Hello and THANK YOU

[jayaresq]

Hi. My name is Jim. I'm new to this site and this is my first post. I'm a 47 year old, slightly pudgy L.A. trial lawyer and the father of an adorable 5 year-old daughter who brings true joy to my life. I found out I needed AVR surgery a month ago and am scheduled for AVR (and perhaps more during OHS) at Cedars-Sinai on 7/18/05. I've read/heard just about everything I can and feel like I understand as much as I can absorb about the many nuances and choices about what will soon happen. I have decided to cast my lot with a Carpentier-Edwards 3000fx stinted bovine valve. Still, I vascilate daily among fear, anger, self-empowerment and uncertainty.

I have had the unanticipated good fortune of monitoring the vr.com website for several sleep-deprived weeks during this process. While I don't truly know any of the members (yet), in some way I feel I already know many of you. I've read your stories, reviewed your chatroom dialogues, anguished over and appreciated your personal decisions, weighed the factors you brought to each discussion and empathized with your recoveries, lifechanges and setbacks. Most of all I've been encouraged and impressed by each story of triumph, survival, loving support and strong will.

Optimistically, I know I am at the beginning of a new and daunting journey, which many of you are living and have lived for a while. I hope the relationships I develop here will sustain and nourish me and us further. The only thought I really want -- feel compelled -- to post at this time is my overwhelming and awe inspired gratitude to each of you who, by sharing your own histories, thoughts and fears have educated me, provoked me and calmed me through this unfolding drama. I will always be forever grateful to each of you -- individually and collectively -- for caring for this wonderful site and really humanizing OHS for me. Thank you. Thank you so much. God bless you all. I'll post again before my surgery date, including my own story. -- Jim

 

[Ross]

Welcome to our home and our world Jim

If it makes you feel any better, there isn't one of us, even those of us who have gone at this more then once, that didn't suffer the anxiety before hand. You'll hear it a thousand times over, the waiting is the hardest part. The amazing and funny thing is, there is this sense of calm just before surgery. I don't know if it's because you resign yourself to it or that by then, your sick and tired of worrying, but most people say it happens.

Well you've done the reading and homework, so if you have additional questions, just speak up and we'll try our best to answer them.

 

[perkicar]

Welcome and Thank you!

Welcome and Thank you!

Good morning Jim! Thank you for your post and for sharing so openly and honestly. Despite our occasional squabbles this is an amazing forum. I, too, cannot imagine having gotten through my surgery without the candor and support of many of our members. Please let us help you as much as we can before surgery.
You might want to ask for a Xanax prescription--I got one before my surgery, it's a small dose and just enough to take the edge off when I started to feel like I was going to go off the deep end LOL stressing. I'm 7 weeks post surgery and will be going back to work next week. I only took it when I felt like I needed to.
Now get some sleep! You need to be healthy and rested for your big day (the day before my birthday!!)
Carolyn

 

[Big-Chuck]

pre-surgery

pre-surgery

That sense of calm for me was the fact that the 2 weeks before surgery I was feeling sooo tired(couldnt breathe) and my heart was hurting, skipping beats, etc. that I practically ran into the operating room. I knew I was not going to get any better without surgery, in fact I knew I was going to die and I still have a lot of living to do so I wanted surgery. And I am so thankful for modern medicine and a skilled, caring surgeon who took excellent care of me.

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Jim - welcome to VR. Glad you found us. This is the greatest place to be before surgery. So much information and support is shared here. We will hang right with you throughout and after. It's an awesome journey and once you are over the mountain you will know it's also an awesome surgery.

Hank started this site in the late 90s with about 8 other people, via email - it's has grown to it's current size. We are ever grateful to them all.

 

[Phyllis]

Welcome Jim. You are fortunate that you found this site before surgery. We didn't find it until after Dick's AVR with an Edwards Magna 3000, but since then it has become a vital source of information and an extended part of our family. We look forward to hearing your story and being here for support throughout the journey. Once you are successfully "over the mountain", you too will be of invaluable help to those in the waiting room. Best wishes and as Dan Rather use to say, "Courage"- you have an adorable five year old to guide through many happy years.

 

[Phyllis]

P.S. I put you on the calendar for July 18th.

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome Jim. Thank you for your lovely post. What your surgery will do, is ensure that your heart will get you through all the milestones in your daughter's life. And now those miles stones are going to seem that much sweeter. If you weren't having the feeling you described, you wouldn't be normal.

 

[bvdr]

Welcome, Jim. I remember the feeling of amazement when I found this website. I had been on a few others and sometimes there would be a week or more between posts and then all of a sudden here I was in a living on-line community with just the elements that I needed. I've been here since. Heartwise I think I'm doing very well but there are always others joining that need what I needed at that time. Besides, I have many friends here now.

Please make yourself totally at home and become one of the family.

 

[EVELYN]

Good morning, Jim....

Welcome to a wonderful place. This site has been a Godsend to me and many others out there in cyberspace. My husband, Tyce, had AVR three years ago....6/26/02, the same day I retired from teaching. I know that if I hadn't found this site and all the caring people here, I would never have been able to get through Tyce's surgery. Tyce, of course, was and still is, wonderful with it.

Please count on us for support, advice, information, prayers, and whatever else you may need for your journey up the mountain. We will be here for you and your family.

Evelyn

 

[Glenda]

Welcome Jim to our ever expanding family. We seem to just keep growing and growing.

What a great post! You are in good hands here. You will always be able to find someone that has "been there, done that."

Your name will be added to my prayer list. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. People on this site are so knowledgeable and so willing to help. Please let us know when you get closer to the other side of the mountain.

 

[Nancy]

Welcome, Jim-

This is the only place that I can come where poeple "get it" as far as what Joe has had to go through. He may be in the advanced category with all of his problems, but I still can come here and find kindred spirits.

Glad you found the same. It will sustain you through it all.

Best wishes!

 

[gadgetman]

As Cort would say:

* blush *

Thanks for the kudos for da family here. VR.COM is a GREAT bunch of folks who have come together to share their concerns, feelings, anxiety, fears, etc. I thank God for bringing the original folks together to start this site. Our paper recently had a quote from Charles Dickens which applies to VR.COM.

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for any one else."

No matter how little or how much you might add here, every word typed will touch someone.

Good Luck on your pending climb/swim/initiation and,

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[geebee]

Welcome.

You are in good hands at Cedars-Sinai. I had all my care there when I lived in LA.

I wish you well on your journey and hope to hear more of your story.

We will help you through.