Staying the Course -- 10/01/2019

[Superbob]

Okay I am staying the course. Cute nurses come in every 10 minutes and ask, where's your pain? and I tell them I have none. My aortic aneurysm is history, I have a new bovine valve that is clickin' along (moooooooo!), and the aortic root is sturdy.

However, major surgery stirred other gremlins, as sometimes occurs. The placing of a line in my left shoulder unleashed a cascade of blood clots previously hidden. (Dating way back to my baseball playing days? -- I wonder. Edit: Nope,doc tells me the clots are fresh, provoked by one of their lines) Anyway I have been on continuous Heparin IV drip for nearly a week while starting Coumadin pills. Expected to be on the pills three months. Goal is 2.0 INR range for release to rehab center for a little more prep to return regular life.

So it's a lot but I am staying the course. That's all for now. Let's hear ' bout you all!

Cheers,
Superbob

 

[Agian]

Mooooo, I say moooo.

 

[Duffey]

Superbob, you’ve been a valve brother for almost fifteen years, and now we share our mutual bovineness? Crazy, crazy! We’re preparing for husband’s cancer surgery on Monday. He stopped his Eliquist two nights ago so that causes me some concern. The ablation he underwent three months ago seems to have stopped his afib but we don’t know with certainty that he is past blood clot danger. Time will tell. He’s off work until December 2 so that’s another adjustment I need to make. Our marriage is about to enter unchartered territory! I hope we all stay the course.

 

[rich01]

I guess that makes us bovine buddies.

 

[user 16827]

We’re preparing for husband’s cancer surgery on Monday.

I hope everything goes well with this for you both

 

[Superbob]

Superbob, you’ve been a valve brother for almost fifteen years, and now we share our mutual bovineness? Crazy, crazy! We’re preparing for husband’s cancer surgery on Monday. He stopped his Eliquist two nights ago so that causes me some concern. The ablation he underwent three months ago seems to have stopped his afib but we don’t know with certainty that he is past blood clot danger. Time will tell. He’s off work until December 2 so that’s another adjustment I need to make. Our marriage is about to enter unchartered territory! I hope we all stay the course.

Duffey praying all goes well for your Bob in his surgery.

 

[Gordo60]

Yippy, welcome back @Superbob.

Recent lenses implanted during cataract surgery are clouding, quite common but usually not so soon after surgery. So getting one of the eyes lasered (YAG) next week. Supposedly quick and simple (I hope).

Otherwise doing my indoor cycling 3 mornings a week before breakfast and two light resistance training sessions on other days. Been getting a bit more active in the yard again also.

Weather is getting warmer so will be able start swimming in our pool again soon.

Cheers

PS: Hope all goes well @Duffey.

 

[Protimenow]

Gordo60 - the capsulotomy (what they call that laser procedure) only takes a few minutes. I've had it done in both of my eyes. I don't think I even needed anesthetic in my eye before the procedure was done.

The doctor takes a laser, burns a bunch of little holes in the back of the capsule that's clouded over. It's kind of like a bunch of perforations in the capsule. The capsule falls off, into the eye. It kind of disappears (or something), and your vision should be clear almost immediately after the procedure. For me, when the capsule turned cloudy, it was almost like the cataract returning. Once that tissue was 'lased' and dropped off, it was almost like getting a second cataract removed from the same eye. The results were great, and immediately noticeable. I don't recall making any adjustments to my warfarin before the procedure.

Good luck with yours - although you probably won't need it.

 

[Duffey]

@FredW just happened to see that today is your birthday. Celebrate appropriately!

 

[FredW]

@FredW just happened to see that today is your birthday. Celebrate appropriately!

Thank you, Duffy. That is observant and kind of you.

 

[FredW]

Since I recently turned 76, I thought I would provide a brief update.

Basically, I feel better today than I have in 10 years. You may recall that I had surgery in 2016 to replace my stenosis Aortic valve with a tissue valve made by St. Jude, model TFGT-25A. The surgeon also did one bypass while he was inside messing around.

Fast forward to 2019, I been playing pickleball for the past year, enjoying it for sport, a workout activity and meeting new people. I play three times a week for three hours each. I also joined two local writers group and enjoy dabbling with writing some short fiction and poetry. It's another way to meet interesting people. These two activities are the result of telling my wife that I had to get out more often, away from working at the computer and practice my social skills.

Last month's cardiologist visit showed my valve doing fine, no problems. After two years of having a "discussion" (my wife would call it a "debate") about being on Metoprolol (beta-blocker, 50 mg a day), he agreed I could go off it. My side of the discussion was that it is was causing my heart to not respond to demands my body was making to get blood and O2 throughout my body during times of strenuous physical activity. His side of the discussion was "Why do you work so hard, after all, you are in your 70's?" He also believed that slowing the heart down would reduce the risk of stroke and other heart-related issues. I also felt it was causing side effects (weight, sexual and other.) For the past two years, my weight climbed from 180 to just over 190. Being on Metoprolol was suppose to also help keep my blood pressure under control. It didn't.

After a month of being off it, I lost 7 pounds, my PB first rose about 10 pts, then dropped 10 pts. It is still not where we want it, but that may be another issue.

Last week I visited my son in CO, where we hiked in the mountains. Nothing too big, around 12 miles at 12,000 feet altitude. It is a beautiful time to visit the Rockies, with the Aspens changing color.

Finally, being diagnosed and treated for severe sleep apnea this Jan helped improved my health also. I never knew quality sleep could make such a difference in one's health. It has helped in a number of areas of decline that I attributed to old age. I now realize it was contributing to a lack of quality sleep and o2 in the body which affected me mentally as well as physically. Some of the effects of the treatment (CPAP) were instant. Others may be seen in the long term.

So in summary, having a healthy heart, a good valve, getting quality sleep along with eating right and getting exercise are good ways to improve one's quality of life.

Those of you undergoing treatment or healing can look forward to feeling wonderful again. I truly hope you get there.

 

[skeptic49]

Superbob: so glad to see you back on here. Wishing you a speedy and uneventful full recovery. Which bovine valve do you have now?

 

[Superman]

Just realized we first ‘met’ about 10 years ago, SB. My last heart surgery was 10/15/2009 and I learned about this site leading up to that. I believe you were just shortly post porcine valve at that time.

Time does fly.

 

[Bina]

Okay I am staying the course. Cute nurses come in every 10 minutes and ask, where's your pain? and I tell them I have none. My aortic aneurysm is history, I have a new bovine valve that is clickin' along (moooooooo!), and the aortic root is sturdy.

However, major surgery stirred other gremlins, as sometimes occurs. The placing of a line in my left shoulder unleashed a cascade of blood clots previously hidden. (Dating way back to my baseball playing days? -- I wonder. Edit: Nope,doc tells me the clots are fresh, provoked by one of their lines) Anyway I have been on continuous Heparin IV drip for nearly a week while starting Coumadin pills. Expected to be on the pills three months. Goal is 2.0 INR range for release to rehab center for a little more prep to return regular life.

So it's a lot but I am staying the course. That's all for now. Let's hear ' bout you all!

Cheers,
Superbob

I am so very glad to know that you are recovering well from your surgery.
Remember--Chicks dig scars !

 

[Bina]

Superbob, you’ve been a valve brother for almost fifteen years, and now we share our mutual bovineness? Crazy, crazy! We’re preparing for husband’s cancer surgery on Monday. He stopped his Eliquist two nights ago so that causes me some concern. The ablation he underwent three months ago seems to have stopped his afib but we don’t know with certainty that he is past blood clot danger. Time will tell. He’s off work until December 2 so that’s another adjustment I need to make. Our marriage is about to enter unchartered territory! I hope we all stay the course.

Duffey, Best wishes to Bob and you as his surgery proceeds tomorrow. Please keep me posted.
We will share a similar challenge.....my husband is also post op.
He had a big hernia surgery last Monday and is home recovering for the next 6 weeks.