Steve's Journal

Pat Bluemel  Yep! if you email your nurse in the surgeon's office at UW they can advise you what to do, or if you supply me your email address I can forward on their email when this happened to me:-). Basically they instruct you to not pull them, just sanitize some clippers and clip them level to the skin as they grow out.

Tammy Pilcher  Steve, you sound just like I did after my AVR. I couldn't believe how I was able to do things without getting out of breath or having chest pains. I had lived like that for so long and didn't realize I didn't have to. So happy for you! God is great!

Nancy D  Celebrate each little improvement as those happen way more often than the big ones!! YAY for napping- let your body guide you when to rest and when to walk! Keep up the great progress!!

Rodd Kippen  Steve - you are a real inspiration - seeing how you have handled your procedure gives me great hope for my surgery next Friday.

Terrie Syvertsen  Hello Valerie-I am sure with energy from your Love for Steve that he went into surgery in GREAT SPIRITS! I share your confidence in the outcome of his surgery and as one of his many Heart Sisters in this community thank you for your kind comments of appreciation. The waiting is the hardest part for the spouses and family so I hope you have company with you as you wait. We are with you in spirit as we all for all our community whether it be surgery or the recovery process. If there is anything we can do, let us know as in our hearts we are waiting right there with you and sending out good wishes and prayers! You take care now as it won't be long!
Then the healing begins! Thanks for the update!

Pat Bluemel  Thanks for the update Valerie, I am thinking of you both. You are both in such good hands with Dr. A and his staff, I hope you feel that already. You are going to be meeting some very kind and awesome people over the next few days. Today and tomorrow will be the most challenging and then step down is a breeze. Please keep us updated.

Rodd Kippen  Praying for you all - I am exactly 2 weeks behind Steve so I am following his progress with great interest.

Ray Lockhart  Hi Valerie. Our thoughts are with you and Steve. Being in good spirits at this point is very important. I will follow Steve next week and hope my spirits are as high as his:)

Cheryl Batzing  Glad to hear he was in good spirits, Valerie. Keep us updated on his results & recovery! Prayers heading both of your way!

Jennifer Pyles  Stay positive and focused on the GOOD things about this! Life gets better - and better than golf and boating??? Sounds awesome to me! Thoughts and prayers!

Rodd Kippen  Two weeks behind you - except going to Swedish - I will follow you closely.... Look forward to hearing from post surgery

Pat Bluemel  I'll be thinking of you Friday. By Sunday or Monday Nicola or Sinclair (hopefully you will get one of them, they are great) will be pulling your drainage tubes and by Wednesday you'll be rolling down I5 back home. I hope you get to meet Mi Sook - she was my favorite room attendant. Get up out of that bed and do those laps ASAP, she'll make sure you do it:-). Oh and treat yourself to a milkshake morning and night off the menu. I'll be watching for updates.

John Jones  I took toothbrush, razor, 2 changes of short pant , t shirt, slip on shoes. I actually took some books and such but I never picked one up. I was in 7 days . I have 12 stents and now a double by pass. 5 weeks out now.

Clare Auten  I didn't pack much. Phone and charger were a must. Toothbrush is nice but they will give you a disposable one if you forget. Shorts for under gown. I did like having easy on shoes for walking in the hall. Chapstick and lotion are also nice but not essential. Notebook to write down questions you have. Sometimes my husband would write a question in case he wasn't there for rounds. Also was nice to jot notes of what Dr said since I was on pain meds.

  I am taking travel sizes - mouthwash, small Kleenex packs (hospital ones are rough), lip balm for dry lips, cool cleansing wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand lotion, roll on deodorant, nail file, and floss. Robe, pajama capris, bedroom shoes, notepad, pen, clothes to go home. Husband will bring iPad and charger plus phone.

Larry Fuller  the only thing I used was lip balm and several pairs of foam earplugs. Just was not interested in I pad or much tv due to brain fog. By the time I went home things changed but I simply wasn't interested in much while in. Toothbrush and electric shaver too
All the best
Larry

Pat Bluemel  I took basketball shorts, eye mask (must have) earplugs, toothbrush, Ipad and charger and what I wore in (sweats and a tshirt). UW gives you a little care package of blistex and other stuff. The one thing I did forget was deodorant. When you start sweating out the meds you'll thank me for reminding you to pack it:-). I wanted to arrive light and leave light without having to haul a bunch a stuff around so it was just a back pack.

Ericka Carlson  Phone and charger, bring a short extension cord for your charger, pajama pants or shorts, flip flops, tootbrush/paste, shampoo/conditioner, hair ties, lip balm, deoderant, razor, and your "go home" outfit. Target has great camis with built in cups, here's the link, I wore these exclusively for weeks because bras and shirts touching the incision were out of the question.

Obviously Steve there are several things on here that don't apply to you, but I thought others reading might find it helpful :)

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-knit-sleep-cami-w-built-in-bra-gilligan-o-malley/-/A-16502391#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=gilligan+%26+o%27malley+built-in+bra

Steve Offenbecher  Thanks everyone for the opinions, they are great. I think I will follow Pat's advice go in light & leave light. I am going to pass on the sleep cami and man-pris (capris), but thanks for the advice.

Terry Shermeister   Hi Steve: I went for a 20 mile bike ride the day before my surgery. Previously I swam a mile each day, which was my normal routine, and I also did 1000 sit ups and yoga each day. My surgeon said that it aided my recovery. I'm approaching 7 weeks on the other side, and feeling great. Good luck to you and you will do well!

Eleanor R  I remember being tired before the surgery, so 10,000 steps are amazing. Be prepared to feel tired after the surgery for a few weeks, too, but then you will realize how much better you feel, than ever. It is almost a year now for me, and I have more energy than ever before. Best wishes to you. Eleanor

Jeanette Davidson   So happy for you that you've been able to be so active. Just remember to listen to your body and rest when you need to.
Stay well❤️

Steve Offenbecher  Thank you all for the good wishes & Terry that is awesome. I wish I could just walk again much less a 20 mile bike ride. I am working on core & legs just to keep my hr down right now. I see the doc for pre-surgery tomorrow.

Steve Offenbecher  Kyle thanks for the encouragement. Tell me what you did physically to get ready for surgery and post hab.

Ray Lockhart  I am hoping someone will weigh in on these products also. I wonder if they have been recommended or even approved by some of the surgeons.

John Jones  I just finished a fairly thorough look at the heart hugger website. I am very new to all of this but it looks promising. I also searched google for cons to using it. I know it is not conclusive but I did not find any adverse comments. I know that I will definitely ask my doc about it. One of the studies done on it was done at Wake Forest. That is encouraging as that is where I will be. It looks like it is recommended more for out of the ordinary patients. Thanks for posting it. Every little bit helps.

Ericka Carlson  I can tell you that there is no way that those would have worked for me with that strap running across the chest. I am 4 weeks out and still wear v-neck shirts because anything touching the incision is very aggravating. Up until a week ago it was just downright painful.

John Jones  Thanks for the info Ericka. Everything I here helps me to ask the right questions. I hope you continue to improve.

Ray Lockhart  I did a search for heart hugger over at ValveReplacement.org and got a bunch of hits. Quite a few people say they are a big help and I didn't see any negative posts. I didn't get any hits when I searched for the Aztec.

Ray Lockhart  Steve, I have not found anything on the Aztecheart product except what is shown on their web site. It looks like the most inviting product of the two but the lack of any reviews or complaints suggests to me that they scrub the net of all of that stuff. I like to see some reviews, even negative ones before I buy something. My doctors nurse at CC says that a vest will be available in the hospital if I want it. I guess I will wait and see what they provide.

Pat Bluemel  Are you a go with Dr Aldea? He's so awesome. He checked me on rounds all 6 days I was at UW So kind and engaged and Just awesome. Let me know if you have any UW questions. You'll do great.

Steve Offenbecher  Yes he was recommended to me and my wife and I think he is very good and comes with great credentials. I see Dr. A on Tuesday for CT & angio diagnosis, but he is pretty sure it is an AVR soon.

Pat Bluemel  Keep in touch with me, I live just up the street from UW and can help answer any of the civilian side questions you have. I really can't say enough good things about Dr A. I hope that helps with some of the uneasiness that comes with diagnosis.

Jeanette Davidson   I hear you! I am working on the same things Steve since I planning AVR surgery in early August! Let's help to motivate each other !❤️

Steve Offenbecher  Thanks for your encouragement. I met with a personal trainer yesterday and I can just tell she will kick my butt. But iam determined to drop 10 more #s in the next 10 days. I was up at 5 this morning & so hard to hit that treadmill, but I did it and stretched out till it hurt.

Ray Lockhart  I believe whether you exercise or not probably depends on the nature of your problem and the degree to which it has progressed. I will be having an AVR in mid July and was told by my CC doctor to stay off the treadmill until after surgery.