Tracy's Guestbook

Tracy Simmons  Hi Phyllis. Thank you so much for the note. I have taken some advice and tried pampering myself throughout the year. I didn't take my heart anniversary day off this year because I had taken the week off prior to go see my mom and take a mini vacation with her :)
Recovery is going well, although I admit I think about my heart every day in some form or fashion - I don't know if that's normal or not, but I've always thought this journey is as much a mental challenge as physical. I'm pretty much back to my life and workout routine. I see my local cardiologist for my annual visit next month. How are you doing???

Phyllis Petersen  I'm doing very well. I don't think it's possible to completely forget your heart. Valve surgery is a major assault on the body and mind. We'll have to see as the years go by. I'm glad to hear you were able to take some time to spend with your mom. I was going to be in New York with my sisters next week, but the timing wasn't good with the holidays coming early this year. All the best for continued good health! Phyllis

Ben Hyman  My email address is lapidarian_2000@yahoo.com. Please send me an email so we can exchange phone numbers. Have lots of questions I would like to ask you.

Tracy Simmons  Hi Shannon. The regimen of meds that I was put on was a high aspirin dose. For one week they had me on 325mg 3 times a day and then the following week 325mg of aspirin twice a day. When I left the hospital I was feeling SO much better and continued for the most part. I did note that the first couple of mornings after returning from the hospital I had mild symptoms, but they subsided after taking the meds. Please let me know if you have any questions - it was definitely a scary experience that sent me to the E.R.

Tracy Simmons  Hi Denise. I think you'll really enjoy cardiac rehab. For me, it's comforting to be connected to the heart monitors while exercising so my heart vitals are monitored. I exercised a lot before surgery, but have been hesitant to push myself too much. I have just started walking at an incline on the treadmill at rehab and have had no issues. I have been working from home the last couple of weeks and attend rehab in the afternoon. I've been using sick leave to cover the rehab sessions. I had the less invasive procedure and started rehab the 3rd week after my surgery. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I wish you the best.

Tracy Simmons  Hi Linda. I have not had a lot of pain in my upper right side, but that area has been slightly numb until recently. Now that it's no longer numb, I do have more discomfort. I agree about not getting good sleep. I wake up with back pain from only sleeping on my back. Before surgery, I was all over - both side, stomach, and back. So sleeping only on my back has been a pain. I exercised a lot before surgery, but the rehab so far has me on the treadmill or the stationary bike at a lower speed with no incline. The days I don't go to rehab, I go to the mall and walk about 30 minutes. They don't have me using weights yet. My dismissal paperwork said no lifting, pushing, or pulling anything over 5 lbs for 4-6 weeks. I asked if that was for the surgery done on the heart or the incisions and she said both?? I understand the nap thing - I took a long today which is unlike me.