Paige's Journal

Mary K  It is wonderful that you had such a positive experience with your surgery. And you are absolutely correct in the need to find the balance in your recovery. You were probably given instructions about an exercise routine and continued use of your spirometer, so you know what to do. Stay out in front of the pain with meds. Be kind to yourself. Bless you. "Looks like we made it". :)

Tammy Pilcher  Yay Paige! I'm so happy for you! I totally agree about Dr. Accola and Florida Hospital! I knew you would love them!! Prayers for continued recovery and God bless you!

Gerald Schaffer  Congrats on getting home. You still need healing rest so don't over do it for now. I hope you find the right balance of exercise and rest that works for you.

Paige Baitinger  Thank you all for your encouraging words. I find that I do need a long nap
(sometimes 2-3 hours in the afternoon) and I let myself have it. Sleeping at night isn't the best- not horrible, but not deep sleep. So the naps are helpful. Walking a few times a day- short walks - 15 minutes & Slow . Concerned more with frequency of walks than duration right now. Can't believe it's only been 10 days. I have had to learn to put my stubbornness aside and accept the help that loved ones want to provide :-) I wish all of you the best in your recoveries as well. Life has a whole new meaning after something like this, doesn't it? Blessings to you all :-) xo

Paige Baitinger  I wa wondering if anyone else has had this experience: directly above my incision and below my clavicle is an area that's convexed - sort of swollen and protrudes. Doesn't hurt necessarily but is raised and somewhat bruised . One of the pre-op nurses told me that a "bump" like this could happen because I'm on the thin side. Has anyone else experienced this?
Thank you :-)

Paige Baitinger  Thank you Mary . :-) I finally called the surgical nurse and she assured me that this kind of swollen area is to be expected. I go back on August 10th for my follow-up. I have read your journey in your previous posts- God Bless you- you are quite an inspiration and your attitude is so encouraging !
Thank you for your honesty and Keep Getting Stronger everyday! :-)

Tammy Pilcher  Hi Paige, I'm so happy you have your date with Dr. Accola! He is a true blessing for his patients! You will do great and God will be with you every step! I'll be sending up prayers too. I left some information for you under your last post. If I can answer any more questions, just let me know. God bless!

Gloria Savannah-Austin  Hi Paige- I am also going to use Dr. Accola. I fell in love with his bedside manner just from the videos on this site. He seems genuine and a highly respected expert. I am not sure when I will have surgery- but do know that I will have to do it. I want to stay connected with you if that is okay and send you well wishes on your July 17th surgery. Enjoy your weekend- and take it easy this coming week. Sending you strength and peace as you begin this journey. :)

Paige Baitinger  Hi Gloria! Yes please keep in touch with me!! I felt so comfortable with him, his entire staff- the whole experience was exceptional. When you are ready - he is the Dr. for it. And yes, he was so genuine and confident, put my mind at ease. Let me know your timeline. I'm in Sarasota area, don't know if you're closer to Orlando but we can chat sometime if you'd like. Blessings

Gloria Savannah-Austin  Thanks for the validation Paige. I am definitely going to keep an eye on your progress and certainly open for talking. Here to stand in your corner and cheer you on too. I got an email back from Dr. Accola's office today- and will be setting up a consult with them later this week. I believe I am still a ways away from actual surgery. I a dedicated to educating myself, making connections here and mentally preparing myself for this process. I am not going to let this sneak up on me or deny what is going to happen and put off thinking about it....I want to feel empowered in my choices, and see how all f you here have been able to do that. That brings me immense comfort and seeing that my gut instincts for Dr. Accola were right on, only let's me know I am walking down the right path. When you see him, tell him Glo says hi, he will get to know me soon I hope. hahahahaha. Wishing you a great week ahead and sending you peace and positive vibes.

Gloria Savannah-Austin  Hi Paige- Thinking of you today and sending you white healing light and love. Let us know how you are when you feel up to it. I am positive the best of all elements are aligned in your favor today and you will be good as new in no time and ready to cheer the rest of us on our way. Gentle hugs- glo

Tammy Pilcher  Hi Paige, I had my bicuspid aortic valve replaced by Dr. Accola 8 months ago. He is wonderful! I feel so blessed to have found him on this site and in Adam's book! You will be in very good hands with him and his team. I wrote about my surgery experience in my journal if you would like to read it. Just scroll back a few posts and you'll find it and if I can answer any questions for you, I will. You will be fine and will have alot of support here! Talk to you soon, Tammy

Paige Baitinger  Thank you Tammy!!!! Wow, that is amazing :-) You had Dr. Accola too? Your posts are so positive and uplifting- you are an inspiration. I'm so scared. Do you live in Florida? I will be traveling about 2 hours ( I live in the Sarasota area). I'm wondering how the logistics of the distance from my home to the hospital and getting discharged will work... I am pretty fit, 50, exercise, eat right - all that. Everyone keeps telling me that will work in my favor when it comes to recovery. I know everyone's recovery and pain tolerance is different - I've been reading everything I can on this surgery to lower my panic. That said, can you tell me what the worst part was for you? I mean the pain- the chest tubes coming out, the incision? At what point did you feel like you turned a corner and the pain became "bearable" - did you suffer from that cardiac depression I keep reading about? I keep praying and know that this is happening for a reason beyond my understanding right now- but I still have fear. Thank you and bless you, Paige

Tammy Pilcher  Thank you, Paige, for your kind words! Yes, I live in northwest Florida, near Destin. It's a 7 hour drive to Orlando, but Dr. Accola doing my surgery was well worth the drive! The trip home wasn't bad, I took a large pillow from home and had my heart pillow from the hospital. I sat in the back seat and we stopped once every hour to get out and walk around a few minutes. So it took about 8 hours coming home. I was 50 also when I had surgery and also was in pretty good shape. My surgery went really well. It took four hours instead of two like they thought it would take, because he needed to do an aortic root enlargement with a Dacron patch to make the new valve seat properly. I had minimal pain, because my chest was numb for a long time. The feeling slowly came back a long time after I got home, which I think is a blessing. The pain I had was in my shoulder blades and back, which they told me would probably happen. It was manageable with Tylenol. The chest and neck tubes coming out wasn't bad for me either. It just burned some, but was fast and over. My worst part in the hospital was my second day, because I retained 10 pounds in fluid and had breathing difficulty as a result. They gave me lasix and it came out and by the next day, I felt better. I was in ICU 2 nights and my regular room 2 nights. I haven't had any depression, but I know some people do. All in all, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. It's not something anyone wants to have to do, but it's doable. I feel so much better now! You will be fine and you'll love Dr. Accola and his team! My faith made everything easier and God was with me all the way! I wrote more details in my journal and if I can answer any more questions, I'll be glad to. There are others here that had Dr.Accola too, Melinda Hacker, Debbie Poole, and Mark Schmitz just to name a few. I'll be praying for you to have the same great results I've had. God bless you! Isaiah 41:13. "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee."

Gail burns  Paige ... How was appt with Dr Accola and do you have a surgery date? Dennis' surgery is July 16. felt very comfortable with the doctor and staff.

Clare Auten  My surgery was Jan 2014. I did a run /walk 5k in the beginning on June 2014. Was walking at rehab and the gym to train from early on.

Ed Smith  Paige, I was walking around my home, climbing one set of stairs and feeling noticeably better after 10 days. I then started to use a treadmill at a slow speed (2.4 MPH) after one month and began feeling much stronger. I'm now at 5 months and feel 99% back to normal (including lots of activities like cardio rehab, playing squash, golfing & cycling).

Elaine Foster  I had BAVR on 6 months ago, and in a month I started cardiac rehab, and my 3 months felt really good, and was walking 2+ miles a day and doing water aeorbics several days a week. I am 58. Feel free to read my journal for more details.

Paige Baitinger  Thank you all so much! I just got home & signed-in, I didn't expect so many responses.:-) Honestly, right now I'm in the freaked-out stage, I just got this news Tuesday about my valve - so I'm still trying to digest it. I ordered Adam's book to help quiet my nerves- while I'm waiting for medical direction. I am researching top-surgeons in my area specific to this surgery. THANK YOU all so much for sharing your experiences. :-)

Elaine Foster  It is overwhelming, but take it in little bites. We are all here to answer any questions and give you hope that we did it, and so can you!