Debra's Journal

Debra Gann  Oh by the way I would highly recommend Dr Micheal Mack, Dr Kelly Hutchison surgeons with Baylor Plano Heart Hospital TX

  Congratulations, Debra! Glad you had a great experience! I was so pleased with The Heart Hospital in Plano as well!!

Debra Gann  Thank you all. I'm just having a difficult time with the being patient. What's weird is my thinking is clearer.

Barbara Laurie  Debra, Dave and I are praying. You have had a tough time of it, even with your angiogram, so, don't think normal, think how can you get back some calm. I'm scared too, but I know our God and His sovereign plans, and tomorrow we will have our surgery as far as I know, we will be okay.
I hope everyone will jump on and encourage Debra today. Hang in there Debra, if you don't trust in Jesus call out to him if you can't, then reach out. To others, you are not a burden that's why we are all here. Heading to my preop, praying for your peace and health❤️💕❤️

Tammy Pilcher  Debra, I just said a prayer for you and asked our Lord to comfort you and give you peace. Your feelings and tears are very normal and I understand completely. I read scriptures that gave me peace every time I felt my fear trying to creep into my mind. They really helped me. This is the one I chose to take to the hospital the morning of my surgery: "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.". Isaiah 41:13. My surgery turned out to be not as bad as I had anticipated and I've done great. I'll be keeping you in my prayers for the same. Love, Tammy

Meredith Bray  Of course it's normal - this is a life changing event! The moment you wake up tomorrow after surgery will be one of the best moments of your life! Today though, well, it's probably one of the worst days. Keep your thoughts focused on tomorrow afternoon. What is your long-term goal, the one thing you can't wait to do as soon as you are recovered? Mine was riding rollercoasters. And a family reunion. I don't want to pat your head and say "It'll be ok" because I know that doesn't help much. I want to tell you that tomorrow starts a new and exciting chapter, it is "The Day on Which All Things Start Again!" Almost like your own personal Easter.
-Meredith

Cheryl Gregory  I think we can all say that we were terrified prior to surgery and went through lots of emotions. But we all made it through and most of us now look back and realize we wasted our time stressing. I know I did. I began to realize I wasn't going to die and I was going to survive this. And now almost 6 weeks later I'm getting ready to go back to work. Once you wake up after surgery and you realize you are still in this world everything you are feeling now will be behind you. Just realize you are not going to die and you are going to have your heart fixed and in time you will be better physically than you are right now. So don't cry, be thankful that the technology to save your life is available and is now a routine procedure. I will pray for you to be strong and have an uneventful surgery.

Bruce Busa  The Lord YHWH Bless thee, and Keep thee: The Lord YHWH make His face Shine upon thee, and be Gracious unto thee: The Lord YHWH lift up His Countenance upon thee, and give thee SHALOM (which is that peace that surpasses all understanding).

Debra, be Blessed with a Great surgeon, great nurses and staff, and may you meet many wonderful people who will become your Friends and companions.

Ready for the ride Sister. See you afterwards,

Blessings and AHAVAH

Bruce Busa  AHAVAH - The Breath of the Father who Breaths for Life, that You may also Breath forth Life in the Praises and Blessings that follow. - translated as - LOVE

Alina FH  Debra, it's perfectly normal - this is HUGE deal and you'll learn a lot about yourself and your body through it.
Try to think of the wonderful life you'll have after it's all behind you. This is what you have to do today, in order to have a healthy, hopeful life ahead. Good vibes coming your way from all of us!

Jan McClain  We are all thinking of you and sending positive energy your way. Try to concentrate on the horse you love and how happy you will be to see that big sweet long horsey face after this ordeal is over. And how happy the horse will be to see you! The wait is the worst, and yours is almost over!

Joyce Shelby  Debra we will all be praying for you. You will come out on the other side healthy and whole. My surgery is April 11th and my emotions have been trying to get the best of me but I recite one of my favorite bible versus and I start to feel safe and secure knowing that I am in the hands of the Lord. Isaiah 41:10: "Do not be afraid for I am with you, do not be discouraged for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my VICTORIOUS right hand." God bless you Debra!

@Tammy, we are on the same page...lol

Tammy Pilcher  @Joyce, I noticed that too. :) I'll be keeping you in my prayers for April 11th, too! Love from your sister in Christ, Tammy

Nicola Laker  I will.be thinking of you and looking forward to hearing from you how well it all went in a couple of days. ☺☺ ❤ xx

Rita Savelis  Yes it is normal. Of course. I cried as I was wheeled into the operating room. If there was ever a moment to cry, it was then. Release those emotions. Crying is okay.

  Best wishes on your decision, Debra! Your thoughts and feelings are completely normal. There are pros and cons to both types of valves and I am sure there are lots of people who could give you information on both. I chose a tissue valve (bovine scented valve) mainly because I didn't want to be on blood thinners the rest of my life. You can read my story for my rationale for why I chose this. The Heart Hospital at Plano has a surgeon who specializes in the Ross procedure. I was offered this, but had concerns about replacing two valves when only one was faulty. Also, there are only a handful of physicians in the country that do this surgery so it makes me wonder why there are not more if it is such a great procedure. I had a minimally invasive surgery and was discharged after 3 days. Currently, I only take 81 mg of baby aspirin each day and have no diet restrictions (7 weeks post op). Take care!

Tahiti Pearls  Hi Debra, my mitral valve was replaced with mechanical valve. Barely 5 weeks post/op, i am still struglling with recovery but slowly getting there. I have chosen mechanical valve because as explained to me it will be for the life, it means i will not be subjected to any other open heart surgery later whereas tissue valve has time line... we never know when will be the next open surgery but for sure there will be another one or two. Don't worry too much. Trust in your self that you can do it!

Bob M  Type of valve is a personal decision; however, I only had one choice since I cannot tolerate Coumadin (feel free to read my story). My valve is a bovine type called a trifecta from St. Jude Medical, vintage December 10, 2014. I love it. And I am betting that when it fails, I will use the TAVR procedure through my leg, not through my chest.

Kate Watson  That's a very tough decision. I chose an animal valve when I had my surgery because I was only 29 at the time. I didn't want to be on coumadin for life, and wanted the option to have more kids. I also hoped that with advances in medicine, there may be a minimally invasive approach by the time I needed it again. This year, I've just turned 40 and my valve is starting to decline, which I wasn't quite expecting yet. It's really really hard to think about having that surgery again. I don't regret getting the animal valve though. I think the choice is a very personal decision, and also depends on your age and lifestyle. Good luck with your decision.