Richard's Posts

Today marks one year on the recovery side for me. Thanks to everyone on this board for providing so much inspiration. I had a mitral valve repair (mini thoracotomy). I’m feeling great and I’ve only had one brief setback in recovery. I experienced atrial flutter about 4.5 months after surgery—final scheduled day of cardiac rehab. It seems under control now and I’m on Tikosyn. I’m blessed to have enjoyed great support from my family and friends. It was a definite help to have this board and to have read Adam's book before going in. I love his advice to take the five intangibles to the hospital with you. I think one year ago today was the longest of my life and most of it lost to memory. I know my wife and daughter were with me until I was rolled to surgery … a prep nurse was determined to remove my wedding ring, which she did … the line being placed in my neck … and being told to breathe through this mask. Then through a heavy fog in the cardiac ICU my wife told me the surgeon, Dr. Ralph Damiano of Washington University Physicians, said it could not have gone better … my valve was repaired and doing well. I don’t know how many times I woke up to learn that only 20 or 30 minutes had elapsed. I was vaguely aware of visitors, daughter, son, son-in-law. I sensed activity outside the room … a lot of family members for a patient who, sadly, would not be leaving. I hope to never have to live a post-surgery day again, but it’s all been great from there. I kept improving, passed my routine checks and am living a normal life. I didn’t have any symptoms of my valve leak before surgery and I’m feeling great post-surgery.

Today marks 9 months on the recovery side from mitral valve repair. I'm living a normal life, exercising regularly and don't have to think much about having had the surgery. I've been very fortunate as I know many in the group have been. It's great not to have a leaking valve anymore. I've had only one small setback, one incidence of high heart rate diagnosed as atrial flutter. I'm on tikosyn for that but, with luck, maybe I will get off that later this year. Cardio checkup next month and electrophysiologist in September. All the best to everyone facing heart valve surgery; I look forward to good progress reports from you.