Greg's Posts

It's been 7 months since my valve replacement and thought I'd stop in and post an update. My recovery has been going well. I haven't felt better in years. I've had some work to do. But that sure beats the alternative. 8 weeks into recovery, I had put on even more weight. Eating frequently and not getting much exercise while I let my body heal. Going back to work after 12 weeks I was as heavy as I've even been. I started a moderate diet at that time. I lost 5 lbs the 1st month. I had started monitoring my blood glucose levels since my sugar level spiked big a little before and definitely after the surgery. Requiring insulin injections while hospital bound was shocking to me. I talked to my primary car doc and they suggested a diet change to include eliminating refined sugar, complex carbs and intermittent fasting. After a fair bit of research, eventually, beginning September 1st, tapering down to one meal a day without sugar and low carbs. I've lost 40lbs since then and my blood glucose levels have come back around to normal levels. In the last month, I've been disiplined enough to walk 2-3 miles everyday. Also doing a good deal of stretching and some light weight resistance training. I was just in to see my primary care doc yesterday. My labs look fantastic..including A1C. My heart and lungs sounded good and was told whatever I was doing to keep doing it. I have to credit my darling wife in all this too. She is super at cooking the foods she knows I can have. And she won't let me slack on those days I'd rather not venture outside for my walk. All in all, I'm very blessed. All the doctors, nurses and technology that have allowed me to be optimistic about my future deserve tons of credit. This site was also extremely helpful and I'm grateful it existed to help answer my many questions. And a wonderful, supportive wife who has been a great caretaker and continues to have my love and admiration. Best wishes to you all for a healthy and prosperous 2023!

Just completed my 30 day echo and the new valve is functioning excellent! Cleared to drive and pain med free for awhile now. Not even a Tylenol for the last week. Incision is healing well although there is an occasional itch. I'm out of the recliner and back to sleeping through the entire night in my bed. Getting in a couple mile and a half walks per day. Breathing well and no longer have that pressure band feeling around my chest when a grade elevates my heart rate. Grateful for how things are going😊

Out of surgery on a Tuesday and home Friday. 4 days from arrival to departure is better than I imagined. Full sternotomy that wasn't as traumatic as I anticipated. After getting a good look inside, my surgeon determined my aorta was fine. He had warned me that although it was inside the guidelines for intervention, there may be some disease and he was prepared to address it if needed. My first day home after surgery and I'm doing my best to stay active with the spirometer and short walks. Very pleased with how things have gone so far.