Acquaintance said something a day ago and I just need to get something off my chest.
I was in Missouri, eating some fried shrimp. Someone I know said in a front of other acquaintances and strangers, "Should you be eating that?" I was taken aback, knowing I was giving up some of my Weight Watchers weekly points for my "treat," but wondering how she knew. I asked what she meant and she said, "You've had heart surgery, you shouldn't be eating any fried foods."
I said, it was OK, my PCP & cardio didn't have me on any meds other than coumadin, that I had lost 35 pounds since going into the hospital for MVR. And that it was OK for me to (occasionally) eat fried foods.
Then she goes into why it took me soooo long to recover from MVR. "My sister had OHS and she didn't have any problems," she said. I didn't say a word in response.
Later a few friends and people I didn't know really well came up and commisserated with me.
First of all, her sister didn't have MVR; she had to have her aorta repaired (dissection, I think). Sister is mentally retarded, probably 50s or 60s I guess, in a facility, does not work/is not active. Heart problem was detected during testing for cancer surgery.
When she laid into me, it wasn't a setting where I could educate her that not all OHS is the same and not all VR is the same.
In my case, I was in severe mitral valve regurgitation, was cyanotic 2MO pre-op, left side of heart enlarging, etc. I could actually hear the valve leaflets slapping at each other. My surgeon tried to repair the valve, too much damage, so he put in a St. Jude and then repaired an atrial septal defect.
I went back to work @ 6-7 weeks, was already back to traveling (air/car) to cat shows. I think I did just fine, at least to other people, but I didn't feel "normal" until February or March of this year. (Mainly because I burn the candle at both ends and in the middle and heart surgery kinda trims the wick you might say).
Sorry, but I just had to vent. Because this person is sure to bring this up again, I do need to be prepared to "educate" her without chewing her out.
But how would some of you folks handle such an "assault," as I saw it?
I was in Missouri, eating some fried shrimp. Someone I know said in a front of other acquaintances and strangers, "Should you be eating that?" I was taken aback, knowing I was giving up some of my Weight Watchers weekly points for my "treat," but wondering how she knew. I asked what she meant and she said, "You've had heart surgery, you shouldn't be eating any fried foods."
I said, it was OK, my PCP & cardio didn't have me on any meds other than coumadin, that I had lost 35 pounds since going into the hospital for MVR. And that it was OK for me to (occasionally) eat fried foods.
Then she goes into why it took me soooo long to recover from MVR. "My sister had OHS and she didn't have any problems," she said. I didn't say a word in response.
Later a few friends and people I didn't know really well came up and commisserated with me.
First of all, her sister didn't have MVR; she had to have her aorta repaired (dissection, I think). Sister is mentally retarded, probably 50s or 60s I guess, in a facility, does not work/is not active. Heart problem was detected during testing for cancer surgery.
When she laid into me, it wasn't a setting where I could educate her that not all OHS is the same and not all VR is the same.
In my case, I was in severe mitral valve regurgitation, was cyanotic 2MO pre-op, left side of heart enlarging, etc. I could actually hear the valve leaflets slapping at each other. My surgeon tried to repair the valve, too much damage, so he put in a St. Jude and then repaired an atrial septal defect.
I went back to work @ 6-7 weeks, was already back to traveling (air/car) to cat shows. I think I did just fine, at least to other people, but I didn't feel "normal" until February or March of this year. (Mainly because I burn the candle at both ends and in the middle and heart surgery kinda trims the wick you might say).
Sorry, but I just had to vent. Because this person is sure to bring this up again, I do need to be prepared to "educate" her without chewing her out.
But how would some of you folks handle such an "assault," as I saw it?
