Gina's Journal

Helen Daw  I am 13 weeks post op and still feel stiff sometimes. I asked and was told it is normal. We just have to wait I guess.

Heath Knight  Totally normal. The pains you feel may even come from somewhere else, as I have learned from my massage therapist. You'll get over it soon enough. Good luck and heal well.

Willie Radl  I'm a month post op and still feel the sternum/muscle tenderness, I had a mini sternotomy so my right side rib muscles are the most tender near where the horizontal cut was made. At my cardiac rehab they have me doing a series of arm stretches that my rehab specialist claims will help re-align my muscles during the healing process. I'm not sure if I totally buy into it but it seems to be working. Are you doing any cardiac rehab that includes arm and chest stretching?

Felix Cherny  Gina! My surgeon said that my full sternum opening will take 3 months to heal and no more than 8lb should be lifted during that time. I’m at the 7 weeks mark now, and just yesterday stopped taking the pain meds. But, the chest is still very tender and when I sneeze or cough sometimes it hurts a lot. I suggest you go easy on yourself and reduce the weight lifting and other stressful activities. Just regular warm-up excesrises should help your recovery. Best wishes

Gina Fiorentino  Thanks for the reassurance and feedback. I'll definitely ease up on lifting/pulling in general since it is making me so sore, but will soon invest in some light hand weights, since I am not in rehab. Until then I will co tongue my daily, hour-long power walks up the SF hills. If anyone has any recommendations on a good video on arm stretches to help those muscles heal (and to strengthen) please do tell! My email is gjfiorentino@gmail.com.

Melissa A  I’m almost 12 weeks out from surgery and I have been having pain on my left side in the front and left back pain that sometimes feels cool or like something is super tight... I’m meeting with my surgeon next week because I also read that it should be healed by 8 weeks and wondering if something is wrong since I still get this pain

Gina Fiorentino  I saw a friend today on the street who also happens to be cardiologist, and asked her my question as well She said the healing and soreness sensations often go on for 3-6 months, even though the bone has technically healed. This gave me a little reassurance!

Carolyn Newell  Thanks Gina! This helps. I too have soreness on my right side and thought it was from doing too much too soon. So I'm back to doing basically nothing to see if the soreness goes away. Glad to hear it can take 3-6 months to heal. I've been wondering if this is normal. I'm 5 weeks post op today! Sounds like you are doing well with your hour-long power walks. That's awesome!!

Anna Jones  Glad you are doing so well Gina. Give your body some time to finish healing. I know patience isn't easy.

Kathy Blank  Gina- our journeys are very similar! I had my robotic repair (posterior leaflet) just one year before you. I had some dizziness and after lots of evaluation it was due to low blood pressure and dehydration. It was worse in the summer but I learned how to manage it by increasing my water intake and salt intake as well. I didn’t have restless legs but wonder if my daily walks and then cardiac rehab and return to running and cardio at gym helped prevent that. I am SO happy you had a successful repair and will cheer you along thru complete recovery!

Gina Fiorentino  Hi Kathy, do you recall how much water you were drinking daily at around 5 -6 weeks? I was urged to NOT drink too much when I was released from the hospital, but wonder if I should be drinking more...

Steven Perrotta  Hi Gina. Good luck I hope you are doing well. I really appreciated your advice on the book and meditation. It helped immensely getting me ready.

Gina Fiorentino  Hi Steven, I am so glad to hear your doing well and on the healing path. I have continued to use the guided meditation to help me stay calm when I haven't felt my best while recovering to help me heal faster, and also when I fall asleep during the cd- that's a bonus too!!!

Mark Wilbur  Thank you, Gina. This is why I come here: to learn from real life experiences like yours. These are experiences that we don't learn about otherwise. Your commentary has been outstanding from the beginning and is helpful to those of us who will face surgery at some point. Good luck with your Dr. appointment on Friday; we'll hope for more good news!

Helen Daw  Gina, so glad you are doing well! I have been trying to do the same thing. I honestly forget sometimes that I just had OHS almost 8 weeks ago. Everything I did before my surgery felt like I was doing it for the last time. Now, I feel that everything I do, I am doing it for the first time. I pray that you continue to do well. All the best!!

Civita Fahey  Hi Gina.. I like you tend to over do. But, I learned during my recovery that knowing what is too much really something you learn as you go.. I read all the stories that people posted here and some were walking 2 miles at 2 weeks, and I wasn't able to do that, though I'm in pretty good shape.. and I was saying.. what's wrong with me? its just that I came home very anemic and that really exhausted me.. So, I did walk at least twice a day and at first I did overdo.. I kept pushing myself because I wanted to "recover" fast and by the time I got home, I had to get to a chair before I passed out. I soon realized that this is a long process and pushing myself wasn't the answer. .I did what I could each day, if I was tired, I didn't go outside to walk, I just walked around the house every few hours. If some days I had more energy, I did do a bit more, but you will find that some days you're the energy bunny and some days you're wiped.. its normal.. it's the way it goes.. so, pace yourself according to what you feel you can do. Remember your body needs rest right now, so give it what it needs, sit, read, watch tv, daytime tv is horrendous lol) watch movies, if you can nap, awesome ( I'm not a napper), but, just make sure that you rest.. Right now that's the important thing, all the rest will fall into place when your body has healed a bit and it will let you know when it can do more. Also, hard beats or feeling your heat is common, I would look down at my chest and it would be moving. it was so strange. It tends to get better as you go along.. I think I felt it for months and at times, I still feel it beat hard, though my HR is normal. I was told it can take up to 18 months for the heart to full heal. There are so many new "normals" after OHS. I'm still finding that out. It all scares at first and I think it always will, but its something as I posted before we need to let go at some point in time and each one of us will find our own personal time.. On a personal note, I did a full boxing class last night, which is an hour and I felt great.. I was so scared to go to class even though I have been working with a trainer for months. I felt like a head case. .haha., but as I said to my husband, the fear is real. and those of us that have gone through OHS only know that's why this community is such a huge help to us all. I found speaking to people on the phone helped me a lot too, (but I'm a talker) so if you feel that would help, let me know I can send you my number.. best to you and take it easy.. .

Michael Neverisky  Welcome home,Gina! No suggestions, but I love what you wrote about awe. OHS is a life changing event and our response can be a gift. Sounds like you are there.

Best wishes for healing.

Gina Fiorentino  Civita, Michael- thank you so much for your posts. Very, very helpful. I appreciate the words of encouragement and reading what your both up to!
Hearing about your perspectives helps me find my own, and also to feel a little more confident in managing my expectations. Civita, thanks too- for the offer to talk sometime. Im sure i will take you up on that once Im feeling a little steadier. Have a beautiful day!

Marie Myers  I experienced several shorter episodes of arrythmyias in the first several months after surgery. They are unnerving, but the number of episodes gradually decreased over the next few months. I rarely feel any abnormal beats now at 1 year. Happy Healing!

Helen Daw  Hi Gina, so glad you are doing well and recovering nicely. To answer your first question, yes my heart was beating so fast that it scared the hell out of me. My doctor son was home and he said that it is normal to go up to 130-140 bpm. I also cut down on my coffee intake and that helped a lot. One cup a day for now. As far as recovering, take your time and listen to your body. I was able to do 2 miles in one walk but relaxed the remainder of the day. I didn't need any naps . Everybody recovers differently so you need to listen to your body and use common sense. Please keep us posted on your progress. All the best

Rita Savelis  I'm sorry that no one at hospital explained aftereffects of OHS to you, because fast heartbeats and lound heartbeats and irregular heartbeats are a common side effect. Often patients are on betablockers to slow down their hearts for a few months.
Your heart has been through A LOT so it is actually quite normal that it would need a period of adjustment as it heals.
Take it easy. Rest. Give yourself time to heal. Take care.

Helen Daw  So glad you are on the recovery side! It is a great feeling to put this behind and move on. Wishing you a very speedy recovery. All the best!!

Gina Fiorentino  Thanks Helen, I remember you were very nervous before surgery too... and it has been wonderful to read your posts and so encouraged when you said it "wasnt that bad". At this stage I do agree... even though I definitely feel the discomfort in my chest when I try to expand my lungs, it is manageable so far with the help of the Tylenol and Tramadol.

Anna Jones  I'm so very happy that you are doing well and are getting great care. Thank you, Gina, for letting us know that recovery isn't so bad immediately after surgery. Sending best wishes for a containing easy road ahead in recovery.

Susan Killian  I too want to thank you Gina and Helen and everyone else that has been through this and recovering, this is the one place I can come and feel my anxiety actually going down. 32 more days and I will go through it myself and hope I can help others when I come out the other end! Keep going Gina and keep us posted!

Wanda Blackwood  Hey Gina, so glad to hear from you that all is going well. Congratulations!!!!! Your on the recovery side now 😁 yay!!!

Gina Fiorentino  Thanks everyone. It is so liberating to see how worry and anxiery can be transformed by helping others along and receiving support.

Suzanne Finn  Sounds like thungs are going really well, hooray! Positive thinking and being gratefulfor each moment is key.. Keep it up.

Civita Fahey  Glad to hear you are doing well Gina.. time to focus on recovery.. take it at your own pace, one day at a time.. all will be well.

Gina Fiorentino  Just saw Nupur's question: The name of the book with guided imagery/meditation CD titled: "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster" by Peggy Huddleston. *There is a mitral valve video clip on her site with a patient and surgeon who both go through the process: www.healfaster.com

Glenn Dietz  I am 4 weeks after my surgery and feeling pretty good. Just know that you will likely feel better every day. Wishing you the best

Susan Killian  my heart surgeon had the dentist sign off on the surgery, had to get issues addressed before the heart surgery. Had one root canal and am having more work done this week. OHS is scheduled for April 11.

  Hi Gina, I would also discuss whether you should have a filling and cleaning done so close to surgery.

Anytime I go to the dentist, I take 2gm of Amoxicillin one hour before the procedure. Before OHS, I took the meds because of my history of rheumatic heart disease and mitral stenosis. After my OHS in Aug/17, it's now important to take the antibiotic because of the mechanical mitral valve.

I just had my teeth cleaned two weeks ago ... it had been a year since the last one but I couldn't use my dental insurance before November and of course, I couldn't have a cleaning, etc so soon after heart surgery.

Helen Daw  I had my teeth cleaned 2 week before surgery. Took Antibiotic before and was cleared by my dentist for the OHS.

Rita Savelis  When I woke up it was a bit disorienting. I was on morphine right afterwards, which relaxes you. You will be given pain meds if you need them. You usually are unaware of everything that is going on - those who visit you will see more than you. If you tell your anasthesiologist that you are subject to nausea, he/she will put something in your anasthesia to help with that. I personally didn't have any nausea (although I normally do). You should try to drink as much water as you can afterwards in the coming days. The first few days are weird, but sort of foggy. An anasthesiologist should be able to explain surgery and the few days following it to you, if you ask beforehand. Wishing you the best.

Sophia Ridley  Make sure for next two weeks that you look after yourself like you never have before - eat a good varied diet, fresh as you can. Drink plenty of water and cherish yourself with exercise, sleep and even massage. Get your hair cut, meet friends, do lots of things you enjoy but get yourself time.

I didn’t do what I recommend and I think it affected my surgery - I was running about organising, cooking, cleaning, etc etc. I worked long hours up to a week before and had been eating rubbish. My parents were meant to be here before my opto look after my girls and they couldn’t come last minute for that week so we had to arrange childcare etc. All rather stressful as my mum was having scans the day of my surgery.
The very best thing I did do was the massage as I slept a solid 12 hours afterwards and it loosened all my muscles, and the night before surgery we went for a long walk to the Brompton Oratory which calmed me.

Use ear plugs and eye mask as soon as you can post op.

I had MV repair, open 2yrs ago. I was coming round from surgery to find I was having a blood transfusion with adrenaline as my blood pressure was v low. I chose to wake up fully to take control of the situation. This is why I tell everyone to drink plenty of water in the weeks beforehand, this all could have been avoided. Also I remember telling God that now was not my time, and I thanked Him that I was through!

Probably due to the transfusion I came through very alert and raring to go!! No nausea. I am allergic to morphine so was on fentanyl, so that could explain my reaction too!! I couldn’t sleep with the lights and all the noises, and got anxious so much so I demanded to see a doctor, as the nurse was offish. All was fine, I was moved to step down and they sat me out to have breakfast, which I remember eating, and then still couldn’t sleep. Then I was back to my room, I was exhausted and craving sleep. I also wanted to release all the tension but couldn’t cry until a few days later - which was a wonderful experience of freeing months of tension. My friend got me ear plugs and an eye mask and it made such a difference. As Rita says drink well after and eat, even if you don’t want to.

I then had catheter removed and got a kidney infection (I’ve also had 2x kidney surgery) which is a different story...

Wayne Casey  I was disoriented and thirsty. The only discomfort I had was from my chest tubes. There are a lot of lines and tubes coming off of you, including a breathing tube. My tube kept me from talking. Be ready for that. But I was not in a lot of pain. Good luck. I’m sure it will go well. :)

Kathy Blank  I was half awake and heard the nurses talking to my family about removing the breathing tube once I was more alert and tried so hard to wake up but I had no awareness of the breathing tube. Next thing I know I was awake- no breathing tube and I was greeted by my family! I was drowsy and spoke very labored but was relieved and so happy to see my family! The main thing the first few days is to try and stay ahead of the pain and don’t be afraid to ask for options for pain relief. I took tramadol alternated with toradol as well as Tylenol- I think.

Michael Neverisky  Hi Gina, welcome to this supportive community!

The first surgery of my life occurred at age 59 on February 8th, just two weeks ago. Mitral valve repair via sternotomy. I feel pretty good today, no pain, no pain medication. To your questions:

1) No time elapsed between my greeting my surgeon in the OR and seeing my wife's face in front of me in the ICU. Very sleepy, somewhat uncomfortable... but I couldn't say why. Mostly sleepy. No sense of fear, no worry... just sleepy. I remember the nurse asking about discomfort and I must have replied. I recall her saying "we are taking you off morphine so you can leave ICU and go up to cardiac".

2) The best advice I have, which brought me ease, is to stay in the present moment. Concerns about the past, what-ifs about the future are not reality. What is real is this moment and in this moment you are healing. You are very well supported by compassionate, skilled professionals who are always by your side. In this moment everything is OK. And that means now as you read this and every now hereafter.

3) Yeah, I was thirsty and as my surgeon said on his first post-op visit to my room "Isn't that the best popsicle of your life!". Ice chips, too. Not a trace of nausea. Zero.

The staff on the cardiac floor of CMC in New Hampshire always said "thank you" to one another. And once in a while "I love you" Their gratitude was contagious and I consider it a gift.

Best wishes, Gina. We are here cheering for you!

Barbara Wood  I was in icu for almost 24 hours but I only remember the last 20-30 minutes of it, as they prepared to move me to a step down room. I assumed I had been unconscious during that time, but my husband says I was talking, sitting in a chair, lucid, just seemed slightly drunk:). Must have been the effects of the anaesthetic? I was nauseated the first day in step down - ginger ale & crackers from the floor kitchen helped that. I never had any pain - in the hospital or at home. I kept expecting it, but it never came!
My hospital experience was wonderful - hope yours is too Gina! Best wishes!

Marie Myers  When I woke up, I was amazed and relieved it was over,since I did not remember anything past leaving preop. The lovely nurse anesthetist gave me midazolam, and I have no memory of anything till the surgery was over. Wonderful! Woke up with the tube in, but it was not really distressing. I drifted off again, and the next thing I knew, the tube was out. Overall, most everything was much easier than I thought it would be...

Patricia Allen  I remember very clearly waking up and I remember my pre surgery instructions to remain calm when I do wake up because I will be on a respirator. I was told to try tobreathe on my own so they could remove the respirator. Wasn’t a lot of pain at that time but I was so very thirsty and trying to communicate my concerns to the nurses was difficult. I was ICU for the first day. I remember all my family and friends visiting the 2nd time, first time I was still out of it. Listen carefully to your caregivers, best advice was to remain calm. They know what they are doing and are right by your side. Communicate your needs the best you can. Many prayers for you

Helen Daw  I just had my surgery 11 days ago and I remember the ICU very well, but don’t remember the breathing tube(the thing that was freaking me out before my surgery). The nurse was phenomenal and made me very comfortable. My mouth was very dry and she gave me an ice cube. I sat in a chair, she made me eat 1/2 a banana and walked a few steps then on to my room. The pain was not bad. I got the best treatment in ICU. Don’t remember when my family came over, but remember their voices calling my name. It is really not bad

Clint Bayman  I don't think there's any need for the CLEARFAST. You're supposed to not have anything to eat or drink for at least 6-8 hours prior to surgery, anyway.

Plus, I was given antinausea medication prior to surgery. And they'll definitely pump you full of IV fluids, so you won't dehydrate. So I don't think you'll need to worry about doing anything extra for those kinds of symptoms.

Gina Fiorentino  Everyone, thanks a million for sharing.
Im so touched by your experiences and kind words of wisdom. Im starting to feel less alone and that also helps me get out of my head. I'll try to stay calm, remember to be present, and in gratitude. Thanks too, for your prayers and keeping me in your thoughts. (I hope to offer the same encouragement to others during and after my recovery!)

Noreen Kitchen  The absolute worst part is the waiting. You will find that your imagination makes things far more scary than the reality of what’s to come. That’s what I found at least. I agonized for weeks before and after it was over I couldn’t believe it. You will do great and soon you’ll be on the recovery side and looking back at how well everything went.

Mark Wilbur  Gina, thank you for asking this question. And thanks to everyone who responded. For those of us who are still waiting and wondering, the sharing of your experiences is priceless. Great question... great responses!

Toni Z  I was surprisingly calm the day before and morning of the surgery. I focused on the thing I can control and was thankful for my family. I don’t recall any thing after my pre-op prep and said bye to hubby. I think that was when I went under. Next thing I recall was walking up on and was told to try to breath and that was difficult because my throat was sore. Uncomfortable but not painful and that was over pretty quickly from my perspective. My throat was sore and dry so talking was hard. Thank goodness for ice chips. I was on morphine and that made me a bit nauseous and they gave me meds for that. I had them switch me to Percocet so I would not be sleepy from the morphine. I didn’t want norco since I get very nauseous with it. Pain wasn’t too bad on day 3 on. Didn’t have much appetite but knew I had to eat so it was apple sauce and jelly. Chest tubes weren’t too bad, just a drag to move around.
Hope this helps and pray for best results and recovery.

Rose Madura  I didn't wake up for ~ 15 hours after the surgery was done. And I had the breathing tube still in and because of that, my arms were restrained. I was irritated about the breathing tube but they took it out once I woke up. I couldn't breathe on my own previously. Then I was extremely thirsty. I do remember my nurse Bill well and I remember my husband was there when I woke up. He swabbed my lips and a little while later, he gave me some ice chips. I had very little pain because they gave me lots of pain medicine. Also, just prior to surgery, when I spoke with the anesthesiologist, I told him that I typically get nauseous after sedation so he gave me something to help with that and I was fine. No nausea. Also, I told him I was nervous about the surgery so as soon as the operating room doors opened, I was out..... Hope this helps.

Elaine Phares  Gina, I was so concerned about the breathing tube AND the removal of the chest tube. I wish I had spent less time worrying about both. I remember most of the ICU experience. The first time (I had a complication and they had to go back in the next day) the breathing tube was nothing. I woke up knowing it was there and it was not bad when they took it out. The 2nd time was a little more uncomfortable, but again didn't hurt coming out. I got ice chips even a coke. I was not overly thirsty. Be sure to have lip balm. Used it the entire hospital stay.
Chest tube had me so scared. It too was not bad. Just a weird sensation when it came out. Almost 3 weeks out from surgery and I feel really great!
Best of luck to you.

Michael Cline  I really appreciate all of your stories. I was told in January that I need AVR, but decided to wait until June to have it done. Your stories are putting my mind at ease.Thank you.

Phyllis Petersen  Hi Gina, Only a few days left! I hope you've found ways to quell some of the anxiety that comes as you get closer. Make sure to do something fun! I was very groggy that first day. I don't remember the breathing tube at all. I remember trying to throw a kiss to my uncle and cousin and they couldn't figure out what on earth I was doing with my mouth. I do remember my sister leaving to get something to eat and promising to return and that she didn't come back. (She made up for it by bringing me my favorite tea each morning in stepdown.) I woke several times to my near neighbor's t.v. The first 24 hours after surgery would best be described as vague. Late the next afternoon, I was moved to stepdown (they had some trouble finding me a bed any earlier). After that, things progressed quickly. Surgery first thing Thursday morning, released Monday morning. My experiences may be a bit different, since you will be having a different technique. Mine was side-entry, robotically-assisted. I wish you all the best with a successful surgery and an uneventful recovery.

Toni Z  Hi, I’m approaching week 5 and didn’t need it. You are uncomfortable as it is and I would think it would make me more uncomfortable. Just be careful with your movements.

Civita Fahey  I didn't need anything, though if you see the scar getting thick, use some silicone strips.. I wish I had known earlier so that I wouldn't be dealing with a hypertrophic scar ( like a keloid). I really had no sternal pain at all, to speak of unless I coughed or sneezed of course and that's what the "heart pillow" is for.!

Gerald Poulton  The sternum seemed to be the least of my issues, no real pain or scar issues, just take it easy till you heal and you should be fine

Steve Farthing  Wow, you have Dr. Castro! Sequoia Hospital, right?Sounds like he will do a 'minimally invasive' procedure so you may not have an incision in your sternum area. Castro could answer that question for you. If you do have a sternum incision, it will probably be much smaller than typical. I happened to have a 'minimal' incision for mitral valve repair 7 months ago (in Colorado) and my doc made a small 2 1/2" incision on my right side between 2 ribs without cutting any bone tissue. The sternum protector would probably not have helped me since my sternum was totally intact. I experimented with taping wax paper over the incision for the 1 week that it was super-sensitive like being sunburned. That helped keep my shirt from irritating the area. Dr. Castro may have an email so you can ask him a question when you have one both before and after your mitral valve repair. But you have already learned if a doc can't repair a mitral valve, that doc may not be all that skilled. Your biggest issue may just be the traffic between San Francisco and Redwood City!

Gina Fiorentino  Hi Steve, thanks for your post and the wax paper tip. I appreciate your input and sense of humor as well. It's nice to hear you know about Dr. Castro. I found him randomly on You Tube, and got very lucky to find him to be a very trusted surgeon in my area. He said he could do the minimally invasive "port access" or a "lower sternotomy" (which would only have a smallish, 3 inch incision). I asked him which he preferred for my situation and he said either way was fine, but that he leaned toward the "lower sternotomy"- explaining it was often less painful and that he could also see the whole heart really well. He added that about 10% of the time he sees something else that needs attention, so I defer to his expertise.

Steve Farthing  Since he mentioned seeing the whole heart better with the lower sternotomy, that may mean if he uses port access, he does not also use an endoscope but rather uses 'direct vision' so the lower sternotomy might have a better view. While nobody can predict pain precisely, many who have had a full sternotomy report here that they have very little pain.

Bonnie Stone-Hope  Hi Gina,
My sternum was not a problem, healed very nicely with minimal discomfort. Did not need any device. Just hugged my pillow and used sternal precautions.

Wayne Casey  As a patient who has had minimally invasive as well as full sternonomy one month apart from each other, I found the full sternonomy much less painful than the minimally invasive. No idea why, but that was my experience. The pillow was all I used and needed for both surgeries

Marie Myers  I had very little pain from my full sternotomy. My tight/achy upper back and shoulders bothered me more than my chest. It has healed nicely with a very minimal scar.

Michael Neverisky  Same experience as Marie. Two weeks out, no pain or discomfort in front. Upper back and shoulders sore. Minor nuisance.

Annie Tyndall  Hi Gina! My surgery date is just a bit after yours... I'm scheduled for March 14th. Best of luck to you... and please keep us all posted.

Civita Fahey  Best of luck Gina.. I know when I finally got my date (I got it in December and surgery was in April) though it was a long time to wait it did somewhat feel like I had lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.. this community is wonderful in helping each other through it all.. feel free to ask any questions

Wanda Blackwood  Hey, Gina, wishing you well on your surgery too. Prayers for an uneventful recovery for us both and all my heart sisters and brothers.

  I thought about using a type of "care page", but a close friend offered to keep all the rest of our friends "in the loop" with emails and updates. I had many offers for help and I couldn't have done it without the help of friends and family. (I live on my own.) I kept a calendar beside my recliner chair, with phone numbers, appointments and who was visiting, any errands that needed to be done, etc. Believe me, I sure appreciated all the rides to medical appointments because I wasn't able to drive for nine weeks. Personally, I found that through my healing process, I needed a lot of quiet time and naps; I also was happy to have just one visitor every day or two.
I also prepared a lot of meals for the freezer before I went in to the hospital so that made meal preparation easy. Friends did the grocery shopping and put things away for me.

Barbara Wood  I used lotsofhelpinghands when I was in cancer treatment - it was a great help & nice way to keep friends & relatives in the loop.

Gina Fiorentino  Thanks for the suggestions! Do you know if when you "invite" folks to see our individual Heart Valve Journal, that they also begin to post comments too or are they only able to "view" unless they are a member of the community?

Kevin Shackelford  I used www.caringbridge.com it kept everyone updated and was great during my week in the hospital to hear from family and friends.

Valerie Archual  Hey Gina- Through the Cleveland Clinic where I had my surgery done, they had a forum for that!!! I never really set it up though as my hubby posted through Facebook, but you should check with your hospital! A lot of them have that option already set up for ya!!!!