Hi Trent-
Did you go on a lake vacation? We just returned from a week at the beach. I too have numbness, and on my right side. I can relate where you say ...Read more
Hi Trent-
Did you go on a lake vacation? We just returned from a week at the beach. I too have numbness, and on my right side. I can relate where you say you can\'t believe it was you on that table. I felt very blessed to have just spent our 18th annual beach vacation with our immediate family and closest friends. I heard last night on tv \'we are all only a heartbeat away from death\'. Had I have heard that some years ago it probably wouldn\'t have phased me, but it really hit hard when I heard it. Hope you continue on your road to recovery.
Karen Campo
Trent Viavattene Went to a bachelor party at the lake and practiced some "moderation" as suggested by the cardiologist ... Read more
Trent Viavattene Went to a bachelor party at the lake and practiced some "moderation" as suggested by the cardiologist (and did a pretty good job at it).
Glad things are going well, and that you had a good time at the beach. We have not had a chance to take a vacation (when we had the time, I wasn't down the recovery far enough to make any long journey's), and now my wife is starting back up at school for the year. But thankfully there will be many more years to take vacations.
Things are getting back to normal, and I have to remind myself what just happened to me.
Thank you very Trent for journaling. I have the same condition as you had but I am on the waiting and evaluating options \"Adam is a blessing to all of us \" ...Read more
Thank you very Trent for journaling. I have the same condition as you had but I am on the waiting and evaluating options \"Adam is a blessing to all of us \" and so are all of the HVJs who share your journey. I will meet my surgeon on the first of August. I have watched all the videos about mitral valve repair however first hand accounts take the wonder and fear our of the process. The wait is definitely more difficult I am ready now. I will keep you as well as the rest of us in my prayers. God Bless you and your family.
Trent Viavattene You are most welcome, if you have any questions (no matter what) this is the place to ask.
I have to laugh...I am 8 wks and despite the scrubbie thing in the bath and using the pool I too admittedly have a lingering tape residue...
Take it easy going ...Read more
I have to laugh...I am 8 wks and despite the scrubbie thing in the bath and using the pool I too admittedly have a lingering tape residue...
Take it easy going back to work. I did 7:30-2 last week and 7:30 - 3 this week and that coupled with a couple/few days of cardiac rehab does leave me a bit tired.
Take care. Karen C
So funny you mention the tape residue.....I just found some this morning! My surgery was 6/4!
I felt like I was sprayed with a tacky glue that would not come ...Read more
So funny you mention the tape residue.....I just found some this morning! My surgery was 6/4!
I felt like I was sprayed with a tacky glue that would not come off with soap, water and vigorous scrubbing. It drove me crazy for a good 3 or more weeks.
nancy B
Let me know when and where and I\'ll be there. You probably know this, but there is a former valve patient (whose husband is also a valve patient) on valve-replacement.org ...Read more
Let me know when and where and I\'ll be there. You probably know this, but there is a former valve patient (whose husband is also a valve patient) on valve-replacement.org that posts many messages about Dr. Ryan\'s fine reputation. Just a thought as a lunch invite.
Hope rehab is going well. Will have to compare notes one of these days on progress. :-)
-Thomas H.
Great idea! Too bad Kansas is a little out of range! It sounds like fun! I\'m glad to hear you are doing so well. Are your incisions healed up? I enjoyed ...Read more
Great idea! Too bad Kansas is a little out of range! It sounds like fun! I\'m glad to hear you are doing so well. Are your incisions healed up? I enjoyed reading your last update! Keep it up.
Holly P
Trent. Glad things are going well. looks like a couple of great kids depending on you to keep up the good healing work. Yeah I find it odd that some people ...Read more
Trent. Glad things are going well. looks like a couple of great kids depending on you to keep up the good healing work. Yeah I find it odd that some people get put on Coumadin and others not. I wasn\'t put on Coumadin, but a few weeks later had a series of TIA strokes and had to go in for a TEE. They thought I might be throwing clots off the hear sutures or the ring in my heart. Wound up being what they call a Low Flo stroke. Blood pressure being too low. So onto Coumadin I went just in case. I just got off that. Also in my case I did not have to go to Rehab. Don;pt know why not? Guess they thought I was active enough not to need it. BTW I climbed a small Mountain yesterday afternoon. 3 months after surgery. LOL.
Anyway. Stay strong for those kids. You have something important there to live for and there is no better reason to get well.
God Bless.
Paul G.
Trent, glad things are going well for you and you are in rehab now. It\'s a great place to be, use it to your advantage, knowing you can push yourself and ...Read more
Trent, glad things are going well for you and you are in rehab now. It\'s a great place to be, use it to your advantage, knowing you can push yourself and still be \"safe\"!!! It\'s nice of you to stop by and say thank-you to staff....when you\'re feeling so much better! I wish I could do that, but have to settle for sending a card! Take care.
Holly P
Hi Trent..
Great news things are going so well!
I had to go to the local hospital today to pick up some reports to take to CC next week. They just opened ...Read more
Hi Trent..
Great news things are going so well!
I had to go to the local hospital today to pick up some reports to take to CC next week. They just opened a new cardiac rehab unit, so I peeked in the room to see how everyone was doing.
They all seemed to be having a great time, just like members have reported here....they were enjoying themselves. I am sure you will enjoy your rehab as well, once you get past the initial \"butt kickin\"..haha..Looking forward to my own \"butt kickin days\"..
Continued success on recovery, Trent
Connie T
Trent, glad to hear you have an echo scheduled with your cardiologist. I am sure everything is perfect with your repair. Let us know how it turns out. Take ...Read more
Trent, glad to hear you have an echo scheduled with your cardiologist. I am sure everything is perfect with your repair. Let us know how it turns out. Take care, Denise K
Hey Trent-
Glad to hear things are going well.
I did have one echo maybe 2-3 wks post-op and see cardio again today. I am actually hoping they do a repeat ...Read more
Hey Trent-
Glad to hear things are going well.
I did have one echo maybe 2-3 wks post-op and see cardio again today. I am actually hoping they do a repeat one as well.
Perhaps it is just paranoia, but while I feel good for the most part steep inclines and stairs are still tough. You occassionally hear about someone\'s repair/replace that began to leak again and that sticks in the back of my mind.
Good luck at today\'s appt and hopefully we\'ll both have positive news to share later today.
Karen Campo
Hey Trent, glad to hear you are doing so well! Good for you. My surgeon ordered a one month follow-up echo that I was able to get done locally, and then sent ...Read more
Hey Trent, glad to hear you are doing so well! Good for you. My surgeon ordered a one month follow-up echo that I was able to get done locally, and then sent the DVD to him at Mayo. I would call and ask for one to be done sooner than 6 months! Take care and keep walking!!
Holly P
Go Trent! I am sure your cardiologist will relent and order one sooner if you insist.. He may need to get a pre-authorization from your insurance company ...Read more
Go Trent! I am sure your cardiologist will relent and order one sooner if you insist.. He may need to get a pre-authorization from your insurance company to do one since you just had one done before you left the hospital. My cardiologist ordered one for me so he would have a post-surgery base-line echo, but had to get it pre-authorized first. I have not gotten the results yet. Good luck!
So glad to hear your check-up with your cardiologist went well. 6 months does seem like a long time to wait for an echocardiogram. CC did an echocardiogram ...Read more
So glad to hear your check-up with your cardiologist went well. 6 months does seem like a long time to wait for an echocardiogram. CC did an echocardiogram the day before I was discharged from the hospital. I hope your doctor approves one sooner for you. Take care. Denise K
Trent Viavattene They did one before I left the hospital, and that showed everything looked good. However, I was hopi ... Read more
Trent Viavattene They did one before I left the hospital, and that showed everything looked good. However, I was hoping they were going to do another one for good measure.
I can be persistent enough (pester them long enough) and we will end up doing one before 6 months.
Push for that echo Trent! You deserve it. It will be very reassuring to see the lwakage is gone. Great to hear that you are doing well.
I am doing find ...Read more
Push for that echo Trent! You deserve it. It will be very reassuring to see the lwakage is gone. Great to hear that you are doing well.
I am doing find with the wound vac. Just a little annoying to be sitting in public and having the pump make the sucking noise! Hopefully 2 weeks or less to be back to normal. Will keep in touch.
hahahaha,
My first sneeze didn\'t come out like a sneeze. I think it had to do with the damage the breathing tube did. it was more like a cough than a sneeze. ...Read more
hahahaha,
My first sneeze didn\'t come out like a sneeze. I think it had to do with the damage the breathing tube did. it was more like a cough than a sneeze.
Mine didn\'t hurt either (had a thoracotomy too).
Nancy B
Hi Trent...
Wow...I am so impressed...You seem to being doing so great. Love the pic with you and Thomas, you sure coulda fooled me that you had OHS just a ...Read more
Hi Trent...
Wow...I am so impressed...You seem to being doing so great. Love the pic with you and Thomas, you sure coulda fooled me that you had OHS just a few short days before. My surgery is scheduled 7/17/12, and because of your posts as well as others...I am certainly encouraged & not afraid!!..... Thanks for sharing....it means so much to us newbies.
I hope you will soon be able to return to your career. My son is an Air Traffic Controller at SoCal Tracon..... I know how important career is to you!... Continued Success on recovery..... you seem to be \"flying high\" :-)
Connie T
Sneezing yeah fun. I\'m a sun sneezer, so anytime the sun gets in my eyes I had to hold onto something. As I had robotic surgery it was more in my side than ...Read more
Sneezing yeah fun. I\'m a sun sneezer, so anytime the sun gets in my eyes I had to hold onto something. As I had robotic surgery it was more in my side than anything else. Don\'t know how the full sternum folk do it. Good to see you posting to the HJV site, so the rest of us can laugh at your sneezing pain! LOL!
Paul G.
I\'ve found that in the case of an unexpected sneeze, crossing your arms over your chest and grabbing your shoulders helps. Unless you\'re driving, in which ...Read more
I\'ve found that in the case of an unexpected sneeze, crossing your arms over your chest and grabbing your shoulders helps. Unless you\'re driving, in which case, you\'re outa luck!
Selma
Instead of ahhhh Choooo it is now... Ohhhhhh S*#t. Sounds like something you say at work. :) Glad your doing well. Hope you\'re enjoying spending some time ...Read more
Instead of ahhhh Choooo it is now... Ohhhhhh S*#t. Sounds like something you say at work. :) Glad your doing well. Hope you\'re enjoying spending some time with the family. DWoz
Hey Trent-
Glad to hear you are doing well. Yeah, the sneezes are scary if they catch you off guard, but once you control them a bit you dont even need the ...Read more
Hey Trent-
Glad to hear you are doing well. Yeah, the sneezes are scary if they catch you off guard, but once you control them a bit you dont even need the pillow. Take care, enjoy your 4th and keep us posted.
Karen
Hi Trent,
I\'m happy to see you are recovering well. I have Mitral Valve Regurgitation and I am looking at a right thoracotomy using the Da Vinci. Might ...Read more
Hi Trent,
I\'m happy to see you are recovering well. I have Mitral Valve Regurgitation and I am looking at a right thoracotomy using the Da Vinci. Might be a full sternotomy if my Tricuspid valve needs repairing. I hope my allergies don\'t kick in after the surgery and I get sneezing fits!!! LOL.
Warm Regards,
Lee Castro (Surgery Date - real soon)
Dr. Luis Castro is the #1 patient-recommended heart valve surgeon at HeartValveSurgery.com. Dr. Castro specializes in minimally-invasive heart valve surgery.
I am from: Plano, Texas
Glad things are going well, and that you had a good time at the beach. We have not had a chance to take a vacation (when we had the time, I wasn't down the recovery far enough to make any long journey's), and now my wife is starting back up at school for the year. But thankfully there will be many more years to take vacations.
Things are getting back to normal, and I have to remind myself what just happened to me.
Trent V