I'm delighted to report that it has been 10 years since my mitral valve repair at Cleveland Clinic. I had a lot of complications at the time and needed a pacemaker afterwards. That was replaced last fall and I was able to go hiking in the Rockies 2 weeks later. I went back to work as a Special Education Teacher 8 months after surgery and retired this year after 40 years of teaching. I have never woken up one day since my surgery that I was not grateful for my health, despite the fact that it was a little shaky for the first two years.
I recall that I would read about other persons' recoveries and feel that they were making much more rapid progress than I was. Obviously, that had no bearing on my long term recovery, so I guess that is the most important lesson that I learned is not to compare my progress to anyone else's!
I recall that I would read about other persons' recoveries and feel that they were making much more rapid progress than I was. Obviously, that had no bearing on my long term recovery, so I guess that is the most important lesson that I learned is not to compare my progress to anyone else's!
