Search results

When my central line was being removed, the nurse told me to hum, and that seemed to help. My chest tube and drain tube didn't hurt too much coming out; my experience was similar to @Deidra 's.

Techniques from mindfulness meditation can help with this. What I've learned is that thoughts are just passing things and I can choose how much attention I want to pay to them. Typically, when I notice I'm having an anxious thought, I note it, tell myself "That's a thought I'm having," take a...

It may be hard to believe now, but you will pass through this experience and come out the other side, and eventually you will be looking at it in the proverbial rear-view mirror. Best wishes for a smooth journey.

Mine was the backless type and it worked fine for me.

I found the shower seat to be essential as well. Standing took much more energy than walking, for some reason. I've been told that the warm water of a shower can cause your blood pressure to drop, so that's all the more reason to be careful.

I think it's "sternotomy." "Sternectomy" sounds like removal of the sternum, which would be less than desirable.

Nice to see you back here, @workmonkey. I'm glad you got the correct diagnosis and are doing well. Thanks for sharing!

What surprised me during early recovery is that standing still was more tiring for me than walking. My brother drove me to the grocery store about two weeks after my surgery, and I was fine walking around the store but had to go sit in the car while he stood in the long checkout line.

@Chuck C has given an excellent analysis, as usual. I would just add something I said in another thread a month or so ago, which is that being in the waiting room and hoping you won't need surgery is itself extremely stressful. I found that it was actually easier dealing with the real-life...

This pinned thread in the Pre-Surgery forum could be helpful, although I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you had already found it yourself, given the thoroughness of your research so far... :) Pre-surgery consultation - list of questions

I have osteoporosis and have only taken warfarin for three months in my lifetime. There are so many factors that can contribute to osteoporosis risk -- probably no need to look at warfarin as a cause. In my case it appears to be primarily genetic. My mother fractured a hip at age 66. I have...

The "catheter" might actually be a "port," which from my understanding is a rigid tube that is temporarily placed from the incision to the heart and through which the instruments are inserted. As was said, this could be robotic or not (in my case, it was not robotic).

That sounds like the standard procedure for mitral valve repair. The ring is called an annuloplasty ring. Sometimes they replace the "chords" as well; those anchor the valve leaflets in place. The main question about whether someone needs mitral valve repair surgery is whether the regurgitation...

@Deidra has summarized things really nicely. I just want to add that being in the waiting room and hoping you won't need surgery is extremely stressful in and of itself. I spent nine months there, doing lots of research, including finding this forum. I kept hoping to find evidence that I...

Thanks, @Chuck C and @pellicle. That is excellent information to have. My friend has signed up for the A.H.A. bulletin board. I hope it helps him as much as this one has helped me.

Sounds like it could be Telogen Effluvium, which typically happens two to three months after a stressful life event. If so, your hair should grow back in a few months without treatment.

Interesting. Apparently there are no treatments for high Lp(a). My friend has already started taking the recommended medications (statin, beta blocker, anticoagulant, blood pressure med, etc.) and is looking at lifestyle changes (though his lifestyle was fairly healthy to begin with).

Thanks! I like the fact that one of their forums is titled "Coping With Emotions," which is probably the biggest issue for many patients.

Does anyone know of a forum like this for heart attack survivors? Someone I know had a heart attack recently. He is only 60 and in otherwise excellent health (not overweight, nonsmoker, no diabetes, runs and lifts weights regularly) so this was quite a shock. He is doing well now, but I can...

It's not Christmas for a musician unless you play Leroy Anderson, either "A Christmas Festival" or "Sleigh Ride." This year my orchestra didn't play any Anderson at our holiday concert, but I was in a sax quartet that played an arrangement of "Sleigh Ride," so the holiday season is on track for...