Christi Harrington - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

1979 days ago

Tim Saint , Adam Collins, Susan Richards reacted to this

I am super new to the community and frankly to my diagnosis. I am struggling to balance the desire to just carry on normally with work and my yard and and ...Read more

I am super new to the community and frankly to my diagnosis. I am struggling to balance the desire to just carry on normally with work and my yard and and my house and my life and reminding myself to take it easy. My surgery (AVR) is one week from today and I am a bit concerned with how little information I have (about the surgery, about the recovery, about the valve, about the name of the pig or even if there will be a pig involved (I have decided to call him George just in case he exists...my apologies to anyone out there named George...blame bugs bunny for this one). Sitting here typing (umm...I'm on the clock right now but but am having a rough time focusing for any length of time on my job) my heart started pounding in my chest. I don't know if that's fine... just anxiety. Or troublesome...hearts aren't really supposed to do that. Or imagined...I don't think so but then again I guess I wouldn't know. It is comforting to read all of the posts here and know that I am not alone in this situation or in the anxiety. I appreciate all of the recliner, post surgery bra, date change dysphoria, non driving, recovery and healing thoughts, posts and threads. You all are a comfort to me. Thanks for sharing your stories.

Rose Madura Hi Christi, welcome to the site. It is a stressor for sure- OHS. Try to relax and remind yourself t ... Read more

Rose Madura Hi Christi, welcome to the site. It is a stressor for sure- OHS. Try to relax and remind yourself that these surgeries are routine with a very positive success rate. The odds are in your favor. Best wishes on your journey. May you have a successful surgery and uneventful recovery !

Meredith Bray Hi Christi, glad you found the site! The next week will be the worst for you, then you can start reco ... Read more

Meredith Bray Hi Christi, glad you found the site! The next week will be the worst for you, then you can start recovering. I'm sorry for the loss of your son, I'm sure you miss him <3. You'll get through this alright. My best advice for you is to begin planning something for after surgery - maybe about 3-4 months out. A trip, an experience, something special to look forward to. We planned a family reunion in the mountains of TN, and it gave me something to focus on, to look forward to, a reason to go to physical therapy even when I would much rather stay home in my jammies. I believe having something to look forward to will help ward off depression. What other questions do you have?

Meredith
Holiday, Florida

Joy Vera Christi, welcome. I am sorry for the loss of your son. I'd suggest making a list of questions for y ... Read more

Joy Vera Christi, welcome. I am sorry for the loss of your son. I'd suggest making a list of questions for your surgeon since you won't see him until the day before surgery & it would be good to get all the info you can at that time. Sounds like you've been reading here & some of our stories may help with formulating your questions. Best wishes.

Christi Harrington Meredith, I like your plan of having something to work towards and look forward to. Our younger son ... Read more

Christi Harrington Meredith, I like your plan of having something to work towards and look forward to. Our younger son leaves for college in New York at the end of August and I am still hoping to make that flight with him. If it just isn't possible we have parent's weekend to look forward to in October. We actually have so much coming up that I already had to cancel one trip because it was planned for days after my surgery. It will be tough to let some of the plans go. I guess my biggest questions are about the valve types and what I should be ready for in the hospital and at home. How long do people usually wait before working? Our son had a sternum resection and several chest surgeries so I am pretty familiar with what that will be but the doctors and nurses always had him up and moving so quickly it alarming. It seems like recovery moves more slowly with these procedures for some reason. I'm basically just eager to get it done so that I can start recovering.

Marie Myers Wishing you a smooth heart journey! Lots of good info on this site. You will be in post-op soon, so t ... Read more

Marie Myers Wishing you a smooth heart journey! Lots of good info on this site. You will be in post-op soon, so that is good. Waiting is hard!

Kimberley Anchell Whew, Christi! What a whirlwind. I hope you find comfort in the fact you're going to be good as new ... Read more

Kimberley Anchell Whew, Christi! What a whirlwind. I hope you find comfort in the fact you're going to be good as new very soon. Prayers for you and your family.