Post Op Report at Six Months. Doing Great!!

[GordoAVR]

Hopefully my experience will offer some degree of encouragement to those who are worried about their upcoming surgery.

These pics were taken at ten weeks after my aortic valve replacement.. At the time I was still in Cardio Rehab at the hospital; and during the off days, I'd come down to the beach and give it a go... so to speak.

Today at six months I feel great and have no limitations on my activities. Most days I don't even think about it anymore!!

So if you're getting really anxious and nervous about the upcoming events, please know that there are many of us who have been there and gone through the same feelings, and we ended up on the other side feeling better than ever. So can you.

God Bless

 

[jdlouth]

Glad to see your doing so well. I'm at 8 weeks and have the flu so I was a little down until I read your post.

 

[nngbwh]

Keep up the good work ! Thanks for the update.

 

[Ovie]

Great to hear! and a little more reassuring on the whole situation. However I'll have a mechanical valve so sadly I'll have limitations but it's better I suppose to have limitations than not having the option because I'm 6 ft under.

With that said, WAY COOL! Can't wait till I'm past this surgery and able to show off a sweet scar. Congrats.

 

[dwhist]

Hi Ovie,

I went to cardioligist for 3 month post surgery visit this week and he told me I could go back to doing everything I was doing before surgery including biking. He said just be carefull. So with a mechanical valve I am not sure what you mean by limitations.

 

[SB42]

I recommend GordoAVR as our AVR Calendar centerfold - that is if there is ever one released

Keep up the great work and thanks for the inspiration!

Scott

 

[GordoAVR]

@Scott: Thx for the Kudos.

I think sometimes our readers are exposed to a skewed view of their surgical futures by seeing so many people post about problems and complications. While that is one of the objectives of this forum, it can also have the unintended effect of increasing one's anxiety level before surgery.

However, there is another, much larger, community of members who are not posting anything because they are out there living a completely successful surgical outcome. I posted this to help others see that we are out there living large again. And that should be their expectation also.

At eight weeks post op, I went by the Cardio Surgical Floor to say Thank You to the Nurses and Orderlies. They were so thrilled to have a patient return being healthy and active. I was surprised at how much they all wanted to see the scar. Everyone had a comment as to how straight or clean it had healed. It was apparent they graded the various surgeons on their cosmetic outcomes much more than I would have expected. "Not like Dr x... who is always off-center on the bottom!" We all laughed.

But my visit to the hospital caused me to think about how, like on this forum, the nurses only see the sick and suffering. And then I saw how important it was for them to see somebody come back after a 45 minute workout on the Cardio Rehab treadmill, covered with sweat, and feeling great about his experience with them and their hospital.

Readers here... getting ready to undergo what is probably going to be the most life altering experience they will ever face need to have that same level of confidence... That their scars will heal straight and clean... and they will be active and healthy again.. like the vast majority of us have experienced.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

So glad to see how well your doing!
Congrats!!
Love Sarah xxxx

 

[Greg a]

BRAVO you are right as seen how many member join vs number still active

Threads 36,487 Posts 487,123 Members 2,677 Active Members 1,505

REMAINING GREEN with envy as I go out to melt ice on the sidewalk :biggrin2:

@Scott: Thx for the Kudos.

I think sometimes our readers are exposed to a skewed view of their surgical futures by seeing so many people post about problems and complications. While that is one of the objectives of this forum, it can also have the unintended effect of increasing one's anxiety level before surgery.

However, there is another, much larger, community of members who are not posting anything because they are out there living a completely successful surgical outcome. I posted this to help others see that we are out there living large again. And that should be their expectation also.

At eight weeks post op, I went by the Cardio Surgical Floor to say Thank You to the Nurses and Orderlies. They were so thrilled to have a patient return being healthy and active. I was surprised at how much they all wanted to see the scar. Everyone had a comment as to how straight or clean it had healed. It was apparent they graded the various surgeons on their cosmetic outcomes much more than I would have expected. "Not like Dr x... who is always off-center on the bottom!" We all laughed.

But my visit to the hospital caused me to think about how, like on this forum, the nurses only see the sick and suffering. And then I saw how important it was for them to see somebody come back after a 45 minute workout on the Cardio Rehab treadmill, covered with sweat, and feeling great about his experience with them and their hospital.

Readers here... getting ready to undergo what is probably going to be the most life altering experience they will ever face need to have that same level of confidence... That their scars will heal straight and clean... and they will be active and healthy again.. like the vast majority of us have experienced.

 

[Ovie]

Hi Ovie,

I went to cardioligist for 3 month post surgery visit this week and he told me I could go back to doing everything I was doing before surgery including biking. He said just be carefull. So with a mechanical valve I am not sure what you mean by limitations.

I'll be limited on contact sports, binge drinking for football games with friends, more prone to strokes, heart attacks, etc. due to blood thinners the rest of my life. The drinking part thing sucks, but I'll live without it, still a limitation though. As is competitive Hockey for me. So there ARE limitations.

 

[ElectLive]

I think sometimes our readers are exposed to a skewed view of their surgical futures by seeing so many people post about problems and complications. While that is one of the objectives of this forum, it can also have the unintended effect of increasing one's anxiety level before surgery.

However, there is another, much larger, community of members who are not posting anything because they are out there living a completely successful surgical outcome. I posted this to help others see that we are out there living large again. And that should be their expectation also.

At eight weeks post op, I went by the Cardio Surgical Floor to say Thank You to the Nurses and Orderlies. They were so thrilled to have a patient return being healthy and active. I was surprised at how much they all wanted to see the scar. Everyone had a comment as to how straight or clean it had healed. It was apparent they graded the various surgeons on their cosmetic outcomes much more than I would have expected. "Not like Dr x... who is always off-center on the bottom!" We all laughed.

But my visit to the hospital caused me to think about how, like on this forum, the nurses only see the sick and suffering. And then I saw how important it was for them to see somebody come back after a 45 minute workout on the Cardio Rehab treadmill, covered with sweat, and feeling great about his experience with them and their hospital.

Readers here... getting ready to undergo what is probably going to be the most life altering experience they will ever face need to have that same level of confidence... That their scars will heal straight and clean... and they will be active and healthy again.. like the vast majority of us have experienced.

Great points and great post Gordo! I have very much the same "better than ever" feeling.

 

[SB42]

Gordo AVR,

I couldn't agree more...positive messages are contagious! At 2 weeks post-op, I stopped by to see my cardiac catheterization Dr. and staff to simply say "thank you." I am confident that it really touched their hearts to have a patient come back to praise rather than complain. I just celebrated my 1 month post-op this past Wed (02/25). My surgical team is my next stop You and I both know that we all have two wolves to feed....the dark & negative one and the bright & optimistic/positive one. Which one do you (not specifically you) choose to feed?

Rock on superstar....you are inspiration and I cannot wait to get back into workout mode!

Take care,

Scott

 

[Roberta]

Great positive post, Gord! Keep up the great work.
I will second you as our cover for a VR. calendar.