Ole's Journal

Kathleen F.  Congratulations! I was thinking of you this morning, (specifically, your reference to a Post-Traumatic Growth TED talk), and I logged in for the first time ... Read more

Kathleen F.  Congratulations! I was thinking of you this morning, (specifically, your reference to a Post-Traumatic Growth TED talk), and I logged in for the first time in a long time - and here you are, finishing a marathon! You've been inspirational and incredibly helpful to me, and I'm sure, many others on here. You deserve the hard-earned endorphins! I hope to meet up at a race one of these days. I'm training for the Berlin Marathon, it's in 14 weeks (9/25), and your success, as always, gives me confidence in the process. Thank you!

W. Carter  Congrats dude, that quite an accomplishment. In my younger days I ran quite a few halfs and complete marathons. I would run halfs at sub 1:25:00 and full marathons ... Read more

W. Carter  Congrats dude, that quite an accomplishment. In my younger days I ran quite a few halfs and complete marathons. I would run halfs at sub 1:25:00 and full marathons sub 3 hours. Now i'm good to jog at 12-13 minute pace. That gets me out of breath now. :-)

Kathleen F.  Congratulations! Since you set a PR, can we assume you felt better than you had in the past, when you ran before surgery? Do you notice a change in how you ... Read more

Kathleen F.  Congratulations! Since you set a PR, can we assume you felt better than you had in the past, when you ran before surgery? Do you notice a change in how you feel when you run, and after? This whole recovery process is so amazing!

Pat Bluemel  Woo Hoo! Ole, I am so glad we have been able to check in and you were my mentor when I started this out. Your positive attitude and insisting I stay positive ... Read more

Pat Bluemel  Woo Hoo! Ole, I am so glad we have been able to check in and you were my mentor when I started this out. Your positive attitude and insisting I stay positive will always be remembered. I appreciate you letting me go on and on and on via messenger, you calmed my neurosis like no other. You are going to Rock the Rock n' Roll marathon tomorrow.

Cheryl Batzing  Ole, wow--way to go! Wish I could join you...but I'm in Texas. I think you had your surgery around mine...Dec. 16 for me. I have just started feeling awesome...better ... Read more

Cheryl Batzing  Ole, wow--way to go! Wish I could join you...but I'm in Texas. I think you had your surgery around mine...Dec. 16 for me. I have just started feeling awesome...better than surgery. I think I could do 3 miles with you...but not a half marathon! I'll be cheering you on from Texas.

Terry Shermeister   Hi Ole! Thanks for your suggestion. They've already contacted my dentist and gave them their fax. I'm a flossing addict, do a double rinse, but I did just ... Read more

Terry Shermeister   Hi Ole! Thanks for your suggestion. They've already contacted my dentist and gave them their fax. I'm a flossing addict, do a double rinse, but I did just have a root canal in February. I can't wait till I'm 100 days post op!!! Right now I'm just anxious and some times worry too much. Take care.

Kathleen F.  I liked this too. I'm not a gamer, but also used the technique of "reframing" to give this surgery experience a positive and familiar way of viewing, that ... Read more

Kathleen F.  I liked this too. I'm not a gamer, but also used the technique of "reframing" to give this surgery experience a positive and familiar way of viewing, that I could follow. The Ross Procedure became my "bivalvathon" and it's an endurance test for sure. Pacing myself and managing energy are a big part of it, just like in a race. Love your posts!

Terrie Syvertsen  Good for you Ole! I will keep that thought in mind when I get off the recumbent bike and outdoors on my outdoor bike path soon! Nothing like wind in your hair, ... Read more

Terrie Syvertsen  Good for you Ole! I will keep that thought in mind when I get off the recumbent bike and outdoors on my outdoor bike path soon! Nothing like wind in your hair, fresh air and I will be sure to where my helmet and probably tie my giant heart pillow to my backside!
Great accomplishment for you after only 21 sessions!!

Kathleen F.  Fantastic! Thanks for all your postings, guidance and encouragement, and I hope we can continue to follow your progress as you start training for your next ... Read more

Kathleen F.  Fantastic! Thanks for all your postings, guidance and encouragement, and I hope we can continue to follow your progress as you start training for your next goal. We should all meet up at a race one of these days!

Terrie Syvertsen  Ole- Very impressive work for only being out 8 wks. I just read a note you posted to "Paul" and I made a reply that I hope you will not think too whacky but ... Read more

Terrie Syvertsen  Ole- Very impressive work for only being out 8 wks. I just read a note you posted to "Paul" and I made a reply that I hope you will not think too whacky but it was meant in humor! My medical coverage does not cover any managed re-hab program rather a few sheets of written instructions to do at home with some stick-figures to show placement of body parts as you go...... Not what I expected. So what I have done at 5 months is elected to learn from people like you who have made a conscious effort to share what their re-hab programs have set up for them and taken from them what I know I am capable of doing followed by keeping in contact with my cardiologist when in question. Mind you, at just about 66 I am thankful for surviving the surgery and take great joy in any new accomplishment my mending body is capable of reaching and will be delighted in getting back on not only the bike outdoors but the kayaks this spring with my husband. I am concentrating on changing my diet seriously and it is working well so I have to applaud any and all support thrown out to the heart community regarding diet and or exercise. Reading of your activity and your own focus on health is a great incentive to all of us of all ages. Have a great day.

Ole Bore  Terrie - Whacky replies are my favorite! In my humble opinion, humor makes the recovery better. Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything - guess I'm ... Read more

Ole Bore  Terrie - Whacky replies are my favorite! In my humble opinion, humor makes the recovery better. Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything - guess I'm a bit of an over-sharer... :)

Clay - I guess that might have been why you had the surgery. I was lucky as I was asymptomatic and ran 4-8 miles per day up until 2 days before surgery. I believe that aided my recovery, but it sure takes time to get back to that...

Adam Pick  Ole, Love the optimism. Love the attitude. Love cardiac rehab. Way to go! I'll never forget that first, good exercise sweat after heart surgery. It felt so ... Read more

Adam Pick  Ole, Love the optimism. Love the attitude. Love cardiac rehab. Way to go! I'll never forget that first, good exercise sweat after heart surgery. It felt so great. All those endorphins. No need to rush it though. Sounds like you'll be doing some mileage here in the very near future.

Paul Fodor  Ole - cool I am at my 8 week mark and have not had the benefit of cardio rehab but getting advice where I can get it. Good to hear that after 8 weeks you will ... Read more

Paul Fodor  Ole - cool I am at my 8 week mark and have not had the benefit of cardio rehab but getting advice where I can get it. Good to hear that after 8 weeks you will be back to pushing it. - Do you find any side effects related to the heart surgery (that are disappearing). - Eg I still get winded when going up stairs - it tends to be worse after my cycling.

Kathleen F.  your optimism is contagious - thank you! I'm still at the point where I'm concerned about pushing it too much, so I'm hesitant to exercise much, and it's comforting ... Read more

Kathleen F.  your optimism is contagious - thank you! I'm still at the point where I'm concerned about pushing it too much, so I'm hesitant to exercise much, and it's comforting to see those of you who are ahead of me, doing fine.

Cheryl Batzing  You look great Ole! Congrats! Jogging on treadmill? You're the man! I'm not quite at 4 weeks yet with "minimally invasive" MVR on Dec. 16, but don't feel up ... Read more

Cheryl Batzing  You look great Ole! Congrats! Jogging on treadmill? You're the man! I'm not quite at 4 weeks yet with "minimally invasive" MVR on Dec. 16, but don't feel up to treadmill jog yet...just about 3.3 pace for 30 minutes. Way go go!

Ole Bore  Thanks guys! Cheryl - I usually stay at 3.8 and go for an hour. As I'm starting cardiac rehab tomorrow I decided to sneak in a couple of minutes running, just ... Read more

Ole Bore  Thanks guys! Cheryl - I usually stay at 3.8 and go for an hour. As I'm starting cardiac rehab tomorrow I decided to sneak in a couple of minutes running, just to see how it felt. I as soar but survived. Onto my next marathon. Need to find one though. This time I'll do the full (I think).

Jason Leber  Hi Ole, I too had similar experience post op. I got the chills really easy such as when getting into bed, or out of the shower. My whole body would shake and ... Read more

Jason Leber  Hi Ole, I too had similar experience post op. I got the chills really easy such as when getting into bed, or out of the shower. My whole body would shake and shiver. I had some nights while at the hospital where I would wake up sweaty. I'm at week 2 and I feel like my body is finally able to control my temperature and I'm less sensitive.

Terrie Syvertsen  You take with you into surgery many prayers and well wishes for a smooth and successful surgery.
You will be up and using your new treadmill before you know ... Read more

Terrie Syvertsen  You take with you into surgery many prayers and well wishes for a smooth and successful surgery.
You will be up and using your new treadmill before you know it. Keep confident thoughts and the knowledge that your beautiful Wife Heather will be waiting for you to begin this journey of recovery at your side! Bless you both and know that this mending of the heart is the beginning of a healthy new chapter for you both! Take care and know soon
you and Mark will be swapping hospital experiences too! we look forward to hearing from Heather how things are going if She has time to post for you but of course "YOU" are the priority.
Take care!

Jeff V.  I would tell my surgeon to follow his instincts once he sees the condition of root and valve. If it turns out your AV is on the lower side of insufficiency, ... Read more

Jeff V.  I would tell my surgeon to follow his instincts once he sees the condition of root and valve. If it turns out your AV is on the lower side of insufficiency, it may be best in the long run to leave alone. Good luck to you Ole... I'm sending good vibes from the east coast!

alan holland  Best wishes for a sucessful surgery tomorrow. I originally had my surgery at Cleveland Clinic to repair tricuspid valve set for tomorrow but lucked out when ... Read more

alan holland  Best wishes for a sucessful surgery tomorrow. I originally had my surgery at Cleveland Clinic to repair tricuspid valve set for tomorrow but lucked out when Dr Gillinov had a cancellation......got mine done on 11/20 and am recuping well.

  Hi. I had the same diagnoses as you. Surgery was on 9/29/14 and doing well so far. No issues yet, knock on wood. I have low blood pressure too, some seem to ... Read more

  Hi. I had the same diagnoses as you. Surgery was on 9/29/14 and doing well so far. No issues yet, knock on wood. I have low blood pressure too, some seem to feel the least amt of pressure on the aneurysm the better, which makes sense. I was not given it before my surgery....I waited two months, mainly because the first surgeon took forever to see, the second, and the one who performed my operation, saw me immediately. my aneurysm was actually hurting as it was pushing on other areas, and we found out after surgery, the walls were getting pretty thin. That pain, feeling is gone!! thank god. After surgery they wanted to get my heart rate down and put me on it the night before I left. But I denied it as I had tried it several years before and felt awful on a low dose. So, two weeks after surgery I saw my cardiologist and was surprised that he did not tell me I was wrong and should have went on it. His decison was no need for me to be on it, I already have low blood pressure , and since my body is deconditioned at the moment, compared to being conditioned, his call was no need at this time. Seems to me this is an important call based on what is going on with each individual at the time, and as time goes on if I am told I need to for a bit, I will. Mine is anywhere between 80- 90 right now, It was slightly over 100 in the hospital at rest, which is normal after cardiac surgery, but my BP always remained low, like 106, that is without meds, 90's when sleeping there. So it's coming down on its own. I have another check in with the cardiologist next week. So far, only taking aspirin since the surgery, and extra strength Tylenol when I need it. I prefer the body heal itself, vs the drugs being used, but I do clearly understand and realize how important watching the heart rate is, and thankful they can help us when we need it. I hope this all helps, I am typing on my phone and it's a pain, but I wanted to respond. Keep is posted. I had a ton of anxiety, even though I wanted the surgery, I hope u r doing ok, I am here if u have any other questions...I was on an emotional roller coaster for a bit prior to surgery, so much better now. No more anxiety!

Michael Meyer  Ole:
The Toprol regulates both blood pressure and heart rate. Kind of acts like a governor restraining your heart rate. I was glad to get off the medication, ... Read more

Michael Meyer  Ole:
The Toprol regulates both blood pressure and heart rate. Kind of acts like a governor restraining your heart rate. I was glad to get off the medication, I had a mitral valve repair which is a different surgery so check with your physician.

Elaine Foster  Thats the day after me, I'm having AVR on Dec. 10th. I will be praying for you. I am trusting God for a good outcome. Hope this scripture helps you- Isaiah ... Read more

Elaine Foster  Thats the day after me, I'm having AVR on Dec. 10th. I will be praying for you. I am trusting God for a good outcome. Hope this scripture helps you- Isaiah 41:10 " For I am the Lord who takes your hand and says to you "Do not fear".

Nancy D  Thankful for your shortened wait, as for me it was the hardest time. Recovery gives you daily improvements and you are an active participant, rather than a ... Read more

Nancy D  Thankful for your shortened wait, as for me it was the hardest time. Recovery gives you daily improvements and you are an active participant, rather than a passive float in the river of appointments, testing and decisions. Prayers that your journey is peace filled and you have the support and care you need to get you to the complete restoration of your heart health! Take good care!!

Ole Bore  Thanks everyone. Needless to say, I'm the one pushing the timing here as I'd like to get my AAA removed. Until that is done, I sort of feel like a ticking bomb, ... Read more

Ole Bore  Thanks everyone. Needless to say, I'm the one pushing the timing here as I'd like to get my AAA removed. Until that is done, I sort of feel like a ticking bomb, pun intended. Hopefully I can get off the metropolol after the surgery