Cheryl's Journal

Patsy Stewart  Happy 1st. Anniversary! Taking the day off and reflecting sounds wonderful! I’m so happy you’re doing well!~❤️

Susan Lynn  Happy First Anniversary, Cheryl! That was a great way to celebrate. It's good to reflect on such an incredible year! It's a very reaffirming reminder of your strength and perseverance. Wishing you continued good health!

Rose Madura  I'm glad you got your wish. Sometimes, we have a specific think we want to do after OHS. For me it waa to climb up Clingmans Dome in the Smokies. I did it two years after surgery. Congratulations on your achievement. I wish you a happy and prosperous new year.

Richard Munson  Good for you. Just the word rollercoaster gets me dizzy. I bet you even let go and raised up your arms.

Rita Savelis  There was another person on this site who also loved rollercoasters (she had surgery maybe 5 or 6 years ago) and she was so happy when she could ride them again. Everyone has something they want to get back to. Enjoy the rides Cheryl!

Richard Munson  As i sit here all sweaty thinking about rollercoasters i can only bet that you 2 heart warriors used to also rock the ferris wheel when it stopped in mid turn at the very top causing wimps like me to not ride them. I just took an extra eliquis to calm me down. Not really.

Ginny Turner  So inspiring and encouraging, Cheryl. A great way to close out 2021! I still have Curtain Time on my desk and find peace in your words. Happy New Year and many more roller coasters ahead!

  Richard, I’m like you, petrified of rollercoasters. Good for you Cheryl’s, so glad you are doing well. God bless you

Richard Munson  Ana, now that i have no beach boys concert to go to i may need to take up roller coasters. Bummed out. Covid paranoia is raining on my parade. I feel so bad for anyone not having surgery as a result. Makes my grief seem minor.

  Oh no Richard, I’m sorry your beach boys concert was canceled. Did they postpone or just plain canceled? I feel like you about anyone not being able to get their surgeries it’s a raw deal dealt to them. You’ll get your concert even if it’s in a few months.

Lisa Balmer  Happy 6 month anniversary, Cheryl, and great job! My surgery is a week from today and reading success stories like yours helps to keep me in a positive frame of mind. I am looking forward to being on the recovery side. Best wishes as you make progress back to where you want to be.

Scott Kinghorn  Congrats on 6 months. I totally understand the struggle of being consistent with a workout routine.

Ginny Turner  Hi Cheryl, and congratulations on your 6 month anniversary! Thank you for posting and lending encouragement to those of us awaiting surgery. I just came across your poem, Curtain Time. It spoke to me, and helps to direct my focus in the coming months. Everyone says waiting is the hardest part. Just as you did, I choose peace, trust, faith and love. Wishing you well as your recovery and healing continue.

Paul Rose  Congratulations, my experience is it only gets better. For a good while after rehab my brain definitely over thought any anomalies as my heart remodelled and always seemed to get to thinking of the worst possible scenario but that is long past (9 years and 1 month today but whose counting), nothing untoward happened and as my surgeon said from now on just listen to your body and it will tell you if there’s a problem and enjoy life to the fullest. So good luck and have a great future 😎

  Hi Cheryl it’s been a while but glad you’re doing well. Prayers are going for your follow up echo to show nothing but healing. God bless you

Marie Myers  I know what you mean. Even after 4 years, I am still a bit nervous when I go in for my yearly echo. So far, so good! Hoping you get a great report!

Deena Elani  Hope all went so very well today, Cheryl! Beat that echo looked and sounded totally different than before surgery.

Deena Elani  Yes! Cheryl, you went deep into your soul to turn your fear into artful and heartfelt power that others can reap from, as it released you. Nice. #Good feeling day.

  Deep, thank you for sharing. Be well and keep on writing as Susan Lynn says, you have a gift. God bless you

Deena Elani  Thank goodness you weren’t injured. Six days ago a tree fell on my fairly new car and totalled it. (Obviously I was not in it!)

Dylan Kempers  Deena, I'm sorry to hear about your totaled car. The good thing is that you weren't inside it! The day I was discharged from surgery, I had to go back to the hospital due to an afib situation. My wife dropped me at the ER and she went to park the car. She was in a hurry and nervous, so she hit another parked car. Luckily, we have car insurance. It seems there's a correlation between MV repairs and cars! LOL

Patsy Stewart  Cheryl, I’m sorry, but I’m so thankful that you didn’t get hurt. I hope you still have that big, beautiful smile. This will just be an added chapter to your heart recovery story. You’re going to rock rehab when you get started!

Deena Elani  Thanks all for the boost after my car was totaled. If I had a choice between the car or my heart being messed-up, I won with my car. Cheryl, I know you must feel the same. And yes, no car for awhile. I had no idea that we are now in a car shortage-- of course, due to Covid!

Patsy Stewart  Oh my, Deena! I had to scroll back up and read what happened to you. Thank goodness you weren’t in your car! I had no clue there was a car shortage.

Cheryl Mann  Thanks everyone. I really am doing fine. I was a tiny bit sore from slamming on the breaks/slightly stiff neck, but no injuries. My pride and confidence were the only things truly bruised. And at least my car is not totaled... that is one upside to heart surgery - it does give you a new perspective on things, doesn’t it?

Jennifer Barnett  Yes I was put on metoprolol a beta blocker about a week after surgery while still in hospital due to a fast heart rate. I was on aspirin and warfarin straight after surgery.
I was on these for 1.5 years and then reduced to only the warfarin which I will be on for the rest of my life.
It is usual to be on a few mediations at first until the heart settles down which can take awhile.
I found I could only eat desserts at the beginning fruits, custard, yoghurt etc and drunk quite alot of water. Eventually I got back to proper meals starting with half servings. You'll get there slowly it all just takes time.

David Smith  Yeah I was extremely thirsty for the first week. I’m on Coumadin, metoprolol,,flecanide, Lipitor and a baby aspirin daily. My new cardiologist may end up taking me off or reducing the metropolol and flecanide. I think the AVR fixed the afib and errant heart rhythms.

Laura Julius  I started a few days after I got home. My heart rate kept jumping to 140ish. With meds, it stays in the 80ish range. It helped a ton as it was uncomfortable when it did that. They did increase my dose at one point and I take them twice a day now. My cardiologist said he will try to wean me off of them in six months.

Jill Boroniec  Cheryl - you are so inspiring to me. Thanks for posting and updating us. So happy you're home and on the recovery road!

  Hi Cheryl will be praying for your surgery to go very well and your recovery even better. Write when you can. God bless you

Susan Lynn  Cheryl - Wishing you all the best tomorrow! We'll be ready to welcome you to the recovery club!!! Enjoy the quick nap and the ice chips! Give us a shout out when you can! You've got this! ❤

Scott Kinghorn  Good luck. I'm sure you'll do just fine. I'm also looking forward to read how the procedure went and how you're feeling.

Jill Boroniec  Late to the party - but best of luck today!! Thinking of you and sending you all the positive healing energy!

Ruby Hondros  Your poetry is lovely. Keep writing. I had my mitral valve repair 3 months ago, fortunately a mini thoracotomy done by Dr Sabit Hashim in Hartford, Ct and couldn't be happier. I had considered robotic, but he felt stronger that he has better control using his own hands. My scar, which hardly visible, as it's under right breast, in the crease, is healing very well aS is the incision by groin. I am doing some cardio rehab, but have to say,,I have been very fortunate with my recovery. I feel like Ive never had it sometimes. I do listen to one HR of meditation music that I Google on my iPad to put me to sleep whenever I have mind spinning. I didn't listen to the news, I pet my dog a lot, took deep breaths, all the comforts that I needed. I had put off my surgery for at least 5 yrs as my husband passed away and so I couldn't put it off any longer. Having a very good surgeon you trust helps a great deal. I can say I am so glad now to have it behind me. I believe you will to. The ICU staff was amazing. They took very good care as I needed a blood transfusion and had a reaction to blood pressure medication I had never taken. But I was in good hands, and my surgeon was on top of it all and had no complications with the surgery. I agree with everyone that taking something to relax the night before is fine. You are in a great place with Drs who do this many times over. Trust yourself to do what feels right, which from reading your poetry is what you're doing.

John Mohr  Hang in there Cheryl! You’ll do fine and be done before you know it! I found that music helped me through my hospitalization a great deal - when I had it there we’re not visitors so the music got my mind off of things before and after surgery. Hope you can have visitors. Take care! I’ll be thinking of you!

Patsy Stewart  What a beautifully written poem!! I’m thankful that you have chosen all of those things. I’m going to join in and choose them as well. I will be saying lots of prayers for you. Thank you for sharing!

Victoria Baker  I wish I had found this group prior to my surgery. We all share so many thoughts that we often didn't get to share until learning about this group. I thank God daily for this group. What a beautiful poem.

Lisa Ferguson  I am celebrating my 5 year post-surgery anniversary and was right with you back then! You are in excellent care at Mayo! Here is a link to a set of meditation recordings that might be helpful! Even if you find just one that suits you, it's a help! https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/podcasts/conditions-diseases/surgery Best of luck!

Deena Elani  Been there, Cheryl. I took long walks every day to help ease my tension and took naps listening to podcasts. Helped! Know that the pain was well controlled, way more than I ever imagined. (Painkillers work well on me. In the ICU three Tylenol worked wonders.) You are getting your surgery at an incredibly highly ranked hospital (mayo) for cardiac surgery. The main thing to recognize is that you will be incredibly exhausted in the ICU, way more than I ever imagined. You lose a lot of blood during the surgery, so your hemoglobin is low (mine was around 8.8). It will take at least two days to not feel like you will pass out, when standing. The stuff in recovery at home is not that big of a deal, but it is a nice release to talk about it on this website. :)
Plus you look pretty young, so recovery will be faster.
I always tell myself that I had the gift of having my heart fixed, not everyone gets this gift. Godspeed.

Cheryl Mann  Thank you Deena - I am looking forward to getting to the other side of this. I appreciate your encouragement. It really helps. (also saves my husband from a little of the whine and worry...)

Susan Killian  Mine was three years ago today. I kept busy with family and getting my "recovery room" ready. Also preparing frozen meals for my husband.

Lynn Loudermilk  Hi Cheryl...anxiety was bad with me and I started taking anti-anxiety meds a few months before surgery. Still taking them too. I hear you on the no energy prior to surgery, I wanted to get everything set too, including getting our taxes done before my March 9th date, and I did accomplish it. I also had the dog to the vet and some other stuff that I needed to get done so the hubby wouldn't be lost. It took up most of my time. Just keep your mind on other things, I know it is hard. You will do great, follow what they say. HUGS and Prayers!

Mike Dotson  I used relaxed breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery before I went to bed each night. There are many apps that help with this. I used Calm. Daily walks are great also if you are able. I still had a great deal of anxiety in the lead up, but I was able to manage it. Keep thinking about how much better it will be once you get to the other side.

Jill Boroniec  One quick thing I do many times a day these days is 4-7-8 breathing. Breathe in for 4, hold for 7 and out for 8. The nice thing is you can use it anywhere and I feel almost immediate relief. Hope it works for you too. Thinking of you!

Susan Lynn  Cheryl - What you're going through right now is actually the worst part of the process! The day you check in for surgery, you will actually look forward to putting it behind you! Surgery will feel like a quick nap and it will be over. You'll be well taken care of by the nursing staff in the cardiac unit - these folks are truly committed to their professions. In fact, most people find that their post-operative discomfort, if any, is tolerable. Hang in there for a little longer - it's almost time to join the recovery club!!! You're going to do just fine!

Joseph Heinzmann  Do you have favorite movies? I'm a movie lover and I watched a number of movies leading up to my surgery. Stuff that I had seen before and that I really liked so if I drifted away, it was easy to get back into it without losing the plot. It's easy to get distracted leading up to surgery so stuff that doesn't diminish with distraction is what may work best. (I watched all my favorite Wes Anderson movies and my favorite old films.) Also, carbs. Eat. Leading up to surgery you don't want to be reducing your available energy and I think it's common for anxiety to affect appetite, which will lower your energy and concentration. Whatever your favorite foods are, enjoy it.

It's normal to worry about your spouse. But even the most incompetent husbands can figure out how to order takeout and keep wild animals out of the house. And you'll be there to give instructions if he can't manage. Focus on yourself and don't worry about anyone else.

If you pray, pray. St. Pio said it best: Pray, hope, and don't worry. I went to Mass, spoke to my priest, and prayed with him. It helped. And don't be shy if you've been away and want to come back. Clergy doesn't care if you're lapsed and coming back with an issue. They are there to help unconditionally. We are praying for you, too.

Finally, trust. You're having a surgery that has a near 100% success rate. What is a miracle and a mystery to us is just another day at work for the surgeons and OR staff. They know what they're doing probably better or as well as we know what we do best.

I woke up after surgery with no pain or discomfort of any kind. The things I was most concerned about didn't happen. It's cliché to say, "be positive," but sometimes those clichés are spot on.

Marie Myers  I listened to lots of “calm”, “acceptance” and “relaxation videos on UTube. I continued my walking and yoga exercise, and I did eventually ask for some alprazolam (Xanax) so I could get a decent night’s sleep. The waiting is very hard, because your mind makes a lot of unpleasant thoughts and worries. Wishing you a peaceful wait.

Richard Munson  I hugged my dog a lot , before and after getting home. Chatted a lot with my wife before until i drove her crazy. Nerves make me talk.

Cheryl Mann  Thank you everyone for all of the wonderful suggestions! I plan to try all of them - might even use this thread like my own personal anti-anxiety checklist. (My dog was really happy to make the list). :)

Nancy Denny  The anxiety over anticipation is the worst. I don’t see surgeon till 5/3. Then who knows how long till scheduled. Already have trouble staying asleep at night. The brain just won’t stop. May have to ask for something short term. I do like all your suggestions, will try those too!

Cheryl Mann  Nancy - not sure how scheduling will go for you, but for me - They confirmed I needed surgery in January - my consult at Mayo was in February- and my surgery is next week. I too had trouble sleeping in the beginning- that got better after a week or two of processing and just now I am sleeping a little less, but not as bad as it was in the beginning. Talking to a counselor helped me too. Be patient with yourself as you process this difficult news. It takes time and work.

Adam Pick  Hey Cheryl, Yep. This is one of the toughest parts of the process. The "lead-up" to the surgery. Please know you are doing everything right. There is nothing more or less you can do. It's just "hurry up and wait" time. That said, I'm going to post a few links to articles and videos that might help you. I hope they do. If you need anything, please let me know!

Adam Pick  https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2018/07/19/5-steps-to-prepare-peggy-huddleston/

Adam Pick  https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/heart-surgery-blog/2009/12/24/fear-anxiety-before-heart-valve-surgery/

Julie M  Cheryl, in April 2019, I had mitral valve replacement & tricuspid repair. At 67, I had never had even minor surgery or a hospital stay & was always rather phobic about both... I'm a "medical minimalist" generally! I don't think there's a way to avoid apprehension and anxiety; it's natural to feel them. Mostly, I just kept up with my routine until the day arrived -- keeping yourself occupied with even mindless activities doesn't hurt. I used humor, naming my damaged valves "Squeaky and Floppy" ... Humor always helps. My faith in God helped the most. A simple decision to leave it His hands, trusting His will for me .... Yes, even if it meant I wouldn't survive. I did know -- as should you -- survival is VERY likely, and recovery, and your life will be improved. (I sure do not miss the *fatigue* that severe mitral regurgitation caused!). On the morning of my surgery, my sister could not believe how calm I was. Somehow, I had put myself on "autopilot," just accepting it needed to happen. And it did and it's good to have it behind me. You'll be glad when it's behind you, too. I feel sure you will be just fine. (I like your poem... I write poetry,too.). God bless... Jehovah Rapha... The Lord is our Healer.

Adam Pick  Hey Cheryl, You really know how to make a guy blush. Great to hear the book is helping you! :) If you need anything, please let me know. I'm here to help!