Shaun's Journal

Robert Miller  You will need someone taking your spot for at least a couple of weeks. If you have OHS, you won't be sleeping all that great for quite some time which will affect your work as a business owner. You have to plan for this as well. In any case, I wish you all the best. If you in good shape you probably will recover quickly. 

Robert Miller  I assume that last question is addressed to me. My second surgery was at the end of 2022. Both times I recovered pretty quickly. If I recall correctly, I maxed out that air inhaler before leaving the hospital and I did a lot of boring rounds around the corridor of the ICU. They wouldn't let me go further because then some alarm would go off as their tracking system only did go so far. I still have some issues, though (AFib, etc) but when I exercise then my heart rhythm is just fine. 
I did run a business in the past, i.e. long before my heart surgeries. Long hours and a lot of stress. I am not sure how stress could affect the healing but the long hours for sure will. I did not get any good sleep for weeks after surgery. So if you work 12-16 hours a day, that's going to be a real challenge. I would advice that you stay away from work for at least a couple of weeks and then start gradually. 

Richard Munson  I guess it also depends on what business you run. I was calling customers 1 week after i got home at 81.  Not sure i would have wanted to lug lobster pots around for quite awhile if that was my job. 

Robert Miller  I am not sure what to add. You seem to have everything covered and now have a date. As you said, everything is going to be fine. Especially the first few days are not going to be easy but it gets better every day until you are better than before within a couple of months. I am wishing you all the best. 

J Alexander Lassally  It is always chilling to get the surgery date set in stone- but 1 month is a comfortable thing and you can get things sorted and set up for recovery! 

Ana Brusso  Dear Shaun, welcome to our site. If you read our posts you can tell we have all gone through the stages. As some of the hear warriors here say, try to stay busy doing the things you like to do. Keep fishing. I did a lot of praying. No easy way to get through but stay positive and know you are in good hands and it will all be ok. We will pray for your successful surgery and recovery. Keep posting and don’t be afraid to tell us how you feel. God bless you 🙏❤️

Rose Madura  My friend, Ana, gives food advice.  Try to remember that the odds are in your favor. For me, doing a lot of research helped.  Be sure to get a second opinion for peace of mind and make sure your surgeon is experienced. Please keep us posted on this journey and Godspeed.

John Cook  Good luck with your surgery.

I had up days and down days pre-surgery for my aortic valve. Eventually, I came to peace with it and did a lot of meditations before bed.

Post-surgery, the first 3 days I remember were very difficult but I got through them.  The next two weeks were not as difficult with good and bad days.  Since I got past the 3-week mark, most of my days have been very good. I’ll be going back to working from home at 27-days after surgery and I’m making plans for when I’m healthy enough to start running again.

Fidel Martínez Ruiz  Hi Shaun, I agree with former insights, and add that you try to arrive into the surgery with a good physical shape. You can try walk every day feeling confortable and with a good nutrition. And of course, given that repairing requires a lot of expertise by the side of surgeons, to choose well the surgeon and be confident in him/her. A good valve replacement is more worthwhile than a poor repair, even considering that the latter option is the gold one.

Susan Lynn  The worst part is waiting for game day!   I didn't find any part of the surgery or recovery more challenging than my imagination in the weeks leading up to it.  Think positive thoughts.   If I did it, you can do it!  Best of luck to you! 

Shaun Bloodworth  Thanks Guys and I will update as I proceed in this journey.  I am having an invasive angiogram in 2 weeks to make sure there are no hiddens blockages etc before my surgery.

Robert Miller  It looks like you did all your research. Make sure you read the learning center on this website. The first few days after surgery are going to be the hardest. But it only goes up from there. The way I looked at it is that the surgeries gave me quite a few more years. That's more years to spend with kids/grandkids, travelling, spend time with your partner, etc. Imagine you wouldn't have caught this heart issue and you would have missed all of that. The pain for a few weeks makes up for everything afterwards 100x.