Wearing My Red Today

[Mary]

Daniel,
We could try a group hug, and say all is forgiven, but a hug might hurt at this point in your recovery!
How about we forgive and forget and move on?
But you might consider wearing red this time next year.

 

[Mary]

Daniel,

That explains a lot. I feel your pain!

I remember post-op, I was hurting and blue. I put some cantakerous posts on here and was later so embarrassed I tried to quit. Thanks to Ross, I wound up just changing my screen name (was BionicBob) and I'm glad I've continued.

Most of us got through some degree of depression. We get better and move on. It takes a man to speak out about the hurtin'. You've done that. Now maybe all will consider your serious point about going beyond symbolism.

Hope you feel better soon!
Cheers,
Bob

Darn it, Bob,
I've racked my brain trying to remember what cantakerous posts you're talking about. Can't you give me a hint? Here's another question for you. Last year, someone wrote a terrific post explaining all the pluses and minuses for going mechanical or nonmechanical. I thought it was you, but maybe I was wrong.
Was it?
I'd like to see a rerun of it, if I could.

 

[Superbob]

BionicBob Redux

BionicBob Redux

Mary,

This is what ol' BionicBob (my former self ) posted on February 1 last year, as he faced pre-op on a red Valentine's Day and OHS on the 16th. To think, I may have had one flash of insight almost equaling what Tobagotwo dispenses daily. As far as those cantankerous posts, you'll just have to keep guessing about them. I'm sure I vaporized them into the cyber never-never land -- and I'll never tell.

Here goes, retrieved from the archives:


It would help so much in making this momentous decision if we had a crystal ball, wouldn't it?

If I get a tissue valve, it will last (or won't) 15 to 20 years. I won't live any longer than that (or I will) and so that will take care of me fine. Or I will be around at 80 and subject to a VR for the tissue but medical technology will be so advanced by then, it won't require invasive surgery (or it will). If I get a tissue valve, won't have to have coumadin more than 3 months, which is the norm (or I'll be the exception and have to have it longer).

If I get a mechanical valve, regulation of the thinners won't be a problem (or it will be a pain), and the mix will never get out of whack (or it will, and cause clots or bleeding). The ticking sound won't bother me, even though I am a light sleeper (or it will drive me crackers). The mechanical valve will last forever (or I'll have some sort of accident, and it won't after all). I won't ever be far from a clinic and so will be able to keep the coumadin nicely regulated (or I'll be far away from one, in Timbuktu or somewhere, and too klutzy to do the self-regulating).

I want to go for quality of life. No, I want to go for quantity of life.

I am not trying to be flippant. You have given me a lot to think about. I am going to call my surgeon's office tomorrow morning and see if I can get one more session with him to discuss more fully the options. He mentioned a stentless bioprosthesis that does the Bentall in one seamless piece, as I understand it. (But I don't understand, really.)

This is an awfully big decision. Where is Solomon when you need him?

Thanks for your concern and advice.

Bob

 

[gadgetman]

Excuse me if I can't be more graceful, but my chest wound pulls, my groin burns and my neck where the carotid bypass was hurts so bad!
Besides i must be going thru my post-surgery blues period!
And the Coumadin must be liquifying the dendrits and axon of my brain
cells.

Daniel,

Here is your CRANKY EXCUSE. It is only good one time for EACH thread.

"Please excuse Daniel for anything he may say, do, act out, type, yell, shout, think, because he currently has a lot going on in his life. He has climbed a mountain, swam a sea, been run over by (select one [or all]: a truck, a train, a ship, a whale, a bus, a BIG woman) and been chewed up and spit out. Please forgive the "pumphead" responses he may provide. Sincerely, ValveReplacement.Com"

Use it very carefully. We love ya man!!!!!!!!!

OOOOOPS!!!!! It hurts when you laugh!!!!!!!!!

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[Mary]

Mary,

This is what ol' BionicBob (my former self ) posted on February 1 last year, as he faced pre-op on a red Valentine's Day and OHS on the 16th. To think, I may have had one flash of insight almost equaling what Tobagotwo dispenses daily. As far as those cantankerous posts, you'll just have to keep guessing about them. I'm sure I vaporized them into the cyber never-never land -- and I'll never tell.

Here goes, retrieved from the archives:


It would help so much in making this momentous decision if we had a crystal ball, wouldn't it?

If I get a tissue valve, it will last (or won't) 15 to 20 years. I won't live any longer than that (or I will) and so that will take care of me fine. Or I will be around at 80 and subject to a VR for the tissue but medical technology will be so advanced by then, it won't require invasive surgery (or it will). If I get a tissue valve, won't have to have coumadin more than 3 months, which is the norm (or I'll be the exception and have to have it longer).

If I get a mechanical valve, regulation of the thinners won't be a problem (or it will be a pain), and the mix will never get out of whack (or it will, and cause clots or bleeding). The ticking sound won't bother me, even though I am a light sleeper (or it will drive me crackers). The mechanical valve will last forever (or I'll have some sort of accident, and it won't after all). I won't ever be far from a clinic and so will be able to keep the coumadin nicely regulated (or I'll be far away from one, in Timbuktu or somewhere, and too klutzy to do the self-regulating).

I want to go for quality of life. No, I want to go for quantity of life.

I am not trying to be flippant. You have given me a lot to think about. I am going to call my surgeon's office tomorrow morning and see if I can get one more session with him to discuss more fully the options. He mentioned a stentless bioprosthesis that does the Bentall in one seamless piece, as I understand it. (But I don't understand, really.)

This is an awfully big decision. Where is Solomon when you need him?

Thanks for your concern and advice.

Bob

Yep,
That's the one! I'm going to bookmark it, and use it for every new member who asks the question--mechanical or nonmechanical. Unless you want to use it instead.
It is priceless!

 

[hensylee]

Daniel, we really do like you. Look what you got going - they really came out of the woodwork, didn't they (we)? We need a shakeup now and again. A bit of repartee never hurts.

I am a word person and love the ones you use; we just don't get too many fifty cent words (shame) but we surely depend on the two for a nickel ones.

I am sorry you are feeling so sore and all that goes with it. Promise you will be feeling better soon.

Danny, it was Ross' support thingy.

 

[Blanche]

Daniel:
I am so very sorry that your are in such pain and discomfort. While it may be a long time ago, I still remember watching my dear one suffer weeks after surgery. Thank you for sharing this with us. Still, I don't see how bad behavior is excused because of your condition. You hurt someone here, and as you can see with your own case here, when one of us hurts, we all do.

I know that I sound harsh, but I still think that common courtesy would dictate that if one hurts another with his words, intentional or not, an apology is in order.

Kind regards,
Blanche

 

[Mary]

Hey Ann,
If Ross is running around nekid, what exactly is it we're supporting on him?Danny says, "Just the thought makes me want to poke my eyes out!"

What is all this poking and supporting and getting naked to do it?

*I'm about to turn this into a _ _ _ thread*

 

[joanne6]

I will wear my pin all month

I will wear my pin all month

My husband wore a red sweater yesterday. I wore red and my red dress pin. Many of the local newscasters here in Baltimore were wearing red. I gave all of my women friends who have had heart procedures red dress pin. I gave a red dress pin to a friend who is having OHS this coming week. October is Breast Cancer awareness month. Februarly is National Women's Heart Health Month. Thankfully, I have not had breat cancer but I support that cause every chance I get.
With everything I have been through this year with the OHS, I will proudly wear the pin to make other people aware that women also suffer from heart disease.
I have not been on the site for a couple of days and missed some of the controversy but we don't have to apologize to anyone for wearing red or doing whatever it takes to raise awareness about this disease that kills women more often than men because it is so underdiagnosed.
By the way did I mention that I am a redhead??

 

[Marguerite53]

Daniel. Thanks for the explanation. Sorry that you're hurting. Perhaps if you post your date of surgery info in your signature we would have had more to go on. I hope you are feeling better and better as the hours pass by.

Daniel,

Here is your CRANKY EXCUSE. It is only good one time for EACH thread.

"Please excuse Daniel for anything he may say, do, act out, type, yell, shout, think, because he currently has a lot going on in his life. He has climbed a mountain, swam a sea, been run over by (select one [or all]: a truck, a train, a ship, a whale, a bus, a BIG woman) and been chewed up and spit out. Please forgive the "pumphead" responses he may provide. Sincerely, ValveReplacement.Com"

Use it very carefully. We love ya man!!!!!!!!!

OOOOOPS!!!!! It hurts when you laugh!!!!!!!!!

May God Bless,

Danny

DANNY!!! Um. Ladies did you miss something???????? He has been run over by ........a BIG woman!!!! Danny. I'm a big woman. I was nowhere near this guy!!

RobHol. Yeah, it was kinda sneaky.......hope it's a good game.

Marguerite

 

[strawberry]

Hey, Joanne, I'm a redhead too, hence (how's that for a fifty cent word?) the Strawberry! Which brings me to what I've been wondering...is it OK if I say I'm wearing green on St. Patrick's Day???? I have a friend that wears orange and one whose wife won't let him wear green cause she's Scottish. Ross, will you be getting out the body paint??