Ernie's Journal

Just had my 5 year anniversary since surgery. Bovine aortic heart valve is doing great. Monitoring my aorta. Heart's doing great so far, but work will probably kill me.

I had my Aortic Valve replaced the day before my 50th birthday.That was 4 years ago, yesterday. I'm still alive with my Bovine valve, "Toro"going strong. My heart's doing great, but work might kill me. Damned doctor's extended my life so I can suffer longer toiling for The Man! Good luck to everybody going into surgery, and those recuperating. Remember--healing is not linear. You'll have good days and some bad days, but you have more good days than bad as you recuperate.

My rebirthday was 3 years ago, today. Got a bovine aortic valve and a zipper scar on my chest. Ate prime rib this evening, and felt like a cannibal. Feel so much better now than before my surgery.

Received "Toro", my bovine aortic valve replacement a year ago today. So, this is my one year rebirthday. Heartwise I feel great. Good stamina and can do so much more physically now than before surgery. I still have a pain at the bottom of my sternum. Cardiologist thought it might be a loose sternum wire, but my Cobra insurance ran out before we could get it checked out completely. That's been 6 months or more. They did do a chest x-ray, and the wires were intact, but the cardiologist said we'd really need to do a CT scan to see if they are loose and insurnance ran out before we got to that point. I only get the pain when I lean back a ways or sometimes when I sneeze, otherwise it doesn't really hurt. I also still have little sparkly "fireflys" in my vision. Not near as much as I had right after surgery, but they're still there. I've been bad, I haven't been walking like I should and put on some weight. But, when I do walk, I've got good stamina and that's so much better than before surgery. I remember when I asked the heart surgeon about exercising to loose weight before surgery to help recover quicker, and he told me to only walk at a leisurely pace because I could die very suddenly doing strenuous exercise. Now my heart is "strong like bull". This surgery definitely saved my life. For those going into surgery and in recovery, take it slow to heal quickly. Don't try to push yourself too quickly to do too much too early physically. It's not a race---it's recovery. Plus recovery is not linear. It's a roller coaster. You have good days and bad days, and if you push yourself TOO hard on the good days, it will bring on the bad days. Take your pain meds on a regular schedule. If you wait until it starts hurting before you take your pain meds, it's going to keep getting worse before the pain meds kick in, so don't wait too long. As you recover you'll be able to last longer and longer before needing to take more pain pills and you'll be able to ween yourself down to Tylenol and get off the Vicodin. Sleep doesn't come easy at first, so sleep and nap a lot so your body can heal. Also eat well and get good protein to aid in the healing. It took me several weeks for me to get my appetite back. Adam's book is really helpful and this website answered so many questions and alleviated so many fears before surgery. Use the search function, watch videos, and read journals of past patients to know what to expect. I went from pissing myself in public thinking " Oh crap, I'm having open heart surgery" to confidently thinking, "Let's get this baby done" before surgery. I still piss myself in public but at least it's not because I'm scared. Great big thanks to Adam for the book and the website. Good luck to those going into surgery and those in recovery. And a shout out to Jim, Dan, Aubrey, Gabi, Debs, Joe, Carols, Higgy, and etc. who jumped on the recovery train around the same time as me. Big hug to Rachel in the UK. Thanks to all my heart valve buddies who laughed at my journal and were so encouraging and supportive. And great big thanks and love to all my family and friends, and especially Brian who made so many trips over here bringing food and company while I was recovering. Big thanks to Mom for coming out and watching out for me during surgery and recovery. I've almost paid off your bill at the liquor store. If you're brave enough, read my journal for a laugh or two. Ernie A.S. (After Surgery)

March 11 was 6 months post op for my heart valve surgery. I saw my cardiologist Feb. 11th and he was very happy with how I was doing and said not to come back for another 6 months. My blood pressure was 120/70 and heart rate was 70 bpm. I've been bad. I pulled a muscle in my calf and stopped walking for a couple of months. I did a three mile walk today at a brisk but not too fast pace and felt fine. I've got a pain in my lower sternum that started about three weeks ago (AFTER I had been to the cardiologist, of course). I only feel it when I sneeze, twist a certain way, or when I toss my head back to swallow my pills. I wanted to walk and see whether I got really tired or not to see if it was a return of pericarditis. Since I didn't get tired, and out of breath walking, and I don't have a temperature, I doubt it's pericarditis. My roommate thinks it may be muscular since I've been using a dumbell to try and rehab my shoulder from the rotator cuff pain I developed recently. Doesn't feel muscular to me, though. I've got a regular doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks. If the pain persists until then, we'll see what he thinks. Good health and good healing to everybody. Ernie A.S.

I thought I'd do the final post tonight, but the football game on TV, strippers, pizza and a bit too much beer took up most of the day, so I'll have to postpone it. I'm going to write a summary for new patients so they don't have to read 20 pages of my B.S., so I have to organize my thoughts first before my final post. I plan on posting at 6 months and a year, but I'll post if any other signicant event happens, like Mom finally completing rehab or if I get a tattoo of a zipper on my chest scar. Quick update from me healthwise: Feeling great. Did 3 miles walking/jogging on the treadmill in 39mins. and then a half mile cool down. Wasn't breathing hard and felt like I could do it faster, but no need to push it right now. Hoping to do a 5k sometime in 2014 when I can do consistent 10min. miles or less. 15min. miles last week were pretty easy, so upped my intensity a bit this week. I'll probably keep it at 3 miles for 39 to 40 mins. all next week before I up the intensity. I'm 16 weeks post-op, so about 4 and 1/2 months out and feeling great. I dropped 3 or 4 pounds this week from the 10 pounds I gained over the holidays. I weighed 194 lbs. this morning and the goal is 175 lbs. I haven't weighed that since college so I'm looking forward to reaching that goal. Maybe an all beer diet will work. Did a motorcycle ride today through the twisty canyon roads in the mountains behind my house. It was the first time I've ridden since my surgery. Rode 50 miles and no sternum pain, and I didn't wreck, hit a deer, or get hit by a car so I'm plenty happy about that. Next post will be my heart valve surgery summary. Waiting with fingers crossed for Rachel to get a nice, viable heart for transplant, and expecting to hear great news. Good luck, good health and safety for everybody here in 2014. Ernie A.S.

I thought my doctor's appointment was on the 23rd, but it was yesterday. Doctor was happy with everything and said I was doing well, so sent me on my way. Not sure if I should watch the Cowboys game tomorrow or not. I guess if I do, I'll just have to make sure there is nothing in reach that I can throw at the TV. They need to teach all of the Cowboys players how to do the Heimlich maneuver in case Romo starts to choke again as usual. Christmas party tonight at my friend Kirby's place, and I'm going down to my sister's for Christmas Tuesday. Gotta try and get through Christmas without gaining too much weight, but I can't make any promises. Big time sweet tooth. Can't say no to desserts, especially anything chocolate. I guess I know what this year's new year resolution will be. Happy holidays and good healing to everybody. Ernie A.S.

I didn't see the Dallas Cowboys game, and I'm glad I missed yet another Tony Romo big-time choke. The Dallas defense (if you can call it that) didn't help matters either. Roger Staubach is only 71. Bring him out of retirement. I'm sure he could do a better job than Romo. About 3 and a half months post surgery and recovery is going great. My cardio is better than before surgery, so very happy about that. Sternum is healing really well. Seeing fewer sparks in my peripheral vision, so I think that's getting better, too. Starting to drop a few pounds that I gained from Halloween and Thanksgiving. Just boring good news. Nothing special to report on. Glad to hear good news about Rachel in the UK. She and her support group have so much strength and class. Very proud of her and them. Lawson even took the time to respond on my guestbook as well as others and he even subscribed to my journal putting me over the top of my goal of 100 subscribers. How classy is that? Not sure who I have a bigger crush on, Rachel or Lawson. To all those in recovery, heal like the wind! Those getting ready for surgery, good luck and keep a positive attitude for positive results. Recovery will take a while (and you need to take it slow!), but you will be so much better after you've recovered. My next doctor's appointment is Dec. 23, so if nothing else comes up to report on before then, that'll probably be my next journal entry. Until then--- Heal, damn you, heal! Ernie A.S.

No, I didn't hit on Kristie the exercise physiologist, although she's a real sweety-pie. My insurance has a limited amount of lifetime cardiac rehab visits allowed, and Kristie didn't want to use them all up at this time since I'm doing so well. My numbers were hitting right where she said they should be and I was having no chest pains or discomfort, so she sent me on my way and told me to keep doing cardio 5 days a week for 45 minutes. She told me not to do any upper body exercise until January to let my sternum heal, and then when I do start, no chest exercises like push ups or bench press, and nothing that involves lifting the arms higher than the shoulders like lat pulls. 13 weeks post op I'm walking and breathing better than I did before surgery, so I feel great about that. My chest doesn't hurt except sometimes when I sneeze, so everything is going well. This week I started sleeping flat again instead propped up in bed with a bunch of pillows, and I think I'm sleeping better. All in all, healthwise things are going great. Now I just need to get a job. Great to hear Rachel is doing better and that the other people in recovery are doing well, too. Good luck to those going into surgery. Ernie A.S.

Just checked and I have 100 subscribers to my journal now! I reached my goal, now I can quit. Maybe not. Today's tip: Spirometer---use the hell out of it until your numbers are back to where they were before surgery.

Just noticed that I've got 98 subscribers to my journal now. I've almost reached my goal of 100. I had gotten a bit lax about walking over the last several weeks, so put on a few pounds. Thankfully cardiac rehab has gotten the ball rolling again. Today they had me do 40 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph and halfway through they had me bump up the gradient to 2. I worked up a sweat, but cardio-wise had no problem. My heart rate was 75 before I started and the highest it got was 123 while I was exercising. BP was 120/70 before and after exercise, and it was about 160/80 during exercise. So, everything was looking good. I had some weird chest pains driving home afterwards, but it felt more musculo-skeletal than heart pain. I was driving my Jeep and it doesn't have power steering, so hopefully that was the cause. Or gas. We've got a bunch of new people getting ready for surgery. I never wrote a summary of my experience in the hospital, so need to do that. Jim Jones, Dan Sinclair, Aubrey and others have done a really great job with their summaries and advice/tips they can offer from their experiences. My BEST advice for when you are in the hospital---prune juice and Dulcolax. Pain meds tend to slow things down a bit, and the prune juice and Dulcolax help to get things moving along. Also, I had to change the ring tone on my cell phone. The hospital staff didn't appreciate the humor that my ring tone was the sound of a heart monitor beeping and then flatlining. Good luck to everybody getting ready for surgery and good healing those of you in recovery. Positive attitude yields positive results. Keep up the good fight Rachel. We're all praying for the best outcome possible.

Low and behold, Brian made it back to the house for Monday night football. Yay! He picked up some food coming over--- chicken, salad, mac and cheese, and some ice cream and pie for desert. He picked up Vanilla Bean, Sweet Chocolate, and Pumpkin Pie. We usually only have two strippers over on football night, but Pumpkin Pie wanted to come along too. Had cardiac rehab yesterday, and it's going well. Feels good being able to walk better on the treadmill than before surgery. Hope everybody has a good Thanksgiving, and continued prayers for Rachel over in the UK. Ernie A.S.

Started cardiac rehab this week and went twice. They have me doing 40 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 speed. I feel fine and the only thing slowing me down is sore tendons from many sprained ankles, so I have to stop and stretch them after about 10 minutes. Since I have a bovine valve, they usually hold up a red cape in front of me for incentive to keep me going. Had a doctor's appointment Friday, and he was very satisfied with how my recovery is progressing. If I was doing any better I'd have a rainbow coming out my ass. My friend Brian hasn't been by the house ever since I made that joke about having strippers dressed in cheerleader outfits when he's over here for football night. Maybe his wife DOES read my journal. It was a joke Joni!! They're basically just wearing thong bikinis and high heels, not cheerleader outfits. I've read the journals and see that several of the ladies in recovery are having some problems. I hope ya'll are feeling better quickly, especially Rachel who we continue to pray for. Ernie A.S.

No real pains. Feeling good. Walking well. Then I sneeze and I'm reminded real quickly that the old sternum has a bit more healing to do. My friend Dave read my journal where I wrote that I had a week where I couldn't get motivated to do anything. He said it sounds like I'm totally heaIed because I was basically back to the way I was BEFORE surgery. The bastard. Mom just called while I was typing this. She was pretty sober this time, so it was a pleasant call. Last Friday went to an animation career expo and spent the better part of the day walking around and visiting with friends and ex co-workers. Got a lot of comments about how well I looked post surgery. Didn't feel too tired from all that walking and talking, but yesterday ended up taking a good 3 hour nap in the afternoon. It's been a few weeks since I've had to have an afternoon nap like that. Football starting soon, so gotta get off this infernal machine to go turn on that infernal TV. Continued prayers for Rachel in the UK and wishing the rest you good health and healing. Take it slow. Not everybody is a machine like Aubrey. Congrats DanSinc on getting discharged from the hospital. Now the recovery really begins. Ernie A.S.

Went into the hospital yesterday to start cardiac rehab, and all they had me do was fill out paperwork and answer health and body questions. They are going to have me come 15 times or so, twice a week. So, no workout. I already had my sweats on, so I just swung by the gym on the way home and walked 3 miles on the treadmill. Continuing prayers for Rachel in the UK. Good luck for those getting ready for surgery and continued healing for those recovering. Ernie A.S.

I know. I haven't been updating my journal much lately. Last week I didn't feel like doing much of anything. Hardly left the house, didn't do bills, didn't hardly exercise (and I was really kicking ass the week before). I didn't really feel down, so I don't think I was depressed, but I just couldn't get motivated to do ANYTHING. It was almost like I WAS depressed, but without being in a funk. I blame it on the Dallas Cowboys. (Hey, I can't blame myself!) I had a cardiologist appointment yesterday. I've been feeling well physically, and the doctor was happy with how I was doing. Got an EKG and it matched my last one, so that is my new baseline normal. The cardiologist recommended and prescribed cardio rehab, so I've got my first appointment scheduled for Thursday. Looking forward to it. Today's tip for people recovering from heart valve surgery---- no NAKED TWISTER for at least three months after surgery. I found that out the hard way. Got into a position I couldn't get out of without hurting myself and needed help to get out of it. It wouldn't have been so bad, except I was alone. So, I had to wait for my roommate to come home. Another ten minutes, and I think I would have sobered up enough to get out of it myself. It was embarrassing enough having my roommate walk in with me stuck like that, but unfortunately he brought a couple of lady friends home for dinner. What's worse was by that time the house had gotten pretty cold, and the heater was turned off.... Why the hell does EVERYBODY have a cell phone with photo and video capability nowadays?!! I think I need to buy an Xbox or Playstation for the next time I get drunk and bored and decide to play a game. Good healing to all those who just had surgery and are joining us on the recovery train, and those of us a little farther along in recovery. Jim (JJ), Lynn E, Jenn, Tom, Aubrey, Higgy, Cindy, Sandy, Carol(s), Rebecca, Barb, Mary S, Debbie J, Ralph, Anna, etc. Thanks for those much farther in recovery who post (like Linda H and Elsie) and keep encouraging and inspiring us. Good luck Dan Sinclair, Tracy, Bob, Tamara, etc. who are getting ready for surgery. And prayers for Rachelle in the United kingdom who's having some trouble right now after surgery. Ernie A.S.

Romo pulled out a comeback win for the Dallas Cowboys this weekend!!! Holy cr@p!! I've got 95 subscribers to my journal! Haven't hit my goal yet of 100, but this is the closest I've come so far. Finally paid off Mom's bill at the liquor store. Mom, the store owners want your address to send you a thank you card. They miss you and ask about you every day. Another tip for heart valve patients: If you have strippers come visit you at the hospital, the nurses don't appreciate it if they show up dressed in "sexy nurse outfits". And, if you're in a hospital like St. Josephs, they especially don't like it if the strippers wear the sexy Catholic schoolgirl costume. Better to have them show up in the sexy cop outfit. Thanks Brian for stopping in for Monday night football and bringing tamales and ice cream. Glad you're feeling better. Next time I'll make sure the stripper's cheerleader outfits match the teams playing that night. Might require a bigger tip, though. (Hopefully your wife doesn't read my journal.) Good luck to the November patients going into surgery, and continued healing for the rest of you on the recovery train with me. You know Aubrey's an engineer, right? He'll get us where we need to go. Ernie A.S.

Diarrhea. No fun. Hope I'm not getting sick. Woke up this morning feeling a little tired, so hard to tell if it was a stomach bug, or something else. Maybe snacked on too much Halloween candy. Good amount of trick or treaters came by yesterday, but still have a good amount of candy left. Little bastards took all the Almond Joy, but that's all right. I'm good with just chocolate. Walked in the neighborhood yesterday, and went up one of the most steep hills. Did well, but coming down hill my left knee started hurting and got so bad I started limping. Loosened up and quit hurting once I turned onto my street and onto even ground. Damned 50 year old knees! A lot of wear and tear over the years. Sternum must be REALLY healing now. Starting to get some chest pains but only feel it when I breath deep, cough, or sneeze. It's a dull pain, more like a bruise feeling. Totally manageable, and don't need anything for it. Ever since surgery I've had these "firefly" like sparks that fade in and out every once in a while in my peripheral vision. I looked at other heart journals and some people said they had "floaters" but eye floaters are usually dark, and mine are more like sparks that fade in and out as they zoom through. I wonder how much longer I'll keep getting those? I don't see them when my eyes are closed when I'm trying to sleep. Congrats Jim and Lynn on your Red Sox victory. That was when I was taking a nap, so I missed the final game. Went and saw GRAVITY yesterday and really liked it. Ernie A.S.

The good news: Got back the results of the kidney ultrasound. The bad news: I have a kidney stone. The good news: It's nonobstuctive and the doctor said if it's not bothering me, then we don't need to do anything to it, and I need to drink more water to keep from getting kidney stones. (I guess alcohol doesn't count) The bad news: I didn't do any REAL walking the last 4 days. The good news: I went into the gym today and did 4 miles on the treadmill and averaged 15:25 a mile. I jogged several times for two minutes at a time and did well. The bad news: I was a little chilly earlier this afternoon and crawled in bed just to warm up and fell asleep, so I didn't get much done today since I slept a good part of the day. The good news: I got a damned good nap in today and it felt great. :) The bad news: Mom called today while I was taking a nap, so I didn't get to talk to her. The good news: Mom called today while I was taking a nap, so I didn't have to talk to her. (I kid, I kid! I love Mom--- when she's sober) The bad news: My sister Lori had a birthday yesterday, so she's getting OLD. The good news: I'M YOUNGER THAN SHE IS!!!! :) The bad news: A number of us here on this website have had or ARE having open heart surgery. The good news: It's saving our lives and we will be better because of it. Hope eveybody's doing great, and thanks for checking on me. Ernie A.S.

My friend Dave(Squid) flew in this weekend and stayed with me Friday through Monday. We went to a couple of Tiki events this weekend and got to see a bunch of friends I hadn't seen since before I had surgery. It was great seeing people's reactions when they were surprised to see me, and when they were even more surprised when they realized Squid was there too, because it's been a year or two since he's been here. Had a bunch of compliments about how well I looked, and had a few people say they couldn't tell I had surgery just by looking at me (except for the scar peaking out of the top of the shirt). Plus, I had 2 or 3 rum drinks, so I got a little alcohol in me this weekend. It was a long weekend and I felt a bit wiped out on Monday, but got some good sleep last night and I feel good today. It was great seeing everybody this weekend and Squid and I had a blast. Brian's been sick, and he hasn't been over here to watch the World Series, so I haven't been keeping up since Dave was in town this weekend. I did catch the game yesterday. Rooting for your Sox Jim Jones. If they win, that'll make your surgery and recovery in November SO much easier. :) Haven't heard back about my kidney ultra sound yet, but the results of the blood test were fine except for low hemoglobin, which is to be expected after major surgery. Doctor said it's nothing to worry about and the hemoglobin will replenish over time. My sister said Mom's had a few sober days now that she's back in TN, and my brother got the staples removed from the incision for his new bionic hip. He's not running sixty miles per hour yet, but he's burning through the wheels on the walker he has to use right now. Good luck to everybody recovering and those getting ready for surgery. A little tip---when you're in the hospital, if you bring a laptop computer, they discourage you downloading porn during your stay. Ernie A.S. P.S. Thanks Eric for the awesome mug, and Sandra for the cookies and pumpkin seed. You look great Sandra after your brain surgery same time as my heart surgery. Good to see you out and about.