Wendy Wood - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

Wendy Woodposted an update

3172 days ago

I should be one day post-surgery, but unfortunately my surgery was cancelled when my surgeon was called in on an emergency case the night before. So, I'm rescheduled ...Read more

I should be one day post-surgery, but unfortunately my surgery was cancelled when my surgeon was called in on an emergency case the night before. So, I'm rescheduled for June 15th and will be doing a replay of all of the pre-op activities and the anxieties. My surgeon is not on call next Wednesday night, so I think I'll get this done on the 15th. Thanks for everyone's support. I really appreciate it. It manes a lot from fellow OHSers.

Marie Migliaro Good luck Wendy. My surgery is scheduled for the 12,this Monday. It was originally scheduled for la ... Read more

Marie Migliaro Good luck Wendy. My surgery is scheduled for the 12,this Monday. It was originally scheduled for last week. I'll be thanking of you

Barbara Wood Oh, so sorry...I went through that too! Hang in there- sending positive thoughts & prayers:)

Wendy Wood Thanks guys!! And Marie - Barbara and I will be thinking of you on Monday.

Adam Pick My thoughts are with you now and on June 15!

Roy Lawton You can do this.

Marie Myers Sorry about your delay. Positive thoughts going to you!

Wendy Wood Thanks everyone for your support. It helps.

Rose Madura Wendy, I know what it's like to get emotionally ready only to be cancelled. Hopefully this week's wil ... Read more

Rose Madura Wendy, I know what it's like to get emotionally ready only to be cancelled. Hopefully this week's will go on without a hitch. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Wendy Woodposted an update

3175 days ago

I can't seem to figure out how to get my name and surgery date on the "Upcoming Surgeries" list. By the time I make the list, my surgery will be over. For ...Read more

I can't seem to figure out how to get my name and surgery date on the "Upcoming Surgeries" list. By the time I make the list, my surgery will be over. For the record, my surgery date is June 8th, day after tomorrow at 6:00 am. Wish me luck.

Martha Dean Good Luck!!! I'm right behind you on Tuesday!!!

Marie Myers If your name doesn't show up on the list, does that mean you don't have to have surgery??? We wish!! ... Read more

Marie Myers If your name doesn't show up on the list, does that mean you don't have to have surgery??? We wish!! Seriously, I wish you a smooth ride through surgery and recovery. Looking forward to your recovery postings!

Lynda Ruiz My 5t25 date never did show up.

Wendy Wood Hi Marie and Lynda and Martha (to whom I've already shared my sad tale) - I'm still at home and all i ... Read more

Wendy Wood Hi Marie and Lynda and Martha (to whom I've already shared my sad tale) - I'm still at home and all in one piece after my June 8th surgery date was cancelled late on Wednesday night around 10:30. I had done all the pre-op prep stuff and was one step in the bed (running late on that I might add) when the call came. There is of course, no fault to be laid here. An emergency surgery could happen to any of us. I'm gearing up again to be ready for the rerun next Wednesday evening and on that Wednesday, my doctor is not scheduled to be on call. My new surgery date: June 15th.

Wendy Woodposted an update

3184 days ago

Barbara Wood, Shannon Gray, Debby Morgeson and 1 other reacted to this

I'm reading all of the brave and upbeat posts being offered by all of you who are approaching your OHS for HVS and as well, by those of you who are on the "right" ...Read more

I'm reading all of the brave and upbeat posts being offered by all of you who are approaching your OHS for HVS and as well, by those of you who are on the "right" side of your event. Without realizing it, you're all helping to bolster my courage as I'm nearing my surgery date. My final consulatation appointment with my surgeon is Tuesday, May 30 and I hope my surgery can be as early as the following week. As I'm coming into the final stretch of all of this, I just want to say thanks to all of you for helping me feel more at ease as my time comes closer.

Marie Myers A lot of us have been in your shoes.. This site really helped me, and I am glad you feel the same! Go ... Read more

Marie Myers A lot of us have been in your shoes.. This site really helped me, and I am glad you feel the same! Good luck with your next appointment...

Catie B I'm glad you're here, Wendy. I'm sorry the stenosis has led to symptoms and restrictions, but it soun ... Read more

Catie B I'm glad you're here, Wendy. I'm sorry the stenosis has led to symptoms and restrictions, but it sounds like your surgery will take care of those soon. I hope your appointment tomorrow goes well and helps get questions answered. Keep us posted. :)

Wendy Wood Hi Marie and Catie. Yes, my appointment yesterday set my surgery date for June 8th, - next week. Wo ... Read more

Wendy Wood Hi Marie and Catie. Yes, my appointment yesterday set my surgery date for June 8th, - next week. Wow, this is really going to happen and it's coming fast! I live alone so I have a lot to get done before next Thursday. I have family folks who will be coming down here (NC) from VA to take care of me. It's a lot to ask of them, but they are wonderful to be here for me. Also, I have good friends from work who are lending strong moral support. My doctor, Dr. Takla and the Sanger Heart Institute medical professionals have been AMAZING!!! And finally, again, this community of HVS.com people close the circle of support. I feel pretty good going into this and that really says something.

Wendy Woodposted an update

3190 days ago

Hi Melissa - good luck on your big day tomorrow. I'll be cheering you on from down here in warm and wet North Carolina.

Marie Myers Wendy- I am 63 and chose a tissue valve. I really considered the On-X valve, but ultimately decided a ... Read more

Marie Myers Wendy- I am 63 and chose a tissue valve. I really considered the On-X valve, but ultimately decided against Coumadin. I needed an aortic root, ascending graft and AVR. I let the surgeon decide on any other details about the valve which is an Edwards Life Science valve. It was a hard decision for me.

Wendy Wood Hi Marie- thanks for responding and I think I'm going with the same thing. My life style made me hes ... Read more

Wendy Wood Hi Marie- thanks for responding and I think I'm going with the same thing. My life style made me hesitate on the Coumadin as well. This has been a really hard decision, but it's a relief to have finally made it. Have you had your surgery? If yes, how far post-surgery are you and how are you doing?

Marie Myers I am 8 weeks out from my surgery. I started rehab several weeks ago, and have felt good enough to ret ... Read more

Marie Myers I am 8 weeks out from my surgery. I started rehab several weeks ago, and have felt good enough to return to work this week part time.. I started really feeling normal after about 5-6 weeks. It is a long journey requiring much patience!

Wendy Wood Thanks for your response Marie. It helps to hear from someone with a similar case history to mine an ... Read more

Wendy Wood Thanks for your response Marie. It helps to hear from someone with a similar case history to mine and same procedure. Returning to work is a tall order, but it sounds like you're making great progress. Do you have an exercise regimen that you're following? If yes, can you give me an idea of what you're doing?

Marie Myers I started cardiac rehab at week 3 or 4 . I go 2-3 times per week, and the nurses there instruct you o ... Read more

Marie Myers I started cardiac rehab at week 3 or 4 . I go 2-3 times per week, and the nurses there instruct you on what to do for how long. I do the treadmill, bike, and tried step machine. Prior to rehab, I started walking, just a few minutes the first day, working up to 10-15 minutes. I also started back to my simple yoga routine around 3 weeks. Everyone is different and progresses at different rates. Happy to answer ant other questions!

Marie Myers After a few weeks at home, you will be surprised how bored you can become.. Work actually sounded lik ... Read more

Marie Myers After a few weeks at home, you will be surprised how bored you can become.. Work actually sounded like fun to me at the time! And I really do enjoy my job...

Wendy Wood I love to walk and have two dogs with whom I love to share my walks. I'm a bit of an amateur dog tra ... Read more

Wendy Wood I love to walk and have two dogs with whom I love to share my walks. I'm a bit of an amateur dog trainer, playing with building my skills and teaching my dogs to be civilized and to walk correctly on a leash. Nothing fancy, but I do want to achieve 100% recall for them so I can allow them more off-leash freedom; this the holy grail of dog training. I hope they'll be a good focus for my rehab efforts. Generally, I hope to use cardio rehab to build my plan and also, as has been offered, to learn some Mediterranean cooking skills. That sounds like a good long term investment. Regarding work, I'm retiring as of June 30, so I'll have some free time on my hands With lots of interests I look forward to pursuing.

Marie Myers Sounds like a great plan! Walking is the best, easiest, least expensive way to get exercise. And your ... Read more

Marie Myers Sounds like a great plan! Walking is the best, easiest, least expensive way to get exercise. And your dogs love it too! They will really help you in your rehab...