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Hi Ross,

One more week! It will go by fast. Try not to think about it too much. Try to remain calm. I know easier said than done! I know you would like to blink your eyes and it would all be over and you would already be on the other side of the mountain and recuperating. I know that was my thoughts. I wasn't Jeannie though! :D
Just rember to let go, let God! That was what pulled me through it all! I knew it was in my surgeons and Gods hands. When I woke up in ICU I knew I was a survivor! I'll being thinking and praying for you. Think positive thoughts! God Bless!
 
Hi Al and Lorraine and my favorite quick wit, John Cochran!

I'm not thinking about it constantly, but I am a little bothered that my surgeon is going to be gone the whole month of August. Past experience tells me that I'll have bumps in the road. I'd sure like him to be around for those.

I hear ya, Let go and let God.
 
Looking forward

Looking forward

When I was at your point, I looked forward to feeling really bad. That would tell me I'm OK and came back. And I remembered that when I came back on line. By the way, I have an incisional hernia from my gall bladder surgery in the early 70s. It is just below the sternum. Had the same doc at Bethesda that President Johnson did, just a few months later. Pres did not live long enough to see what the doc did to us. I did. Good luck and God be with you. Hugo
 
Hi Hugo and welcome aboard.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. This body of mine has been through a lot in four decades. It'll take some more beating, but how much is left to be seen.

You have an "Alien" too? Great, 3 of us now. Perhaps we'll dominate the board with aliens soon. :D
 
Ross,

Will be thinking of you when you go in, and know you'll do fine. Keep us posted, okay?

Christina
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
Aortic Stenosis
TMC, Tucson. AZ.
Dr. Gulshan Sethi
 
You can run

You can run

Hi Rossy, You can run, but you can't hide from us..(Valvers)We are going to bomb you ALL week with good vibes.:D :D :D I forget, what Forum and what thread was your hospital address:confused: Bonnie
 
HI Ross-

Haven't had much time to post, but I have been thinking about your upcoming surgery and saw your recent posts.

In order to get through what we've gone through in the past few years, I have to trick my mind. In the first place, you can't have two different thoughts in your mind at the same time. So I ask myself, "Is it really necessary for me to worry about this thing right now, this very minute, nothing's happening now, so I can put this on the back burner for a little while. I'll worry about it later, right now, I'll think of something nice, or something that has to get done." And I do my very best to blank it out of my mind. I keep on that way as long as I can, and I set a goal for myself, such as, "I give myself permission to worry about this a day before, an hour before, etc."

I have also developed the ability to self hypnotize. I do it the best in the dentist's office where I can really go into a trance. I imagine some nice place where I have been. For me, it's the beach, when I was little. I can feel the sand, smell the ocean, remember playing in the surf and feel the warm sun. I can transport myself there. It took a lot of practice, but if you try, it's possible.

Another way that I handle it is to project beyond the surgery, and concentrate on what has to be done afterward. I sort of skip over the difficult days in my mind and think about the recovery phase.

If I do all that, I hardly have to worry about it much before the fact.

Well, anyway, it works for me.

Wishing you the best.
 
Ross,
Don't sweat the fact that your surgeon will be gone in August. As I quickly found out after the surgery is over, almost all problems are handled by other specialists. Also, the success of your surgeon will be evident quickly...any problems with the surgery itself would likely be handled quickly. I think lots of people here haven't seen their surgeons since they were released from the hospital. Also, when surgeons go on vacation or travel, they always have someone competent to fill in for them. My daughter has a needlepoint picture hanging in her room that her grandmother made for her; it says:
"Worry must work, because 90 percent of the things I worry about never happen."

Read Nancy's post again. She is one wise lady.

Cheers,
--John
 
Hey Ross!

Permit me to insert some fresh perspective on this whole surgery scenario, if I may be so bold:

I hate to fly. I would rather be on the ground. People are not meant to be thousands of feet in the air, moving at high speeds in little metal bubbles. But I fly all the time. And I find that I actually look forward to it, because all the prep and rushing and packing are done, and I can settle back for a NICE LONG NAP in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY!!! Whoever heard of such a thing? When do we ever get to do that? It's preposterous!!

Likewise, I hate to get sliced open. I would rather be in one piece. People are not meant to be sprinkled with Old Bay and cracked open like a Maryland crab. But, ah, imagine the fantastic nappy-poo this opportunity affords!! With a money-back guarantee of actual, deep, insomnia-free SLEEP!! And with flowers and cards and stuff when you wake up! And room service, breakfast in bed, total control of the remote. Not to mention a new valve job.... :D

So what I'm saying is, well, I'm not sure what I'm saying.... I think what I'm saying is, put them sunglasses on, the future is starting to get bright! :cool:

still praying for you,
Jennie
 
Dear Ross:

Just one week away. Hooray! Finally! Yipeee!

Think of the good things:
1. It will FINALLY be over.
2. You will be able to sleep through the night.
3. No more camaflouge outfits...Out of style now anyway.
4. You will have a zipper!
5. You get to take a lot of new medications!
6. The nurses are pretty in the ICU~
7. You get to eat all of the ice you want! Sometimes.....
8. You get to hug a comfy pillow!
9. You get to order off a checklist, of what you want to eat tomorrow!
10. You get 100% oxygen!
11. Your wife and friends will come to visit you. Beware, when you are in the ICU, you may think they are sicker than you are. There faces will go white! Some of them might faint!
12. You will get to brag a lot.
13. You won't have to help with the house work for weeks!
14. You will have more stories to tell!
15. You will get a lot of messages from us!
16. After some weeks, you will actually feel better than you do today!


God Bless Ross..................We are all pulling for you!
Marybeth
 
HEHE

HEHE

2. You will be able to sleep through the night. We'll see, I have a history of not sleeping well.

3. No more camaflouge outfits...Out of style now anyway. Maybe out of style, but I still need it to hide from the wife.

4. You will have a zipper! I already have one. Does this mean I get two?

6. The nurses are pretty in the ICU~ Oh how I hope your right.

11. Your wife and friends will come to visit you. Beware, when you are in the ICU, you may think they are sicker than you are. There faces will go white! Some of them might faint! The wife has been through this before. She's tough :D ! My sister-in-law, on the other hand, did get sick and nearly fainted last time around. :eek:


:cool:
 
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HEY ROSS.....MAYBE AFTER TSHIRTS, WE SHOULD GO INTO CAMMOPILLOWS AS A FUNDRAISER????? THAT WAY YOU WOULDN'T BE FAR FROM IT AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO HIDE IT FROM YOUR WIFE!!! JUST A THOUGHT!!! FEEL WELL MY FRIEND, YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS.....EVELYN AND TYCE (WHO IS PRESENTLY NAPPING)
 
One week to go!

One week to go!

Ross,

Just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you with just a week to go.

You put so much effort into helping others here, I'm sure your good energy will come back to you tenfold to help you through your surgery.

If I can get my hands on a computer while (if, at this point) I'm in the hospital, I'll be following your progress. If not, I'll catch up on your speedy recovery when I get out.

You'll be in my thoughts as I go through this and you quickly follow.

Thanks for all your support to the new gal on the block.
 
Ross-
Good Luck! I hope you cruise through in record time. THen you can get home, start recuperating and having a great rest of the summer.
Maybe your family will bring you all kinds of delicious Dairy Queen treats while you are recovering. I know that Peanut Buster Parfaits and Blizzards have special healing properties.

It's so exciting! You'll do fine.
-Mara
 
I will call on Weds.

I will call on Weds.

Hensyle. I'm planning on calling Wed. A.m. Will post what I know. Have discussed this with Ross..Maybe he can even chat with me but I will post on Valvereplacement.comwhat I find out ..he will probably be chasing the nurses around the station by then. Bonnie
 
Any plans this weekend...

Any plans this weekend...

Hi Ross, Just wanted to see if you made any plans for this weekend, I know you're probably so busy getting ready for the big day. But try to enjoy the weekend, I suggest going out to dinner at your favorite restaurant and having a nice big meal. That was my only request before surgery...Especially since I didn't have much of an appetite afterwards. It will all be over soon but again have yourself a great weekend and do things that you enjoy and try to stay relaxed. We're all here for you :D
Take Care and God Bless!
 
My weekend plans....hmm......let me think here a bit. I know, I'll sit here and drive you all nut's! :D

Actually, I'm going to relax, find a big fat juicy steak and make it on the grill during a thunderstorm and try not to continually think of Monday. There is still cleaning to be done, but guess what? It isn't happening now.

The funny thing is, when I leave this computer, all I do is sit and think about all of you here at VR. I find myself coming back and checking on you when I should be doing other things.
 
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LOL! OK..you are a screwball..LOL! Keep up that great sense of humor and enjoy that steak! We'll be thinking of you and sending positive vibes your way. We'll look foward to your return and speedy recovery, Ross. Zipper *~*
 
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