Gerald 's Journal

Well the running season is over for another year and we just finished our 5th for the year, the Esquimalt Navy 10K run. It is hard to believe it has been almost 2 years since my surgery for a bicuspid aortic valve and aortic artery repair. My Edwards bio

Wow how time flies when your busy, happy and healthy.
Hello fellow heart people 😍 I was one of the lucky people to be born with a bicuspid aortic valve which caused my aortic artery
aneurysm. 9 months ago, at the young age of 65 I had the full Sternotomy, a 🐂 Bioprosthetic valve installed and my aneurysm repaired. My operation went great as did my recovery. I suffered very little pain, much easier than anticipated or should I say, feared and other than discomfort the worst part about my recovery was my impatience to be well again. Sometimes the biggest fear is fearitselff.
So you ask why was I lucky to be born with a bicuspid valve. Well when my friends are having heart attacks and dying, that is something I don't really have to worry about. You see my arteries were clear, and after my surgery I asked my specialist, if they weren't clogged up after 65 years, do I have to worry about them clogging up now, his response was no.
So life is great and I am grateful. All the best to those of you that are awaiting surgery, my best advice is to be positive and embrace the operation that is going to save your life. We are so fortunate.

Hello fellow heart people 😍 I was one of the lucky people to be born with a bicuspid aortic valve which caused my aortic artery aneurism. 8 months ago, at the young age of 65 I had the full Sternotomy, a 🐂 Bioprosthetic valve installed and my aneurism repaired. My operation went great as did my recovery. I suffered very little pain, much easier than anticipated or should I say, feared and other than discomfort the worst part about my recovery was my impatience to be well again. At one week post op I was having a picnic on the beach with my lovely wife, at 9 1/2 weeks I joined my family in a 10 K run, although my doctor had only cleared me to run one kilometer so I ran one then walked and continued to run and walk until I ran across the finish line.
At 13 weeks I was cautiously loading, unloading and stacking 3 cords of firewood, it just goes to show you how far one can recover, one step or one piece of firewood at a time. Now it has been 8 months and I just returned from a 50 minute jog, in preparation for the Times Columnist 10 K run in Victoria on the 29th. This time I will not be walking, I will be running all the way.
I was very fortunate in that I was physically active, was in good condition and had clear arteries when I went into surgery.
Why am I telling you all this ? Because I want you to know that for most, this operation is not nearly as bad as we all fear and there is hope to not only have an operation that is going to save your life but also to make you better and healthier than before. If you are facing surgery like I was, feel free to read through my journal and hopefully you can learn some things from my experience. A big thank you to all those who went before me and wrote your stories and positive thoughts and prayers for those who follow. 🙏👍

I am approximatly 6 1/2 months post op for aortic valve replacement and aortic artery anurism repair. Last night I woke with the realization that something had changed, the louder than normal heart beat that I have experienced since my operation seems to have gone. It would be particularly loud if I inhaled deeply and held my breath. I understood that this would not go away due to the cutting open of the pericardium, but I must say, I sure dont miss hearing it.

This is me today, celebtating my 5 month anniversary by parasailing in Mexico, jogging along the beach and drinking Tequila, life is good and there is hope and a great life to be had after recovery 👍 All the best mi amigo's

This was me 5 months ago today after a successful operation to replace my bicuspid aortic valve with a bovine bio prosthetic valve and repair my Aortic artery aneurism.

Wishing you all a Very Happy New Year and Happy Healthy Hearts ❤️

My wife and I made this for her office Christmas party, enjoying recovery and life.

I couldnt get all of the house in but, Merry Christmas to you all and I hope your journey to recovery is as successful as mine has been.

Wow how time has flown. The energy has returned and the heart pounding has all but gone away. My blood pressure is again what it was post op, usally around 112/70. The best news is that my heart rate is gradually slowing down, usually the mid 60's and it even got back into the high 50's a couple of times.
I am not walking as much lately, work gets in the way but I have been doing a lot more jogging to make up for it. Between the jogging, carrying firewood every day and back to some light weight training, feeling great and life is good. I am blessed.
For those of you waiting for surgery or in early recovery, you can do this. It has not been near as bad as I feared or expected and it took me longer many years ago to heal from a broken leg and with less pain. Just remember to give yourself time to heal and when you are able do lots of walking or whatever exercise you can do and get your heart and lungs back in shape.

13 weeks post full OHS, walking, jogging, this is 1/2 the firewood I hauled, life is great at 65 years young 👍

I was in good physical health going into this operation and now with no diseased parts I am healthier yet. I had a bicuspid aortic valve and aortic artery aneurism. One of those congenital defects that we have no control over. I feel very fortunate in that my surgery and recovery has gone very well and I would like to state my appreciation to my surgeon and his team as well as the cow , no doubt a bull 🐂 That donated my new valve. I found the operstion and recovery far less than I anticipated or feared and my pain was minimal and actually more discomfort than pain. Yesterday and today I wore a holter monitor just to insure that all is well with my heart beat regularity, to give them something to look at I ran for 1/2 an hour and later stacked two loads of firewood into my truck and unloaded them as well. Living and loving life and wishing you all as smooth a journey as I have had. PS, a big thank you to the people that post here and offer their encouagenent and support, you all rock 👍

It was at Miracle Beach, I placed 3rd in my age group but there were only 3 of us :-) a miracle I finished and another Happy day and Miracle post opp day, for all you waiting for surgery, life is good on the other / post op side

9 1/2 weeks post op, completed a 10K race today with my wife, son, dtr in law and grand dtr.

It was 2 months for me on Wednesday and I am feeling GREAT 💪. I walk / mix jog 3 to 7 miles most days. The only residual effects from my surgery are the scar on my chest which has healed up and the chest hair has grown back as well as my my lifting restriction. I would have posted a picture of my scar but last time I did that one woman asked if it could be considered scar porn 😀. The surgeons can do some remarkable things these days, the cow 🐂can or pig 🐖can provide you with new valve tissue but getting yourself in better heath and physical condition after surgery is up to you. I wish you all a successful surgery and a speedy, non eventful recovery.
YOU CAN DO THIS👍

Hello all, for those of you that do not know, I am 7 1/2 weeks post opp from a bicuspid aortic valve replacement and aortic artery aneurism repair with a full Sternotomy. Today my wife and I hiked the Elk Falls canyon view trail. The hiking trail follows rivers, goes across a suspension bridge and works its way up paths and stairs increasing elevation to a lookout over the falls. Last week my internal medicine specialist gave me permission to start jogging again so we also jogged quite a bit of the trail as well. I had an ironman heart monitor watch prior to my surgery and I find this to be an invaluable tool post surgety to ensure that I am not overstressing my heart.
65 years young and living and loving life 💪

Many of us have wrestled with this decision so I wanted to share an article that helped me make my decision. First I would like to say that a tissue valve is not for everyone, a main concern is your age because they dont last forever but to me a bigger concern is your general physical health and condition. The manufactures say 10-20 years but that changes depending on your age as they degrade or calcify faster the younger you are. Although my cardiologist and surgeon recommended a mechanical valve for me, I chose the tissue valve and my research as well as my cardiologist and surgeon recommended the Edwards Bovine pericardial valve. I hope this helps but do the research as you get to live with your decision.You have to click on the url as it doesn't attach the complete article, Happy and healthy life to all of you 😍
They are also making great progress on the TAVR, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, which may be an alternative to another OHS when my valce wears out in 25 years 🙏

https://www.drugs.com/news/study-tissue-heart-valves-seem-best-middle-aged-patients-59717.html

Got the a clean bill of health, tissue valve is functioning as it should be, off all meds and nice to be drivivg again. I got the okay to extend my daily walks to over 6 miles and start jogging again but getting into it slowly up to the 2 month point. I guess it is hard on the sternum and we dont want to jog that loose, so I can be patient. I have said it before and will agsin for those who are pre surgery. It is not the same for all but for me this procedure has been relatively painless and WAY easier than I could have ever imagined😀 All the best to those going into surgery and to those already on the recovery road.

It was only a 5 km run which I had to walk because of my recent OHS but cancer like heart disease is also a good cause. Besides, how could you not be inspired by Terry Fox. It makes me feel lucky to only have the problems that I have.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox


Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox CC OD (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on an east to west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi), and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$650 million has been raised in his name.[1]

Terry Fox
CC OD
A young man with short, curly hair and an artificial right leg runs down a street. He wears shorts and a T-shirt that reads "Marathon of Hope"
Terry Fox in Toronto during his Marathon of Hope cross-country run (July 1980)
Born Terrance Stanley Fox
July 28, 1958
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died June 28, 1981 (aged 22)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Cause of death Metastatic osteosarcoma
Education Simon Fraser University
Known for Marathon of Hope
Title Companion of the Order of Canada
Fox was a distance runner and basketball player for his Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, high school and Simon Fraser University. His right leg was amputated in 1977 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, though he continued to run using an artificial leg. He also played wheelchair basketball in Vancouver, winning three national championships.

In 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people. He began with little fanfare from St. John's, Newfoundland, in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day. Fox had become a national star by the time he reached Ontario; he made numerous public appearances with businessmen, athletes, and politicians in his efforts to raise money. He was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay when the cancer spread to his lungs. His hopes of overcoming the disease and completing his marathon ended when he died nine months later.

In addition to being youngest person ever named a Companion of the Order of Canada, Fox won the 1980 Lou Marsh Award as the nation's top sportsman and was named Canada's Newsmaker of the Year in both 1980 and 1981. Considered a national hero, he has had many buildings, statues, roads, and parks named in his honour across the country.

I wrote this last night but the delete button is to close to the edit button 🤣
I woke up about 5:30 AM and I could hear my heart beating a bit eratically and it would miss beats. I had Atril Fibrilation in the hospital for one day so I had my concerns. I got up and put on the blood pressure monitor I had bought pre surgery. The monitor claims that it also monitors for A Fib but it never had so I didnt know if it even worked. As it completed its third test, you can do one or three for a more accurate reading, I discovered that the A Fib detection did in fact work as it beeped and flashed A Fib 8 times after my test was complete. 😱 I posted a picture of this machine and highly recommend it for anyone going into OHS.
My regular Dr. was away so I saw another doctor who prescribed a blood thinner as a precaution and sent me off to the hospital lab to for an EKG and blood tests. As many of you know, you can feel your heart a lot more after surgery and at 12 noon, 5 minutes before getting called in for my test, I felt that my heart rate was back in sync and was beating regular and fine. The EKG will confirm that. I continued to monitor it through the evening and the following morning and I am still in sync.
So, I am happy to say that there were several positive points with this most recent bump along the recovery trail. First of all my heart is now in sync and doing fine, second I now know my AFib monitor does in fact do a great job at monitoring blood pressure, heart rate and A Fib and last but not least, I got to talk to my internal medicine specislist and my one month Echo I had a couple of days ago to test my bovine valve showed that it was working perfectly 😍
Wishing you all successful operations and only small bumps along the recovery trail.

In case anyone is interested, my blood pressure monitor with Atril Fibrilation detection.

4 weeks today

I would have never believed that the operation and the recovery would be as smooth as it has been. 4 weeks today and no pain, good appetite, sleeping well and life is good. I have also gained back the 60% lung capacity that I lost from the operation. My sternum is obviously healing well and I can clear my throat or cough without any concern. I had my bicuspid aortic artery replaced and my aortic aneurism repaired. As you can see my sternotomy scar is s also healing well and the chest hair s growing back.
I have now been walking about 4-5 miles a day and feel all the better for it. The worst of it now is some boredom sitting at home and not working, although today I am smoking up some candied salmon so that will keep me busy for a while with some tasty healthy snacks along the way.
I chose the bovine tissue valve and unlike Bob I have no animal instincts other than the ones that I had prior to the surgery. I had my echo yesterday to ensure that the valve is working properly and will get my results on the 18th when I see my internal medicine specialist and get the OK to drive again.
All in all this experience has been at least 10 times easier than I expected and the degree of fear I experienced pre op was understandable but not warranted.
A big thank you to those who went before me and posted their experiences on here and I can only hope that my experience and postings help others waiting their operation.

I just got back from my walk, walked for over an hour, along the ocean and then back home. Yesterday I did another 40 minutes in the evening with my wife but today I may rest up.
Needless to say I am feeling great. My lung capacity is now about 90 % of what it was when I went into surgery and that feels good considering I had lost 60 % the day after surgery. I have not taken any pain medication since the hospital except for the occasional Tylenol extra strength for an aching back, a bi- product of the surgery I am told. While in the hospital I did come down with duodenitis which caused me to throw up twice, I think that also caused my one day bout with Atril Fibrillation but all cleared up now.
I am fortunate that I have slept in my bed on my back and on both sides since the day I returned home on day 4. I am now pretty well sleeping through the night and that feels good to.
I am also so fortunate to have a loving wife who was by my side all the way and took time off work to care for me until Monday.
I am blessed.

Duodenitis, Duodenitis is the inflammation of the duodenum, which is the first segment of your small intestine. It is what connects your stomach to the rest of your digestive system.

Less common causes include:

being placed on a breathing machine
extreme stress caused by major surgery, severe body trauma, shock

I wanted to share this with you because I came down with it on day 2 after my OHS. Day 2 I could no longer eat, had pain in my stomach area and eventually started throwing up. They thought it was a nauseous side effect of one of my medications. I couldn't eat much and was released on day 4.
At home that night I had stomach pains and once again started throwing up.
The next day I went to my Dr office and he sent me to the emergency ward. Small time hospital and a young new doctor but she was relentless. I spent 7 hours in emergency but they finally gave me an MRI and detected the inflammation. A simple pill was given to me which shut down the stomach acids and is allowing it to heal. The doctor could not link the duodenitis to my surgery but when I researched it I found the answer. My regular Dr. also understood the connection when I had my 2 week check up.

Your surgery may cause you to be nauseous but it should not leave you with stomach pain.

Knowledge is strengnth

2 weeks today since surgery and feeling great 😀My post op appointment with my Dr also went great. Yesterday my wife and I walked for about 45 minutes. I didnt push ii and we took a few sit breaks, I didnt feel that I needed them but took them anyways just to be cautious.
I am going to try to complete this walk every day now as my wife will be going back to work next week. It keep me in shape and it will help pass the long lonely days. This may seem a lot but pre surgery I was walking about 10 km every day abd last year we would be jogging it.
If you are pre surgery and able, I cant stress enough the importance of walking or being in shape. It makes such a huge difference in how you not only respond to surgery but how well you recover. OHS is hard on everything but also your lungs, it is hard to believe but in that 4+ hours of surgery you lose 35 - 60 % of your lung capacity and it can take 3+ months to recover and that if you work at it. Personally at 65 and in good shape, I lost 60% lung capacity and after 2 weeks I have gained back 10% of that loss.

11 days since OHS. I had a very good day today, working in the back yard for several hours with my wife, watering plants etc. Yes I am on light duties and no I dont have the energy that I used to, but I would never have believed how good I feel, no pain and on the road to recovery. I was looking forward to my operation date and moving forward with recovery, it is way better than I expected.
I wish you all the best !

WHAY A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES! From surgery to lunch on the ocean 👍

I did great with the surgery. Dr was amazed. Only in the hospital until day 4 and then home. I had a couple sleepless nights in the hospital at the end, stomach problems, which they thought was the medicines they were giving me. Today would have been day 6 more bad stomach pain so little to no sleep. Nothing seemed to help the pain so today went to my doctor who sent me to the emergency ward. 7 hours in emerg and they finally discovered by doing a cat scan that every thing was fine with my surgery except I somehow developed a swollan Duodenal gland which the stomach acids were burning up. Now I have acid blockers and a sleeping pill to catch up on lost recovery time.
If in doubt, get checked out.

Day four, having the rest of the wires pulled and just home after the 3 hour drive.

An hour after surgery, new valve and aortic artery, blood pressure notmal all good

My wife gave me a lips pillow for kisses from her and the end of this chest 😍

Well tomorrow is finally the day, I had my EKG and blood tests today and am ready for tomorrows surgery. I have gone through all of the stages since my cardiologists said, its at the point when you need surgery, and now I am just ready to get my new aortic valve and artery replaced and start my recovery. So up and at the hospital at 5:30 AM tomorrow and on with the first day of the rest of my life 👍

I have had this for two days now and really like it. It takes 1 test or gives the average of 3, love it tests for A fib

3 days till surgery,I think this is the last purchase for my recovery, dust and grass etc can make me sneeze and I dont want to do that after my operation. Our house has an air system but this sounded worth the investment. Air HEPA Filter Ionic Ionizer A

My preop booklet said to buy a blood pressure monitor, mine is always very good but feedback from others on here that have gone before me, helped make the decision to invest in myself and my recovery. I found and chose this one because it also screens fo

This was provided to me by my surgeon, it suggests buying a blood pressure machine for post surgery, anyone have the same? My blood presuure is great but I assume it changes after surgery and is a good idea to monitor it.

Just 5 days left till surgery. I have a steep driveway that may take me a while to manuver and there are hills no matter which way I go, so We were on the search for a good used treadmill for the condo beginning of my recovery. Who knows we may also jog o

Just 5 days left till surgery. I have a steep driveway that may take me a while to manuver and there are hills no matter which way I go, so We were on the search for a good used treadmill for the condo beginning of my recovery. Who knows we may also jog on it in the winter. It was a great deal and the lady rarely used it, sad to say the fate of most exercise equipment but it saved me a lot of money instead of paying for a new one. I like the built in heart rate monitor, not to mention its location, in front of a 55" TV 😀

Celebrating my clear arteries, not sure why I wasnt smiling, they didnt give you a sedative at the hospital before the angiogram, it would have been nice but at least this way I could have a few afterwards 🍻

Now it loaded, clear arteries, that was great news to hear

I think clear artweies are a biggie as well as being in shape, this was the chart that they present at Victoria Jubilee, usally it shows your clockage but in my case all clear

11 days till surgery, I continue to walk to keep myself and my heart in shape for surgery and recovery. Last year I would be jogging it but yesterday I did a brisk walk for 10 kilometers, it took me an hour and 40 minutes. Then when my wife got off work, she wanted to jog so I walked another 5 kilometers which took me another 50 minutes. Not only am I feeling good but I am also shedding a couple extra pounds.
I can only think that I am able to do this with a 0.6 cm2 critical valve because I have stayed in shape and that my angiogram revealed no artery blockage at all.

Celebrating my 65th birthday or beer day as the singing card from my wife reads, knowing surgery would be coming up we celebrated in Huatulco Mexico.

Way to go, I am not far behind you, they say the first day is the honeymoon day when you find out you made it, look forward to hearing more of your recovery, thanks for sharing