i am now HOME!!!

[benalonso]

hello my beloved family!

it's been about 13 days since i've been released from the hospital & it's only now that i am able to write you. i have missed each & everyone of you & i really mean that from the bottom of my heart. speaking of which, my mitral valve repair went really well except for the pericardial window that they had to do 3 days after the major surgery. i'm sure my sister, winnnie, has told you much & she has done a great job of letting you stay informed of my condition.
i feel better nowadays. my wound is healing well and my sternum is getting there. i can still feel that my bones inside still can't be stretched as it used to be and i know it will take some time to heal. emotionally, i am on roller coaster but i take strength & courage from all of you knowing that i can always turn to all of you for support, love & empathy.
i would like to take this opportunity to truly thank each & everyone of you for the tremendous love & support you have shown me & my family. as i lay there in the hospital reading all your messages, i could not help but cry tears of joy & thanks for the great outpouring of support from people i have not met personally. i wish i could meet all of you one day to personally thank you for the strength that you have given me while in the hospital. without you i would not have made it alone.
i want also to take this chance to thank my devoted wife, elsa, whom i fondly call "chele." without her by my side & her devotion i would not know how to cope each day. also to my loving sister, winnie, who bussed all the way from los angeles to be with me & my family the day of the surgery and spent 4 days with us & who also lovingly wrote all of you to update my situation.
once again, i really want to thank all of you for your kind help, love & support. i hope one day i will be able to repay your kindness....i am proud to be part of this wonderful website. i can truly say that it has helped me immensely on my journey... have you heard the saying that there are no strangers, only friedns we haven't met....
i love you all & god bless each & everyone of you and your family
best regards & all my love,

ben

 

[RonP]

We're Most Happy You're Home

We're Most Happy You're Home

That surgery is never easy to deal with and it does take time to get back to "normal" (whatever that means). I, myself, have never met a normal person yet as we're all unique in our ways.

Take care of yourself, we're here if you need us, and don't be afraid to ask questions for this group is #1 in giving the advise that is needed. I know they helped me so much through both of my surgeries.

As far as Hank goes, he's #1 in my book. His site helps people everyday and he has made a much needed contribution to people like us.

RON P.

 

[Ron K]

Hi Ben,

It's nice to see you posting again.

It sounds like you had a bumpy few days in recovery, but the doctors were ablke to resolve the pericardial effusion problem and get you back on your feet pretty quickly.

The family support that you had in place was very helpful, I'm sure. It's during times like that that you truly appreciate your loved ones. It's good when they can be there for you.

Your comments about the folks in this forum that offer so much support and reassurance were so true. We've all been where you were and we understand better than most people what you have to go through.

Now that you've made it up the mountain, you can help provide the same kind of support to others that pass through looking for information, support, understanding and prayers.

I hope the rest of your recovery period goes smoothly and that you are back into your normal routine in another 6 weeks or so.

Ron K

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Ben,

So glad to hear that you are now home and on the way to a whole new life. You will feel better each day, but take it slow, and let the body heal, please don't try and do too much. The best advice I can give you at this point is " Do as the doctors tell you to, Don't go testing yourself" All things will happen in time, and before you know it, you'll feel great!

It does take about 5 weeks for the sternum to heal enough to let the doctor give you the OK to drive, but even then it will "smart" some at times. 6 months down the road you will feel real good, and after a year...a whole new you! Well, at least that was how it went for me.

Wishing you a full and speedy recovery,

Rob

 

[Nancy]

Hi Ben-

It's so good to see you here and posting. You sound as if things are progressing nicely. That's wonderful. It'll keep getting better.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Christian]

Ben:

Glad to have you back, and glad to hear you got the results you were hoping for. Give your wife a "hello" from me too. Being in her shoes (as you likely remember, I'm the husband of a future mitral valve patient), I can empathize with what she's gone through. I expect the five hours in that waiting room to be the longest of my life.

Best Regards,

Christian

 

[Christina]

Dear Ben,

So glad to have you back, and from now on your life will be better for it. Just take your time, and don't rush anything. It takes a good year to get fully back to normal. Family support is crucial and we couldn't go without their encouragement. Remember we are friends you haven't met yet, but your chance will come in Vegas at the yearly reunion. It'll be a reunion you won't want to miss. Hope to see you there!

God Bless!

Christina
Congenital Aortic Stenosis
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
St.Jude's Mechanical

 

[cookie]

Ben,
So glad to hear you are on the road to recovery! You are right about this site. I don't know what I would have done before surgery without the moral support of all these wonderful people. I don't contribute much in the way of posts, but I am always here and keeping up. Take it easy, follow Docs instructions and you will be back to normal in no time.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Congratulations

Congratulations

Welcome to the other side of the mountain, Ben! It is really good to see your post on here. I thought I was headed for that pericardial window adventure myself two weeks ago, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

It sounds like you have a great support system with your family, that will help your recovery a lot!

Relax, take care, do your exercises and soon you will be back to your old self!

 

[Rain]

Welcome home, Ben!!

Welcome home, Ben!!

Hello Ben,

It?s so great to hear you have the surgery behind you. It really can put you on an ?emotional rollercoaster? wow.. I remember that. It?s nice to be able to come here and talk to people about it and all the other things that go with heart surgery.

We really are a unique little family. I hope you can make it to the reunion in Las Vegas. Its an unbelievable feeling, meeting your heart buddies in person.

The most awesome people have heart surgery!! lol

Rain

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Ben - so good to see you and know that you are doing well. And be sure to thank Winnie for posting to us while you were on the lam from the site. It is so important to have support from start to well, right on and we have Hank to thank for this great site where nobody is a stranger and we can receive and give support to one another. God bless

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi ben!
what wonderful news that the hardest part is behind you. how lucky you are to have such loving family who are so supportive and helpful. isn't that the best?!
please listen to everyone and take it easy. please try and be patient with the recovery and not rush it. use this time to rest and heal. it will all happen in good time.
glad to have you back.
stay well, sylvia