Susan's Guestbook

Susan Lynn  Christopher - So far, so good!  I had a virtually painless, textbook, minimally-invasive repair. Surgery was Friday morning and I was out of the hospital by Monday at lunch time.  I walked around unassisted on the first full day of recovery and needed very little help at home.

In the name of full disclosure, since my nerves were frozen during the procedure, I did have numbness, pins and needles sensations, and an occasional sharp pain on my right side for about a year as the nerves regenerated.  They were annoying, but completely tolerable.   The most surprising part of OHS was the exhaustion.  The healing heart apparently consumes a ton of energy!  

Getting a good repair is the most important thing, but if you can find a surgeon that can give you a minimally-invasive mini-thoracotomy and a good repair, I'd highly recommend it!   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Christopher T  I'm hearing more about this nerve pains with the mini thoracotomy.  Something I didn't really consider. I'm wondering if it is better to get the sternotomy instead. I've heard that there is less issues with nerve pain with the sternotomy. Mine would be minimally invasive robot.

Susan Lynn  Christopher - There are lots of sternotomy and mini-sternotomy heart warriors on this site who will hopefully share their experiences. I do know that the sternotomy facilitates the best view of the heart and fastest procedures which minimize 'pump' time. That's definitely a huge plus! Also, no need to connect to bypass via the femoral artery. It's definitely an individual choice. Choose what's right for you.

Susan Lynn  Christopher - I actually started working at my part-time job 4 days after surgery, but I have a sedentary, work-from-home position that only involves emails and phone calls. I felt pretty recovered in 2 weeks, except for my energy level. It took months to feel normal in that regard. Everyone is different, we have people who are running marathons in a few months after surgery and those who take a little longer. It's definitely not a competition - everyone's body knows when it's ready to get back to daily activities. Best of luck to you!

Marcus Krauss  I think this is great insight, Richard. As I've reflected back on my own heart surgery journey, no amount of research, preparation, Q&A, talking to other patients and doctors, etc, can really solve the fundamental issue, which is that as the patient, you need to learn to accept that you'll never have as much certainty as you'd like. I think once I realized that, it made the entire experience less stressful. No one gets out of this life alive, and I think everyone in this forum eventually comes to terms in his or her own way that there's only so much we can control about life.

J Alexander Lassally  Yes indeed. At a certain point, we have to just throw ourselves off the diving board and hope there is sufficient water clearance and there are no sharks or alligators below ! Not easy... I daresay us cardiac patients experience more uncertainty than many other surgery types.

Ana Brusso  Lots of wisdom written here. It is petrifying to know you are having open heart surgery. After two of them, the only thing that gave me peace was praying and know others were also praying for me. You just never know. 🙏❤️

Michael Ponzio  Well said. So many questions with no definitive answers because we cannot predict the future. Placing trust in God to guide the heads of the doctors. Thanks for sharing. 

Susan Lynn  You're so right, Richard! Heart surgery is scary and we have no other realitic alternative but to trust the surgeons and teams we've chosen. I will say, though, the success stories and reassurance that I received from heart warriors on this site before my procedure left me with a level of confidence that I could do it, too. Everyone's journey is certainly different, but seeing people enjoying life after surgery makes the ride a little easier. Even though it took you awhile to find the humor in it, you're inspiring many others in the waiting room who are also having trouble seeing the positive side of heart surgery at the moment. Keep up the good work!

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you Richard and J Alexander for these words of wisdom. My mind gets the better of me most days, and seeing everyone here sharing our thoughts and experiences help quite a bit on those days I am feeling stressed about all of this.

George Allen  For what it’s worth.  I have not had surgery yet but once diagnosed my cardiologist recommend using Antibiotics for dental work.  I take 4 - 500 mg tablets of amoxicillin one hour before any cleaning or other dental work.   

Dan Fouratt  For a long time when I had a "good" BAV I Premedicated before dental work.  The 10 to 15 years ago they stopped that requirement.  Now that I had my Valve replaced I am back on Premedicating.  I am going in next week and have my medication (same as George).

Susan Lynn  I pre-medicated for dental work throughout my entire adult life. Even though the American Heart Association has changed their recommendations over the years, all of my dentists felt that pre-medication protocol should be followed. I rarely take antibiotics so I wasn't worried about losing the effectiveness with overuse.

Dan Fouratt  I picked up my pills this morning for next Monday's appointment.  I give my dentist credit she gave me three doses.

Susan Lynn  Svetlomir - It depends what antibiotic you take and the amount of the medication.   I take 2 (500mg) clindamycin an hour before my appointment. 

Susan Lynn  Lilly - I had high cholesterol as far as I can remember. I didn't have high blood pressure, until my mitral valve regurgitation progressed.

The only one in my family who takes statins is my brother. They work for him, but I think there's too many convincing arguments to avoid them.


I was really panicked the day I had my cardiac catheterization because I thought after decades of high cholesterol, I would surely have blockages! But - all clear!!!!


Medicine tries to draw conclusions based on indicators they believe lead to complications. In my case, and my families', we have high cholesterol, but we don't have blockages.


Btw, my vegan sister also has high cholesterol and Hashimoto's.


Best of luck. Keep me posted on how you're doing!

Lilly Black  Susan, thanks for the interesting information! We learn so much from each other on this site. I was never diagnosed with blockages either. I will talk with my doctor to get another lipid panel and have a conversation about my propensity for blockage. What I fear the most however is an aneurysm! I will speak with Cardiologist in October and ask how we can check for additional aneurysms in my body! With connective tissue disorder, my tissue is very thin.

Interesting about your vegan sister! Did she agree to take Levothyroxine? That's the only medicine they prescribe for Hashimoto's.

I will definitely keep you posted on what I find out. Best of luck to you and thanks so much for your reply!

Susan Lynn  Richard - I'm so happy you found a great solution after 2 years of struggling. I've had a lifetime of issues with my eyes and will be looking at cataract surgery in the future.

Enjoy looking at all the beauty that's around you! Life is good!!

Richard Munson  Funny you say that and of course there is time for things  to change but for today, every time i stood up i was not even mildly unsteady. I am convinced that my eyes are now in sync and that is a potential cause. Even when i went to pt for balance they said that eyes can affect balance greatly. Fingers crossed.

Susan Lynn  Absolutely!!  I'd be happy to speak with you.   What's your email address?   I'll send you my number.

J Alexander Lassally  Diana - This is fairly common in thoracotomy from what I have gathered. One of the lesser discussed parts ...  Best of luck. 

Jim Rizzo   I had a mini T about 11 weeks ago and still feel occasional nerve pain. I was told to expect this for 6-12 months following surgery.   If it gets bad, I take acetaminophen.

Richard Munson  Common, had it about a year after but it went away. Nerves grow back slowly. Nothing i could not deal with. Sharp occasional pain. 

Susan Lynn  Diana - My experience was like Richard's. I had numbness, pins and needles, and occasional short bursts of pain for about a year. I thought it was a small concession for a (mostly) pain-free recovery!

Susan Lynn  Deena - Glad you had the chance to watch it. I think we can all relate to some part of Henrik's OHS journey. I don't know that I would have handled the news with the same grace he did if I received it in my late 30s.

You're right about surgery being the great equalizer. While our individual medical conditions are unique, there's a lot of similarity to our experiences and emotions. It was very validating for me, too.

Sue Maize   I felt the same way Deena! As in, well if an NHL player doesn’t want to do his walking routine, I won’t feel so bad that I likely won’t either! Which made me also realize, because I’m not in great shape like an NHL player, that I better make sure someone is with me for the first couple of weeks at home to make sure I DO get up and walk. 😰

Pamela Gregory  It brought me to tears. Felt like a was reliving parts as I had the same surgeon at the same hospital

Valerie Allen  Pamela, i had the same surgeon as you know. Wonder if it’s too soon (close to event) for me to watch.

Grace Mason   I don't think you would have a problem with it Valerie. It was less about the actual heart surgery than I thought it would be and more a story about Lundqvist's amazing hockey career and how his heart condition affected it and his self. I felt what made it great was how honestly and plainly he shared his feelings, which made it cathartic. I was equally impressed at how well he was able to share his feelings and what an amazing goalie he is.

Susan Lynn  Svetlomir - I had a mitral valve repair with an annulplasty ring and chordae repair. I didn't have any tissue resection. I went home on several drugs - some were stopped in a week, others over months, with the last one being the baby aspirin.

For the first three months, I took Coumadin and had my INR checked frequently during the first eight weeks to get my dosage calibrated to my diet. During the third month, I only had it checked a few times and then I was removed from it, completely.


I took a coated baby aspirin for that first year which may be the reason I didn't have any stomach upset. If you're not using coated aspirin, that change may help you.


It appears that post-op medications vary significantly from one surgeon to the next. There have been heart warriors on this site who've been discharged without any medications.


Be sure to communicate your symptoms to your doc, they may be able to do something to ease your abdominal pain. Best of luck to you!

Susan Lynn  You're welcome, Svetlomir! Unfortunately, I developed PACs and PVCs two years after my surgery. My cardiologist put me on Metoprolol succinate and lisinopril to keep them under control. I'd love to discontinue them, but they're working. I hate being on any medications.

Svetlomir Ivanov  So sorry to hear that, but what may be the reason ? You are look perfect on the pics? Is there any definite reason? 

Svetlomir Ivanov  Susan, did you stop aspirin abruptly or gradually? I hope, this condition is under control and no problem at all ?

Susan Lynn  Svetlomir - I stopped the aspirin abruptly.  You can't do that will every drug, but it was permissible with the baby aspirin. 

Svetlomir Ivanov  I was 6 month of sintrom, and no problem, after that 1 month of 100 mg.enteric-coated ''baby aspirin'', and stomach pains began..no Helicobacter pilory after test...But cardiologist insist to take...now he change to Plavix, do you now something about Plavix? I stop baby aspirin already a week ago, and hasitate to start this Plavix...My surgery was mitral valve repair with ring and chords, no resection...No other conditions at all

Susan Lynn  Svetlomir- I don't know if it would make a difference,  but baby aspirin in the US is 81 mg.  I'm not sure if you would tolerate that dosage any better than your 100 mg dose.  I don't know much about Plavix except that it's a prescription blood thinner. 
You might want to consider getting another opinion about your medication.   Unfortunately,  medicine is not an exact science and different cardiologists have varying philosophies on post-operative treatment.   Wishing you the best of luck! 

Susan Lynn  Teresa - First and foremost - think positively. Imagine every step going exactly as planned. Most people worry about things that never happen. Every part of surgery and recovery is tolerable. We did it - you can, too!

Secondly, as soon as you are able, walk the halls. Your only agenda is to walk, rest, repeat. Everything else will be handled by your nurses.

Third, remember that recovery isn't a linear process. Some days you're going to feel like a rock star. Be sure you don't overdo it or you'll set your recovery back by days or even a week. On other days, you'll be exhausted. Don't mistake this for a setback- healing takes a lot of energy. Your body needs the rest.

Fourth, keep your showers short and warm. Of all the post-op activities, showering was by far the most exhausting for me. I found out later, my long, hot showers were dropping my blood pressure.

Finally, plan something special you want to do in six to eight weeks. Let that be your goal. You can set some smaller interim ones before then, too. Celebrate that first trip out of the house - although it will probably be to a cardiology appointment. The first time out for lunch or dinner. Maybe even the first trip to the supermarket.

Like anything that's worth having, it takes time and patience. But, better days are ahead. You've got this, Teresa!

Teresa Karwan  Thank you so very much for taking the time to write back and for sharing your very positive and encouraging thoughts!  It means so much! 

Susan Lynn  It's 6 degrees at my house this morning!!! We rescheduled the date to Thursday, 1/25 - I can't wait to meet our Sweet Ana in person! We'll be thinking of you, Richard! Wish you were joining us!

Richard Munson  Why do they say its 20 but feels like 10. They used to say its 20 and it feels like 20. I’m 81 and i feel like 71. Must be my mitral valve wind chill. 

Pamela Gregory  Sounds like a lot of fun for Shadow! My dog Maisy (Golden) loves the snow too!!! And the cold, colder the better. Definitely treadmill when slippery. My mother-in-law had 2 falls this month resulting in 2 partial hip replacements. Please be careful

Richard Munson  Thats awful about you mother in law who i assume is up there like me. I just had a 4 part pt program to help my balance. The goal being not to fall on brittle bones as we age. They stressed strengthening core muscles, a bunch of exercises to aid  balance and lots of walking but paying attention to the surfaces we walk on. If you stumble at a younger age you can many times recover and not fall. Not so once you become older. I learned a lot. 

Susan Lynn  Richard - Glad you're bundled up! Walking is absolutely so good for us heart warriors, but you won't catch me walking great distances in these temps! My resolution for this year is to spend more time on outdoor exercise - I'm Just not starting until the mercury rises!

Susan Lynn  Thank you, Valerie! We had a great time! My sister and I live 3000 miles apart, so seeing her was a real treat!

Ana Brusso  Sorry for my mistake, congratulations on your 6 th . Anniversary 
Wishing you many. many more. God bless you my little Angel 🙏❤️🤗😘😇

Susan Lynn  Trygve - No worries! Glad you've come back to the site and thrilled that chemo is behind you!! Be well!

Richard Munson  My repaired mitral valve heart. If she does not know that after 56 soon to be 57 years of marriage, she will never know. 

Susan Lynn  I'm so sorry you've been having such difficulty. I worry a lot about my vision, too. I have cataracts forming, but I've been told that I'm years away from surgery. A little healing from your last procedure will hopefully make a world of difference.

Richard Munson  Here’s hoping. I have a cataract in my left eye but until my right is settled it goes untouched. Having eyes out of balance can be frustrating. 

Grace Mason   🙏Praying you see some improvement in your vision in the next weeks Richard. Follow doctors (and Nancy's😉) orders 

Rose Madura  Oh Richard, I'm so sorry you are having these eye issues. I'm not too far away from cataract surgery myself so it kind of worries me. My sister-in-law has hers done and she can't be any happier. I hope I have that kind of outcome. Praying for you, my friend.

Ana Brusso  I’m sorry my dear Richard about your experience with this new surgery. I’m praying and hoping for improvement in your vision soon. Keep the faith. God bless you 🙏❤️

Susan Lynn  Wow! Richard! I'm guessing you and Nancy were pretty shocked to find a hole right through the wall. It's nice to know that you've maintained your love for dogs even after parenting a rambunctious one. That's true love!

Richard Munson  You know, we always felt we got so much more in return from them that issues along the way were secondary. We ended up turning that wall hole ( and it was huge by the way, him being 110 pounds) into a door and small porch which shadow uses today. Silver lining.

Susan Lynn  Richard - You have a door, a porch, and one heck of an entertaining story to tell thanks to your dog! That is a silver lining!!!

Richard Munson  And some fabulous memories. Nancy and i were just musing about all our past furry friends and their quirks, after i showed her your post. They all brought something to the table to enrich our lives. We have been lucky.

Richard Munson  No doubt all our pooch lovers have some strange tales ( tails)  to tell. Never forget the look of accomplishment finding yukon in the kitchen after digging thru our wall to get in. We look back and smile but pretty grumpy at the time

Susan Lynn  Russell - The catheterization is a piece of cake! Watch the screen if you have the chance - it's completely fascinating! Try to sleep, tonight. Tomorrow is a quick nap and it's recovery time! We'll be waiting for you!

Susan Lynn  Yes. As far as I know, everyone gets one. If there are any blockages that are identified, then they will be fixed as part of the valve surgery (while they're in the neighborhood!). For me, any blockages would have eliminated the possibility of a minimally-invasive side incision.

The name is much worse than the procedure - they should really call it something else. It takes about 20 minutes and you can have sedation if you like. I declined it and gabbed with my cardiologist the whole time. The pictures on the screen are fascinating to watch!

Afterward, assuming you have a wrist entry, you have to stay in a holding area for awhile. The nurse will intermittently release small amounts of air from a pressurized band on your wrist to be sure it clots, appropriately. They recommend you don't do anything strenuous the next day that could aggravate it. Overall, it's a piece of cake!

I had the procedure at 4:30 p.m. and was leaving the parking lot by 6:30. No worries, Melinda! Easy peasy!

Susan Lynn  Just an fyi - most catheterizations are now done through the wrist, but the femoral artery above your thigh will be the back up plan just in case they have difficulty with that access. With that in mind, you can do that 'grooming' yourself or they'll be doing it for you. (We don't hold anything back on this site - I wanted to know everything in advance, so I try to give others full information. )

Melinda Donahue  Thanks so much for the info. So informative. I am indebted. I went to have my stress echo and there was no backflow and my pressure (heart) came down and was great. I
am still a bit ignorant of all this. Spoke with my cardio and am awaiting his report. He told me the regurgitation is severe but the stress echo results are excellent. I am scheduled for repeat echo in February. For now, monitoring. I don’t know how to feel. Happy to wait or nervous 😣

Susan Lynn  Melinda - The big question is timing for surgery. From one cardiologist to another, you can get a different answer. But, if you don't have symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, lightheadedness, or enlargement of your heart, waiting is very reasonable. But, since leaking valves don't get better on their own, it's likely surgery will eventually be in your future. You can always get multiple opinions and then make an informed decision. Do your research and make the choice that's right for you.

Susan Lynn  Melinda - Thank you for your lovely post! I'm glad something I've written made you smile! I'm sure you have a thousand thoughts going through your mind since your diagnosis, but trust me, you'll get through this like we all did. If I can do it - anyone can do it!

You're absolutely correct - Dr. Adams is among the best mitral valve surgeons and many of his patients are active participants on this site.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We'll be happy to answer! Wishing you all the best!!