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Mark Wagner

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 26, 2003
Messages
563
Location
Port Orchard, WA
NAME: Mark Wagner

CURRENT AGE: 43 (going on 28!)

OCCUPATION: Gasoline Tanker Fuel Truck Driver

FAMILY: Married to my beautiful wife Charyl. We have 4 daughters, and 2 boys.

At age 38, I found myself beginning to be fatigued at work. Two hours after I would start my shift, I would literally want to fall asleep. It was a continuous feeling of exhaustion. In my occupation, I am required to have a DOT physical every two years. (Yearly, now that I have had heart surgery.) During that physical, a doctor for the first time noticed I had a heart murmur, and recommended I have a follow-up with a cardiologist. Truthfully, I just blew it off, thinking he didn?t know what he was talking about. After all, I had been in the military for years and had numerous physicals, and no one ever said I had a heart murmur. A long story short, around 6 months later, I found myself so tired, that one morning I told my wife I didn?t know if I could get out of bed. Well I did get out of bed, went to the doctor, and that night found myself in Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, WA.
After three days, I was told my Aortic Valve was bicuspid, and my heart was in the early stages of enlargement. The reason I was so ill, was that I had most likely bacterial infection on the Aortic Valve, but not knowing why I was so ill in the first place, the doctors made the choice of starting me on large amounts of intravenous anti-biotic. Unfortunately, it masked the infection before they started putting two and two together.
I asked the cardiologist what the outlook for the future looked like, and at the time he felt I could go another 5 to 15 years with the valve I had. I made it two years from that point, and because of excessive fatigue, and the rate my heart was enlarging, at age 40 my surgeon recommended I have surgery within 5 months. He was afraid if I waited much longer, I would deteriorate past the point of no return where they would have trouble fitting a valve.
After my surgery, I was told at the one-year post surgery mark, I would most likely feel an incredible difference. That was no exaggeration. I did feel incredible. I coped with a bad aortic valve all my life. Now I understand the fatigue I felt in sports during my high school and military years. I always felt I had to work twice as hard as my peers. What is really cool is now that I have had the surgery, when I play a lousy game of golf, (which is every time I play!) I can blame my poor swing and my heart surgery!
Recently, on October 6th, 2002, I came into wonderful company with a man you all know; Les Barrett. I ran my first marathon with a mechanical aortic valve. Les and I seem to be a handful of people to do so. My surgery was January 19th 2000, and my marathon training started with about a dozen painful exhausting steps in the hospital; then going home and walking away from the house too far, (about 100 yards) and not having the strength to barely make it back home. Thank God my Dad was with me! On January 1st 2002, I decided to see if I could condition myself enough to run a 10K on July 4th 2002. (6.2 mile race) I accomplished that goal, and two weeks later I ran a 15K race. (9.3 miles) At that point I set my eyes on the Marathon. (26.2 miles) October 6th was truly a day dreams are made of.
Since that day I have run in addition a 5K, 4mile, 8K, and 10K races. Currently I am training for additional races, but as of June 15th this year my focus will be on my second marathon; ?The Royal Victoria International Marathon? in Victoria, BC, Canada. I am being sponsored by World Vision; a non-denominational relief organization; and currently through my marathon efforts am raising funds, where money raised will go directly to Zambia Africa?s displaced orphans as a result of the HIV/Aids epidemic sweeping Africa. I am not after pats on my back; I am just thankful that God has taken a setback in my life, and is using it for the good of others.

IN CLOSING: Lance Armstrong says, ?It is not about the bike.? I am no Lance Armstrong; I?m just Mark Wagner, from Port Orchard, Washington. It is not about the marathon, nor is it about the valve. It is about the heart ? the deep part of the heart that is connected to God. The part of the heart God works on at looks at. When I want to quit I try to focus on two things; One, a cross on Christ?s back as he made his way to a death that has given me life. The second part then is easy. I just tell myself, ?Quitting is not an option.?
 
Clickin' Along

Clickin' Along

Mark,
Absolutely....it's not about the valve... June 15th, your training commences and as we know, life as you enjoyed it changes dramatically. I'm actually planning on running Chicago again this year. Training starts June 22nd. After a tough winter of a-fib and "general malaise."...I have once again been "flogging concrete" to the best of my ability, in hopes of recapturing not only the best fitness I can achieve, but the "thumbing of my nose" in complete defiance of the ******* disease that caused all this. Best of luck Mark...keep in touch through PM during training. Let's run the monsters!
________________
Les AVR '93 / '95
 
Les and Mark

Les and Mark

Hey -- both of you guys -- Keep up the great work and keep telling us all about it! Your successes give me hope that when all is fixed for me, maybe there can be 3 of us out there running "competitively." (My cardio says "no" to even a 5K if it is competitive -- only controlled cardio-fitness stuff until . . . )

You guys are my idols!
 
I'm seriously considering naming my kittens after you guys. They are starting to run. It's funny, they fall over and get back up and charge. They're quick and hard to catch. They simply remind me of you guys.
 
Ross, I wished you lived next door. Your the kind of neighbor everyone wishes they had. My two cats like to get active about 4 in the morning .... the race track they seem to run passes over my bed when I am trying to sleep! :mad:
 
Hey Mark i pull a box only go as far as the Mississippi but lately it has been the East Coast Corridor.

I too had my DOT pyhyscial and was told I had Aortic Stenios had no idea what it was but knew if i didn't get it fixed I couldn't drive though lately that is the least of my worries.

What interest me was that you said AFTER the surgery you had to get a physical every year -- is this true??? Cann't you simple send in a latter?? I am surprised that they don't feel you are fixed don't know what it cost out there but $60 a pop out East it get expensiver particularly when you are fixed -- it isn't like dibeties.

I didn't got for my physical this year was waiting to see what my cardio would say I quess I knew down deep I was going down -- didn't want the clock ticking and not being able to get my monies worth.

What do you think of now having to be approved by the FBI I let my hazmat go to much BS!!!!

ttfn (TA TA FOR NOW)
LEM:D
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for your post. I have been worried if life will be the same for me. I am 7 weeks post op and still a bit slugish but always inproving. I am looking forward to having re-newed energy as I have had 3-4+ regurge for the last 4 years. I am only 31 and maybe I can work up to running again :) Its nice to know that I wont be tired forever.

I just went back to work this week for only 5.5 hours a day and it has worked out good for me. I do however still find myself getting winded if I have to walk from the back of the parking lot at work, but its a big parking lot anyway :) I have gained 50 pounds in the last year and now that I have had the surgery maybe I can be like you guys :)

Thanks for the inspiration!
 
Hi Lem,
Lem with my surgery, your never really fixed. I think of it more as a band-aid ... the question is ... how good is the band-aid going to hold up.
Take the other marathon runner on this post. That poor guy has gone through hell, and he keeps on going. He has had two surgerys. It is very much like being a diabetic. Diabetics take insulin, and I take coumadin and nuerontin. A diabetic does not pay attention to his blood sugar, and he looses his toes. Have a bad reaction by a mistaken drug interaction with your coumadin, and end up like I did in Texas, in an intensive care unit for three days, and two extra days watching Spanish TV on the Mexican border; and you know what the worst part of it was, I don't speak Spanish!
Now I have a mechanical valve, so of course I am coumadin dependent for the rest of my life; until DNA can grow a new Mark, and then fish out new valve. I'm sure my wife hopes they add a few more brains to my DNA make-up! The first 5 years of our surgery is getting through with out infection. Then I figure this mechnical valve has a pretty good shot at making it 12 years plus .... Fixed .... no way will I consider it fixed until the sign on my surgeons door says 'Jesus Christ MD'. (and then when He is done with the surgery I don't hear a timex watch in my chest anymore.)
I understand the DOT physical bit. It is a pain. I just try to look at the physical as a second opinion. After all, a DOT physical is where I found my heart ailment in the first place.
As far as the FBI check, I have no problem with that, considering their is more fuel in one of those tankers then what blew through the trade center. (Scary thought when you consider how many fuel trucks are running around out their.) I'm very careful about removing my keys when I am out of the truck. It is sad, but I am always having to watch over my shoulder now.
BACK TO THE HEART THING: I think the key is .... everyone is different. Some people really do great; and most do ... others it can be a tough road. I have adopted Les Barrett's Dads saying, "I would rather wear out then rust out." 'Faith' and a 'no quit attitude' is your strongest asset on the road to recovery. When Lance Armstrong had cancer surgery etc., before he even went in the hospital, he was planning his work out recovery schedule. The sickness, disease, and pain, has to be looked at as an opponent, and your about to get in the ring and kick it's ass!:mad: Take care Brother Trucker and be safe. ... Mark
 
Umm let me check with Founder Claude Vorilhon
now known as "Rael" and I'll get back to you on that. :cool:
 
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