Timothy's Journal

Well well well my heart warrior friends. Today marks my second anniversary from my Ross Procedure at Mt Sinai, NYC. I can’t believe it’s already two years. I feel so blessed to have this second chance at life. I give all glory to God for making my experience everything it needed to be.

I haven’t been on this site much lately. It’s been about a year. For those waiting for surgery and not sure about your future post-op, I want you to know that life definitely continues after heart surgery and can get much better depending on your mindset.

Many of you know that I walked 500+ miles on the Camino de Santiago last year to celebrate my first anniversary, and now, I must tell you all that I met my wife in Spain after finishing my Camino. What a gift! I am now married and live in Costa Rica where she grew up. I can’t thank God enough.


I also owe a huge thank you to my Mother and Step father who were there for me before, during and after surgery. As well as my close friends, Adam Pick, Andy Dial, Adams angels and many other heart warriors in our HVS community. Thank you all so much. And…….I can’t forget the myth, the man, the ledgend……Dr. Paul Stelzer of Mt. Sinai. He was God sent for sure.

For those waiting for surgery, keep a positive mindset, do your research, advocate for yourself and make sure to lean on others that have been through heart surgery before. Their/our first hand experience can help immensely for those of you waiting. Ask questions because many of us are more than willing to help. God bless you all ♥️🙏🏽

Hello heart warriors! On March 23rd 2022 Andy and I met here on HVS and quickly became friends. We both had the Ross Procedure two months apart in April and June of 2022. We supported each other during our heart journeys and talked about meeting up some day. Living 2800 miles apart we never knew when that might happen.

Well, that time has come. We met yesterday and it seems like we have known each other for years. I encourage you to connect and meet up with other heart warriors. We are all connected in a special way and these friendships will last a life time. What a blessing from God. I’m filled with gratitude.

Stay strong heart warriors and lean on each other for support. It’s priceless 🙏🏽♥️

Hello heart warriors and Adams angels. I promised a final post about my journey on the Camino de Santiago. I’m happy to announce that I arrived on May 13th and completed over 600 miles walking across Spain to Santiago de Compostela and beyond to the ocean. Behind me is the Cathedral of Saint James.
For those that don’t know, I started my journey on the one year anniversary of my Ross Procedure. My heart held up fantastically with out any worries. What a blessing from God.
To the new heart warriors waiting for surgery or those of you newly into recovery…..You can and will do it. It takes time and patience but know that you are in the absolute best time in history to be having heart surgery. The technology and skills of the surgeons is top notch. Do your best to stay positive and take each step of the way with grace. Lean on our community, we love to support each other. We want to hear about your journey. And, please know that having heart surgery is a blessing in disguise. Life continues and many times it gets better as we truly feel blessed for every day given to us.
I hope my journey walking across Spain can inspire you and tell you that you can do it and accomplish anything you put your mind to. I love you all and have so much respect for our community. Thank you Adam, you are truly the best. Keep on tickin’ heart warriors ❤️❤️❤️

Hello heart warriors and Adams angels. It’s been brought to my attention that I have been silent lately, and for good reason. I am still on my “Camino de Santiago” in Spain 🇪🇸 I promised updates but didn’t want to flood our community with my “vacation” posts.

For those that don’t know, the French route is a 500+ mile pilgrimage from the south of France all the way across northern Spain. I began my journey on the year anniversary of my “Ross Procedure”, April 6th. My heart has been doing amazing with zero worries. This journey has been filled with physical and mental challenges as well as so many smiles and laughs. I’ve met the most amazing people from all over the world.
According to my Fitbit, since I landed in Madrid on April 2nd, I have already walked 540 miles. I’ve had a total of 5 rest days in the larger cities so I could play tourist, but all the other days I have been walking with 30+ pounds on my back averaging between 12-18 miles. I am so proud and happy to be able to do this journey just one year after such a huge surgery. What a blessing. I have Dr. Stelzer and his staff at Mt. Sinai in NYC to thank for healing my heart ❤️ I trained for 6 months before my departure and it paid off.

For those of you waiting for surgery or in the beginning stages of recovery, stay positive and don’t be hard on yourself. You will heal with time. Take it one day at a time and maybe plan something for yourself so you have a goal ahead of you for motivation.

I am wearing our HVS hat in honor of all of us heart warriors. We are a very special group of people that get to experience an unbelievable heart journey. I pray for all of us. Much love and respect to you all ❤️

I still have another week of walking before reaching the cathedral of Saint James in Santiago de Compostella and another 4-7 days to continue waking to the ocean, “The end of the World”. I will do one more post when I finish this pilgrimage. God bless you all 🙏🏽

Hello heart warrior friends. Thursday was my year anniversary from OHS and the beginning of my 500 mile pilgrimage on the "Camino de Santiago". I am done with the first two stages and taking a rest day in Pamplona, Spain. The photo of me was day one on the top of the Pyrenees mountains. What a grueling day it was. My heart did great but my knees struggled on the way down. It was a 16 mile day up and over the mountain climbing 3500ft. You can see in the distance was where I began, a small village in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Saint Jean Pied de Port in France. I am so blessed to be experiencing this adventure, testing my rebuilt heart, making new friends from around the world and deepening my relationship with God. Happy early Easter to you all.
As you can see, my sweaty hat is in honor of all of us heart warriors that have found this lovely community. Those who are years past surgery, those early in recovery and those in waiting. Trust the process and believe that all will be well, no matter what your journey brings you. There will be ups and downs but you can do it. Much love and respect to you all. God bless you

Hello fellow heart warriors! April 6th is my one year anniversary from OHS (Ross Procedure) at Mt. Sinai Hospital, performed by the legend himself, Dr Paul Stelzer. Since December 8th I have been medication free, including aspirin. I had my first echo since surgery two weeks ago and the results are really good. I was told I don’t need to see the cardiologist for another year. This last year has flown by and recovery has been fairly smooth, not without some ups and downs, but that is very normal. I feel and look better than I have in years. I am so thankful for God, my surgeon, family, friends and of course this wonderful community of heart warriors. Especially Adam’s angels. And, I can’t forget Adam himself, you deserve a very very large thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without the HVS community and website. I was able to educate myself and learn about some of the best surgeons in the world and ultimately it helped guide me in the direction I needed to make the right choices for me. I am filled with gratitude.
I am posting this a week early because this Sunday I leave for Spain/France for 8-10 weeks. I will be celebrating my newly built heart by walking the “Camino de Santiago”, a 500 mile pilgrimage to the cathedral of Saint James.
For those of you waiting for surgery or just beginning your recovery process, I pray that all goes well for you. Truly take things one day at a time and deal with each challenge you are facing with grace and a positive attitude. You will and can do it.
May God bless you, shine his healing power on you and give you the strength to accomplish anything you put your mind to. Much love and respect to you all. Keep on ticking!

8.5 months post-op, I'm blessed to say I had the energy bake cookies again this year. It takes me two days but it's worth it when I delivery to our farmers and neighbors. I have only had one of each for quality check! That's a lie, maybe 2 of each.
Continued good progress for those in recovery and peace of mind for those who wait for their big day. God bless you all and thank you for your continued support for me and all the members here in HVS

Hello all my fellow Heart Warriors. I am super happy to announce that I graduated from Cardiac Rehab today. I completed 24 sessions and am very happy I decided to complete the classes. I went into it with an open mind, with the hope that maybe I would get something out of it. Well, according to my nurses I "crushed it" and made some serious improvements. My strength, endurance, diet and confidence all improved a lot. I leave with the tools to move forward on my own and continue to make positive strides towards a heart healthy lifestyle. I am thankful for my time with those amazing nurses as they were an additional support group beyond this beautiful community we have here. If anyone is on the fence about doing rehab after surgery, I highly recommend giving it a try. I am now just short of 5 months since surgery and I feel great. There really isn't much holding me back from doing whatever my heart desires, except lifting extremely heavy items, which I'm ok with. I am thankful for all the support and encouragement from you all. Keep up with the positive attitude and trust the process. We are all in this together. God bless you all

I updated my friends and family on facebook yesterday so I figured I should do the same for my fellow heart warriors.

Yesterday was 15 weeks post-op and my 45th Birthday. I decided why not get out and try to swing a golf club with some friends. I went to TopGolf and hit quite a lot of golf balls. I swung full swings as I would have done before surgery. I did not experience any discomfort or pain, but I am definitely sore. That for me, was a HUGE step forward. I also just finished 14 of 24 sessions at rehab and I'm doing really well, lifting 15lb dumb bells and increasing the resistance on the cardio machines. I guess the last thing I am working towards for is to have increased endurance and stamina. Getting my complete energy back is the next goal. I'm hoping to finally go to France and Spain next spring to walk the Camino De Santiago, a 500 mile (800km) pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Saint James.

To all the heart warriors out there in recovery, keep being patient and set small goals. You will get there with time. It's easier to say, but enjoy the process, good and bad. This is an experience given to us all that is an extreme test of will and strength, mentally and physically. You can do it!!

As Adam would say, "Keep on Ticking"

Today is 2 months since my Ross Procedure. Overall I feel great, all things considered. Just this last week I attended a major league baseball game, had my first evaluation for cardiac rehab and yesterday I returned to church. I still have days where my fatigue is strong but I am slowly learning my limitations. My sternum is healing and I am finally feeling like I can try to swing a golf club soon. I imagine a couple weeks into rehab I will begin to start lifting light weights and that will be a good indicator of when I can go to the driving range. At times the recovery feels as if its only crawling forward but I have to remind myself how major my procedure was and that I am doing great at only 2 months post-op. I am forever grateful for this beautiful and supportive community of heart warriors. Thank you all for your kind words before, during and after my surgery. God Bless you all

Here's a silly story for you all. Titled, "Be careful what you wish for". I was whining a little about how I reached a lull or plateau and I just can't tell if I am progressing or not. I'm 54 days post-op and I am doing pretty good. I am driving, taking care of myself, doing light chores, staying active with cardio machines at home and an occasional outing so I can socialize. I also begin cardiac rehab on June 2nd. All great progress if you ask me. But, I still was frumpy about not having a quantifiable way to notice if I was still progressing. Well, my wish was granted. Just not exactly how I would have wanted. For the last week or so the tree pollen has been really high. I have been sneezing 3-5 times a day. During these sneezes I get to feel how my sternum is doing, Yay!! Not exactly what you want to feel while recovering from OHS. I asked for a quantifiable way to know if I'm doing better or not. Well, over the last week of sneezing I can actually feel that my sternum is healing. I got my answer, I am in fact still progressing. I just didn't want to have that feeling in my chest while sneezing. At 54 days it's not a painful feeling just a tight/heavy feeling. Either way it's kind of uncomfortable. Anyway, thought you might get a chuckle out of my sneezing story. Moral of the story, be very detailed and clear about what you want or it may come to you in a form you weren't anticipating. Haha

Today I am 21 days post-op “Ross Procedure” and yesterday was my first follow up appointment. Dr. Stelzer is very pleased with the success of my surgery and amazed by the numbers the post tests are showing. I am finally turning a corner and getting stronger every day. I’m walking 1-3 miles most days, have a healthy appetite and am getting good rest. I am ok to drive short distances, the grocery store and local walking paths. That tiny bit of freedom means the world to me. In just 9 more weeks I can return to the gym for cardio and light weights. And, also in July I can return for a new farming season and consult with my farmers and walk multiple fields a day with out any problem. For now, I will take all that good news and focus one day at a time at getting back to normal and possibly better than ever. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. This community has been a huge help and will continue to be. God bless you all, Timmy
Below is a picture of me and my new friend, Dr. Stelzer What a blessing he is in my life 🙏🏽❤️‍🩹

Ugh, I was on intubation for 8 hours and I seem to have a swollen throat. It gets worse at night after talking during the day. The problem is I am not sleeping because my airway is somewhat closed off. Anyone else experience this?, if so, what did you do about it? Of course I did research and will call my surgeon tomorrow morning and get his advice. It’s not supposed to last longer than a week after surgery otherwise it could become a bigger issue. Talking will no longer be an option until this gets better because it’s holding me back from getting night time rest. Last 3 nights in the hospital and first 2 nights at home this is happening. Just became knowledgeable about it now. I would love to hear if anyone else had this problem and listen to their story about solving this challenge. Thanks 🙏🏽
PS. I did walk 3 miles today says my Fitbit. So, not everything is bad 😉 

Hello all, I will over share my recovery experience because this is the exact place to do it, with those that can relate or may learn something for their future recovery.
Day one of waking up at home and day 10 after OHS surgery. Very little sleep with a horrible Fitbit sleep score. I woke up crying feeling like I was hit by a truck. I ate a nice big breakfast and took all my meds and now going back to bed. I will be strong and get through this, just wanted to share with you all. ❤️‍🩹
Lesson I learned, truly take it one day at a time and never try to anticipate or compare how your recovery journey will go. Take it as it comes and stay strong. God is good and will never give me more than I can handle. 

Hi all, I’m happy to announce that I am being discharged in a couple hours. I know I will have a new set of challenges but will for sure be happy to be with family in a familiar place and also sleep in my own bed. Thank you all for your support as I move forward into the next phase of recovery. Now I shall get some real sleep. ❤️‍🩹🙏🏽🤙🏽🦾

Post op question for other folks that had the “Ross”. I’m wrapping up day 8 and we can’t get my BP stable and low. I fluctuate from 115-82 and 145/93. The medical staff is trying to dial in the right combo of BP meds and haven’t been successful. How many days have any of you stayed in the hospital after surgery? Was this a challenge for anyone else? 
FYi, everything else is great. Walking and eating a lot. Echo was great a couple days ago, no more swelling and back to normal body weight

I’m learning every day about this recovery process. I was given lasix to help me urinate more yesterday and today. When urinating a lot, the body loses electrolytes. The blood work they take every day should show that and then they will put you on an IV to gain those electrolytes back. The symptoms where shortness of breath and heart palpitations. A little scary because I can’t sleep and it’s difficult to breath. They are getting me straightened out and hopefully I can get a couple hours of sleep before waking up to begin the discharge process. My home and bed never sounded so nice.

Great day so far. I had my first bowel movement, which I never knew I would be so happy to do so. Second, I have been ok with just Tylenol, because I don’t want to become reliant on the heavier stuff. And lastly, I took my first “lap/round”. It tired me out but I’m doing it 💯🦾🙌🏽❤️‍🩹🙏🏽

Hello everyone, I am in NYC and the pre-op tests this morning went well. Surgery is a go for the 6th. I am calm and ready to begin my recovery journey. I was able to do some site seeing today and will do the same tomorrow. I am fatigued and tired from walking around the city but it sure beats sitting in the hotel room waiting for surgery. I'm spoiling myself with good food, because why not I really appreciate all the well wishes and advice from everyone. Being a part of this community has really helped. We are not alone and this website has proved that. Another big thank you to Adam my future #rossprocedurebrother

Today I am struggling with the fact that I am traveling for my open heart surgery.  I leave tomorrow April 3rd and will spend 3 nights in NYC prior to the big day.  And, with so many unknowns its difficult to stay calm and at peace. I may not be home for weeks because I don't think I will be able to travel back and forth for my first few checkups, which means probably staying in a hotel room after being released.  I will be praying and trusting in God's plan for me. Only he knows what is good for me. Stressing about it now will do me no good and I am aware of that. Sigh!! 

Has any one else experienced traveling for your surgery? Any advice would be appreciated. 

I am beyond happy to announce that I will be having the "Ross Procedure" done by the legend himself, Dr. Paul Stelzer of The Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. I will be his #779. It was a long, emotional and educational consultation, but I left his office feeling at complete peace that I will be in good hands. And its scheduled for 13 days from now. From my first ER visit on 2/6/22 to the surgery table 4/6/22 in 8 weeks. What a crazy ride its been. Cant wait to begin the recovery process.