Sharon's Journal

I received positive news from yesterday's check up with my cardiologist. My lungs are finally clear. She said the irregular heartbeat is normal at this stage of healing as is my need for a touch of Losartan to keep my blood pressure down. I graduate cardiac rehab next week and will be back to all my previous activities ( Nia dance, Yoga, & hiking) though dialed down a notch for now. What a journey since Nov 30th's surgery! In celebration, I offer words that resonated with me this morning:

"Break your heart no longer. Each time you judge yourself, you break your heart. You pull away from the love that is the wellspring of your vitality. But now the time has come, your time, to live and trust the goodness that you are."

Be easy on yourselves, heart warriors, whether you're waiting for surgery, in recovery, or celebrating anniversaries. So grateful for this group!

At almost 2 months post mitral & tricuspid repair, I suddenly have intermittent low heart rate around 40-42. In response, the cardiologist took me off metoprolol, kept me on 12.5 mg Losartan for post-op high blood pressure, and taped a heart monitor to me last Thursday for a 7 day reading. Otherwise, I feel quite well and have been  taking baby steps with weights, treadmill and recumbent bike in cardiac rehab. But concerned about what a low heart rate  might mean. Anyone else go through this?

This is a musical shout out to all heart warriors, especially my sternotomy buddies.
https://youtu.be/8hAU4c2Bgdg?si=uwR4zfErK1IhdaWI
A friend sent me this tender and beautiful song by Bonnie Medicine called Crack Me Wide Open. At first I laughed nervously at the title, but by the end of the song, I was a bit teary and full of love and gratitude for my life-saving surgery .

I'm a bit past one month post-op mitral re-repair & tricuspid repair, and yes indeed, things are better each week! If I measure my progress day-to-day, it feels discouraging, but week to week shows healing in the right direction. Last week my blood pressure kept going up and up each day, this week it's consistantly down in the normal range. Today, only a couple of areas of pain instead of my whole chest aching.  This week I'm down to one nap a day instead of two. And I can partially rest on my side instead of sleeping only on my back. Hiked on level ground for almost an hour and didn't completely collapse upon returning home.  Small victories...

I am getting to know my cardiologist's nurses very well over the phone due to my questions; I want to remind us all that there are no stupid questions and please do not hesitate to call your doctor with ANY concerns.

A happy and healthy New Year to all you heart warriors

8 days post op and settling back home in Colorado. The non-stop flight home from NY was tiring but very do-able while watching La La Land and snoozing most of the way. So good to be home in our own digs! The pain around the incision is minimal; I just take Tylenol before bedtime. And I'm still retaining fluid but it's getting better. Of course there are a dozen drugs to take. Mostly, I am aware of deep fatigue after simple actions like fixing breakfast or showering or climbing steps. So a few steps forward and then rest...rest...rest. I hope others in recovery are finding this phase easeful and not too frustrating. Good time to catch up on reading and holiday movies! Thanks again for all your support

4 days in ICU. Dr. Adams and Dr. Boetang are the best!  My re-operation was a bit complicated; some bleeding; but surgery all good.  l.CU Team and Recovery team beginning Friday night and over the weekend lack training about assists, use of and communication except for Ceaser and Dhonna.

Wishing bushels of luck tomorrow and a good & restful night's sleep to Larry, Edward, and Joseph! I am scheduled for early tomorrow morning, too, at Mount Sinai.

I'm putting in a plug for listening to uplifting music at all stages of this intense heart centered journey. The below song really resonates with me this last week and half prior to surgery: May it bring you tears of joy and smiles knowing you are not alone.

https://youtu.be/95-MYnvF7h0?feature=shared

Good Morning, for anyone looking for lodging near Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, you may know that it is challenging this time of year unless money is not an issue. AirBnbs that are less than 30 days are now illegal in the city. We have booked and rebooked, but settled on a one month lease at a property managed by FurnishedQuarters.com Price per night is comparable to a NYC hotel and you get a real one bedroom with full kitchen and living room, elevator, and doorman/women on the upper west side a 20-30 minute walk or quick taxi ride from the hospital. Fingers crossed that it is everything the website says it is. Hope this is helpful to someone...

You can have compassion for yourself - which is not self-pity.
You’re simply recognizing that ‘this is tough, this hurts,’
and bringing the same warmhearted wish for suffering to lessen or end
that you would bring to any dear friend
grappling with the same pain, upset, or challenges as you.
- Rick Hanson -

I am now scheduled for my mitral valve re-repair by Dr. David Adams and his team at Mount Sinai. José is my office contact there, and he's been in great communication with me.  I can't tell you how grateful I am to have found Dr. Adams and his unique expertise on this website!  We do not have surgeons who specialize in re-repairs here in Colorado.  Even my local surgeon was highly enthusiastic about Dr. Adams when I brought it up to him, so the decision was very easy despite the burdens of travel costs and time out of town.  My husband and I will be in NYC for 19 days for the pre-op, surgery on November 30, and post-op visit. We were supposed to be hiking in Thailand, but...well, you know...

In the meantime I have learned two very practical tips: you must keep on top of your medical providers to send the right documents to the person who needs them for a second opinion. It took me almost a month to get everything sent! Second, no-penalty changeable (or refundable if you can afford it) plane tix and lodging arrangements are a must if you're traveling from out of town.  We already changed the itinerary from arriving the day before my pre-op to arriving two days before due to how frequently flights are delayed or cancelled these days.  Plus there is weather.

I have procrastinated my first posting because I know if I did, it would make me cry. I was right. I had a mitral valve repair November 2021 and it is failing. My local Denver team wants to do a valve replacement with a porcine valve and a medial sternotomy. I am seeking a second opinion from Dr. David Adams at Mount Sinai, who, as you may know, specializes in repairing repairs. I am hoping that I am a candidate for his team but won't know until all the med records people get their..."organizational skills"...together and send the reports Sinai needs. It's been tough waiting in limbo this month, but fortunately, I don't feel terrible...just awfully tired after hiking, yoga and Nia Dance class. It is reassuring to read these many posts, and "my heart" goes out to each and every one of you. (Has anyone else noticed how prevalent the word HEART is in our language... and how having heart issues changes how we use the words? For instance, I no longer say "you almost gave me a heart attack." )