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Howard's Guestbook

Diagnosis: Mitral Regurgitation

Member Since: March 14, 2022

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Howard Powders got a guestbook from Lilian Peã±A

3 years ago (March 29, 2023)

Hello HowardðŸ˜ƒ how are you these days? I hope youâ€™re doing great with the love of your wifeðŸ¥° God Bless and stay well.

Howard Powders

Hi Lilian! ðŸ˜Š Iâ€™m doing okay. Yes. My wife is terrific! She keeps me going and motivated. How are YOU doing, Lilian? Hope all is well with you. Thank you for thinking of me! Regards, Howard ðŸ˜Š

Klara ÄœiäIä‡

I am glad you are OK, Howard, and talking so nicely about your wife ❤️

Lilian Peã±A

Yeayy! Thanks God youâ€™re okay same with Klara! Everyone here are my inspiration to keep going, keep moving! Yes, pain still in me, but tolerableðŸ˜Š on going nerve healingðŸ™ðŸ˜‡my heart is great nowâ¤ï¸

Howard Powders

Hi Klara. Doing well. Hope this is now a distant memory for you too! ðŸ™‚

Howard Powders

Hi Lilian. Glad to hear. Sorry you still have some redidual pain. Yes. Keep moving! I walk a mile and a half every morning.ðŸ™‚

Howard Powders got a guestbook from Klara ÄœiäIä‡

3 years ago (October 26, 2022)

How is it going Howard?

🥰 Brady Busch and Lilian Peã±A reacted to this

Howard Powders

Hi Klara. Okay, thanks. Not 100% yet, but bp is good and heartrate down to 88 from 99. So, how are YOU doing? Itâ€™s always best to have this behind you! Big relief! By the way, I quit my rehab after 15 sessions because I donâ€™t believe it was helping... Read more.

Angela Meletiadis

Hi Howard. I appreciated my follow-up cardiologist telling me to reconnect with my Dr. in my town because I live two hours away from St. Luke's Hospital where I had the surgery. I've only gone back once in the 3.5 months postop. My local cardiologist is a ten minute walk... Read more.

Klara ÄœiäIä‡

Good to hear from you, Howard! Interesting you quit your sessions. I wonder will it be the same with me. I feel ok, I don't know, pain in the right thorax prevents me from sleeping, those wounds in my chest are pain in the a**, ðŸ˜‚ but I should be... Read more.

Angela Meletiadis

Klara, my surgeons never said much about the pain, but ALL the nurses said that the pain will take some time to go away. I'm beginning to accept that and strive for good overall health. I've noticed that the pain is worse in my "tired hours" - just before lunch... Read more.

Ana Brusso

Howard, so glad to hear your progress and recovery is going well. I didnâ€™t do cardiac rehab on my first surgery and I donâ€™t think I will do this time either. I walk and work on my garden and keep up with housework and to me thatâ€™s rehab. We are... Read more.

Angela Meletiadis

❤️

Howard Powders

Hey all!! I just got an ID card in the mail stating my surgeon installed an AtriClip somewhere in my aorta to neutralize part of my heart that produces 90% of blood clots, mostly due to afib; but I never had afib. However, it means I didnâ€™t need to take... Read more.

Howard Powders

Angela, my surgeonâ€™s staff wonâ€™t even return my phone calls. He is DONE with me after 3.5 months!ðŸ˜‚

Howard Powders

Hi Ana. The machines werenâ€™t doing anything for me and most of the other rehabees looked to be in horrible condition. I considered myself lucky compared to them.ðŸ™‚

Howard Powders

Hi Klara. I called my surgeonâ€™s office twice with questions recently and they didnâ€™t return my calls. Very cold attitude! After 3.5 months, and being fully paid by insurance and copays, they are DONE with me!ðŸ˜µâ€ðŸ’« I did 15 rehab sessions. It was enough, and I couldnâ€™t believe there were... Read more.

Ana Brusso

Howard, that is the case with most surgeons. My surgeon this time told me he will see me in 6 months and then once every year to make sure everything is ok. My previous surgeon was done with me after my surgery, Iâ€™m glad your surgeon inserted that AtriClip if... Read more.

Angela Meletiadis

Howard, that's a sad situation and I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose my follow-up was a bit better at my hospital because I paid out of my pocket (one year of my teacher's salary). My other option was the state system which does not have many choices and would... Read more.

Klara ÄœiäIä‡

Howard, I too had left atrial appendage closure, most of mitral valve surgeries include that automatically, it's a logical step since it takes only a minute during the surgery, and LAA is a place where clots most often are made (in case of Afib in the future). But clots can... Read more.

Lilian Peã±A

Agree to you guys who did the walking as exercise, household chores and gardening too according to your limit will help to recover fast and be ourselves againðŸ˜ƒthough I suffered a lot of pain but tolerable, as long as I feel the pain, I stop and take a rest. And... Read more.

Howard Powders

Thanks for your latest inputs, Ana, Angela, Klara and Lilian. My surgeon was good, but cold. He told me at 4 weeks post-op, â€œLet me know if there is anything else I can do for you.â€ Didnâ€™t realize returning patientsâ€™ phone calls were an exclusion to that! Didnâ€™t realize installing... Read more.

Klara ÄœiäIä‡

Haha, yeah, it's usually that way with surgeons, here especially, they do the surgery and bye bye, you are now in the hands of cardiologist. And, well, they do and should know these things better. So your cardiologist should, on basis of all your medical record and findings, decide whether... Read more.

Howard Powders

I should have known. His nurse was extremely protective of him. Every question I asked her, she deflected as not his pervue. But I was taking baby aspirin and he asked me why. He said I donâ€™t need it because I donâ€™t have coronary artery disease. So I stopped it.... Read more.