Shelly's Journal

Rose Madura  Shelly, I'm sorry you needing more tests.  Unfortunately, sometimes our recovery has setbacks.  As my cardiologist once said, once a heart patient, always a heart patient.  It sounds like they may suspect an aneurysm. How was this found? I will be praying or you.  🙏

Shelly Hubbard  Hi Rose thank you. No they just said it is a check to make sure all is functioning good. I did not realize they checked it out again. I thought I was done. It is Mayo Clinic so I guess they want to be thorough. And since they found giant cell in my valve at pathology in my cut out defective valve  maybe they can see more with that on these tests, too.I guess giant cell can cause blindness just hoping they do not find anything else.

Susan Dunne  Congrats ... I too was asymptomatic and it was much worse than I thought.  My surgery was 2/19/24.    Richard sent me Shadow too.  Continue your good health.  What a milestone🙋😊👍

Marie Myers  Great post! I felt a similar thing about my surgery- almost like it was in another life. Time is a great healer..

Erin Feaker  Great to hear! Was concerned after your issues after surgery! I thought of everyone here the other day as I don't check in much. Other than slight soreness in my chest from time to time I am also doing well. Walking 5 days a week and trying to stick to a healthier diet.

Richard Munson  Wow, what a relief. Yes, try and take it easy. In shadows case its tough to say take it easy and i am afraid his over exuberance may have caused the hematoma. He is finally back to par as you will be as well. Two steps forward one step back. 

Ana Brusso  Glad you are home. Yes, take it easy. Will continue to pray for your complete healing. God bless you 

Erin Feaker  Wonderful news that you are home!! That had to be scary and frustrating. Take care, continued prayers for your healing. 

Shelly Hubbard  so far 3 days doing ulttrasounds and guided injections trying to prevent vascular surgery. Dr. Pochettino just here he said this is very rare this happens.

Richard Munson  I just included you in my daily prayer. At least you are in the right place. You and shadow have something in common, ( well not exactly), but he had a hematoma caused  by his neutering surgery in a similar location. They also said its rare. In my eyes its the reason surgery gets us all worked up. Even when they toss around the percentages of perfection being 99%, there still remains the 1% left over. Shadow is back to normal and you will be as well. 

Rose Madura  Shelly, so sorry to hear of this setback. Unfortunately, sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back. I had all kinds of complications that landed me back in the hospital so I know how you feel. But you are a warrior. Stay strong.

Erin Feaker  Please keep us posted! You are in my prayers but from what I can tell you are strong and you will get through this!!

Grace Mason   I'm so sorry Shelley. Sending prayers 🙏. Hoping this setback is resolved quickly and you get on with your recovery. 

DeLois Tweedy  So sorry, Shelley. Please know everyone here is sending hugs and best wishes to get this resolved soon. You are a strong heart warrior. I hope an uneventful recovery can soon start for you. I'm sending up prayers for you. 🙏

Pamela Gregory  I'm so sorry you are going through a setback. I also ended up back in the hospital after being discharged. Hopefully they will get this sorted out asap

Klara Čičić  Oh Shelly what a bummer! I hope they will fix it quickly! I hope your heart is fine. Hang in there!

Mark Buttell  You’re in GREAT hands and all will be just fine! Maybe we will cross path’s. Mine is scheduled for April 14th. Keep the faith and be thankful you are living so close to a medical facility that is one of the pioneers of OHS and still is to this day. 

Shelly Hubbard  Thank you Mark. Maybe we will cross paths. Good luck with your surgery. You have been through a lot. I read your journal. You give me hope.

Rose Madura  Shelly, once the process starts, it moves pretty fast depending on your severity. The emotional aspect is all normal. Try to think positive thoughts. The odds are in your favor and as Mark said, you are going to an excellent facility. Godspeed.

Ana Brusso  Hi Shelly, you are on the road to good health. You have chosen a great facility to have your surgery at. As Rose says, it will go pretty fast from now on. Take deep breath, pray and try to do things you like to do until you get your surgery date and share with us your thoughts and fears etc.,we are with you all the way.  God bless you 🙏❤️👍

Pamela Gregory  Shelly, I think everyone on this site can understand 100% with the way you are feeling right now. The stage of surgery you are in right now is not fun because there are so many unknowns. Personally I was a mess and the things that helped me the most were my friends, my family, my faith, this site, and doing as many fun things as possible that I love. You will get through this but don't be afraid to let your support system help you through

Klara Čičić  Dear Shelly, we have all been there and felt like you, you are not alone. Here everyone understands :) As Mark said, you are at one of the best places in the world!!! Please be aware of that, be thankful for that opportunity. And odds are waaaaay in your favour :) We are here for you! You are doing great. 

Erin Feaker  Shelly we share the same surgeon. I am scheduled for surgery on March 7. It’s an intimidating process but does seem to move fast once it’s all scheduled! 

Shelly Hubbard  Hi Erin please keep me posted. Wishing you the best of luck. I have not met surgeon yet but will schedule appt tomorrow. 

Erin Feaker  Thank you. Getting more and more nervous a the days pass but I have complete confidence in my surgical team. Just trying to stay healthy so we don’t have to move surgery date. Have a slight scratchy throat !!! Hopefully I’ll be good to go next Tuesday!!! 

Rose Madura  Hi Shelly, I understand your frustrations. My advice is (a) seek another opinion; (b) just because you are asymptomatic doesn't mean you should wait. Sometimes the symptoms come and are actually heart failure. I've been told it's old news to wait for symptoms (c) do a lot of research and be your own advocate. Please keep us posted on your journey. I had my surgery at age 59 and although I had some complications, I've recovered nicely. God bless you!

Lilian Peña  Hi Shelly, fear and anxiety are normal feeling of having this kind of heart problem. But bear in mind that valve disease have a great solution. Dont wait for the worse symptoms to happen, talk to your doctors. God Bless and take care!

Marie Myers  Doing the stress test may reveal symptoms since your gradient is high. Why not do the stress test? It may help you make a decision. 

Rita Savelis  A surgeon can tell you much more about your condition and options than a cardiologist. You could consult one and see what his advice is.

Civita Fahey  I agree with Marie.. I had the stress test and found BP would go down instead of up when exercising.  I was told no rush but no more than six months at the time. I scheduled it after the holidays. The doctors know when its best.. Good luck 

Kimberly Eisenhut  I also agree with Marie and Civita. I had the echo stress test and they checked everything before, during and after my test last month. I got the results same day and saw my cardiac specialist at Northwestern in Chicago and she said I am still stable, so still in watch and wait mode. In other words, numbers are staying same with my tricuspid and aortic anuerysm. The test does show much more than just the regular echo. It was an eye opener with how out of shape I am, but they said I did really well. Ask as many questions as you need to, and never feel like you are being a bother. This community is wonderful to belong to and will help you with the anxiety and worry, as they all understand like no one else can. You got this :)

Rose Madura  Shelly, it's perfectly normal to be nervous at checkups. I hope all is well and wish you peace in your journey

Marie Myers  Totally get it. I still feel a twinge  of anxiety at my annual echos, even now at 5 years post surgery. Praying for you to make peace with things as they are…You can get there!

Rose Madura  It's normal to be scared. You are in good hands at the Mayo Clinic. Keep in mind that these surgeries are done routinely and the prognosis is very good.

Marie Myers  I, too, was very anxious when I found out I needed heart surgery. It was something that I never imagined! With time, I accepted what had to be done if I wanted to live. I also learned that the whole open heart experience was not as bad/ difficult as my worrying mind had me believe. I found that yoga, meditation, and listening to calming videos on UTube helped me. Praying for peace during your wait for surgery!