Catie's Guestbook

Marie Myers  I want to know what is happening for you also...You were a big help to me when I first found this site... Hope all is well for you!

  Oh my Catie B. You are not alone and yes God will be with you and all of us who are praying for you. So good of you to take care of your dad. What are they going to do for you?

Catie B  Hi Ana, I hope you are doing well. It's so kind that you've been praying--thank you! I'm alright. A bit limited, due to a fractured and sprained ankle that's taking a long time to heal. I'm hanging in there, and I know you are, too, in these challenging times! <3

  Sooooooo glad to hear from you. That fractured must be painful. I hope it heals soon. What is new with your heart procedure? I do pray for you every day. Be safe and stay faithful. 🤗😘🙏❤️

Rob Sparling  Catie, I’ll have to scroll down and find out more. I hope you got some scientific clarity and a path forward! Hope to hear more and catch up with you soon!

Catie B  Thanks, you all! Not much new. I had consulted with another cardiologist and she in turn had suggested I'd likely want a 3rd opinion and to also seek help from someplace like Mayo where a multi-disciplinary team could confer about my complex case. There were other factors that kept me from doing so for several weeks and now there's the outbreak.

  Dear Catie, we are here with you to help you wait until your third opinion and your new procedure and subsequent recovery. Praying for God to touch you with his healing hands and restore you to good health.

Catie B  Thanks so much, Ana, for all your kindness. I dearly hope you're continuing to have a good, strong recovery!

Catie B  Hi Ana! How sweet of you to leave me a note--and thank you greatly for your prayers. That's a wonderful gift! I hope your echo results are great. Not sure when you get your results.
Have been weathering some very tough and painful personal matters and have not made much progress with the complex medical stuff yet. I did meet with a different cardiologist, though. She wants me to first get another echo at her office. A few days later I'll meet with her and if the echo looks concerning enough, she would likely recommend a TEE after that. She wants me to find a multi-disciplinary medical team and doesn't really think I should have heart surgery locally when the time comes. We will see. Praying we have time to find solutions and to find the right specialists and surgeons to discuss the issues with.

  It sounds like progress to me and this new cardiologist seems to pay attention to your needs. Not getting my OHS locally was a great decision for me. I know our prayers are heard and God has a perfect plan for us all, whatever it is. Trust him and ask him to continue to touch you with his healing hands and guide you to find the right team to take care of your health. Stay faithful.

Catie B  Hi Marie! It's so thoughtful of you to write me a note. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

My computer went belly up, so I haven't logged in awhile. Received refurb PC today & will set up tonight. Meanwhile, catching up in the library for a bit.

No news on the health front yet. Though a couple of heart valve surgery survivors suggested to me that more info could likely be known about my valve through a TEE. Researched in-network cardiologists and gastroenterologists and need to organize all cardio and gastro paperwork-- currently two large piles--and prepare what I'll need to discuss at appts. All this is tough emotionally, no question about that. Haven't scheduled appts, but must and will.

Marie Myers  A TEE will for sure tell you more than an Echo. Hope you get good news from whatever tests you get! Wishing you all the best. Keep us posted, please.

Catie B  Phyllis, I'm sorry for such a very long delay in responding to you. I haven't been back to the forum for weeks, but it looks like I'll be here some, going forward. Congrats on three years since your successful procedure and for the good things happening in your life! I'm so glad for you.

Been in a rough patch for several weeks with my elderly dad's health. And I just received some unfortunate news about my valve. I'll post an update.

As always, best to you, sweet lady!

Catie B  You're very welcome, Ann! And thanks for your note. Recovering from surgery is hard enough without "extras" like afib. Someone I heard from before my op described afib as feeling like a washing machine that's out of balance thrash around in their chest. I hope things keep moving forward on a gentle track for you and that soon the fib will be completely out of your life.

Catie B  You're very welcome, Ann! And thanks for your note. Recovering from surgery is hard enough without "extras" like afib. Someone I heard from before my op described afib as feeling like a washing machine that's out of balance thrash around in their chest. I hope things keep moving forward on a gentle track for you and that soon the fib will be completely out of your life.

Catie B  Good news, Don. I hope it's a relief to have this part of things completed. Wishing you a speedy recovery and very successful outcome!

Catie B  Don, you'll be admitted tomorrow? Did things not work out to go in on the 27th? Prayers for you here!

Catie B  Thanks so much, Phyllis! I loved meeting you and am so glad whenever you post an update or photo. Best to you always! I'll have an echo at the end of the month.

Catie B  I just found your post, Rob. I'll be happy to share what I can with you. Need to run out at the moment--will reply a bit later today. :)

Catie B  BTW, people throughout the Cleveland Clinic cardio thoracic department, etc. told me that if they needed surgery themselves, Dr. Petterson would be who they would pick to do it. That was very encouraging from nurses, etc. He's highly respected.

Catie B  Rob, I believe the care I received during my hospitalization was stellar, and the surgery went very well. I ended up having a number of complications and in each instance, I knew this was not Cleveland Clinic's first rodeo and that I was in excellent hands. I trust you'll have very smooth sailing, but they've probably let you know that amount of time people spend in the hospital and in Cleveland afterward varies, depending on how everything goes. There can be lots of variables. And they will want you to be seen for a cardiology appointment after you're released and before you go home. Unless something has changed from when I was there in 2016.

I forgot to mention while posting on your journal, that you might want to call the Cleveland chapter of Mended Hearts and request a visit and phone conversation with one of their volunteers. The gentleman I met through this organization was a real blessing and he visited me around Day 4 in the step down unit. Dr. Pettersson had performed his own valve surgery and a few weeks after my procedure, Dr. P. replaced a valve for the Mended Hearts volunteer's twin brother. So his was another vote of confidence for Dr. Pettersson. If I ever face complex heart surgery again and Cleveland Clinic is in-network, I would probably return there.

I am not clear from your journal and story pages on whether you've met Dr. Pettersson yet. In my case, they wanted me to get everything done in one trip. To be honest, that wasn't ideal, but I think it's fine for most folks. My appointment with him was scheduled the afternoon before my surgery. Things ran very late, due to the extremely challenging case he worked on all afternoon. It was nothing that could be helped, just the way things shook out. A bunch of us patients needed to see him and each of our our times with him was abbreviated. I met him and to my shock, he proposed and quickly had me sign off on a procedure I'd never heard of in my life to address my aneurysm. (I left his office and Googled like a maniac, then decided no, I wanted him to do my surgery in the normal, classic way, the way that had been recommended to me for nine years. I decided I needed to speak with him prior to surgery the next morning. This was a highly unusual request on my part, but a nurse helped make that happen. He came and found me prepped in a holding room. I explained my discomfort/concerns about the procedure, and he immediately and kindly put both his hands on mine and said, "Of course! Then I'll do it the other way."

Most CC surgeons, once surgery is over, leave you in the able care of other physicians. In other words, he won't likely be coming around to see you every morning while you're hospitalized. He did stop by once, very briefly at my room.

I thought the nurses in the ICU were heroes. Very, very attentive and on it immediately if there was a need. I was at CC completely on my own and I never had to wait long for any kind of assistance on the step down unit, either.

I struggled quite a bit with the food and nausea. All the food smelled the same to me and nothing smelled or tasted good! There is decent food on the first floor where the cafes, cafeteria and restaurants are, so if you hate what they bring you, you can send a loved one downstairs to get you something edible. :)

I experienced a whole Kellogg's Variety Pack worth of struggles with the clinic before flying to Cleveland and there were a couple of mind-bending experiences early in the week before admission. It was uncanny how many things went off the rails and it was tremendously frustrating. Maybe it's just the day we live in; seems like we all really have to persevere, be vigilant, and advocate for ourselves to get things taken care of properly. There were tons of calls, faxes, etc., to correct matters. But I was determined to have my surgery there...

I hope some of this is helpful to you.

I hope you will have extremely smooth sailing from beginning to end and I hope your recovery will be strong and speedy!

Rob Sparling  Catie, thanks so much for taking the time to put all that down for me! I went and read more from your journal! Wow. Bumpy road at times! I hope I can avoid some of th twists and turns you endured.

I will pay close attention to the details leading up to the trip — still two weeks off.

Catie B  You're welcome, Rob, I think we all have a ton of questions, going through the process. And no, I would not at all expect your journey to resemble mine--many people have no complications whatsoever! Two weeks will fly--best to you!

Catie B  Hi Jean, and thank for your note. Yes, for sure. I've known for years they are important. For some reason the electrophysiologist argued that they're unnecessary. I hope things are going very well for you. My surgery was in 2016, as well.

Catie B  Hi Richard,
Only just seeing your post; my dad had surgery this week.

I hate that you have few people you can call on to help as you face your valve replacement. I realize how daunting that is! It would be great if someone at VFW steps up to come alongside as you regain your strength or run errands, at least could be someone to call on. I was glad to read that you've found a hospital you can place confidence in and will be selecting an excellent surgeon. For me, that may have been the uppermost factor, putting myself in what I believed to be the best hands possible. If, after you meet with a surgeon, you still need more input and another opinion, I hope you won't hesitate to seek that out. (I ended up having two disagree on an aspect and needed a 3rd as a tiebreaker!)

I know you have concerns about pain medication. Like many others here, I moved to just Tylenol several days before I left the hospital and I didn't need anything stronger after release. I'm not specifically knowledgeable, but I cannot fathom that your employer could expect anyone to go through major surgery without needing to mitigate the pain effectively. I did have a Fentanyl pump the first few days, while in-patient. Beyond any question, the worst of my pain was from one of the chest tubes--I'm petite and they ran one right up my side. Once that puppy was out, it made my life worlds easier!

Nurses and other staff were highly responsive when I rang. Early on I had considered hiring someone to advocate for me during my hospital stay and be with me during the day, but I was well cared for without that. Once your get to the step-down unit after release from ICU, they will want you walking the halls. That was a pleasure for me. They took me the first time and after realizing I was steady, I could take laps any time independently.

I didn't expect this, but I suffered a lot of nausea and the hospital food was exceptionally unpleasant. I didn't care how many times I had to ask, I continued to request medication to alleviate that.

The hiring that I did was all transportation-related. Surgeons vary and mine was of the six-weeks-no-driving persuasion. There were some emotional struggles with the confinement, but physically I was okay with everything. I was able to shower at the hospital alright and had enough strength to do life, once released. I've had the understanding that insurers won't authorize sending a patient to recuperate in a rehab if he/she is ambulating well. Certainly, everyone's situation is different.

If your hospital is not where you live, you'll probably stick around a few days after release, so you can attend at least one follow up appointment. If you have complications (I had several), it might be longer than 3-4 days. Trying to get comfortable to hang out and to sleep in a hotel room soon after surgery was a feat. I could've used about six more pillows than I had! Oops--after posting, I looked more carefully and I think you're having your surgery in your home town. Well, you still may want to keep some extra pillows handy, just for good measure... in case you have trouble getting comfortable afterward. Though I didn't suffer monster pain, "everything" in my upper body felt sore for a long while. And my surgeon's office would not allow side sleeping till the sternum healed.

You may want to ask ahead of time whether you'll be required to wear TED hose after release. With the post-op prohibitions, you will not be able to put those on and off yourself. Prepare your home living space for the fact that you will not be allowed to lift your arms high or to pick up anything above 5-10 lbs. If you own a reclining piece of furniture, you may use it much. I couldn't sleep in my bed for weeks. Plan to take advantage of a cardiac rehab program when it's offered to you. I think members here are nearly unanimous in our appreciation for the encouragement and strengthening it provides. If perchance it's not offered automatically, ask your cardiologist or GP for a prescription to go.

I did not want to mess with cooking for a while, but I bought frozen food ahead of time. Let yourself take naps, eat plenty of protein.

Wishing you the best on your journey, Richard. Holler back any time.

Richard Buzard  Sister is coming out the day prior and will stay a week; VFW chapter stepping up to help provide transport, and I found some home health care orgs that are in network for Tricare. Will probably have some limited help from co-workers as long as it doesn't screw up their schedule too much. It will be OK.

Richard Buzard  It's worked out well; sister was with me on day of surgery until yesterday. She did a lot of cooking for me, frozen meals that I will heat up. Better yet, completely overhauled my kitchen and made it more functional :)
Power lift recliner has been helpful.

Catie B  That all sounds great! I really thought you'd be going home without a stop at rehab. So pleased to hear you are doing well. And what a sweetheart your sister is to cook food and tuck it in the freezer, plus modify your kitchen! Keep on healing...

Catie B  Hi Phyllis,

It's great to hear from you! And I hope things are going wonderfully in your world.

I've had a bit of a rough start to 2018. In December my beloved dog was diagnosed with lymphoma and she passed in February--just broke my heart! In Jan., I fell. The first Xray didn't capture it, but broke my collarbone and badly sprained muscles leading to my rotator cuff. It's taking forever to heal! Getting an MRI this week for a suspected miniscus tear. I'm still sorting a few other physical travails. Sooo, the second half of 2018 ought to be outstanding, lol!

I so hope you are having a great time with family and friends. Are things good? Are you still traveling quite a bit?

Phyllis Petersen  Oh no! Losing a beloved pet is devastating. They're more than family. I hope your heart heals enough soon to think about another sweet baby. Maybe a foster?

You've been through the wringer! Shoulders are really tough to heal from. Right now, my back is hurting enough that I might have to get it checked, but generally not doing too badly. My legs still tire too easily. I need to push myself a bit more. I had an echo last week, but won't see my cardiologist until later this month.

As for travel, my sister Kathy and I did a whirlwind trip to Lubbock to pick up her grandson on Memorial Weekend. He's going to college here (U of Arizona). Otherwise, I haven't traveled since last November when I spent a couple of weeks in Mazatlan, Mexico. I'm itching to get on the road again. The kitties would prefer me to stay put.

My youngest sister Christine and her husband came out here from New York in January to look at houses and then came back in February to close on one. She's leaving her job at the end of August (she's Rector of a church in Long Island) and bringing most of her stuff out here in September, so that's pretty exciting.

I hope you have a fabulous second half of 2018 with no falling.

Catie B  Sorry for a little delay, Phyllis. Thanks very much for your kind words.

I'm sorry to hear you're suffering back pain. I hope the discomfort ebbs away soon, and if you end up needing care, that the issues will resolve easily. Hoping too that you'll get an excellent report from your cardiologist!

I'll bet you do have itchy feet to travel again. I love a change of scenery and sights. Hope a fun opportunity opens up for you soon. I'm picturing cats with a bit of an attitude when you return from your journeys.

It sounds great, having your youngest sister moving to your area soon. I'll bet your sister's grandson is happy to have you close by. That must have been an exhausting, speedy round trip to pick him up.

Thank you much for reaching out. Yes, I think about ready to research and get a pup. Eventually, I'd like to have two critters here. Though fostering is out; I wouldn't be able to give one back! lol

I hope you'll have a wonderful summer and rest of your year, too! Take care of you!

Phyllis Petersen  Fostering can often lead to keeping. I couldn't foster either. The one time I tried, the kittens mother tested positive for FLV, so the testing had to be repeated at 16 weeks. After having her for 10 weeks, I couldn't give her up and I was totally devastated when she died a week before her 16th birthday. Interestingly, each of my new kittens after her death adopted one of her items as their own, so I always felt like her spirit was still here. Almost 11 years later and they still have not tired of the bally (for Katy) and bed (for Uno). Good luck with finding a new companion or two! They do the heart good, even if they only stay a short time. How old was your dog?

BTW, you can always reach me directly at fabphyllis@gmail.com.

Catie B  Oh, wow! So, the one time you fostered led you to keeping a very beloved baby! That is so sweet, about the next kits each latching onto an item and making it theirs. :)

She was 11, a Tibetan Spaniel, a rarer breed. I'd wanted one for years. In 1989 during a rough spot in my life, I acquired a lhasa apso pup. But she turned out to be what's called a prapso, a genetic anomaly that occurs every so often with lhasas, where their hair doesn't grow long enough to be clipped. It stays much shorter. For years, people would see my first dog and exclaim, "She looks just like a Tibetan Spaniel!" My first dog lived to 17.

Thanks again for checking on me and thanks for your email. I can shoot you a quick note to give you mine. I hope this will be a lovely summer for you, Phyllis!

Catie B  Hi Chris! No problems at all in that regard. No additional pain on the airplane, the limousine ride to the airport, any of the wheelchair rides or on the van ride home from the airport. I wasn't in any more discomfort than during my hotel stay after the surgery. BTW, a few days into my hospital stay, I shifted to Tylenol only for pain. Hope this helps.

Catie B  You are so sweet to ask, Phyllis.
Well..... No, not yet. I just called the nurse line in Cleveland and she'll have a nurse practitioner call back. My heart rate has camped out in the 40s for the last three days, since taking 25 mg of metoprolol Saturday. My local cardiologist is on vacation this week, and I couldn't get anyone from his practice to call me back yesterday. After he spoke to me strongly last Thursday about needing to get my HR up, it's been scary. At least it's no longer going into the 30s like it was late last week.

Roseline Rosario  Metoprolol slows down the heart. ICan you call someone and just suggest yourself to half your dose .And see how you feel? How are your blood pressures. Keep calling people, someone needs to contact you . Sorry Catie just trying to inspire you to show these people they need to listen. I just saw my doc and told him that a med that made me feel bad could not be good for me.

Phyllis Petersen  I'm sorry to hear that Catie. It can't be easy with a HR that low. I'm on metoprolol, too, despite low blood pressure, but my heart rate was in the 80's, which didn't make sense to me. Yesterday I had my first normal BP (124/70). I have no idea how long they like you to stay on the beta blocker or the full reason why. Hopefully, the NP from CC can give you more insight. And, hopefully, your issues get straightened out soon.

Catie B  Thank you, Phyllis and Roseline. Roseline, I've tried to convince them to let me take half. The answer was "no," but today nurse from cardio's office said if my heart rate came up in the PM, it would be ok to take just half. Blood pressure is fine, no symptoms. I think my body just doesn't like metoprolol. They want me on it for the afib. Why none of the doctors have offered me a different medication is beyond me. Now they want me to see an electrophysiologist, aka rhythm specialist. Trying to find someone with an opening SOON. Want to get all this squared away.