Confession of a Lurker

[SailorLDM]

Hello all, I am a new member but a long time listener to this wonderful site. I also officially joined your ranks with an AVR surgery on May 17. I don?t have a good answer why I haven?t become an active member until now but do want to thank Hank and all you knowledgeable and caring people for the wealth of information I learned from this site. I know that the preparation and education I received through this site helped me immensely through this surgery. I suspect I am not alone in this Lurker field and many others like me have also gained much from this wonderful site. I know I haven?t been much company to Steve and others in the waiting room but I have often cried and prayed for you as you have faced your problems so courageously.

I had my surgery to replace my aortic valve with a Stentless Porcene valve on 5/17 and the valve selection threads really helped me to get comfortable with the best valve choice for me.

My surgery and early recovery have gone pretty smoothly with only minor bumps in the road so far and am looking forward to an improved new life.

Continued blessings to you all.

Larry

 

[Yaps]

Welcome,
Glad to see someone out of the shadows, your input is valuable.Glad to hear your recovery is going well. Speak up any time, as we are not shy here . love yaps

 

[ar bee]

good on you

good on you

hope things keep going that way all the best for further smooth recovery

well2u
ar bee

(im a meagre month ahead of you in terms of recovery..)

 

[hensylee]

WHETHER you came in or not, the site helped you and that's what it's all about. Congratulations on your successful trek over the mountain. Thanks for introducing yourself.

 

[Phyllis]

We did not find this site until after Dick's AVR, but it has been invaluable in this last year of recovery and we only hope that by posting here, we can help others facing the same surgery. Now that you have "come out of the shadows", don't be a stranger and chime in when you have something to offer from your own experience. Glad it was a good one!

 

[Karlynn]

Glad you stepped out of the shadows! Welcome.

Conitinued best wishes with your recovery.

 

[epstns]

Larry,

I'm glad you've now been able to speak out -- we're glad you've been a family member, active or not. That's what we're all here for -- each other. It is good always to hear of another successful trip over the mountain, too.

On another note, how's TC? We spent many weekends there a few years ago when my daughter was at music camp at Interlochen. That is one very beautiful part of the country!

 

[SailorLDM]

Thanks for the kind welcome. I wasnt sure how I would be accepted.

Steve, TC is a wonderful area. The only problem is that too many people are retiring and moving up here every year and the natives are saying slow down. In my former working life we lived down state and every summer spent our summer vacation on an inland lake near Interlochen. Summer concerts, blue skies and clear blue waters sold us on this area.
I retired and we moved up here in 2001 and just love it. The fact that Munson Medical center in TC is recognized as the top Heart hospital in Michigan and in the top 100 in the country certainly helped ease my mind about where to have my operation. If you are going to be back in this area again this summer, I would enjoy talking to you about my asymptomatic journey with severe AS.

Larry

 

[Mary]

Thanks for the kind welcome. I wasnt sure how I would be accepted.
Larry

Larry,
I bet you were just unsure if you wanted to be welcomed with SUCH ENTHUSIASM from SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people!
But don't worry; I'm feeling somewhat subdued today!

 

[KimC]

Larry,

What a gracious, wonderful first post. I'm happy to hear that your surgery went well, and that you're enjoying life.

I grew up near Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana and enjoyed many quiet week-ends at the lake. We had a modest lakehouse on a hill, surrounded by trees. Our community fought-off Big Development for years, creating stringent codes protecting wildlife and trees.

While you can still enjoy leafy afternoons at the lake, today's experience on Wawasee is different, thanks to the growth in wave runners, time-shares and mansions that take up an entire lot and then some.

All change is not good!

Blessings,

 

[geebee]

Welcome Larry.

I hope your recovery continues to go well. Feel free to pipe in with questions, comments, assistance, etc.

Best wishes.

 

[skimomck]

Welcome Larry,
Glad to hear your surgery went well and this site was helpful. There are a lot of caring knowledgeable people here that have sure helped us out a lot. We are fellow Michiganders and sailors. We ski up at Crystal and sail E boats on Crystal Lake. Sounds like your recovery is going well and hopefully in no time you will be enjoying a hopefully warm and beautiful summer in northern Michigan.

 

[catwoman]

Larry:
Good to hear that posts here made your admission to the Zipper Club a little easier.

I love Traverse City! Went there about 12 years ago for a convention in June. Seems it was the time for a cherry festival or something. Beautiful country. While there, we drove up to Sault Ste. Marie. I noticed highway signs warning drivers not to pass when there was oncoming traffic. Don't remember the exact wording, but my friend and I died laughing because they were definitely no-brainer signs.

 

[Guest]

I noticed highway signs warning drivers not to pass when there was oncoming traffic. Don't remember the exact wording, but my friend and I died laughing because they were definitely no-brainer signs.

Heh.... I'm not sure why, but this reminded me of a sign that my sister and I came across during our infamous trip to PA for our annual family reunion a number of Augusts ago (summer of '98, iirc). We had had an adventureous trip the entire way (won't get into the details ... frustrating then but hilarious now) and the sign we saw on the PA Turnpike at about 3am put us both into a state of uncontrollable laughter, despite the fact that we had been parked on the turnpike for about an hour. We were stopped on the highway because of, according to the lighted sign ... an "overhead erection".

They were putting up a new bridge over the turnpike.


Larry ... welcome! I have a few buddies from my car-related sites/groups that live in the Detroit area of MI ... and at least one that lives up there in Traverse City. He was through IL about a month ago now ... and told me that I should consider traveling up there sometime. We'll see .


Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 31swm/pig valve/pacemaker
'72,6,9/'81,7.hobbies.chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
MC Guide = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html
"I ain't up to being strong now" ... Wynonna ... 'Is It Over Yet'

 

[SailorLDM]

Michigan does have its share of unique road conditions. The "Do not Pass if Opposing traffic is Present" sign appears on hilly two lane highway to which a center passing lane was added to relieve congestion . The only problem is that the opposing down hill traffic can also elect to use the same center passing lane. The result is the cautionary signs.
Michigan also uses special Turn around features to facilitate a left hand turn at major intersection junctions on divided 4 lane roads in surban areas around Detroit. The idea is that when you want to make a left turn on a divided 4 lane road you can proceed through the intersection and make a U turn to blend in with traffic going in the opposite direction and then make a right turn as you get back to the same intersection. We dubbed these as Michigan U Turns when we moved from Kansas to the Surban Detroit area many years ago.

Cort, a great road trip for you would take you up the Lake Michigan shoreline on Us 31 through the coast line cities of TC and Charlivois and Petoski and on across the Mighty Mac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You could then travel liesurly west through youper country and make your way back to Chigago through Wisconsin. The Michigan shore line trip will not rival the Big Sur trip down US i from San Francisco to Los Angeles but it is a lot closer to your starting point in Chicago and would give you time to see friends in TC

Larry

 

[Sherry]

Hi, Larry. Glad to know you've come out of the shadows of this wonderful site and even happier to hear you had a successful surgery. Please stick around for awhile, and you'll be hooked. Your recent experience is invaluable to those facing surgery. After almost eight years, my memory of it is fading a bit.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hello!

Hello!

Welcome, Larry. Thank you for joining us! I am in the waiting room with several others and always LOVE to hear success stories. Of course, all the stories are heartfelt and offer encouragement and knowledge of experience. I have been here a year and have relished every minute I spend connecting with this amazing community of people.

Drop in often. Take care. Wishing you continued good success with your recovery.

Marguerite

 

[tobagotwo]

Welcome aboard from me, too, at the back of this very long cha-cha line.

Please chime in wherever you feel your experience can help someone, when you're curious, or when you just want to say "hi."

Glad your recuperation is going well.

Best wishes,

 

[Guest]

Cort, a great road trip for you would take you up the Lake Michigan shoreline on Us 31 through the coast line cities of TC and Charlivois and Petoski and on across the Mighty Mac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You could then travel liesurly west through youper country and make your way back to Chigago through Wisconsin. The Michigan shore line trip will not rival the Big Sur trip down US i from San Francisco to Los Angeles but it is a lot closer to your starting point in Chicago and would give you time to see friends in TC

That is somewhat close to a trip I have thought about taking ... sometime. I know my buddy in TC has taken that trip. He was in Chicagoland in early May and came to Chicago through WI ... and went home through MI. Sounds like a beautiful trip for sure .