Pamela's Journal

Today is my 9 month Valve-a-versary! Very happy the surgery is behind me but feeling weirdly anxious all day. Still a weird mental game I think. Very happy to be alive and able to enjoy things again. Wishing all those waiting for surgery peace and my best wishes.

Traveled back to Cleveland for a CT scan and happy to report that Dr. Roselli gave me a great report and I can live my life with no restrictions!!! I owe my life to him and will be forever greatful💗. I also got to visit Allison Gorecki who is on this website. She was struggling a bit so please pray for her. Hopefully doing a bit better today🙏. Thanks to everyone on this site especially Adam Pick for giving us all this outlet💕

Just about to leave on a Celebrity Cruise Ship in Ft Lauderdale! Feels nice to do something fun after the last 3 months. Thankful to be celebrating my 25th Anniversary alive💗🎉. Good luck to Shane and Dana this week! You will do great.

At 3 months, things have been progressing pretty smoothly till this week. I stupidly thought I could go for a walk in the woods with my friends and my dog on Sunday. I have done the walk hundreds of times but it was a little bit more hilly than I remember and it was cold and windy(34). I had to stop at least 5 times and didn't feel well the rest of the day. The next day my blood pressure was elevated at Cardiac Rehab but I could still do what I have been doing. I teach figure skating and started back the week before very part time 3 days per week T,W,TH only for a couple of hours each day. When I am in the cold rink (not skating around, just standing at the side), this week I notice I don't feel well (chest discomfort, headache) and after a heated ride home my blood pressure is really high 151/98. BP has been averaging 115/75 till the walk. After warming up for a couple hours it comes back down t 120/80ish. I feel very nervous which isn't helping. Wednesday while exercising my blood pressure was good at Cardiac Rehab. I don't know if it was the walk that has me wonky or just being cold? Yesterday I had on a million layers and had a heater but still crazy BP when I got home from the rink? Maybe stress of work although I don't really feel like I am stressed. Sorry for the "way too long post" but I feel worried for the first time in a long time.

I just want to share that it has been 3 months today since my AVR and Root Replacement. Feeing pretty good. Overdue it sometimes then pay the price but overall better each week. Go Eagles!!!

First, I would like to wish everyone on this site a Merry Christmas and Happy "HEALTHY" New Year! This has been a trying year for me to say the least. My gift this year would be having a successful AVR and Aortic Root Replacement by Dr. Roselli at the Cleveland Clinic. I am still recovering and in Cardiac Rehab but each week is getting better and better. I had a follow up appt. in Cleveland with my Cardiologist Monday and it looks like everything is going really well. I had a meltdown when I was leaving out of sheer relief that I lived through this. I also had a lot of memories creeping in throughout the day and I am just so thankful for all of the Dr's and Nurses that helped me get through this experience. I would like to thank everyone on this website who helped me through my emotional rollercoaster as I don't think I could have done it without all of your incredible support and encouragement. You are all wonderful and I am incredibly blessed. Good luck to everyone who is preparing for surgery and my recommendation would be to stay connected to this invaluable site

Had my final tests and follow up at the Cleveland Clinic today and I am happy to report that I can finally fly home tomorrow ✈️😀. No more fluid around my heart and the extra week here actually made me much stronger. I feel ready and can’t wait to see my golden Maisy and my 2 cats!!! I miss them so much. I would also like to thank everyone who helped me with such amazing advice through this journey so far. I couldn’t have done it without the support of people who understand. Best of luck to anyone who is facing this surgery. This site will be invaluable for you🙏

Went in for follow up tests and visit from Sept 17th surgery(Thursday). Bottom line got re admitted to the hospital and having a "procedure" this morning to put in a drain for a few days. Hopefully will come out without too much pain!!! Wasn't expecting this bump in the road. I hope that's all it is. I guess I'm here at the hospital for three or four days at least? Going to work on my positive attitude tomorrow

Thank you all for the well wishes! Turns out it was a 7+ hour surgery because when Dr Roselli got in he decided to replace the whole aortic root as well as the valve. Repositioned the coronary arteries higher to make TAVR (hopefully 🙏) in the future. All so complicated. Glad he knows what he is doing! My favorite thing in the ICU was an adorable yellow lab therapy dog💗💗💗also a nice classical guitarist. It’s the little things in life that help in a time like these. Good luck and many thanks and prayers to everyone awaiting surgery and post surgery 😘🥰

I want to let everyone know (in Klara’s words) that I am alive. It has been a rough road mostly managing nausea from pain meds. I think it went well but won’t see Dr Roselli till next week. To personally know details. He ended up doing a partial root replacement too so it could be a bigger valve and assure TAVR next time. Thank you all for getting over the biggest hurdle in my life🥰

I met Dr. Roselli last night at 7:00. Meeting was supposed to be 2:00 but he had an emergency surgery that I hope went well. Immediately met with nurse and anesthesiologist at 2 but had to wait in a room for the Dr. for 3+ hours as it got dark and all people including nurses and receptionist were gone. I am thankful that Dr. Roselli was there for the other patient and don't want to sound selfish. I am praying for the patient. For me, it made my experience feel like I was having a really bad dream. It felt eerie with no one around and I had too much time to get in my own head. Dr. Roselli was very nice when he met me and I will be having a mini sternotomy. The nurse told me mini thoracotomy so I had my hopes up of no broken bones. After looking at my heart Dr. Roselli wants to enlarge the area to put a larger valve in that will hopefully be more durable and possible to put a new valve inside of it TAVR in the future. He also want to repair part of my aorta that is apparently too narrow to give me better blood flow. It felt surreal leaving and I cried a lot last night. Slept for 5 hours thanks to Xanax and woke crying. Thank God for giving me my Sister in law who has been with me every step of the way because my husband thought he might be getting a cold. (We think allergies now because thankfully he is fine now). Heather (my sister in law) and I talked this morning for a long time about faith and trusting the surgical team and I am doing better. My beautiful daughter Victoria is on her way to Cleveland with her wonderful boyfriend Chris. I hope they will have a safe trip and I will be glad to have them here! Planning to make a big dinner for their arrival and a nice distraction for me. We will watch football (Go EAGLES!) and order wings and fun food tomorrow. Again, really happy to have a good distraction I enjoy watching. Need to be at Cleveland Clinic at 5:00 for a morning surgery. Not sure how I am going to get through this but trying my best not to get out of control.

Had lots of tests today including angiogram. Wasn't bad thanks to sedation. My wrist is pretty sore but Tylenol cured that. They said no washing dishes so I made sure not to do that. Really happy no blockages or plaque to be concerned about! Hoping for a minimally invasive approach . Meet Dr. Roselli for the first time tomorrow to find out the news.

A little bit nervous tonight about angiogram tomorrow. I know that is pretty silly considering it is a drop in the bucket compared to what I have to look forward to. I know I will be awake but I think I get something to make me calm. Can anyone tell me about personal experiences? Thanks