S
srwieland
Sorry I've been out of touch for a while, but since I'm not working yet feeling better, I've been off to the beach, springs, etc. I also had friends visit me from out of town. Plus my wife organized a summer camp all by herself so I've been going with them on field trips, camp outs, etc. God, wouldn't it be great if I never had to go back to work! Oh well, I've got two weeks left to live it up, so I'll try to make the most of it. In any case, I'll try to stay more regularly in contact.
Tomorrow marks 6 weeks post surgery for me, and it could not be going better. Things have certainly gone much better than I ever expected. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he said that I have recovered quicker and better than any other patient he's had. Don't know if he's just flattering me, but he sure did a bang up job and I certainly feel greatly relieved to be doing so well . Other than soreness in my chest when I get fatigued, which is a warning sign for me to slow down and rest, I have no other pains or discomforts. The chest popping is gone, the sneezing hurts only a little now, the sore throat disappeared over 3 weeks ago; all those little bumps in the road have now smoothed out. On the other hand, my heart function is super and free from any of the murmur, arrhymias, and pains I had for the previous 25 years.
The greatest news of all, besides having all restrictions lifted (from driving, lifting, etc.), is that my surgeon took me off all meds (I was on a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor). I am so euphoric; it has been many, many years since I haven't been on meds of any kind! Just this outcome alone makes the whole thing worthwhile.
They did an echo which showed everything was fine; no leakage or other problems. The echo tech told me that calcification shows up very well in an echocardiogram and that they will be doing one on me every 6 months because of the special valve I received. This will monitor whether or not it calcifies and thus whether or not my body fully adopts it as its own and can be expected to maintain it the rest of my life, unlike a normal homograft would. They are very excited about it, especially since I have done so well in the short run. You never know, but my gut feeling is that I got a very good deal with this thing. We'll see, of course, and I'll keep you posted.
Thanks again everyone for all your help, advice, and encouragement.
Tomorrow marks 6 weeks post surgery for me, and it could not be going better. Things have certainly gone much better than I ever expected. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he said that I have recovered quicker and better than any other patient he's had. Don't know if he's just flattering me, but he sure did a bang up job and I certainly feel greatly relieved to be doing so well . Other than soreness in my chest when I get fatigued, which is a warning sign for me to slow down and rest, I have no other pains or discomforts. The chest popping is gone, the sneezing hurts only a little now, the sore throat disappeared over 3 weeks ago; all those little bumps in the road have now smoothed out. On the other hand, my heart function is super and free from any of the murmur, arrhymias, and pains I had for the previous 25 years.
The greatest news of all, besides having all restrictions lifted (from driving, lifting, etc.), is that my surgeon took me off all meds (I was on a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor). I am so euphoric; it has been many, many years since I haven't been on meds of any kind! Just this outcome alone makes the whole thing worthwhile.
They did an echo which showed everything was fine; no leakage or other problems. The echo tech told me that calcification shows up very well in an echocardiogram and that they will be doing one on me every 6 months because of the special valve I received. This will monitor whether or not it calcifies and thus whether or not my body fully adopts it as its own and can be expected to maintain it the rest of my life, unlike a normal homograft would. They are very excited about it, especially since I have done so well in the short run. You never know, but my gut feeling is that I got a very good deal with this thing. We'll see, of course, and I'll keep you posted.
Thanks again everyone for all your help, advice, and encouragement.