Deena Elani  It does look good; not just healthy, but tasty.  May I ask what the ingredients are for mixing the slaw and carrots? -- mayo? olive oil?

Marie Myers  I did 1/2 mayo, 1/2 plain yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to taste. I don’t make it super sweet, maybe a Tablespoon of honey for a big bowl. I use the olive oil mayo blend also. 

Richard Munson  Thank you grace for asking. They are talking about a procedure called prk which reshapes the cornea, which they say is not round. Not covered by insurance but i cannot go on this way. Its very disrupting. Its a form of lasik surgery. No idea yet on when.

Shelly Hubbard  Richard I had PRK done over 20 plus years ago. They did one eye. Best thing I ever did. I have like 20 20 or 20 25 vision for distance still just went to eye doctor. I do have readers now that I am 60 but distant is perfect.

Richard Munson  Yes, the clearer they can predict your situation ahead of time the easier the end result. Even at that, they never know everything until they get in there. In my case replacing a couple of chords.  Waiting until november does seem like a long time. Keep this in mind, if they said your wait time was 2 weeks you would be saying, this surgeon must be right out of grammar school. I know you really don’t mean it but please stop thinking that i don’t want to do anything. Worst thing you can do. We will pray for a cancellation, but november will come quickly. Hang in there. 

Richard Munson  I think you need a distraction to get the wait time off your mind. Maybe send shadow down for a week. He can give you the cat scan, or maybe a dog scan. In any event, it will all work out. Just got back after a 2 mile shadow walk, and now he wants to play ball. Plus we got caught in a downpour. Ugh. 

Richard Munson  One more comment before i hang up because i can feel your frustration. I met a very vibrant woman who is probably late 60’s a couple weeks back while walking shadow. She lives around the corner from me. I met this same woman about 2 years ago after my heart surgery and she was struggling. She owns a jewelry store and i was buying a necklace for my wife. She had had heart surgery at i think brigham and womans and it failed. No idea for what other than valve related. They basically told her that they could not fix it. She was a mental mess. I told her about dr. Melnitchauk at mgh and he operated on her a year later and the rest is history. I think you got the right guy. 

Kath Duggan  My anxiety has to do with me, not the doctor. He gave me a choice to be referred to another surgeon at the hospital with more availablity but after he spent 50 mins going over my TEE, echos and records with me and explaining why my case is according to him “challenging “ but he felt I needed to know the possible scenarios depending on the CT, and the condition of the tissue in my heart. He couldn’t have been more thorough and answered all the questions I asked. He saw things that no one else noticed (l was told my chords were fine but he pointed out they are overly stretched) , both leaflets are not good and the fact it has damaged my heart on the left with evidence of MAC (no one mentioned it before… I still don’t get that part). I may end up with a replacement but , again, hopefully not. I just feel like I made the mistake of not being more assertive with doctors over the years when they said it was nothing. This is harder for me than cancer was. 

Richard Munson  I like a doctor that spells it out not sugar coating it. Not sure what mac is. In my case, he was 99.9% sure he could repair, so we never discussed what if. Plus, i never knew about this site till after my surgery, or i might have asked better informative questions. I assume you will consult with him about a replacement valve ahead, just in case. Once in there, waking you up to ask is not an option. I hope not anyway. Excuse me, we woke you up to find out what valve you want us to insert, sorry about the pain. You can’t look back on not being assertive, thats old news. Look ahead. I think the term is shoulda, coulda, woulda. As far as cancer goes, it’s also a biggie. I recall years ago, maybe 10, when my wife informed me she had breast cancer and required surgery. It was like a 2x4 to the head. She handled it way better than me for sure. Thank god they got it all but ugh. 

Richard Munson  I looked up mac and now i know. I think with every mitral valve surgery, repair or replace they put in a new annular ring. Fair question to ask. I have one. 

Kath Duggan  I am 2 time cancer survivor ( 8 years and then 4 years ago) it is no joke either but I always felt I could fight it, I knew more about it and I had friends who had battled it. I did not know anyone with valve disease until I found this group and that was about 4 months after I was diagnosed. After I told the doctor that I am a person who needs to “prepare my head” for this, he said to call him the day after the Ct and he may be able to give me a better idea as to whether I have a repair that is minimal or through the sternum but it all could change during surgery. That means a valve replacement is a possibility and I won’t know until I wake up. I will get a ring and he will remove the Mac as much as he can along with fixing leaflets and cords if it is a repair. I really felt he was honest and straightforward and positive about it, that is why I chose to wait for the date. It will be tissue valve , not mechanical if I need one. All of this is hard…I didn’t know about MAC either until then. I am so thankful I found this group…I know I am not alone. Richard you have been great, your humor is a help😊

Richard Munson  Once the surgery is over and done with, we can hook up for lunch in your neck of the woods. Sad to hear that lindseys, one of my all time, all time has closed the doors. Their turkey dinner  was the best. I went there as a kid for fried clams. I hear marc anthoneys  is good in onset. As a young man, i spent a lot of time in onset and wareham. Lots of cape verdean friends. Probably all dead now. Maybe not. 

Kath Duggan  That would be great. Thought of you when I went by Kool Kone on Sunday . It was busy. I miss Lindsey’s too, I had gone there all my life. So sad another family business gone…

Kimberly Eisenhut  I think he sold the boat last year :(
He has that beautiful family and Shadow to keep him busy though for sure! Hope you are doing well Richard

DeLois Tweedy  Richard, was thinking the same thing - haven't heard from you for a while. It's great to know you are good and things are fine. Take care.....

Kimberly Eisenhut  Richard, I am also 4.1. They wait to do it until it is at least 5.0 from what I have been told. Does not help us thinking about it every day and being told not to lift anything heavy. Guess it is just something we have to live with and hope it stays same every year when we get it checked. One day at a time I guess :)

Richard Munson  Thank you so much ruth and i am so sorry about you having to endure clueless medical personnel. Thankfully it is something that rarely occurs. 

Richard Munson  Here goes. I had minimally invasive with maze. I was asyptomatic on both. Was 79 approaching 80 when i had this surgery in january 2021. Instead of a zipper down the middle they make a much smaller incision under you right breast. There are also some very small incisions for the instruments. Keep in mind, once they get inside, pretty much everything is the same. By going in minimally, it is a much smaller incision and they go thru your ribs. No sternum. They do cut some nerves as i understand it on the way in. Nerve regeneration takes time and i experienced a few sharp pains the first week or 2 but not in the major incision but one particular instrument incision . I had worse pain after knee surgery but pain is pain i guess. I controlled it after the first couple of nights with Tylenol. The chest tubes everyone gets were the most painful and once removed things got better. Use the deep breath apparatus they give you a lot and cough out the mucus. Yes, painful to cough so use pillow. The quicker your lungs sound good the quicker the tubes come out. If you need more info, please ask and i wish you nothing but good luck on your quest for a healed mitral valve. My last echo in december was great and no afib since the maze. Knock on wood.

Janet Roberson  Thank you so much, Richard, for sharing your story! You are the first person I have communicated with about what it's like to have this surgery and what to expect post-op. It's particularly good to know about the sharp pains because the nerves need to regenerate. That's the first time I've heard this -- it makes sense. I will be diligent with the breathing apparatus! I appreciate that you took the time to respond to my question. Janet

Richard Munson  Thank you. He is doing well except for a lingering case of scrotum hematoma which can occur usually with bigger dogs after neutering surgery. He allowed me to put an ice pack on it if you can believe it and the swelling has subsided a bit but still there. Blood and fluid buildup primarily cause by too much activity. Keeping him inactive is a chore. Currently on an antibiotic as well just as precaution. 

Richard Munson  Here is the bottom line on the halter. It works but for a short time. What if you have an a fib incident the day after they remove it. The chip is called the my care linc by medtronic, and it goes under your skin like a pet chip. My cardilogist put it in, you get a monitor that goes next to your bed that records the chip and sends data to the doctor. Plus you get a small clicker you can carry if you feel bad. It notifies them. Plus, it lasts 3 years and no shower concerns. My insurance covered it. Almost a year and by grace of god, no a fib incidents. Its a discussion point for my next months appointment. Check it out. 

Richard Munson  Hills and mountains we can live with but the kitchen table is out of bounds. Maybe i can teach him to use the toilet. Nothing to pick up after.

Richard Munson  No, they did not. Only a patch i removed the evening of the surgery. And of course, 3 different drops 4 times a day. They said they only recommend sleeping cup for restless sleepers which i am not i don’t think. They were pleased with my next day examination. I still have fuzzy vision but my double vision seems to have disappeared. Looks like early january to do the other eye but i will know more in a week after my next surgeon visit. I hoped i could sit with shadow in the living room but he keeps wanting to kiss my face so i had to move. Nancy has been walking him which is good as he needs to respect her as well as me. The fuzzy vision is normal. 

Richard Munson  Still fuzzy but normal till things heal. January second eye. My double vision seems better though. Anxious to get back to workouts and dog training. 

Richard Munson  Thanks, so far, so good although i rubbed it by accident today. Reflex action. Need to be smarter. Maybe not possible. I might be as smart as i’m going to get. 

Patricia Dillon  There is a "post surgical tape" you can get on amazon..it helps heal surgical faster and covers areas to protect from injury more

Deena Elani  Congrats, Richard.  You know the drill now before you have your other eye improved.  No more glasses, if you wear them, I hope. Big pls of surgery.

Deena Elani  Ditto, Ruth! 
Thinking of our hvs godfather, say-it-as-it-is, and Mr. HVS Cheer-you-up, aka - Richard. 
In my prayers.

Marie Myers  Totally missed that my other Richard is having eye surgery. My own Richard had his first cataract removed in August. Hoping “the other Richard’s” surgery goes as well !

Patsy Stewart  Same!! Who doesn’t love Richard?!! The one who keeps us all going and laughing and knowing that he truly cares. ~❤️

Donna Casaletto  Good luck with your eye surgery tomorrow and if you’re going back after 1/27  come visit me at MGH 😉‼️

Rose Madura  God bless you Richard. We all care about you. You always put a smile on our faces. Do well with the surgery, I'm behind you soon I'm afraid.

Richard Munson  You all are the best. I always advise our new ohs patients that being nervous is part of the deal and now that i am a day away i am getting jumpy. My pcp has to give his clearance before they do this and found out late yesterday he has yet to respond to the eye surgeon. Ugh. I will be visiting his office today and maybe a little crabby.no ok by him, no surgery. 

Richard Munson  Donna, i will be doing this eye surgery locally on the south shore so will not be in boston for your heart party. My prayers and good wishes travel up the southeast expressway however. My ohs was a couple of weeks before yours 2 years ago. I can still recall trudging up the mgh steps all by myself due to covid and deciding at that moment i was “ out of here”, and turned around in time to see nancy’s brake lights in the distance. Not sure if i heard a free at last scream but probably not. When they called my name in the waiting room it was all i could do to say here in a meek little voice. Seemed like minutes and i was in the operating room and heading off to dreamland. Seems a lifetime ago. The team at mgh is the best and you will do great. I know. Easy for me to say. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Richard, my mother had both eyes done one after the other, similar to you. She did great, and you will too! It is funny sometimes to see her without her glasses now. She doesn not need them as much any more. Best wishes to you and Nancy  and Shadow, of course! Happy, Healthy Holidays!

Richard Munson  Finally got my approvals and paperwork completed after going in person and walking it thru the system. Not sure i should have to do that but the day before surgery required drastic measures. Now i await the laser. Probably won’t be hawkeye till both eyes are done. Anyone besides me remember the brownie hawkeye camera? You need to be old. I have one in my closet. Auction time on ebay perhaps. 

Susan Lynn  Richard - Best of luck with your eye surgery... it's also in my future in the next few years. I remember the Brownie camera. My aunt took most of my childhood pictures with it and she gave it to me several years ago. I treasure it!

Richard Munson  I’m still on the couch. Ate too much. Big month coming up. Ct scan next week to check my ascending aortic aneurism. Last year 4.1 cm hope its the same, then the 8th, cataract surgery on right eye

Richard Munson  Nancy is playing non stop ( help !!!!!!). Traditional  Xmas songs on the radio but i have been drowning her out with whamm, last xmas and tom petty xmas all over again. Thank you u tube. 

Ana Brusso  Richard, can’t blame you for eating too much, we all did. Love all those Christmas songs. Hope your Ct scan will stay the same as last year. Glad you are getting cataract surgery done, I have to wait until after my follow up appointment with my surgeon Dr. Shemin in March to get mine. Will be praying for you dear friend. God bless you 

Rose Madura  Richard, you have to let Nancy play Christmas songs. They are great! Do you like "Little St Nick" by the Beach Boys?

Deena Elani  Richard, somehow I think those xmas songs are only going to increase as Dec and the 25th nears. Nice  that Nancy and you are both cheerful about the holidays!!   I have started prayers for you re: your CT scan. You are the HVC godfather and have to stay put. Not replaceable!!  I would love to get the cataract surgery.  Painless and you get your full vision back.  That's a gift.  

Klara Čičić  "You are the HVC godfather and have to stay put. Not replaceable!!" Love that, Deena! :)) This is such a lovely community. My heart is bouncing from happiness cause I found it. Haha. Richard keep us posted!

Richard Munson  Will do. Had ct scan today, yes, love little st. Nick beach boys. Not sure i like being the god father. Makes me feel old. I guess i am old.