Joseph's Journal

When a loved one is lost and the present suddenly becomes empty, remember that memories are forever. Nothing can take away the meaning they have brought to your life or the love you have shared. Those memories are yours to cherish. Reach out today and tell those that are dear to you, that you love them, and take time to remember those that are no longer with us , and tell them that you love them!

To begin with I would like to wish those that have surgery today and tomorrow best wishes and you will be in my thoughts . The next thing is I find today a very tough day as it is 13yrs today that I have lost my Father to Cancer. There is not a day that goes by where I have not missed him, this year it seems to be more due to what I have underwent, I know he would have been by my side in person and not just spirit. I recall the day he passed as I stood on guard over him for three hours till we walked him to the morgue. I miss my father lots. Forever in my heart,mind and soul. Always will be remembered. Till the time we met again. Hearts will heal, but I'll never forget. Everything I've become is because of you. Rest in peace, I will always love you!

Wow look nearly a full board for the 14th, Well lets begin with best wishes for tomorrow , strength be with you all. After that I wish you a speedy recovery and all the Best. I know you will all be fine, relax and enjoy your family time today.

For all those that have surgery tomorrow , I am sending my best and you will all be in my thoughts. I will be looking for your updates when you are feeling better.

Lenore and Tammi best wishes for tomorrow , rest assure I will be thinking of both of you tomorrow looking forward to your updates when your back on your feet!

I have a question, has anyone gone traveling without travel insurance with a valve that has been in for 3 months or more,I can't get the insurance do to the fact the last surgeon visit was dec 1, and you need to be 3 months clear. my surgery was oct 7 . I was hoping to get away jan 6th. do i take the chance

Well this is week nine now , and feeling better again this week. Off to my Cardio class today, today's lesson is understanding medications and heart healthy eating. I'll be back and let you all know how it went.

Well that was a interesting day, spent it in the ER. Went in around 11.30 am do to pain i have in ribs/chest.They did blood work and then i waited, it was around 3 this afternoon that I saw the Doctor. Was told the blood test came back positive for a possible clot (Called a D blood test) so he also said that he did not like the positive do to other reasons that could cause the positive. he would have rather seen a negative , positive on the test.(not sure what that double talk meant) So the doctor orders a CT Scan so waited again. Around 5 pm I got wheeled to the CT Scan waiting room,was there for about 1/2 or so. Test did not take long and then back to the ER for me. Waited one more hour and saw the Doctor to find the good news that it was not a Clot, said everything looked fine but had a little fluid around left side of heart and it could be the pressure of the lung on this liquid pushing on the ribs . The only silly thing he said was i may always have this pain there,(does not seem right) For now I will try not to do what ever caused it, and I it still does not get better I will go to a different Hospital. To all the fellow heart patients that urged me to go Thank you !

On week seven now and not feeling well for the last few days, may have pulled muscle's in the neck or something, whatever it is it has created a pain also in my stomach under the left side of my ribs , it feels as if i have gone back to week 2 , hard to breathe normally, can't cough, sneeze, hick-up, found my self short of breath after bisk walk and going up the stairs , hard to sleep with out druging up, hate doing that but must sleep. The lower pain may be from over compensating for the neck but not sure i will have to watch this, the pain may be more than the surgery. The only good news is i went to cardio rehab wed. and was told my lungs where clear.

To begin I would love to send out a Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends for this upcoming weekend. Well it has been 6 weeks now and yesterday i went for my intake at cardio rehab, we feel that the home program will be more suited for me and i will just attend the info classes. I have some gym equipment at home . I was also told i could drive again this week which is great, but my truck has been in the shop for a week and half being worked on. I was also told to still not to lift over 10 lbs, no shoveling (not that i mind that my boys can do it) no snow blower either. Our new puppy is doing well, this puppy was a promise to myself that if made it out of surgery i would get my kids one as they always wanted one. I find myself still emotional, in the way that seeing things that are kind or sad that I tend to tear up, I even seam to laugh a bit more (curse the Surgeon I think she gave me a heart) I just feel luck to be alive and thankful. I hope to get out and around a bit more soon even though i love being on this site, I try to welcome each and every new person it is a feeling of something i must do, and each and every Doctor I come across I tell them of this site. To all the new members you will find this site so useful in many ways and always feel free to ask us anything. Well for now I send out best Wishes to one and all . And remember Believe in You!

Today I give thanks, not to the doctors, not to the many wonderful friends on here, But i give thanks to the Many Canadian Soldiers of the past and present, to the ones that lay in Flanders Fields and the one's in Battle today, that Stand on Guard for Thee. I give thanks for your lives, and mine. Today is Remembrance Day and I as a Proud Canadian I Remember You! Today Thank a Veteran, Thank A Soldier, Then just be Thankful for Freedom. .

Minor set back today had to go to hospital, chest stitches were coming apart before it was healed and i had liquid under the skin, I did not have a infection which was good but they poked and prodded my incision and then cut it larger to drawn. Now i have dressing on there again and they are going to send in home care for a few days to change the dressing. When i got home i got my call for cardiac rehab i get my intro on Nov 19. My chin is still held high and i am doing fine.

Well it is week 4 post op, i feel so much better,I do my walks and i am waiting for cardiac rehab now. Can't wait to get back driving so i can become more independent. I am looking forward to healing more as i want to sleep on my side but still find it hard to do as when i wake i am slight pain and stiff . Other than that Life is Wonderful!

Well it has been 3 weeks since the surgery, each day I feel better, I look back on the past year and see many times where i did not feel good but just brushed it off as being out of shape or just getting older i now know that it had to have been my Heart. I look back on the Day of my operation how scared i was in the morning. The day after my operation was going to be my 9th anniversary, I never knew what the out come was going to be, I remembered listening to music that morning, I remembered contacting the local Radio station told them what was soon going to happen and if the could give a shout out to my wife for are anniversary they said they could i also asked for a song to be played ,they stated they wish they could but it was all programed. Well at 8:40 they gave out the best of wishes to me and my wife and family it was awesome then out of the blue they said they would play my song as it was ironic for what was going to be done for me .(the song was Kick Start My Heart by Motley Crue) I cranked it and rocked out as soon as the song ended we left for the Hospital.For most of the ride i looked out of the window and did not say much as the odd tear came to my eye once there it was hard just lying in bed with my family there and thinking about the what if's and trying to be brave in front of them. It was hard giving them hugs telling my kids and wife that i loved them watching the tears and fear on there face's, but it was something that i needed and my wife could not understand as why i wanted my whole family there, and i never did tell her how scared i was and if i was to go the last thing I wanted was to see them all together. Once the time came and i was wheeled away and placed in the hall, the fear and anxiety kicked into overdrive as i thought of my family present and past one's. Once in the O.R. i am thankful i was out quick. I look back on that and see how each and everyone of us on this site must feel the same, how this plays with your minds, for me i kept my feelings inside for months sometimes it is all i thought about. I was so glad to find this site with all the information and friends in the same position. It did help and put me at easy for short periods of time . Well it is now 3 weeks and i thank one and all, each day i am thankful to be on this side of the dirt. And each day i get better because of my wonderful family and friends I would also like to thank my wonderful Doctor at Southlake Hospital In Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, Surgeon Carolyn Teng.