Larry's Journal

Marie Myers  Sorry that you have the added stress of the coronavirus on your plate. Waiting for heart surgery is hard enough..Wishing you peace during your wait!

Susan Lynn  Larry- You said it - waiting is the worst! Hang in there. Medical professionals and facilities don't miss a beat. Your procedure will go off without a hitch! This virus isn't their first and won't be their last. The only people who seem to be keeping perspective are those who are knowledgeable enough to separate media hype from scientific evidence. This will all be behind you before you know it! Stay positive! ❤

Dorothy Andringa  Waiting is the worst, Larry, but soon you will begin counting the hours instead of days. I put together several jigsaw puzzles the week before surgery. The Medical community does an amazing job keeping the facilities virus free. The evening before my surgery was when the first case of Corona Virus was announced in the US, in the hospital where I had the surgery! Best of Luck and we will be praying.

Rose Madura  Waiting is horrible because our minds are so active and we can think of all kinds of things. Try to remain positive. Know that these surgeries are done every day and the doctors know what they are doing. Best wishes and God bless you.

Larry Manshel  Thank you all so much for the support. Waiting is the worst and now I'm self quarantining myself so I'm going a little stir crazy. What are your thoughts about having to take an airplane to and from my surgery? Also concerned about while I am recovering and staying at hotel attached to the hospital. We are staying on the club level specifically because they have all meals on our floor, now concerned with buffet style dining. Thoughts?

Marie Myers  Yes, the whole thing is difficult. What does your cardiologist and/or surgeon say about traveling by air for surgery?
If I was to travel, especially for surgery, I would probably wear a mask, and carry an arsenal of sanitizer with me. I know I tried not to contact anyone sick prior to my surgery.

Phyllis Petersen  Please check with CC! They are awesome at communication and will be forthcoming with sound recommendations and advice. BTW, Dr. Gillinov did my mitral valve repair in October 2016. You'll be in great hands.

Diane Maher  In your considerations about travelling by air for surgery...it is just breaking on Saturday afternoon that the administration is considering some domestic flight restrictions. No further details at this time.

Thomas Brusstar  Your mitral valve situation sounds a lot like mine. I was at Northwestern.
They did a perfect repair, and the chords that had broken just got cut out with the bad part of the leaflet. Still 0% leakage of the repair last time they measured, like 14 months after the surgery. You can't go wrong at CC.

Larry Manshel  Thank you for all the feedback. As of this morning, surgery is moving forward. The doctors feel that I since my surgery is in 8 days, I will be recovered and released before any "rush" on the hospital ICU beds happens. I will certainly take all the necessary precautions not to get sick before (and after) the surgery while flying and staying at the hotel connected to Cleveland Clinic. They told me that the hotel is part of the CC network and follows the same cleaning guidelines as the hospital. That made me feel better since I don't want my wife to get sick.

john roland  Hey Larry I am going to CC a few weeks after you are. Our reservations are at the Holiday Inn CC which is only 300 yards away. I am wondering if we should stay where you are now? Any thoughts? Thanks

Larry Manshel  John; we stayed there in January when I had my consultation and were very impressed with the convenience and staff. We treated ourselves to the club level and realized that they had a full breakfast, afternoon tea and a full dinner which was more than we expected. We decided that when I was recovering in the hospital and my wife was alone at the hotel, it was well worth the extra so she could grab a quick breakfast before visiting hours and a quick dinner after visiting hours. I am also staying there an extra few days after I get discharged waiting for my final followup and we wanted the same convenience.

john roland  We just changed to the Intercontinental. I got moved up heart cath. is this Friday and the surgery is Tuesday the 24th. Holy crap we are going in on the same day. I will look for you but I won't go near you. Stay healthy

Larry Manshel  John, how long after the surgery are you planning to stay at the hotel? We have a tentative flight back on 4/1, 8 days after surgery. I'm thinking 3-4 days in hospital and 3-4 at hotel relaxing before final checkup with surgeon.

john roland  I am probably staying until April 7th. We chose to drive so we are flexible. This will be our third trip out there and we just find it easier to have a car with us. 3 out of 4 of our kids went to FDU Madison which is right up the road. Don't you miss the traffic?

john roland  Good, I will see you around. (I never would have thought I would say that to somebody at the CC) Make sure you don't shave and keep the sun glasses on. We love Duck Dynasty have you ever met the Robinsons? Uncle Si and Phil is the best.

Larry Manshel  Can anyone give me some insight into what I should bring to wear after surgery and after discharge from hospital? I will be staying 4-5 nights in a hotel after discharge waiting for my final followup. Hoping to get robotic surgery (if pre-testing goes well).

Phyllis Petersen  You won't need much in the hospital. I had loose jammie pants once the foley was out. I picked up slip on sandals to use as slippers, so I could get the socks in and have good grip while walking the floor. I also had a robe with me. My sister was staying at the Holiday Inn so she could bring me more if I needed. An extra long charger cable for your phone will make your life easier. The did have toothpaste, brush, moisturizer, and combo shampoo/conditioner in the bathroom. My surgery was robotic. I went in on Thursday and was out Monday. I was able to shower on Sunday and visit the terrace for a half hour. BTW, the cafeteria at the hospital, which is in a connected building, had an awesome omelet station where your wife can get breakfast if she doesn't get it at the hotel, like the morning of your surgery after she sees you off. There's also a Starbuck's. I'm not sure what they're allowed to have now in Cleveland and whether you need to take your food out from everywhere. The night before my surgery we went to dinner in Little Italy at Etna Ristorante. It was a great way to unwind and eat well before surgery and the salt-free food at the hospital. The most important advice I can give is to ask for anything you think you need. I didn't know that they could supply an eye mask and ear plugs if you need. I did have a problem with my back and they got me a wet heat pad connected to a machine, so I could put it on when I needed. I also don't do well with oral narcotics, which I made sure everyone knew, so they would bring me pudding before giving me oxy, even at 3 am. They really are awesome. There's also a lot of information and support for your wife. Of course, there may be some differences in light of Covid-19. They'll give you a binder which you really should look through. All the best Larry and John!
BTW, I'm originally from Brooklyn, NY and misspent my youth at the Osprey in Manasquan.

Shainy Connors  Hello from San Diego
I am in my 16th day of recovery from my robotic mitral valve repair with Dr Hemp at Scripps Mercy Hospital.
The wait was very disturbing as I felt I had this underlining fear of the unknown no matter how I tried to distract myself. Such a relief on the other side.
My input on hospital packing is definitely bring earbuds of some sort & have meditation apps on your phone. It saved me as I had 2 different roommates and each were up all night with lights on & screaming in pain. I felt terrible for them & the meditation allowed me to get my rest along with an eye pad to cover my eyes.
If you have decided to do the surgery... please know it’s a common procedure for these surgeons & I was thrilled when each check up my heart murmur is gone.
I have learned there is a lot of power in prayer🙏🏻
Big hug from new newly repaired heart
Shainy

Larry Manshel  Thank you so much guys. I don’t think I’ll need much. More worried about recovering with this vivid going around and if I will be able to fly home in two weeks.

john roland  Phyllis, I bet we passed each other numerous times at the Osprey, Leggett's, or Gee Gee's. Small world for sure.
Hey Larry I have to check in tomorrow at 6AM for some labs. etc. before my heart Cath. I will be looking around for you.

Herb Greenberg  Larry and John, assuming your surgeries aren't postponed I will say this: You will both likely be blown away by the ICU/step-down unit. Funny, while I remember a bunch from the ICU, including the breathing tube coming out, much of it is pretty fuzzy. The nurses there are incredible. We did NOT like our first step-down nurse and mentioned it to the nurse practitioner for our surgeon. We were promptly shifted to another nurse. The nurses there should be upbeat, smiling, helpful. If they're not (as in depressive, no personality) get a different nurse. This is a one-time shot.

Phyllis Petersen  The stepdown unit at CC had single rooms with a cushioned bench that a family member can sleep on. Of course now, with this virus, many hospitals are not allowing visitors at all. That's hard. My sister bringing me Tazo Chai with honey and milk each morning I'm sure helped with my recovery. They really have it together at CC and they are very responsive to their patients. You'll do great!

Phyllis Petersen  John, if you were there in the '70s and '80s, you definitely passed me at sometime. I was in Leggett's in the summer of 2018 when I was back visiting a friend in NJ. I really miss the beaches of the Jersey Shore.