Carlos's Photos

Marie Myers  Happy Anniversary! I totally understand how the surgery feels like a distant memory. I feel the same way...

Carlos Banuelos  Not sure why my message above got cut off but here it is in full: Today was my one year AVR anniversary. It seems like a distant memory now. I found myself thinking a lot today about my surgery. I remember worrying whether I would still be able to do all of the same things I love doing after my operation (e.g., surf, run, beach volleyball and playing with my kids). Surprisingly, I was back to normal within a couple of months after surgery. Here is a picture from a recent surf trip before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the world. It wasn’t all a walk in the park though. It required a lot of patience waiting for my body to heal itself. My cardiologist was consistently reminding me that things would get back to normal in due course and that the discomfort or occasional sharp pains were normal. It took a little while to get used to and appreciate the clicking of my On-x valve. I eventually got my INR steady with my home testing kit and now eat and drink whatever I want. I don’t visit this site as much anymore. Before surgery I was on it almost every day. It was a great source of support and information, alleviating a lot of my fears and concerns. I posted this to hopefully support and ease the concerns of everyone about to go through the same thing. And I’m always available to answer any questions about my experience. Best, Carlos

john roland  Great post Carlos. 3 months post op I was also back to normal but it was a struggle in the beginning. Rock on and surf hard.

Herb Greenberg  Excellent, Carlos! Congrats. The human body's ability to heal never ceases to amaze! I was surprised how quickly things returned to normal for me. Thanks again for the call, emails and your insight.

Susan Lynn  Looking great! Every day makes a big difference in recovery. You'll be surprised how much better you feel after the anesthesia is out of your system. Your next assignment when you're feeling up to it - Walk. Walk. Walk. Rest. Repeat. That's the key to getting out of there! All the best, Carlos!

Bradley Dunn  Awesome - I agree with Susan. I also can't believe your are already posting. 24 hours out of surgery I was wanting to pluck my eyes out with a fork.