How did you find Valvereplacement.com

[Karlynn]

A post came up in another thread that got me thinking - just how do people find Valvereplacement.com and which is the most "popular" way?

 

[geebee]

I was showing my 2 kittens (grown up now) at a cat show in California. Two friends started discussing someone who just had valve surgery. I think it might have been Marsha (catwoman) but I am not sure. They started talking about this great website she had found - VR.com.

I asked about it and after a few questions, they had learned my OHS history - never had discussed it before. They seemed surprised that I was so "normal" (ha - fooled them ) and didn't seem like a heart patient. Still don't know how a heart patient is supposed to act.

Anyway - the rest is history and now you guys are stuck with me

 

[inlaguna]

Internet search AFTER my surgery. I must have googled aortic valve replacement a 1000 times before my operation , but I did not see VR.com. I am still waiting for another site to answer my question.......from six months ago.

Dan

 

[tommy]

I did a Yahoo search for "valve". Mark Wagner's marathon story was on Page 1. His story brought me tears of joy and directed me here. Yahooooooooo!

 

[gadgetman]

I voted then when I went to post the reason the blank-blank internet dropped me off. How quick it can turn on you.

Anyway, I came home after receiving the "bad news" and went on the internet searching for valve replacement. Don't remember if this site was one of the first or not. I came on the site as a "visitor" for a while with the "why me" attitude. I quickly found out there were a lot of folks out there that have either been through this or were facing what I was now facing. As I've said before, after reading a few posts I felt a kinship with this family. I logged on and, as Ross would say, the rest is history. My wife and I have both received a lot of blessings from the VR.COM family. I thank you all and hope I can do my part to pass on this blessing to those that follow.

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[fyrfytr]

I was looking over the packet of information the hospital gave me when I was discharged after my OHS and read about a support group called www.Valvereplacement.com and the rest is history.
Take Care

 

[Harrybaby666]

Well you see...it's like this..

Well you see...it's like this..

I was wallowing in my own gutter and then I decided to go slumming on the web, and Presto!!!! Actually, I was trying to find anything on Valve disease and I stumbled upon VR.Com after doing an extensive search on Google. Harrybaby666

 

[Johnny Stephens]

sci.med.cardiology

sci.med.cardiology

Other - I was a "USENET" or newsgroups junkie back when I was diagnosed. I found several references to valvereplacement.com on a newsgroup called sci.med.cardiology.

 

[Yaps]

I had

I had

been surfing,looking for anything on mitral valves, and walla; here I am

 

[Sherry]

Here from the beginning

Here from the beginning

I was searching a year or so after my surgery (seven years ago), when I came across the Cleveland Clinic site. It had a link to Hank's infant VR.Com site. I joined the e-mail group (along with Hank, Janie, Nan, Bob G. and several others) and communicated with them that way. I would come home from school and find hundreds of e-mails in my inbox. It's absolutely amazing how this site has evolved.

 

[hensylee]

about 5 yrs ago, after bypasses, I was new to computers, net, etc, but very curious about what had happened to me! So I did a search and found this site and Dr Rich's site, joined both. Eventually discovered that I don't even belong in this site, but stayed anyhow. It's been an awesome education.

The site at that time had evolved from email to a site that had posted listed all under each other, not even in a box like now, and all mixed together. Less than 100 members. It's history now and lots of us watched it grow.

Then Ross and Bon came along and look what happened!

 

[tobagotwo]

I first ran across the site in 2000, although it wasn't as fancy then as it is now. It was early for me, and I spent some time learning from folks here, and slowly fell into a waiting funk. A key component of that funk is that you get family pressure not to "dwell on it," although part of you does anyway. How could it not?

I visited on and off through the next couple of years, and posted a couple of interesting things I had found (I seem to recall posting about the Chia valves back then, which I had desperately hoped to have). Lost track of some of the folks, like Bob Gleason, who was a regular poster back then.

When the docs said my time was coming, I felt like it was time to rejoin with both feet. VR.com had already become larger and more organized by then. And I've been a continuing annoyance here ever since.

Best wishes,

 

[Mary]

I was a member of Heartline, and I had looked several times trying to find specific information about aortic valve replacement. At some point, I had a response that said, "And Hank Eyering has his valve replacement site."
I kept trying to find it, and finally just typed Hank's name in and tried several ways to spell Eyring. Lo and Behold, the site info came up, I clicked, answered the information, and here I was!

I felt like Alice tumbling into Wonderland. I was amazed to find a group of people that knew all the experiences I had before I ever related them.

I will always be grateful.

 

[Superbob]

Good survey!

Internet search before my surgery just nine weeks ago. And it's been a Godsend.

 

[Ross]

From the Heart Forum from the Cleveland Clinic message board.

 

[Wise]

I did a search for BAV in yahoo and found a Group started by a VR.com member. I joined the Group to get info and found out that he started the Group specifically to inform his family about his surgery/recovery progress. He was kind enough to refer me to VR.com. So, I bowed out of his family so to speak, and received a serendipity, another family. Glad I did.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

In October 1999 I was just home from AVR and had many questions, so I took to the Internet. I posted on webmd.com and Hank answered my question and invited me to join his e-mail list. Rest is history...

Here's a picture from our first VR.COM Reunion in San Antonio -- Dec 2000...left to right: Gina (Chicago), DickV (Houston), Janie (San Antonio), BobG (Princeton), Hank (Mesa), BobF (Boston) and Rain from downtown Cortez...my how we've grown!

 

[catwoman]

Our medical writer, Carolyn Poirot, here at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram told me there was a home test machine for INRs. (Carolyn has MVP, at least one brother has had MVR.) I mentioned it to my sister, and we ran a search for anticoagulation testing and found valvereplacement.com. Think this was in October 2003. Joined vr & ordered my ProTime 3.

 

[Rich]

Like Sherry and Janie said, there was a small group of us e-mailing each other.
Many, many e-mails every day.
Originally some of us met on Cachnet, I believe it was Gina M. and Rain.
The rest is history thanks to Hank.
Prior to my surgery in '96 there was very little info available anywhere.
Anyone coming to this site these days hopefully understands just how fortunate they are.

 

[Granbonny]

I don't really remember.. But, I do know it was about a month post-0p....Now, 3,618 posts later. I'm wondering why I am still here I do know, it was something about googling for something on the internet. Maybe I was Ross's Mother in another life And I was led here to take care of him At any rate..Ross, Ann and I joined up ......Maybe it was a contest to see which of the 3 of us could posts the MOST posts...But, Nancy keeps leading us..Thank Goodness. Nancy is serious and a wealth of information and we 3 are just silly.... Bonnie