Recent content by Just ASK

My (at the time) 6 year old son had only one question: "Daddy, if you get a pig vlave, will you smell like bacon for the rest of your life?" BTW...he loves bacon. My wife and I found it best to do as many here have stated...tell the truth yet always the positive side of things. My son was more...

My TEE was a walk in the park as well...that Versed makes everything AOK. It is nothing to be afraid of, simply looking at your heart from front row seats instead of the cheap seats.

And then there are folks like myself who go under thinking they are going to wake up 4-6 hours later with an On-X aortic valve and an aortic graph, only to wake up 17 hours later (I like holding fluids, apparently :wink2: ) with a porcine aortic valve, an aortic graph AND a repaired mitral. The...

I, too, have episodes of 5-10 minutes wherein my hands (usually just one) will do the same thing. Still 100% functional, just completely numb. It occurs maybe 2x a week. I just chalk it up to another "one of those things" and unless the frequency or duration increases I just deal with it...

Sneezing and coughing still cause a bit of "Hey, remember when they cracked you open right here?" memory in the form of a sharp pain. Nothing terrible, but still quite apparent at 14 months out. I imagine it will be that way for a long time, er, uh, a long 'bit'... :cool2:

I could only repeat exactly what Tom has to say, except my surgeon was also Dr. Pettersson for the exact same procedure that you are having done. I also would be more than happy to speak to you about my experiences and answer any questions you may have...send a PM and I'll share my cell number...

During my stay at the CC, I was kinda perplexed about the ironic presence of the McDonalds there as well. It will be disappearing whenever the current contract expires, whenever that occurs. Apparently, the current operations leadership at the CC is none too happy about it being there, but...

I, myself, spent an inordinate amount of time on the H/L machine during my 17 hour visit to the OR. Of that 17 hours, I don't know how long was on the machine, but I would guess/assume/conjecture probably quite a bit longer than average. I also didn't know (until this thread) about the two...

I could describe my experience with the exact same words as Bev. I also did not eat "normally" for 2 or 3 months post op as nothing, and I mean nothing, tasted good. Even my lifelong favorite foods tasted like the inside of a tin can. I found myself emotionally down at times and then within...

I, too, have the Series 10 model from Omron and found that it is very consistent. I've always been of the thought process that if it is something you plan on having for more than a season of use, might as well get the one with all the functions. My 7 year old also uses it, if only for purposes...

Sounds like you've done your research and have reached the point wherein you realize that you can only control so much (in reality, so little) that it's time to take a step back and just put your faith in the fact that OHS, as serious a procedure as it is, sure beats the alternative. Best wishes...

I've had two TEEs...and remember next to nothing about either one of them. It's really not a big deal. Your throat is a bit sore for a few hours afterwards, but that's about it. I, too, was apprehensive but the reality of the whole experience was one tenth what I had envisioned. Relax, it will...

I'm 7 months out and just starting to get my iron levels back to normal. Iron does wondrous things as a coloring agent...you will see what I mean!!

My heartfelt condolences on your loss! I think I would have to agree with pem's point..."... The good news is that both options (tissue or mechanical) are VERY GOOD! I don't think you can make a wrong choice here - either way, you will be infinitely better off ..." Read everything you can...

My plan was to get an aortic On-X valve. Dr. Pettersson abided by my wishes and initially installed the On-X. Once they applied pressure, there were problems with sub-valvular leakage and so they yanked the On-X out and installed a porcine valve in it's place. It worked so well that it caused...