unknown. The reality is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had pictured it. The breathing tube when I woke up, the removal of the drainage tubes and the pain after surgery were really not as bad as I expected. The biggest thing to expect is just the surgery kicks your butt as far as energy goes but it does come back slowly. The pain is managed by medication and a good support system is worth more than anything else. I had great plans to sit around binge watching tv in my recovery bit by the time I get up, eat, shower and walk two or three times, and nap the day is mostly over. I am walking over 5km a day and slowly getting back to normal. Just focus on getting ready and the recovery. The hospital portion is really taken care of for you....

Steven A Husted  yes i agree with what others have said here try to talk to others who have had ohs and try to do some research i know for me adams book and this site were a big help best wishes and prayers for you

David Yetman  Hi Brian. I am 8 weeks out of AVR surgery today. I approached it with a positive attitude not wanting to think about the alternatives. The first thing that amazed me was the lack of pain. My surgeon told me pre op that the pain would be minimal. I was discharged with pain medications, and maybe used it twice. I now walk a mile a day, have been driving since week four, and feel great. Lots of luck , stay strong, and think positive.

Artie Rubin  First thing to calm yourself is to know that the mortality rate for these operations is TWO PERCENT. To you (and I, who's already had the surgery), it's a huge event. To your surgeon and team, it's something they do practically every day. My own surgeon has performed thousands upon thousands of these over the past decades. Second, instead of feeling (as many of us do/did), "Why me?" be very grateful that they can do these miraculous operations. It's a gift not a curse. Once I got in tune with all these positive thoughts, I sailed through my operation and post-op. You will too.

Artie Rubin  P.S. Brian, My biggest anxiety, pre-op, was how much pain I'd be in during the following days/weeks. To my astonishment, post-op, the pain was minimal and VERY bearable. They've really got you covered, every step of the way.

brian anderson  Thanks for all the great advice it's much appreciated feeling more at ease!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wanda Mroz  We all know how you feel... It's that unknown. That's why this site is so great. We know how it feels. Be positive. Yes it will not be easy but it's very doable. And as has been said here it is very routine and done many times across the world everyday with great success. How lucky we all are that such skilled surgeons exist and how advanced these surgeries have become. It's amazing and yes a miracle in and of itself! You'll do great... !

Lewis Garlisi  Hey Brian. Sick is the best way I know to describe the way I felt between the time I accepted my need for surgery last year and the time I had it a month or so later. It was hard to hide my feelings from family and friends, but for whatever reason, I was ok during the morning of surgery, and I don't even think much about it anymore. My advice would be to stay on this website when you have the time. As you see from the comments above, people here have some excellent suggestions. Focus on your recovery - that is something you will have a lot of control over. Best of luck to you on the 11th.

Judy Freeman  Friends ask me periodically if I'm scared and I have to say I'm not. I keep focusing on the future and what things will be like after my mitral valve is replaced. I have to "let go" and best way I can think to describe it is free fall. I have no choice, the surgery has to get done, if I don't do it, bad things will happen, after I have the surgery, I'll be better than I've been since I was 8 years old, and that's a bunch of years! I've been under anesthesia before, so I know that I won't have an adverse reaction, I'm trying to keep moving, so that I'm not a total slug these last couple of weeks, I think the physical activity is good. I'm keeping my mind occupied with the list of things that I've compiled from going through this website and postings,. Try to stay occupied. And if there are things that you normally do, continue to do them. Staying busy will help. Talk out your feelings with friends, strangers, people here. It will help to get these emotions out of your head and talk them through. The stats are amazing for success rates, so we have a lot going for us there. If they said you had a 50/50 chance of survival, then I'd be a little jitted out. Try writing down in a journal how you're feeling. This will help. Also, when I was working for a large company, they put us through stress management courses. The first thing that they had us do was list what we were afraid would happen if XXX occurred. Let's say you have a fear of not making a deadline, what's the worst thing that can happen? Your boss yells at you, you lose your job, you get a demotion, etc. None of which are fatal, worst case you get fired, so you find another job. Try to gather your fears on a list and go through them one by one. For a while I was afraid of post op pain, mostly because I remember what the pain was like when I woke up from abdominal surgery. I was in recovery and for a split second it was white lightning pain, the nurse came immediately and started pumping me with morphine. Pain gone. I lived and am here to tell the story. One more thing that I do is try to think of people that are worse off than me. And there's a lot of them, so I'm lucky, my problem can be fixed, there are great doctors that are going to be on my team, and my job now is to stay well and get myself ready for surgery.
Stay strong. Focus on the future, after the surgery and how great you're going to be.

Kathy Gray  You are not going to feel anything during. After surgery you will be monitored. Each moment you will recover and I am praying for you. My husband 73 had AVR April 15 2015. He is doing really good. Walks bikes brings in the firewood. Works at the church one day a week. Does more than a lot of people his age who did not have this surgery. I was very frightened but he was brave. Get r done.