Nancy
Well-known member
Let me be among the first to join this forum.
For those who don't know, I'll give a brief history, for those who have heard this before, forgive my repetition.
My husband Joe had rheumatic fever as a teenager. He is now 70 years old. He's had 3 open heart surgeries, 2 through the sternum and a repair through the side, minimally invasive.He has an aortic and mitral valve replacement, both mechanical, the aortic is Bjork-Shiley (1977), the mitral is St. Jude (1999). He has had a recent repair on the mitral valve for a small leak (2001).
He also has a pacemaker and has had 2 lung surgeries, one for a benign tumor and one for scar tissue which caused his lung to partially collapse.
We've both been through so much, in the past several years with his various heart related and other symptoms, his post-op recoveries, and have learned a great deal. If I can be of help to any other significant other, I'll be very happy to share my experiences with you. Feel free to ask away. I can probably relate to most of what you're feeling.
The most wonderful thing is that you have this website to guide you through the whole process. The people here are friendly, and very, very knowledgeable.
For those who don't know, I'll give a brief history, for those who have heard this before, forgive my repetition.
My husband Joe had rheumatic fever as a teenager. He is now 70 years old. He's had 3 open heart surgeries, 2 through the sternum and a repair through the side, minimally invasive.He has an aortic and mitral valve replacement, both mechanical, the aortic is Bjork-Shiley (1977), the mitral is St. Jude (1999). He has had a recent repair on the mitral valve for a small leak (2001).
He also has a pacemaker and has had 2 lung surgeries, one for a benign tumor and one for scar tissue which caused his lung to partially collapse.
We've both been through so much, in the past several years with his various heart related and other symptoms, his post-op recoveries, and have learned a great deal. If I can be of help to any other significant other, I'll be very happy to share my experiences with you. Feel free to ask away. I can probably relate to most of what you're feeling.
The most wonderful thing is that you have this website to guide you through the whole process. The people here are friendly, and very, very knowledgeable.