Cathy's Guestbook

Good luck to you, Cathy. Pls check out some of my past Journal postings, which may help you and yours manage this adventure. Keep the Faith, and trust the science! ❤️🙏🏼

Hi Cathy, Had AVR Nov 1 and am old enough to have had plenty of family Christmas dinners at our home. I am in my 4th week of recovery and know I would not be able to "host" Christmas with the whole family now. Continue to share with others and get their opinions on this blog, they may disagree with good reasons. Having gone through this surgery, I would suggest you offer your house as a gathering place for family and put one or two of the female family members in charge. Sit back and enjoy watching the fun and that sweet grandchild, but be ready to excuse yourself for a nap or just some quiet time. Christmas together will lift your spirits and give you memories to get through this, but you may not be up to being the hostess. Prepare yourself beforehand so you are not disappointed in your lack of energy. Don't be hard on yourself. This is major surgery and you need to protect yourself as you heal. I am having family over Christmas Eve which will be 8 weeks out and I am ordering food and will do what I can. I am hoping even at 8 weeks it works out. I am sorry to hear about your kidneys. My mother was also on dialysis. I have been drinking filtered water every chance I get to flush out meds. I wish you the best and the Happiest of Christmas's.

Hi Cathy. I am just two weeks out from my aortic valve replacement. I was able to come home on the 5th day of my surgery and was so happy to get home. I had aortic stenosis - severe - so it was time to do this. I am not able to do much by myself to protect my sternum but am finally sleeping through the night and am able to contain my pain with meds at night. I know everyone has their own story but I am keeping a journal of my experiences throughout the healing process. I wish you Great Luck and look forward to reading more from you and everyone else here.