tattoos and/or memorials

[Trinityheart8891]

hey,
its Morgan, I was just wondering how many of us on these forums have anything besides a scar to memorialize your surgical experience IE, a tattoo or something like that, I have one (see avatar) trinity knot symbolizes wholeness, body, mind, and spirit, and the heart in the knot symbolizes how my experiences have made me a stronger person (the more loops you add to a knot the stronger it is) also, the never ending celtic knots symbolize that life goes on forever and ever IE life cycle

also, after the fact, I figured out that it works for some lyrics too
"his tiny knotted heart, I guess it never worked too good"
its from a tragically hip song "fiddlers green" which is about gordon downie's nephew who died of a CHD as a baby

see this link: http://www.hipmuseum.com/fiddlers.html

lyrics:

Fiddler's Green

September Seventeen
For a girl I know it's Mother's Day
Here son has gone alee
And that's where he will stay
Wind on the weathervane
Tearing blue eyes sailor-mean
As Falstaff sings a sorrowful refrain
For a boy in Fiddler's Green

His tiny knotted heart
Well, I guess it never worked too good
The timber tore apart
And the water gorged the wood
You can hear her whispered prayer
For men at masts that always lean
That the same wind that moves her hair
Moves a boy through Fiddler's Green

He doesn't know a soul
And there's nowhere that he's really been
But he won't travel long alone
No, not in Fiddler's Green
Balloons all filled with rain
As children's eyes turn sleepy-mean
And Falstaff sings a sorrowful refrain
For a boy in Fiddler's Green

anyways,
so do any of you have tats? if so, what are the references to them?
thanks

 

[debster913]

Hi, Morgan--

What a very cool tattoo as a reminder of your struggles and how far you've come!

I don't have one myself; I wanted to get one (a heart on my ankle) for my 30th birthday as a symbolic way of celebrating the fact that I made it three decades when the doctors only gave me three days to live when I was born. (Besides, the number 3 is my lucky number). I called my cardio, and he told me no. Actually, he said, "What do you want to do a silly thing like that for?" This was before my surgery (before my valve failed), and the cardio felt I'd be putting myself at risk for BE if I went ahead and got a tattoo.

I sort of wonder if I could get one now...but I'd probably get chewed out by my doc before he begrudgingly prescribed antibiotics...nah, I'd better not.

I'd like to see who else has cool tattoos around here, though.

Debi (debster913)

 

[geebee]

I have always wanted a tattoo but have been advised against it due to the coumadin and infection risks. However, I did have my ears double pierced after I started coumadin without even thinking about it - very purple for a couple of weeks. My cardio had a fit but I survived.

Who knows what might happen down the road?

Great tattoo you have.

 

[Karlynn]

I'd love to get a tattoo. I always said I was going to turn my chest scar into a long-stemmed rose. Part of me was serious! I think I'd probably do a tattoo with antibiotic prof., but I've read that sometimes the little extra bleeding you get with a tattoo while on Coumadin can make the image blurry. So it's one of those - Oh Well!

I also got my ears double-pierced after my VR. Probably should have done an antibiotic - didn't. No bruising or nothing for me.

 

[Bina]

Hey Morgan, great tattoo!

Many, many years ago on a trip to florida I went to a tattoo place in Miami.
I chose a small yellow rose to have on my shoulder. But when I went in the backroom and saw the large biker dude doing tats on a half naked chick, I got scared and left.....too bad. I wish I would've done it.

So, I guess all of us middle aged coumadin users will have to be content with the stick on versions of tattoos....airbrushing is nice too.

 

[Cooker]

I'd love to get a tattoo. I always said I was going to turn my chest scar into a long-stemmed rose. Part of me was serious! I think I'd probably do a tattoo with antibiotic prof., but I've read that sometimes the little extra bleeding you get with a tattoo while on Coumadin can make the image blurry. So it's one of those - Oh Well!

I also got my ears double-pierced after my VR. Probably should have done an antibiotic - didn't. No bruising or nothing for me.

I too thought of a scar tat. I was thinking of a staff with a two snakes and wings, you know medical stall.

"Many "medical" organisations use a symbol of a short rod entwined by two snakes and topped by a pair of wings, which is actually the caduceus or magic wand of the Greek god Hermes (Roman Mercury), messenger of the gods, inventor of (magical) incantations, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. It is derived from the Greek karykeion = "herald's staff", itself based on the word "eruko" meaning restrain, control."

 

[Ross]

I must be the only member here that doesn't have some sort of tattoo or piercing of some sorts. Fine by me. I don't care for them anyhow.

 

[Cooker]

I must be the only member here that doesn't have some sort of tattoo or piercing of some sorts. Fine by me. I don't care for them anyhow.

I don't have a tat and I'm talking about piercings

 

[Bina]

Ya, snakes......how about that rod and snake pic on the medic alert bracelets?
That would look nice on the chest area.

 

[KAJ]

I spent 20 years in Navy and do not have a tatoo and never will. Nothing on my body is peirced either. Until I was married, I never even wore a ring or any other kind of jewlery (except for a watch). My wife told me that was my "sold sign" and I had to wear it. Now it addition to my ring, I wear a medical alert bracelet That is enough for me.

Karl

 

[Diesel]

I dont have a tatoo either BUT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE! I had a good friend sketch one out for me though, its a zipper half un-zipped! I would love to have it down my chest. I would also like to have a small dangled heart hanging from it too... Someday maybe i will get it done... but something tells me that my cardio will say "NO WAY!!" But, i dont alwys listen either!

 

[sue943]

Call me old fashioned, because I am. The fashion for tattooes on women distresses me and I am glad my daughter hasn't gone that route. I am not even keen on tattooes on men. As for piercings, just a single hole in each ear so that I can wear earrings as my earlobes are very small and clip on earrings are not an option.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I don't know - maybe we should all go together and get the vr.com logo? Maybe it can be put on the agenda for the next reunion!

I always said that I would get one when I turned 40, but that came and went and it didn't happen. I've never asked my doctor about it. My brother has one on his ankle, one on his arm, one at the top of his back, and maybe a couple more that I haven't seen. He also has his tongue pierced and a few ear holes. Some of these things were done after his aortic valve replacement. As I've said before though - he doesn't follow rules well and doesn't always take his coumadin, so I don't know if he was on it at the time.