Tom's Journal

I was reminded of the Heart Valve Journal since my cousin and best friend "Ozzie" (who had the same aortic valve replacement surgery as me) experienced serious setbacks. He had two strokes, his speech is impaired and been in and out of the hospital for several months now. For whatever reason his doctors could never get his blood levels to do what needed to be achieved. His coumadin levels were constantly being changed and never really stabilized. Ozzie is eight years older than I am which may not necessarily have anything to do with his situation. He continues with physical therapy and that seems to help some but he is deeply depressed - who wouldn't be depressed given his situation? I ask for your prayers for Oz. I also started receiving emails about Fran Zilko and her circumstances. Fran was one of the first supporters of me through this blog as I was approaching my surgery. My prayers and support for Fran go out to her and her family too. As for myself, I just turned 64 and continue to work and plan to keep working until I am seventy. One reason is I have for continued working is my current job as Coordinating Chaplain in a men's state prison in upstate NY. Something I've been doing now for the past 5 years. It is challenging work but I've never felt so alive in performing it compared to the other jobs I've held throughout my career. So there you have it - a short update on my situation. If I shared everything with you folks you'd end up laughing / crying. So I will save that for a later post. In the meantime - May God bless and keep you all in good health. Keep on Laughing (and Rockin') Tom "Deke" Schrage tschrage@rochester.rr.com

It is hard to believe but FIVE years ago I had my aortic valve replaced. Since that time Life continues to surprise me. I made significant changes in my career, celebrated 41 years of marriage with my wonderful wife Barbara, and continue to wonder where I will go or what I will do next. Since its been three years since my last post, I thought I would see how many email connections are still valid through this website. I hope everyone is doing well. God Bless! Tom Schrage tschrage@rochester.rr.com

I\'m back once again to celebrate my aniversary post valve replacement. It\'s been two years now and so far so good. I had a serious bout of Deja Vu a couple of weeks ago when my first cousin Dave had the same procedure done. He too suffured from arterial stenosis and had an artificial valve replacement done in the Guthrie Clinic at Robert Packard Hospital in Sayre, PA. He is doing quite well. Since his affliction was caused by a genetic defect like mine, we think we inherited all the bad heart genes from our grandmother\'s side of the family. What are you going to do? We had to inherit something since all the good looks genes were used up by other relatives. Here\'s to another year of fun and excitment and I look forward to \"checking in\" again next year. Goodluck and good health to you all. God Bless! Tom Schrage tschrage@rochester.rr.com

One year ago today I underwent surgery for Aortic Stenosis and had my mechanical valve installed. Just like Timex - \"It\'s taken a licking but still keeps on ticking\" - just ask my grandchildren. I\'d like to say life has been simply wonderful since the operation, the truth is my life is just plain normal again. That\'s not a sad commentary - it just is. All of the good and bad things continue to happen as if I had no surgery at all. Let\'s see: Eight grandchildren now, 37 years of marriage, the dual losses of my best friend to pancreatic cancer and my step-father to coronary disease; settling in to a new job; my new ministry assignment and strokes of bad luck. All the normal rhythms of life. A couple of days ago, I was in a car accident when an individual hit me from behind - not once but TWICE. Apparently the person felt hitting me once was not enough to get my attention. I ended up in the emergency room for about 10 hours lying on a backboard with a neck brace. At first after the accident I wasn\'t going to go to the hospital. Then I stated to have back spasms and thought it more prudent to have it checked out. While in the ED and conversing with the doctor, I informed him of my upcoming surgical anniversary. He seemed puzzled at the notion and asked me how does one celebrate such an event. \"Do you like go out and have a greasy cheeseburger or something?\" I replied, \"Hell no, I get down on my knees and thank God for being alive.\" So that\'s where I am at these days. Thankful to God for being alive, thankful for the gifts of the surgeon\'s skilled hands, the caring nursing staff and all my supporters from my group of family, friends and HVJ. With that kind of support I\'ll be able to meet normal life head on! Peace, Love and thankfulness to you all. Keep on laughing! Tom

33 weeks and counting. It seems like eons ago since I published my fractured attempt at waxing poetic with my bit “‘Twas the Night before Surgery” at Christmastime. I asked for feedback and the survey results are in. I will quickly sum up the all the constructive criticism I received by quoting one of my dear friends. The advice was, “Don’t give up my day job.” Other comments included: “Too graphic for my taste” Or “I didn’t catch all the jokes.” Or “What kind of soap was that anyway?” On the other hand I did receive quite a few positive comments of how much people enjoyed what I wrote at holiday time and was encouraged to go back to blogging with greater frequency. Well, love or hate what I write about I decided to come back to the HVJ again. I can always find something to blather about. If it helps my brother and sister valve recipients that’s really what this forum is for. If anyone else receives enjoyment reading about my life’s musings, that makes me happy too. State of the Heart Address: I visited my cardiologist and primary care doc this week. It’s been 33 weeks since surgery so this would have been my belated 6 month check-up. The cardiologist was impressed with my weight loss and encouraged me to keep working on it. I’m in a holding pattern at the moment and haven’t lost any more than 70lbs. Now that the holidays are over I have to summon up the willpower and incentive and get back on track. I’m an absolute mush when it comes to sweets. If I were to be tortured all it would take is a small piece of chocolate cheesecake and I would spill everything I knew and then some. Heck, I’d even spill made up secrets! Wave a good dark chocolate truffle under my nose and I’ll sit up and bark like a dog. You don’t even want to know what I’m capable of doing for homemade creampuffs. You should see me at parties . . . I digress – The good news is the artificial valve is working great and after a scheduled echocardiogram in August 2011, if all goes well; I’ll only need a yearly visit after that. At least that’s the plan. I did ask about the occasional pain I still get at the surgery site. The cardiologist explained some people have slight to moderate pain for up to a year post surgery. In rare cases the pain stays longer. Let’s hope the odds are on my side for lessening of the discomfort. I’ve settled in to taking the daily medication regimen. It’s almost to the point where my wife doesn’t have to ask if I took my pills anymore. I think I forget to take them subconsciously just so I can earn my wife’s ire. Nahhh, I can easily maintain that honor just by being me. I keep telling her I never promised her a rose garden. Maybe I should stop saying that? What do you think? The extra special news from the last few weeks is my wife and I are grandparents again and again! Our daughter and son-in-law had their third child, another little boy. Meanwhile two days after that miracle, our oldest son and his wife had a second girl. Enjoying two miracles of birth in one week is better than winning the lottery. That makes eight grandchildren for us now. Unbelievable! My new job is going extremely well too. When I was hired I was given the task of spearheading a certification process by a national organization for our company. I am proud to say we achieved that goal in 4 months. Normally this process takes at least a year. Life is good for now. Until the next time, Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Hello everyone since my last login to the journal in August 2010 I have experienced a flurry of activity. It\'s been 6 months since surgery already. I finished cardiac rehab; lost 70 lbs; joined the YMCA; found a new job; learned that grandchildren 7 AND 8 are coming in January 2011; and been appointed to a new ministry assignment. I feel great! AND, none of my blogs are complete without something whimsical. I am including a little ditty I wrote and hope you enjoy it. If you do (or don\'t) let me know. Consider it a Holiday Gift from me to you and keep in your prayers those who are not with us and those facing upcoming surgery. My home email is at the end of the my composition. THE NIGHT BEFORE SURGERY (With sincere apologies to: Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston) \'Twas the night before surgery, when all through the house, Every creature was stirring, specifically my spouse; The go bag was packed with compassion and care, In hopes that clean skivvies were packed and be in there; The pre-op paperwork was stashed in their respective files with dread, With visions of leaving my insurance card at home danced in my head; And mamma in her PJ’s and I in my gym shorts, Had settled down for short night of sorts, When out of the bathroom there arose such a splatter, As I shaved my chest with the least amount of lather. Away to the shower I flew like a flash, As dry shaving my chest turned out to be more of a slash. The clutching moon of my buttock cheeks looked like an interesting show, As the sting of the special antibiotic soap reached the nether regions below, When, what to my wondering mind should I fear, But a set of personal railroad tracks into my chest they will sear, I knew the surgeon was lively and quick, As he promised to fix me up in an instant, with his procedures so slick. More rapid than eagles his surgical staff they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; “Nurse Baker! Nurse Lancer! Her sister Nurse Shaker, now, Dr. Jones The trusted gas passer, On, Heart Lung Machine! on OR Techs! on, Catheters and Stitches! To the top of the OR table! And the Monitors on the walls! Now work away! work away! work away all!\" As clean dry bandages that before the whirlwind of activity fly, When they meet with my chest cracked open they mount to the sky, So up to the heavens my prayers, they flew, To a benevolent God and his son Jesus too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard in my ears, “Tom – time to wake up” You can’t sleep for years. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, The ICU staff came in my room with bound. I was dressed all in tubes and machines, from head to foot, The thought of keeping modestly covered soon became moot; Batches of IVs were stacked on the Alaris pump, The medications helped tremendously get over the painful hump. On Dilaudid – Oh my eyes how they did twinkle! My dimples how merry! My cheeks were like roses, my nose stuffed and red as a cherry! My mouth was drawn up like a bow, To accommodate the breathing tube I’ll have you know; The stump of that tube I bit hard with my teeth, And the oxygen encircled my head like a wreath; I had a broad face and a distended big belly, That shook, when I coughed like a bowlful of jelly. I was chubby and plump, from the IV fluids they pumped, And I laughed when I saw the catheter, but I won\'t be a frump. My bride winked her eye and gave me a twist of her head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; The healthcare staff spoke not a word, but went straight to their work, Tending to my needs; not thinking I’m a jerk, And raising my thumb to signal OK aside of my bed, And I giving a nod, my family chose; To wish me well and bring me some clothes, And away they all flew down the hall with speed and great flare, To get me discharged, and home to my easy chair, As I was leaving the hospital I expressed to the staff, \"Thank you for being there when I needed you most, May God bless you all will be my New Year’s – “New Life” toast! Merry Christmas! ©Tom Schrage 2010 tschrage@rochester.rr.com

Where has all the time gone? I never thought I would find myself saying that sentence. My official “medical disability” period ends on Monday 8/30 and I’m OK to return to work. Since I resigned my current position before surgery, I now have to concentrate on finding another means of employment. Not to worry, I’ve been through this before and I usually find something totally out of context or character to what I was doing in my last job. That’s not to say I am not anxious or scared given the state of the economy. I am fearful just like everyone else. Several people have asked me if I knew about the impending heart problems prior to my resignation would I have still relinquished my job. Even with 20/20 hindsight, the answer is still Yes! If I stayed in my present job, the pressures I felt would continue mounting and I’m convinced I would have worked myself to death. In retrospective discussions I would have logged on the minute I had access to my laptop and worked from home post surgery. I wouldn’t have paid the attention to my healing as required. I knew that would be the case because I purchased a new laptop prior to surgery just so I could stay connected while in the hospital. Fortunately for me, I couldn’t access the hospital’s Wi-Fi network and that brick–up-side the head feeling came over me. DUH!! This time it IS about you, dummy! Give it up! Let someone else carry the burden for once. You see, I was instilled with a work ethic that pushes me even now to work very hard to reach my goals in life. The problem is, once I reach those goals I set newer loftier goals and take it as a personal challenge to meet or exceed the new standard. Consequently I end up in a never ending cycle. God help our children! They seemed to have inherited the overachiever gene in their DNA. To make matters worse, their mom has the same gene! They are doomed to a life of hard work and commitment. So as not to evoke a pity party for myself, I am looking forward to something new. I enjoy and welcome change. Being part of something new gets the creative juices flowing again. Learning new skills and another industry is exciting to me. So I continue my job search, networking with others and writing resumes. Not to worry, I do play the resume thing straight forward. The offbeat humor comes out only after being hired. I have to say a little something about rehab. After 4 weeks, I have met and befriended several of my fellow rehabbers. Yes, all of them have very unique personalities. I’ve even accepted Mave as she continues to bellyache and cuss through her routines. One highlight is the weekly classes on Wednesdays to learn about different aspects of heart disease. Last week we learned about enduring the emotional ups and downs of our recovery. This section included discussions around engaging in sexual relations post heart surgery. All I can say is there are some very randy individuals out there especially when it comes to finding the right positions so as not to place any strain on the chest. YIKES! I have kept up with yard work around the house and spread 6 yards of top soil into the spot where the old pool used to be; installed new laundry close posts; corrected the mailbox height (I received a ticket from the post office), edged my sidewalks and driveway; I have two small trees to fell and some light masonry work to do on the house foundation. Oh yes and in between, I write and send out more resumes. So that’s my story for now and I’m sticking to it. I will be taking my wife to another outdoor concert this weekend to see the band Foreigner and then we will swing by and visit our son and his family. We are looking forward to the time away. Until the next time, Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Seven weeks post-op and as promised, I alerted everyone that I would find new material to write about once I begin Cardiac Rehab. Much to my delight, my assumption was true. I reported for duty on Tuesday for the intake process, Wednesday was my first experience with actual exercising and today I finished my first week of exercise. My very first observation was my Band of Brothers and Sisters kicked my butt and put me on report for being incapable of meeting the exercise standards. Now these were no young powerhouses. Although many were my senior in age a lot of them had mastered the exercise shtick and put me to shame. Oh Goody, nothing like being embarrassed by your peers in your first week of getting healthy again. I figure this is payback for all the pizzas, chicken wings, onion rings, and “Gut Buster” submarine (hero, torpedo, grinder etc.) sandwiches I ate in my life. This is really going to be a chore AND it comes with a $20 co-pay each time I go for the next 8 weeks, I couldn’t be happier. Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! The next thing I noticed was the stare. Maybe it was my imagination and being so self conscious about exercising. Yet, in the midst of my warm up and cool down exercises I swear I caught people glaring at me as I switched positions with the exercises. Why? Who knows? Maybe my resemblance to Chris Farley is piquing their interest and they are waiting for me to do my “Fat Guy in a Little Coat” imitation. If it’s not that then maybe I am amazing them that I can move my big butt-a-carriage around with grace and aplomb. Even elephants can dance . . . In case you hadn’t figured me out yet, there is only one thing I am allergic to and that is exercise. Unfortunately there is no vaccine for that ailment and I have to be serious about this to insure I am around for awhile to see my grandchildren grow up. After today, I felt better about the whole ordeal. I actually enjoyed the experience. I think because I had a chance to be a part of the playfully serious banter in the collegial atmosphere post exercise cool down period. I did a meet and greet of sorts with some of my comrades and they seemed to accept me (I hope). On the first day of exercise I met a women I’ll call Mave. She is a salty individual who is free with her language. That is not an issue for me as I never claimed to be a choir boy. However the selected expletives she uses places the exact amount of emphasis in her telling of personal experiences. The expletives added a certain amount of zing to her stories giving them a high level of believability. For example: Before I proceed, I learned something immediately. Everyone listening to Mave either had a great experience or a bad one. There is no middle ground with heart surgery. I feel I had a great experience. Naturally, Mave’s experience was the worst of the worst. Mave explained that she had doctors from cultures that treated women as second class citizens (her words). As you can imagine Mave was not the kind of a person to stand for that kind of treatment. She took offense to whenever a doctor came in to check on her and they always addressed her husband and not her directly. She hated that the doctors would talk about her condition to her husband as if she didn’t exist. She would tell the docs out loud, “Hey! Talk to me &*$%#@! I am laying right here in the &*$%#@ bed! I am the &*$%#@ patient not him!” Insert your own expletives. By the second day of being treated so rudely she decided she was going to give those &*$%#@ doctors a piece of her mind. Just by happenstance, two of her docs must have been rounding together that day as they both entered her room together. Maybe it was more of a defensive move on their part than the convenience of rounding together given Mave’s previous outburst the day before. Mave spied them both and motioned for the two of them to come closer to the bed. Without thinking they did. All of a sudden when both docs got within arm’s reach Mave throws out her hands, simultaneously grabbing both their ties at once and pulled them both to within inches of her face and says to them, “Listen you SOB’s the next time you decide to talk about my condition in front of me and not with me so help me God I will get out of this bed and strangle you both!” Like I’ve said before you can’t make this stuff up. Reality is stranger than fiction. After we stopped laughing some of the remaining individuals relayed what we had done to our hearts. I didn’t have any stents inserted so that eliminated me from the “Stent Club”. That’s OK, I’m positive I don’t want to be a member of that group anytime soon. All in all the first week was really fine. Stay tuned for more reported banter from my comrades and I will go over the various machines I’ve used so far. Trust me they put any medieval torture chamber to shame. Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Last week’s concern about the irregular heartbeat turned out OK after all. After the wearing of a heart monitor, echocardiogram and follow-up doctor’s visits I’ve been given a clean bill of health. It was explained as an anomaly – one of those things that just happen on occasion after major surgery. We did adjust two medications to higher levels and that helped tremendously. My cardiologist doesn’t want to see me for 6 months and my primary care doc won’t see me again for 3 months. What that means is I’m back on the schedule for joining cardiac rehab next Tuesday and I promise I’ll have more material to write about. Please stay tuned as I enter the next stage of hilarious high jinks and indignation in my otherwise joyful life. My valve Jude happily continues to tick away with a steady rhythm. Not quite the rock n’ roll back beat I’m accustomed to but steady enough for my grandchildren to call me “Tick–Tock Cramps”. As much as it sounds like a digestive affliction –it is still cute. I’ll just add it to my other monikers of G-Daddy, Gramps, and G-shizzle, and Hey You – Old Guy (I don’t get any respect). I’ve taken to reading a lot more and don’t even turn on the television anymore until Keith Oberman comes on at 8:00 PM. No FOX Noise in this house. I just finished reading Bill Maher’s “New Rules”, started reading “Unholy Popes” by Bob Curran; I’m part way through a Biography of The Three Stooges, John Madden’s, “A Knee is as Good as Two feet” and the for good measure, “The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.” Now that is a fairly eclectic list of reading material. No wonder I have a warped sense of humor. I’m feeling great otherwise and actually looking forward to working on improving my lifestyle choices relative to food and exercise. Until next time, take care everyone. Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Hello everyone, I just found out today I am experiencing a bit of a setback. My heart Valve Jude and I are experiencing an irregular heartbeat – A-Fib. I was conscious or it before and reported it to my Cardiologist at my last appointment. He did an EKG and listened intently through his stethoscope to see if he could detect it. Unfortunately the EKG or he listening didn’t produce any A-Fib sounds. I had A-Fib immediately after surgery and was treated with medication to correct it and it went away. I certainly scared the life out of my wife and the Visiting Nurse Service after my remote vital signs machine started registering a heart rate in the thirties. The strange part is I have no other symptoms that normally go with an irregular heartbeat. No shortness of breath, no dizziness, or feeling faint. Everyone started to be very concerned and made sure I had my cell phone with me to call 911 at the first signs of any of those symptoms. You think I should be worried too? During the Visiting Nurse’s visit yesterday she detected the backbeat being played by my mechanical valve and contacted my cardiologist. His office asked me to come in today to have a halter heart monitor attached to my body which I did early this morning. The Monitor is will be my newest, “bestest” buddy for the next 24 hours along with a diary to track the times of activities that change my heart rate. It’s a real treat being able to hear the clicking of the mechanical valve. If it changes in the consistency I hear it in my inner ear. Hopefully it will show I need a medication adjustment (?). The resulting issue is I can’t start rehab now and I have to wait for the cardiologist’s approval once more. I’ll find out next Thursday when I return to his office for the results. Having the leads and monitor installed was still humorous. First they had to shave my chest – again. I told the nurse this was a setback by itself since my reverse Mohawk from surgery was just starting to fill in quite nicely. She mentioned that she noticed that and still preceded to dry shave my chest. Then the nurse had to “abrade” me. Wow - A new medical term for me. I did not know what it meant so I asked her what that means. It sounded so medieval i.e. after we put you on the rack for awhile then we will ABRADE you. The nurse said no problem – it means the skin surface where the electrodes are to be attached has to be scraped up a little to insure the electrodes have a good contact. Immediately in my mind I had visions of heavy grit sandpaper being produced to sand me down like an 8th grade wood shop project. But they wouldn’t use that . . . OH LORD! The nurse broke out a small piece of a Brown Scotchbrite scrubbing pad and proceeded to do her worst. She sanded me up like an antique rusty car being restored. Mind you after open heart surgery you don’t want anything or anyone touching your chest area and here is this short woman, barely 5 feet tall, reaching up to “rough me up”. I immediately wanted to beg her forgiveness for all the bad things I ever did in my life. I was trapped as I stood there holding up my T-Shirt with both hands. I had no choice but to surrender. Of course I had to be macho and uttered something in the lowest possible voice I could muster and asked her, “Gee, can I take that home with me? I have a few pots and pans that could use some extra scrubbing.” She laughed out loud but I don’t think it was at my attempt of bravado (and funny) – I think it was because my voice came out in a high pitched pre-pubescent tone which made her laugh. Oh great – she’s done! Now for the electrodes. The nurse couldn’t let it go however; she had to use some kind of Super Glue to make the electrodes stick to my skin. God forbid one of those puppies come loose. It’s hard to keep the monitor hidden too. I thought for sure when I went into Lowes this afternoon I was going to be accused of shoplifting. That moderate bulge on my left side certainly appears as if I stashed a small box of nails under my shirt. Luckily that didn’t happen and I was free to move around the store. So until tomorrow my heart monitor and I are one. Just one more indignity to add to the list. Until next time - Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Hello everyone – I visited the surgeon’s office today and they gave me my walking papers – meaning I don’t have to see them again unless something out of the ordinary happens. There isn’t any anticipation that this will happen, but walking papers also means I have to walk, and walk, and walk some more. That seems ironic since I was also given permission to drive again. Maybe I can walk a little then drive a little? Or maybe I can drive to areas conducive to walking? Probably not, I did promise to behave myself. I am still in awe of the progress as tomorrow is only 4 weeks post-op. Next is cardiac rehab. The arrangements are being made for me to join a facility closer to our home. My children forced me to buy some decent walking / training shoes which I did after my doctor’s appointment today. Quite frankly I didn’t want to spend the money. However, I succumbed to their pressure and did as I was told. I may have my walking papers but apparently that doesn’t give me control over my actions. You know what else this means? Since I can drive I can mow lawn again using my favorite toy. YEA!!!! I will wait one more week and have it cut by the professionals. That assures the kinfolk I am not overdoing it. I am still working with the doctors to even out my Coumadin levels and that will take some time. The constant ticking of my mechanical valve is as familiar to me now as the voice of a good friend. You know the kind of voice I’m speaking of - it is the kind of voice you immediately recognize even when coming from the din of a crowded room. Being that my valve has become an old friend I thought it appropriate to humanize it and give it a name. Therefore its name will be “Jude”. I chose that name for a many reasons. The first reason is the valve is a model 25AGFN-756 made by St. Jude Medical. The second reason is St. Jude is the Patron Saint of Desperate Cases and Lost Causes. I’ve been known to qualify under those parameters. The last reason is I identify with the lyrics from the Beatles song “Hey Jude”: “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better . . .” To me that’s the fantastic result of this entire endeavor. Being able to recognize those who have it bad and that we have the ability to make it better. And so to my HJV co-bloggers and to everyone else who has followed me through this ordeal thank you for your inspiration, empathy, sharing of emotions and ideas that have been so supportive for me throughout Phase 1. I’ll be taking a break from blogging for a little while until Phase 2 of Cardiac Rehab starts. That promises to be a hoot! There’s nothing funnier than a Big Guy trying to exercise. Imagine Chris Farley from the movie “Tommy Boy” doing his fat guy in a little coat routine. That will be me! As usual until next time - Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Today is 3 weeks post-op from the surgery and it is hard to believe. I still marvel at the speed, efficiency, and skills needed that made it all possible. To celebrate Upstate New York is now officially blessed by the National Weather Service as being in a heat wave. For 4 days in a row we have reached temperatures between 90+ and 100+ degrees. It has been several years since the last time we had an official heat wave. I am trying not to complain since our summers seemingly too short. In two months time we’ll be grumbling again about how cold it’s become. The close proximity of Lake Ontario impacts the weather patterns greatly. A popular axiom around the area is if you don’t like the Rochester weather just wait 15 minutes and it will change. Now that’s more perception than reality but it’s a constant topic everyone in the area collectively whines about. There is an infirmity nicknamed Rochester Rhinitis that constantly wreaks havoc with individuals’ sinuses. It’s a community building thing where all of us complain about the topic often and loudly. I discovered over the last three weeks that my personal whining has somewhat subsided. This ordeal has shown me that it is the positive aspects of life that need my attention and not to waste my energy on the negative. Especially those things I have no control over. Trust is the word that comes to mind as we have to trust in our health care providers and support systems to see us through. I can’t tell you how tough that has been for me. I live up to my name and am among the original doubting Thomas’s. You would think I was from Missouri as I constantly ask people to back up what they’re saying with proof and top that off with a healthy (albeit respectful) skepticism of authority – well you get the picture – inquiring minds want to know. Several friends from work have stopped by the house this week. 1 couple, Nancy and Peter, brought me a sign to put up over my room that says “The Man Cave”. I laughed so hard when they gave it to me I thought I popped a stitch. It was well worth the laugh. My friend Bob and his new wife Debbie stopped by to say hello. They were married on July 4th and because of the travel I couldn’t attend. They were very generous to stop and visit. My in-laws from Greensboro, NC stayed with us this week and it is very nice to have them here. Blessings all around have been my experience this week and I am one grateful person. I want to share these blessing with my peers on HJV and wish all of you good health, and a great journey on the road to recovery. Having said that, I feel obligated to write something funny. If I didn’t I would be remiss in my mission to bring a smile to you. I hope you like this it is a true story: During my hospital stay part of the post-op training included education by a hospital pharmacist about the gang of medicines to be taken after the procedure. The young woman entered my room introduced herself and one of the hospital pharmacists and that her name was so and so. She wanted to bring me up to speed on the medications I’ll be taking. I said fine and helped her correctly pronounce my last name. I told her my last name Schrage rhymes with Froggie and as long as she remembered that she would be fine. The young pharmacist apologized profusely for bungling my last name. I told not to worry about it. I was born with the name and was used to people fracturing it. I also ask her to please do not call me ‘Mister” as that refers to my father and to please use my first name Tom. To that request she responded. “OK Mr. Schrage” Now this young lady was no slouch. She in fact was a PharmD. That means she has her doctorate in pharmacology. But hell she wasn’t as old as my own daughter. I thought maybe I should go by Mr. Schrage. Mind you, with all comedians, half the joke is the set-up; the miss direction that keeps people off balance so that don’t know what’s about to hit them. I successfully did that with the name thing. As a credit to her she proceeded to tell me in earnest all about the drugs I’ll be taking highlighting the Coumadin and the Vitamin K overload related to green leafy vegetables and so on. She did an excellent job. Then she asked me, “Do you have any questions?” I could have played it straight as I didn’t want to embarrass this young professional who really knew her stuff (mind you at this time I was in a double room and my older roommate was in the next bed). I felt one angel on one shoulder encouraging me to leave the poor thing alone; on the other shoulder my guardian devil encouraged me to go for it as he provided the question to ask in my head. It’s amazing how much soul searching one can do in a split second. I must admit the devil won out this time. It was too good to pass up, the set up was perfect! “Go for it!” the little devil said. “Go for it!” Succumbing to the pressure and intense twisting of my arm by my guardian devil I asked the only question I could. Are you ready for it? I found myself asking her, “Will I be able to play the violin?” Next thing I know, my roommate breaks out in loud guffaws (so much for HIPPA Rules). My wife damn near slaps me. My roommate’s wife says out loud “Oh Lord, you and my husband will be great roomies!” All the while I am stifling back laughter. Then without a second thought the pharmacist says “Of course you’ll be able to play the violin – these drugs will not impede that activity.” And of course I finished the shtick with the closing line, “Funny I was never able to play it before.” By this time everyone in the room couldn’t contain themselves. The poor young pharmacist didn’t know what happened to her. I quickly recovered and apologized profusely for setting her up as my straight person. I explained she was way too young to know that joke and I apologized again. I told her if it makes her feel better she has my permission to go back and tell the rest of the pharmacy employees about the wise guy that Mr. Froggie guy is in Room xxxx. I apologized again but the timing the set-up and deliver was too perfect. It wasn’t long after that incident the staff moved me to a private room. The planning manager of the unit was a friend of mine from my hospital who moved to this hospital. She explained the move as a professional courtesy and I was very appreciative. Personally I think they probably got word from the pharmacist about me and figured best to put him in a room where he can be a funny guy all by himself. Oh well… As usual until next time - Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Good afternoon everyone and Happy 4th of July Weekend. The weather here in upstate NY is absolutely perfect today. The blue skies, low humidity, and temps in the eighties are a real bonus for us. Lots of activity happening at the Schrage homestead today. The weekend started yesterday with relatives from my wife’s side of the family coming to upstate NY to attend the bridal shower of my wife’s niece who is being married in October. My Brother and Sister–in-law brought me a “care package” of BBQ ribs from Prissy Polly’s in North Carolina and cured my fix for ribs and sauce. They were mindful to not overdue the quantity. Accompanying them is their son Adam and his wife Sarah. Adam is not only my nephew, but also our godson. I co-presided at their wedding one year ago and it is great to see them. They also graced me with a Prissy Polly’s T-Shirt which I will wear with honor. All I can say is God bless them! I am good to go for now. However the taste of BBQ still lingers. Have no fear – the annual Rochester, NY Ribs and Blues festival is happening next week. If I feel up to it I may try to make a brief visit. That probably is wishful thinking though. I did three laps around the driveway and a trip to the mail box so far today (to pick up the newspaper) and I was still winded. I’ve got to step up the physical activity. Slow and steady wins the race. Health wise my O2 Sats were back in line this morning upon waking up. Being a sleep apnea sufferer for years I changed sleeping position using several pillows to create a reclined position instead of laying flat. I can really feel the difference too. No headache to deal with either. Waking up with a headache was always a bummer – it is like having a hangover without the partying the night before. Talk about being cheated! This morning my wife and her three sisters got together for a long overdue get together. I was well prepared with my noise cancelling headphones and back-up ear plugs. I don’t want to denigrate any of them because I love them all dearly. However after 36 years of being part of this family the noise level at family get-togethers just gets louder and louder. I think as we all get older our hearing ability becomes limited which forces the decibel level to increase which creates a never ending upward spiral of volume. Either that or we indoctrinated the children with the same behavior (“Say it ain’t so – Joe!”) or there are simply more of us to perpetuate the legend of the “Loud Family.” I swear that is where Saturday Night Live got the idea from originally. If you can you imagine being strapped to the underbelly of a B52 as it takes off full throttle - that’s the normal small gathering sound level. Tomorrow – we are having a family picnic in the town park pavilion next door. Several are bound to bring their favorite deck of Euchre cards. When that takes place its equivalent to the whole fleet of B52s doing a simultaneous launch. My in-laws are Euchre freaks. While playing the volume created by the atmosphere of “jaw jacking” one another outdoes any normal conversation fueled by their off the charts competitiveness. The only way you know you had a great time is if you walk away from the function after losing only half your voice. I generally bow out of the competition preferring to watch from a distance – which is usually from 50 yards away – and not miss a thing. This is the first large gathering of family since my surgery and you know what? In spite of my tongue and cheek (but true) description above it feels very good to see everyone and have their support. I did have to take a pain pill today because of all the laughing, but that is a very, very small price to pay. I look forward to the family gathering tomorrow. Oh my God! I can’t believe I just said that. Does Heart Valve Surgery have that profound of an impact? I guess it does. WOW! I am dumbfounded! I guess the message of today’s post is the importance of family. My father, Bernie, was a wise man (not a wise guy like his son). As such I couldn’t help but remember one of his “isms” today. You could say this was “Bernie-ism #1.” He used to tell my brother and sisters and I that family comes first above all else but also remember that no family is perfect. Just keep working at being family during good and bad times. I can honestly say that came to fruition for me this weekend and how blessed I am for not only my own family but of my wife’s family as well. Enjoy the weekend. Until next time Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since the surgery. These last several days included two doctors’ visits, 2 visiting nurse visits, and best of all Barb and I celebrating our 36th Wedding Anniversary. The doctor’s visits were with the cardiologist and my primary care doctor. Both were pleased with my progress and made just very slight changes in medications to adjust for the fluid buildup in my lower legs. I obtained a copy of the surgeon’s report to find out what the ultimate diagnosis was for me. It reads: “Patient had a bicuspid, heavily calcified, critically stenotic and moderately insufficient valve.” It goes to prove that I am true to my personality in that I never do anything half way. It’s full tilt or nothing. My O2 Sats have been borderline acceptable over the last couple of mornings upon awaking. I am relinquishing my man cave tonight to sleep in a real bed to see if that makes a difference tomorrow morning. Visiting Nurse Service installed the slickest remote device in our home that measures my vitals each morning at 7:00 AM. Of course I have to be awake and hooked up to it or it yells at me! God Bless technology! I continue to receive well wishes from individuals who are just finding out about my recent surgery. This is a wonderful experience by itself. Some individuals I haven’t heard from in years. It is nice to know I’m still remembered in spite of my offbeat humor and bizarre behavior. On our anniversary my wife made us a light steak dinner which was very nice. It was a good place to be and be able to enjoy it together. Now – for the contest of what the shadow image is on my chest. A lot of you were mystified while others were on the mark. Among the entries were a hippopotamus, chimpanzee, orangutan, and one vote for the “Great Ape of Kodak”. My daughter in-law explained what caused it. Yes – the “eyes” are where the drainage tubes were inserted into my chest cavity. I like the hippopotamus entry because it shows out of the box thinking. This family actually discussed it at dinner time and their consensus was a hippo – they even named it “Brett Michaels.” I thought that was hilarious. For those of you who saw a chimp or orangutan – you are very close. However – the winner is my buddy Dale who referenced the Great Ape. You see, part of my early repertoire of bizarre behavior was to imitate a gorilla and chase people around in my work area at Kodak. I scared the life out of some of the older workers while we young bucks would laugh at them. I wouldn’t hesitate to jump up on tables, countertops or chairs imitating a gorilla to get a rise out of someone especially if I thought they needed a pick me up. Some people look at me now and fail to see that kind of behavior coming from me ever in my life. Well – you can never judge a book by its cover and for us introverted / silent types still waters run deep. So there you have it - another revelation from me to you. You can file it under the “you had to be there” to enjoy those moments, yet as you can see I have witnesses. I am guilty as charged. Thank you all for playing along. This Blog continues to be a valuable link to the world for me regardless of my silly stories and stupid antics. Until next time. Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

I apologize for not posting for the last several days. I’ve been going through a flurry of activity between visiting with friends and family at home, answering phone calls and making arrangements to cover other tasks I am sidelined from performing. In addition I have doctor’s appointments over the next couple of days which will be my first trips out of the house since coming home last Monday. Yesterday I hired a gentleman to cut my lawn so my wife and children won’t have to be bothered with that task. I referenced before in this blog how much I enjoy cutting grass and its therapeutic value for me. It takes me 5 ½ hours to cut our lawn. In fact my dream job would be to be one of the state highway employees who spend the summers mowing the median strips of grass on the highways. Give me my iPod, a comfortable set of noise cancelling headphones, an eclectic set of music or books on tape and I am lost in my own introverted world. Speaking of music – today I felt like listening to 80’s Big Hair genre bands. That style of music is something my daughter Beth and I share a deep appreciation of. There is an entire channel called Hair Nation on XM Radio to serve that need when I need to reacquaint myself with driving metal and pounding rhythm. In fact my idea of a family outing was a Van Halen concert several years ago at the local Blue Cross Arena. Rock on dudes! The reason I entitled this entry as “Taking Inventory” is I seem to be doing a lot of that. As a quality control professional I believe that what doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done. The inventory follows below. First Category: Health Status Weight - being charted daily and back to pre-op tonnage. No more French-fries covered in cheese and bacon. No more chicken wings and blue cheese. No more “garbage plates” – God help me! Now before you all say to yourselves, “Jee wiz – no wonder the guy had heart trouble!” I have to tell you my cholesterol levels are consistently in the 160 range. Call it “Tommy’s Revenge.” Na ne, Na ne, Boo-Boo to you. Blood pressure – Normal using medications (and as long as certain people leave me alone). That was the case before surgery. O2 Sat –a bit worrisome. Will be setting up a remote reporting process through Visiting Nurse Service to monitor. Oh-Oh I’m so busted. I have to be true to my breathing exercises and their prescribed regimen. Stamina – staying within prescribed parameters. Especially since the Visiting Nurse whacked me up side my head for doing too much already. Pain level – I was fine using minimal pain relief until this last weekend when I had to ramp up the pills a bit. I finally figured out that the additional pain was attributed to watching Jay and Silent Bob movies and couldn’t stop laughing. Even funnier was recalling how my sons imitate these guys. Yes, my sons and I share a testosterone laden, sophomoric, juvenile, locker room sense of humor. I never said we were perfect – just real. Regardless, Jay and Silent Bob should put a Health Advisory on their films. Warning: This material is so funny it may cause aggravation to anyone post Cardio-thoracic surgery. Second (and most Important) Category – W.A.I. Measurement. The W.A.I is the Wise Ass Index. It’s the measure of my ability to push the envelope to the point where people respond with, “He’s such a wise ass!” It’s a lagging indicator because most people don’t express this to me personally. They usually express their disdain about me to someone else first. Sometimes this is confused with the S.A.I. measure which is the Smart Ass Index. I consider this a leading indicator since the response of “Smart Ass!” or other expletive deleted is elicited immediately after a comment or joke I make. If I’m successful I break up the room in laughter. My Mother used that term with me all the time, God rest her soul! I consider my W.A.I. measure to around 4.5 out of 10. I am way off my feed since surgery and look forward to getting back to a 7 or 7.5. Any measures higher than that just makes you cruel and obnoxious which is never my intent. Trust me I take as good as I give. By some standards I’m a real cream puff. I added more photos to the blog site one of which is titled “My New Friend”. Can you guess what that is a picture of? It’s not quite as dramatic as seeing a Holy Image in a potato chip but it appeared on my chest. What can I say? Let me know what you think the image is and I’ll post the results and compare it with what I see. I also added some more post-op photos. One is titled “Immediately After Surgery.” It shows me in all my glory still attached to every machine / IV / etc. Believe it or not I am conscious as I’m giving a “Thumbs Up” sign. I include this as public service message for those who may wonder what to expect. Heck I wanted to see what I looked like. Those aren’t my real “Guns”. Instead I was extremely bloated from all the IV fluids. Those will be my real guns after rehab – What do you think? I’ll stop here as I have to prepare for my first Doctor’s visit this afternoon. Wishing everyone a great day until my next entry. By the way if you disagree in my self-score on the W.A.I. I will take that as feedback too. Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

I think I went too far this time. I scared my wife off. I don’t think it had anything to do with the topic of the beverage refrigerator coming into the man cave either. At least I hope it wasn’t related. I attempted to reach a consensus between us through discussion, thoughtful listening, and proper constructive feedback. It’s the same process I suggest to all couples I counsel before marriage. It was time to practice what I preach. Personally I can’t stand the word compromise. Compromising implies someone had to give something up to make someone else happy. Consensus on the other hand means that each person in the discussion can live with the final decision and not be taken advantage of or put down upon. So I offered the following compromise. I suggested I use the small Styrofoam Harris-Teeter Market cooler that brought home Prissy Polly’s BBQ from North Carolina, to store my seltzer at my chair side using reusable ice packs to keep them cold. She said, “Yes, she can live with that.” I’m sorry honey, my selective hearing kicked in for a moment, what was your answer again? OH HAPPY DAYS! Did you hear them? The heavenly hosts began singing in wondrous splendor. Oh sing you angelic choirs! Sing the entire universe and rejoice in the consensus we reached. I can have a beverage cooler in my man cave. My life is now complete! I was in the middle of my Happy Dance when. . . “What was that Honey?” “There is one added condition? What is that?” I inquired. The usual conditions remained. I would be responsible for replenishing my own supplies including a new condition – I also had to remove the empty bottles for recycling. I thought, “OK that’s reasonable.” I did master the task of picking up my dirty socks so the bottles wouldn’t be that big of a deal. The recycle bin is three more steps away from the dirty laundry collection basket. Heck, I could even work it into my exercise regimen. We were both so proud of our accomplishment. My wife then mentioned it was time to go the post office box to pick-up the mail and said she would be back shortly. I said great. Well – it’s normally a 15 minute task. Barb left and didn’t return after 30 minutes; then 45 minutes; then it became an hour. “Oh no!” I thought. I really did it this time. She got so tired of my nagging about the stupid man cave and the beverage refrigerator I began thinking the worst. I scared her off never to return. Her objections of the fridge finally took the last drop of patience she had. I outsmarted myself. What will I do? About 75 minutes into her absence I heard the car pull in the driveway and the rustle of plastic shopping bags as she came into the back door. She went to the supermarket to get a few things. Don’t get me wrong I was ecstatic over her return, but the rustle of plastic shopping bags breeds angst for me. Guys understand this more than women I suppose but the question has to be asked. Why does your significant other’s love for you manifest itself by asking us to eat food that will make us “better”? Things like Stir Fry Walnuts and Kelp with cheese sauce? How about ground turkey sausage flavored with Maple Syrup? Then there is always the vegetable medley concoctions flavored with Angus beef gravy? Just as I was about to brace myself for whatever Health Food she purchased, there sitting on the kitchen table was a warm roast beef on a wick sandwich, made fresh about 10 minutes ago. She said I looked like I could use a pick-me up. Then she proceeded to list all of the items she purchased that are among my favorite things. There was Frosted Flakes and fresh watermelon and oranges to name a few. One of the items we haven’t reached consensus on is my future eating habits. Obviously I have to address that issue. My stubbornness to even talk about it makes it so I don’t want to be bothered with the discussion. Yet here is my wife meeting me in the middle reaching a consensus for the both of us. \"We’ll get started by moderating the portions of what you like to eat and work from there\" she said. I realize the finality of having to do something as I don’t have the choice anymore. So, to my Barbara, once again you are the beacon of rationality. If, I don’t live up to the needs of the eating healthy, I ask for forgiveness and for your continued patience once again. These are not the drugs talking. The weather turned nice again now I can do my second lap around the driveway. Until tomorrow everyone have a great day! Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Hello Everyone - Today’s report is coming into HVJ after my being “Imbedded” for 4.5 Days with the staff and Crew of the Peri-Operative Surgical Team, their anesthesiologists, Cardiothoracic ICU and Cardiac Step-down Units of Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY from 6-17-2010 through 6-21-2010. I realize how easy it is to emotionally gush over the people involved in contributing to a personally life transition. Yes, statistically, this procedure has a great success rate so my risks factors were relatively low when combined with the other health markers in my life. However – the statistics be damned when it is your chest being cracked open. Typically when people ask me for referrals I don’t provide them without this caveat, “I will share with you who took care of me and what they did, but I cannot guarantee the same will happen for you.” In my case I am going to make an exception. Everything at the Strong / U of R –Including the ala carte food service was OUTSTANDING. You lived up to and surpassed my expectations for the tag line you use in your advertising. Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester practices: Medicine of the Highest Order! Thank you- I hope I receive a Press Ganey Survey where I will be more specific in my feedback. Now that the procedure is over I can put to good use all the fine advice and suggestions provided by the HVJ Membership. I’m doing OK. The surgery was a success as I was under the knife for only 3 hours. I decided it is time to get off my dead derrière and start answering my email. I cannot believe how much energy this has taken out of me. The pain has been a bit severe at times but is being handled nicely by the pain pills. I find when the hallucinations stop it’s time for another dose. I had to stop telling my wife I didn’t mind having a cat In the house but 6 were too many. She just shakes her head and says to me what a putz you are! You know we don’t have 6 cats in the house. Concentrate on the six woodland sprites they seem to have taken over you man cave! Waking myself up from naps repeating the conversations of the people in my inner vicodin mind fueled by has been an absolute hoot. And as an added bonus I think I am open and more susceptible to seeing shadow people now. If you know what these beings are you must be A Coast to Coast Fan with George Noory and Art Bell. The mechanical valve keeps ticking away and lulls me to sleep at night. You know I just remembered I have two model fire engines I might just start to work on. Two more projects I wanted to find time for. Now I have it. I’ve been sufficiently reminded by everyone to behave myself and follow instructions. I promised so many people that my promises have promises. Well, back to staying hydrated and thanks to all of you for tour support and love. Many personal thanks go to my wife Barbara who has run with the torch for the last several days. Keep on laughing (and Rockin\') Peace and love to you all. Tommy

Good evening everyone, Tom not quite up to journaling tonight. Finally, he is eating a little something and talking back. Guess he is better. The visiting nurse came late this afternoon. At which point I left the room per some good advice of a friend (Leslie). I needed to be the wife not the nurse. Proved to be the best advice of the day. Tom was back to his old sense of humor...the nurse was getting a medical history and she made the mistake of asking if Tom had any trouble with his hearing. To which he said \"what?\" Then Tom said I am sure you have heard that response before. They then had a conversation about selective hearing. The visiting nurse reinterated all the things he needs to be doing: coughing and deep breathing, walking the recommeded times per day, & various restrictions. This time it was not me saying it but the independant third party. Tonight he must feel better as he is watching a Star Trek movie. Guess we are well on our way to living long and prospering... Sorry i just could not resist. He has not been up to reading the guestbook yet. He passed by the computer today and said:\" Wow 150 enteries... I have got some reading to do.\" So i know that soon he will be reading all your many words of encourgament. Watch out when he starts journaling again. Take care. This as been such a comforting theapy for me. Love barb.

We arrived home this afternoon around 1215. Had a list of do\'s and don\'ts but a wonderful nurse who explained eveything. Had 3 MD apptointments to make for the next several weeks. Let the recovery begin!! I will enter once more for Tom this evening. He is just tired out from the day\'s events. He is comfortable and trying to get situated. I have heart healthy beef stew a brewing and he is not even interested. I think all the events of the last several days has him out of sorts. I made a trip to the pharmacy and signed the screen to pick up his drugs. I almost forgot to swipe the debit card through to pay for the medications. Guess it has been a long day for all of us!!! Just filled his mediset for medications for the next 5 days. Thought this would help us keep track. I know that it will take a few days for him to get his routine back. Sure is great to have him home Love barb

Hi everyone, Tom was able to visit with two our children today. I watched our 3 year old, 11 month old and 10 month old grandchilren while the kids visited. Tom was able to enjoy all his Father\'s day cards plus drawings from the grandchilren in Binghamton. Today Tom had the phone connected so he could talk to son, daughter-in -law and grandkids in Binghamton. Plus he just was not up to talking on the phone until today. He also had the TV hooked up in hopes of catching a Yankee Baseball game. He still has the pacing wires in which will be removed tomorrow. His heart is back in a normal rhythm. He is very tired today. His pain level is <3. Just not sleepng well at night. Hopefully this will improve once he is home. I am still amazed at his progress. We are anticipating discharge Monday or Tuesday. Hang in there Honey... It will get better. If it gets too tough.. I will call in your chilren to get you laughing again. After all they learned from the master. I brought in his lap top to journal an entry today. However he was unable to obtain access to the internet. It sure would have been therapeutic for him to start journaling again. Take care... Love barb-- Cannot wait until you come home Tom .. We Love you!!