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Thanks all. I'm sad to say that because our hogs are being "custom butchered" for home use only, they're piggy valves won't be used for medical. The trade-off though, is that two families are going to enjoy a year's worth of very good meat. My pacemaker is really working very well. I can...

Feb 26 I was in surgery early in the morning, getting a brand-spankin' new piggy valve for my aorta, a nice shiny ring for my mitral valve, and a whole new path for the mice to run as they send electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles. Mar 9 I got to come home. Mar 13, my birthday...

I got a pair of the "work boot" style for myself, and then a pair each for my roommates. We have a little 10 acre farm on the desert, and you never know what you'll step on, so the removable steel plate is an extra protection. I've had mine in my boots all day today, and they're very...

Yeah, I've had the serious heart/brain disconnect since my surgery. Granted, what I had done was more complex than your surgery. For the past 9 months, I've had to live with bradycardia. My resting heart rate was in the mid 40's and if I really worked at it (before I had a serious shortness of...

Hi Marguerite, I maintain (more or less) a couple of blogs about life here on the desert, in Beryl. You'll find the story of how we four women came to settle on the desert in SW Utah at FourCountryGals.com. I also tell the tales of our daily life here on our small farm with our "Noah's Ark"...

Hi Debra, glad to hear you're home and recovering. Like they say, sleep, eat, walk, do your breathing exercises, and repeat.

I love Dr. Starr. Have known about him for many, many years, although I've never been one of his patients. I have had the pleasure of meeting him at a number of social/philanthropic events over the years.

Yeah, I'll be keeping an eye out too, as I was on both Darvon and Darvocette some 40 years ago. Who knows how long they'll look back.

I just visited the site and am really impressed. We all have "feet issues" here, and I'm considering getting these for Christmas presents. The buy two and get the third one free looks really good to me.

I have one lead head left in my heart. The first lead came out just fine, and the second one came out without the little prong on the end. They said it's "no problem". I'll find out for sure Nov 15 when I get a permanent pacemaker installed. So far, I've not noticed any particular symptoms.

Thanks Greg! I got the link and will get registered. I'm not sure they're talking ICD, but it's always a possibility as there are no visible "P" waves on my EEG. I'm in good hands as Dixie Regional Medical Center is a highly ranked cardio center. Dr. Nimer is really good at ensuring you're not...

Thanks for all the well wishes and the information. The only thing my cardiologist mentioned was that because of the maze procedure, he'd have to fish around for a while to find an optimal place for the leads. I know I also have one "lead tip" still embedded from the temporary pacemaker during...

Hi y'all, I'm nearly 8 mos post op from a "triple whammy" heart surgery. Unfortunately, my heart has settled into a bradycardia with my "normal" resting heart rate in the high 40's and my max exercise rate just under 100. When I sleep, the heart rate has dropped as low as 31 (measured by...

I've been taking Levothyroxin after having my thryoid gland ablated with radiation (2x radioactive pill). Since my OHS, I've settled into bradycardia and think I would welcome some "extra beats". Gonna get a pacemaker soon to remedy the problem. Also, I'm about due for my 6 months blood tests to...

Hi Debra, I know what you mean about scared. I went into a-fib in July last year, and on Feb 26 had surgery to replace the aortic valve, a maze procedure to stop the a-fib, and a repair to the mitral valve. Once I was diagnosed, I went back to my PCP and told him about my anxieties. He put...

I found cardio rehab to be very beneficial, even though I had to travel over 100 miles round trip for the first 10 sessions. The therapists were very knowledgeable and helpful. Without their assistance, I wouldn't have been able to set the proper goals for a speedy recovery. As I got further...

I'm built like a milk cow and the only adverse thing I've got is a crooked scar. I tease the surgeon about it, but he swears he used a template, that it was the way I was positioned on the op table. For me, it was no bra for about a month. The breastbone was wired and the scar was glued. I wore...

I'm back on Multaq as well as carvedilol (generic Coreg),furosimide, magnesium, potassium, pravastatin, generic Prilosec, paroxotine (generic Paxil), and levothyroxin. With the exception of the Prilosec, everything is the same as before surgery. For as long as I'm still taking the Loritab (1/2...

Good luck to you. I personally believe that "paying special attention" to the area for the incisions has paid off for me. The main scar and the "bullet holes" are both healing very nicely. Look forward to hearing from you on the other side of the mountain.

Hi Kim, From another who just had OHS in St George at Dixie Regional Medical Center, all I can add is that we've got the most caring health care professionals I've ever met. I'm sure the Univ of Utah professionals are on the same level. You'll be in my prayers for successful surgery and...