Pamela's Posts

Happy Love Your Heart Day To All! I have not posted in several months but I often think about my H V Journal friends and how important you were / are to me and the recovery process. It has been almost 9 months since surgery and my AV is doing very well - I had one set-back that did not seem to effect my vavle and was not related to my heart at all ( thank God). The doctors say that my story is remarkable but 5 months after surgery, I partcipated in a 2 mile March and somehow injured my leg. It turned -out to be Deep Vein Thrombosis which turned into an embolisim. Thank God I caught it in time and was on blood thiners for several months and will be for several more months. I have been cleared for pretty much everything and like Serena Williams, I am back on full activity but what a scare. God is good ! Pamela

Hello All, Today I had an extensive echocardigram to assess if my heart had strengthened after AV surgery or not.Needless to say I was really concerned about this. I am delighted to say that my cardiologist called me this afternoon with great news - my heart is NORMAL again and am now off of All medications. I have a tissue valve so I do not take coumadin. Apparently, the new valve did the trick and the Cardio Rehab 3x a week strengthened my heat muscle also. God is good and I thank you all for being in my virtual support network. Best to all, Pamela

Hi All, As I enter my fifth week of post -op from having an aortic valve repalced, I am finding that the path to recovery and healing is mainly about discovery. All of the journal entry's I have read along with Adams book and other readings have been a great source of support for me but no one is having the same physical. emotional and spiritual journey as me. This may seem so obvious but it really is not to me and maybe others. Everyday I have discovered something unique about my body' and mind's response to recovery. It has been a challenge but it is has been so revealing and insightful about who I am as a patient and someone who has gone through a very traumatic experience that I am having to reflect. As a mental health professional , I 'get this" on many levels but this is really personal and its about me not my patient or client or student. The really good news is that I had a very successful surgery and I am having a good recovery that just takes the time it needs for me to get back my strength and vigor. One really powerful resource for me getting a sense of the glory of being alive was going to see Aretha Frankin at a concert in NY last night. It was inspirational- She sang like never before - I cried when she sang " like a bridge over troubled water" I danced when she sang "Pink Cadillac" and I feel in love again when she sang " You make me feel like a natural woman" . So I highly recommend that everyone get Aretha's tapes,CD's or download her songs on your ipod and sit back and get inspired during recovery as I did. Pam