Patrick's Posts

Hey folks! Its been one year since myopen heart surgery to repair my Mitral valve. I feel great! I am a 43 year old man in pretty decent shape. Heres a bit of my experience strength and hope! -Knowing I needed the surgery and then waiting was tough and long… -The 2nd night after surgery was maybe the longest night of my life but after that It was a little better everyday! -The best input I got on this web site was to STAND UP STRAIGHT and but my shoulder back. - I walked. A lot. The more I walked around the better I felt. -I did have moments of feeling very blue after the surgery. I don't know how else to explain it but blue. Just kind of felt like I wanted to cry. It's Ok If you feel sad or mad or happy. -It's ok to feel stuff BUT I promised myself I would try not to feel sorry for myself and in thInk it really helped to stay positive. -I didn't need anything more than Tylenol for pain once I was home from the hospital. This is important to me because I am a recovering addict. -Sleeping was tough for the first few weeks. I didn't sleep all the way thought the night for a while but each night i slept a bit longer until I was back to normal. -A recliner was my most comfortable place for a while. -Sneezing just plain sucks… Try holding a pillow against your chest… -I thought my scar looked really bad and didn't think it would ever go away. It was this big raised bump on my chest. but it did go away! I think you can hardly see it. Stay strong and Positive my Heart Brothers and Sister!