Terri's Journal

Deena Elani  Amazing recovery at only 5 weeks.  And who the heck does walking at 3am right after surgery?! Pays to be in great shape going in and minimally invasive definitely has a better short term recovery. Congrats, warrior!

Valerie Allen  Terri, you sound terrific! Very good recovery. I can’t imagine being cleared to play pickleball at 5 weeks, though! 

Ana Brusso  Agree with my hvs godchild Deena, it pays to be in great shape before surgery. Some of us weren’t but we are also here 🥰congratulations Terri, God bless you 

Rita Savelis  Oh my gosh, it's still early for you and you are doing so well. I didn't have an appetite for a long time after surgery. I ate,  but very little appealed to me. I ate soup for a long time. Eat what appeals to you and your appetite will eventually come back. Everyone is different. Take care.

Klara Čičić  Me too, like Rita, I was still a wreck after 12 days, let alone walk two miles! You are doing great, just take it easy, day by day...

Evelyn Buttram  So glad you are doing so well.  You are an inspiration to me to recover fast and get back to normal life.  May  God be with you.

Todd Hanson  Congrats Terri!  Sounds like you are doing great!  Every day gets a little easier and easier.  Your scenario was very similar to mine when I find out 2 years ago about my valve.  Keep working that heart!

Rose Madura  Wonderful to hear! It's not unusual for your appetite to be out of whack for a while but as Rita said, it will come back. 🪖👍💪❤️‍🩹

Ana Brusso  Hi Klara, any new pictures of the children. Hope all is well with you. Terri, you are doing great. Continued good health and recovery. God bless you 🙏❤️

Paul Lebel  Hi Terry,  I'm 3 mo.  out from my MV replacement.   With my new resting hr of 90 bpm(!) , my metabolism is so high that I HAVE to eat as soon as I wake up!   Never used to eat, until lunch, after a good workout swimming or biking.I'm sure your appetite will come. ;-)

Paul Lebel  Congratulations!   I know how you feel :-)
As one fitness geek to another, I'm in my 7th week and have either biked or swam every day this week..., half my pre-surgery distances.  Not watching the clock yet of course 😉

Greg Lewis  Breaks my heart to say it, but...Excellent advice Mr. Munson! 😉..( why can I never find that darn winky face)

Laurent G  Good luck. I had a minimally invasive repair with bi-leaflets prolapse, so it is possible... depending on the surgeon. 🤞

Paul Lebel  I was like you, on pins and needles waiting for the surgeon's confirmation of minimally invasive.  As an old (70) but fit swimmer and biker I qualified (22 bmi)   I think general health, fitness and bmi are key factors.   Sounds like you qualify.   Good luck!

Susan Eckermann  Hi Terri. I was in a position similar to yours. I had severe MV regurgitation, plus A-fib caused by the regurgitation and a large cyst (benign, thankfully) on the pericardial sack. I  was hoping for minimally invasive but after testing, my surgeon recommended than standard OHS -mainly based on complicated nature of repair, narrowness of my chest and having breast implants.   Going into surgery, I was given 65-70% chance of successful repair due to the poor condition of my MV. It took 7+ hours, but my surgeon was able to make a successful REPAIR, do a Maze procedure for the A-fib, and remove the large cyst.  I was petrified of the sternotomy going in, but it wasn’t at all painful as I anticipated.  Recovery was relatively pain free, with the sternotomy really being the least of my issues. Backache and lack of sleep and energy were my top issues.  Day by day, you will feel better and stronger. The speed of recovery, at least for me, was amazing.   I hope you are able to have the minimally invasive, but if not, know the OHS with sternotomy is really not that bad.