You Noticed!

[Lisa in Katy]

I've been in quiet elevators before where I notice people looking around to locate the ticking with that "is it a bomb?" look on their faces. I've also had one of my school kids hug me and note that I sound "just like a watch", at which point everyone had to hug me. I've had nurses ask my husband how he can sleep with that noise (what about me?). I've sat at conference tables where people say that they can hear me. But, I was still surprised last night when a lady at my daughter's gym kept noticing that someone's watch was loud. I didn't realize she was talking about me until she asked me directly if I could hear "that noise". I told her that it was me, and she said, "but you're not even wearing a watch." I said "no, I mean it's me personally", and I explained. She was sitting two people away from me, and it wasn't quiet, so my only explanation is that we sit looking out a window down into the gym, and I've noticed that the noise gets louder when I am facing a window. I was also leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands, which seems to make it louder.

I guess that I've gotten so used to the ticking that I don't even think of it as being loud anymore!

 

[hensylee]

You're freakin them out, huh? Tell 'em it's only a sign that you are very much alive and 'tickin' - pun intended.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Lisa-

Similar things have happened to my husband also. It's quite amusing. He's a tease though and usually says that he doesn't hear anything and doesn't know what they're talking about. Then they get really worried. He's got two of them ticking away.

But some of the doctors have been the funniest. These guys who are supposed to be unflappable, have done their own little investigations, seeing how far away from Joe they can get and still hear the ticking. We've also had Joe's heart sounds used as a teaching tool for interns.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

This in no fish tale, I swear!

This in no fish tale, I swear!

Shortly after my surgery, which was only a few months after relocating to Memphis TN....one of my neighbors whom I had never met came walking up to my home to introduce herself. I could hear this very loud ticking coming from her direction. She had been out on a brisk walk.

Said to myself.....your imaging this Gina. It's just me. As we continued to talk I discovered it was defiantly not me.....got up the nerve to ask her. Yep, she had a mechanical valve ticking inside of her. She was floored that I could her it and said you must know someone that has one?? I said yes I do....your looking at her. Talk about a small world. She lives just across the street.

 

[hensylee]

Such a neat story, Gina. One of those 'takes one to know one' things. Bet she became a good friend and neighbor.

 

[Zazzy]

Tick Tock... Tick Tock!!!!

Lisa... really enjoyed your story.

Take care,
Zazzy

 

[Jan]

While in hospital I never heard my Valve, But the day I came home as we were having lunch, my son said whats that noise
and we all realised it was me ticking away since then we have been aware of it I find it comforting

Jan

 

[Lorraine]

Hi Lisa,

That is too I hadn't had anyone really notice my ticking at all in the past 10 months until a couple of weeks ago. I was teaching a co-worker how to do something on her computer and she looks up at me and says "Hey, do you hear that ticking noise, it sounds like a watch or something. I hope it's not a bomb"( We work downtown in Chicago) I looked at her and calmly said "it's me you hear ticking. That's my mechanical valves" The look of surprise and embarrassment on her face was priceless. She aksed me how I could stand to hear the ticking all the time. I told her that first of all I hardly notice it anymore. Second I'd be more worried if I couldn't hear it. By the way Gina, I like your story too. That had to be a neat way to meet the new neighbor!

 

[JBriau]

Enjoyed your story!! I also have a ticker!!
Hardly notice it anymore. My children like to
tease me about it. If I get excited, nervous etc.
it gets louder!! My kids snicker because they can here
me tick in church!

Judy

 

[Mike in Florida]

Damn elevators !

Damn elevators !


Hi Lisa,

I consider myself an expert on the fine art
of elevator riding with mechanical valves.
I work in construction at Shands Hospital in
Gainesville, Fl., and I'm riding elevators all
day long. Having chronic a-fib with St. Judes
mitral and aortic valves has caused me some
embarrasment on occasion. Usually I'll cover
up all the racket by either jingling my extra
large set of keys, or by playing around with
the change in my pants pocket, or tapping my
wedding band on the elevator hand rail does
the trick also! Sometimes when riding with
say a Cardiologist, or Cardio. nurse, I'll
see if they can recognise the sounds coming
out of my chest, it's kinda fun!
One day shortly after Sept. 11, I was working in one of our outbuildings busting up
a concrete floor with a fellow plumber, using
large jackhammers. We had been going at it
for sometime,when a young lady asked us to stop
and come join in hands for a moment of silence
for all the victims of the terror attacks.
Well my ticker was going wide open in front
of about 30 people, all of us holding hands in
a circle. I thought I was gonna bust out laughing
after looking at the expressions on peoples
faces as they listened to my ticker for what
turned into the longest minute of my life!


Take care,
Mike in Florida

 

[Mara]

Okay, now you guys are just making the rest of us jealous that we don't tick!

 

[Lorraine]

Mara,

We weren't trying to do that! As clickers we get so use to the sound that when someone does bring it to our attention it makes us realize people do notice.

The girl in my office who thought it was a bomb, really made me laugh! I don't think she thought it was so funny at first because she was scared. Unfortunately, that made me laugh all the harder. Got to have some humor!

 

[Nancy]

It's called having a little fun with your heart valve. Humor is very important in the overall scheme. Joe has a fantastic sense of humor and so do I. We laugh about the most awful things.

 

[Beverley]

That's great. My kids have a good time with mine too. Every now and then my 10 and 13 year olds will say "momma, I hear your ticker". The nurse at my son's school asked him how I was doing ad he went into a long dissertation about my ticker. She got a real kick out of it. It used to really bother me but I guess I'm used to it now.

Beverley in Houston