Mike's Journal

Hello All... I had OHS in May of 2019 to replace a monocuspid valve and aneurysm. I now have a mechanical valve and a replaced ascending aorta. Our state has opened the gyms but they are requiring a mask at all times when working out. I heard that this is bad for blood pressure and on your body. I would really like to get back to my routine pre-surgery since my healing from OHS was long and then Covid hit and the gyms have been closed off and on the past year. Thanks in advance.

Hello All.... Its been a little while since I have posted or visited the site. Things have been going great for me as I enjoyed a nice summer this year, unlike last year, playing golf, sand volleyball and coaching my daughters softball team. This site is great a place to get advice and get questions answered. Recently when I have some hard coughs or sneezes (once in a while) I can feel it hurt a little on my sternum from where the surgery was. I am not sure if this is something that maybe got sore do to so much more activity this year. I have been back to the gym now for a few months and was playing golf two to three times a week. Also the weather got really cold up here recently so I am wondering if that had anything to do with this. Let me know if this is common or if anyone else has experienced this.

One year ago today I entered the Mayo Clinic bright and early for an operation that changed my life. On February 12th 2019 I went to the doctor for a random echo on my heart. I felt very confident that I was a healthy guy that worked out often only thing I liked to do was have a few beers every so often. When I got the news back that I had a bicuspid valve and an aneurysm at 5.3cm my life changed. How could it be? I have no symptoms. Play sports and workout 5 days a week. I guess genetics don't care about what you do but more where you came from. After that I would be seeing doctors and having multiple appointments to get better understanding what was going on. Within 1 month of my diagnosis I was sitting with a surgeon Dr. Pochettino and having him tell me that we need to have an operation to fix this soon. Come to find out I had a monocuspid valve which made it more dangerous for me to have this aneurysm. So I said lets wait till after summer and then I will get it done. He told me that would not be wise and I should get it done in May or sooner. So within one month of my echo I went from thinking everything is good to finding out I need to have OHS or I might not be around much longer. I was told to stop doing all the things I loved to do. Sports, weightlifting, and even biking to be safe. If I wanted to do any of these it would need to be at a very little minimal level. Then May 6th came along. Alarm clock went off at 3am (like that was necessary) to make sure that I was up and doing my final preparations for what was coming up. The walk from the hotel to the clinic was cold and dark. But full of confidence. Full of faith and strength that everything is going to be better after today and I can get back to living the life I was. The procedure went well and everything looked good. While in ICU on the 2nd day I developed C-Diff. At this point I could not eat and was full of fluids. My colon was 2.5 times the size that it should be. They kept me in ICU for 6 days till I was a little better and able to be moved to a regular room. In there daily I met with my surgeon and the general surgeons who had talked about removing my colon due to the C-Diff. Tell me about a test of your faith during this situation. Then also during this time I had two situations where my chambers were not talking to each other and I went through heart block. Now the talks of getting a pacemaker installed started. It was at this point I thought about just giving up but then I said to myself that is not me. Not the type to give up. I prayed and researched. Finally 2 days after talking to the doctors and them allowing me to choose my on diet my C-Diff cleared up. Everything was getting better. Since my INR was high I had to stay in the hospital a lot longer since they needed to install a pacemaker. 22 days later I was walking out the hospital door ready to start the new road to recovery. The days and weeks went by great after getting home. I was walking further and further on a daily basis. Starting cardio rehab and getting in some light lifting. Then I started back to the gym on the days I didn't have cardio rehab. Soon I was back out to playing volleyball and golf. Hence a little sore but was more careful and doing. 13 weeks later I was back in the gym and getting my routine back in place. Weeks and months went bye and I was getting stronger and not feeling any pain. 4 months after I went back to the Mayo to get some checks on my pacemaker and was told that everything was looking great and I can get it removed if I wanted to. He could not guarantee no heart block again but was confident it can be removed. I choose to keep it well as a backup plan and it really wasn't going to affect my life. Today I sit here, well in quarantine, back to work and back to life. Nothing is stopping me now. I ride 10 miles on the bike a day since the gym has been closed. I built a little gym in my basement to keep lifting weights. Golf is starting again and I am back out there. Life is great (besides Covid-19). To all of you that are going to have surgery soon have faith and strength and never let that go. Even when it gets tough keep strong in it. Be thankful for all your nurses, doctors, and surgeons that work on the front lines and help people on a daily. I had a rough time in the hospital and I made a lot of work for the nurses but they were always so happy and polite to me. While I felt bad for making things harder for them with things that I could not prevent (no thanks to C-Diff). There is lots of life to live after you get through all this and it can be a long happy life. Today I stand here one year removed and a happy person strong in my heart and faith. Keep rocking all you heart warriors and to the many I have talked to over the past year that helped me with information, guidance, reading material and even my seat belt cover (Thanks Rob) you guys have meant the world to me during this time. Keep ticking and God Bless!

Merry Christmas to all my fellow heart warriors. Thank God for our surgeons that helped save our lives and to allow us to live a lot longer. Spend this special time of the year with family and friends and let them know how special they are.

I saw this story today and thought I would share it. His Instagram message is great and powerful. "When my doctor told me I would need open heart surgery I couldn’t believe what he had just said. Especially for something that I had been living with my whole life. It took me some time to fully grasp what that meant. Stuck in between wanting to feel sorry for myself, hopeless/angry at God, I had to make a decision. Would I bask in my misery and bow down to my situation or would I DECIDE? Decide to stand on faith or stand on negative thinking. So I made a decision! “God shall be my hope, my stay, my guide and lantern to my feet.” When I say failure is not an option, it’s a prayer, an affirmation and an acknowledgment. God has brought my family and I this far, so much joy and so many blessings. This is just another opportunity for God to manifest in my life so that I can be an example of what faith with work can truly do." https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-cb-cyrus-jones-formerly-of-ravens-and-patriots-had-openheart-surgery-in-denver-this-week-183049759.html

Hello All - Its been a little while since I posted but thought I would give an update. I am a little over 6 months removed from my OHS and a week away from my 40th birthday. I just had my 6 month echo last week and my cardiologist said everything is looking great. Ejection Factor is at 61 which is normal and healthy. Its been quite the roller coaster ride this year with my family and health scares. Looking forward to the holidays and a nice 3 week vacation to end the year in Florida. We will be having our first Christmas without snow which is exciting but also a little different since I have been in Minnesota my entire life. During this week off Thanksgiving I wanted to say that I am thankful for Dr. Pochettino at the Mayo Clinic who did my operation and got my heart fixed. All the nursing staff that helped me through my 16 day stay in the hospital. Especially thankful for our advancement in medicine that will allow me to live a lot longer. And last but not least our amazing and never failing God who has helped and protected me everyday. Without him in this journey I don't know what I would have done as he gave me strength, hope and courage that never failed. I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and even a more blessed Christmas season. For those in the waiting room know that the wait is worse than the recovery. Those that are recovering keep pushing everyday and know that you will be back to a normal life quickly. Some day's maybe harder than others but push through and keep fighting. God Bless!

Life after surgery I am finally back to a normal life after my surgery. I have been doing everything that I did in the past and even more. Today I put in 20000 steps and had plenty of exercise. Even though I do not post as much as I used I read daily. For all of you new to this and just starting out trust me the recovery is so much better than the waiting. It breaks my heart to hear the stories on here sometimes and especially Tim’s about his daughter. I went through heart block twice while in ICU and it is scary for everyone involved. It’s hard because once you get through the surgery and everything is back to normal we all seem to drift away from this community. I know that I was way more active prior to surgery. I don’t post as much everyday as I used to but I do read. If anyone has any questions about my experience please ask me. I love this site and it helps so many people go through this. I know it helped me and I can guarantee it has helped me. There are a lot of us veterans to say here checking in daily and still mingling. Tom from Mankato here in Minnesota is always here and supporting people. Much love to my fellow Minnesotan and Pochettino survivor. Hope all you fellow warriors the best in surgery and a great recovery. I check all the time and my thoughts and prayers are with everyone with events coming up. If I do not post trust me I know you have a surgery and I am praying for you. Good night and god bless

So I am 13 1/2 weeks out of surgery and I am back to doing everything I did prior to surgery. I have golfed 6 times since my week 12 restrictions were lifted. Played sand volleyball in my league the past 4 weeks. I am back at the gym on a regular basis lifting weights, using the stairmaster and running. I feel great doing all my normal activities. The recovery process is not as bad as you think it is and you can bounce back quickly. For anyone that is active and athletic you will get back to normal pretty fast. Let your body rest and recover to make sure you have no set backs. The only things I have bothering me day to day is that sometimes my incision feels like it is pulling. This usually only happens in the mornings and I am not sure if it is due to sleeping and having it pinched together all night long. After I wake and move around it feels fine. The next thing is I can feel my heart beating harder. It is something that I have gotten used to but still can get worrisome at times. If you are out of surgery and onto recovery make sure to do cardio rehab. If you were in good shape before it will help you bounce back faster and help calm your nerves when you start pushing yourself. I completed cardio rehab after 14 sessions. Actually 16 but the first and last days were more of a consultation than actual rehab. Also the days I was not at cardio rehab I would go to the gym and do the exact same workouts. Besides those make sure that you walk, walk, walk. I still get 7 to 8 miles a day in. I found a perfect 3 mile loop that I take my dog for a walk on. Lately it has been really hot and humid here so we have pushed off the walk but the weather is getting better now. Good luck to all of you that are just out of surgery or waiting to get into surgery. I found that waiting was the hardest part of it all. God Bless!

So Monday will be my 11th week out of surgery. Things are getting better daily for me. I will be officially graduating cardio rehab on Tuesday after 16 sessions. They have me running and jogging now and everything looks good. Yesterday I was able to join my team and play some volleyball again in the sand. It felt really good being able to get out and play with them. We won 2 out of the 3 games and still hanging in first place!! I have started adding weight to my workouts since I am getting so close to that 12 week mark. Everything feels good and if I do something that doesn't I stop and change my workout. I have plans to golf the day I am officially 12 weeks out. I went to the Mayo for a checkup on Monday after wearing a holder monitor for 24 hours and everything is looking great. He said that I have not had any A-Fib since early June when I got last checked out. The doctor mentioned that I might actually not need the pacemaker anymore but also said that I have a chance of going through heart block again so I can decide. For now I decided to keep it and see how things go throughout time. INR is finally stable and I am constantly at 2.2 when I get checked. I do not need to get blood checked now for 3 weeks which is the longest time frame I have had in months. So happy I can wait for a while to get poked again. Overall everything is feeling like I am back to normal except still a little tightness in the zipper area and the hard pounding of the heart. My resting heart rate is finally down to 63 and my bp is normal. I meet with my cardiologist next month to start dropping some of these medication doses. Hoping that I can get off of them quickly. Thanks to all of you for being part of my journey and helping me with questions I have had. So happy I feel like everything is back to normal for me. Any future heart warriors know that you can do this and you will be able to recover and move on with your life.

So does anyone know how long it takes for your incision to be fully healed? I am 10 weeks out and mine still is red and sometimes when I do certain movements feels like it is pulling. It happens mostly when I am sleeping and when I wake up. Otherwise when I am in a certain position to long and then move a certain way. I just wonder how long it will take to feel normal again in this area.

7 Weeks Completed! So time is going pretty fast now since I am back to work and doing almost all normal stuff. Feel like I am healing really well and kicking butt in Cardio Rehab. 7 sessions in and they got my walking at grade 5.0 at speed 3.7. Ready to start running hopefully soon so I can test this heart out. I have also been going to the gym every other day and doing the same workout. The sternum is still a little sore but mainly when I cough and sneeze. Still does not feel 100% as it feels a bit tight at times but getting better everyday. I cant wait for this thing to be fully healed so I can do more exercises in the gym. I am not doing anything for the chest or pull downs yet since I am told not to. Cardio rehab told me no go on biking or using the lawn mower yet. Told me to wait the full 12 weeks. I do like to use the sauna and steam room and was wondering if that is ok for me to do and that I am not damaging anything. On another note I would like to start putting something on my scar to help it go away. What is the best to use and that I would be allowed to use right now? I read people on here that have got their scars to get small and less noticeable and would love to do that with mine. Also how long till I can start going into the water and having my shirt off. My kids love to go swimming and I have not been able to go in the pool with them or feel like I can have my shirt off when I am outside with them. Glad that I will still get to enjoy some summer stuff once I am fully healed.

Does anyone know when I can start using the mower? My wife picked up a new job so she is working more between her two jobs that I hate to bug her to mow for me. Would like to start doing it myself.

Hello All - I have the Heart Valve book that Adam wrote and am willing to send it to anyone that would like to read it before they go in for surgery. It is full of useful information and will help you get through your surgery. Please follow me and I will see your email address show up and I will be able to direct message you to get your address. First person to comment and follow will get the book. I know it helped me through everything that I went through and I am sure it will help others.

Well today officially starts week 6 of recovery for me. I am walking around 5-7 miles still everyday. I have been attending Cardiac Rehab 3 times a week but feel like they are not pushing me hard enough. I want to get back to the gym and doing my workouts the way I did before surgery so I keep asking them to push me a little harder. As of right now I am not finding the benefits of attending these sessions. Maybe I am to impatient and that is my problem but my daily walking is a lot more intense than what they have me doing. I know I am still some weeks out till I can start lifting weights so that kind of sucks but I guess it is part of the process. I meet with my cardiologist tomorrow afternoon so maybe I can talk to him about some more things that I have on my mind. I really want to go on bike rides with my family but I am not sure if they will let me ride my bike. On another note I just got a letter from the Mayo about some appointments that they scheduled for me on July 11th. I am trying to see if I can get them done closer to my house since it is an hour drive there. One of the tests is a Holter Monitor and I am not familiar with that. Do you know how many days I will need to wear it for? I see that I have another appointment on July 15th for a consultation but it is not explained any better. It says to not shower when you wear this Holter Monitor so I am hoping that I am not required to wear it for 4 days and not being able to shower for that long. I emailed the nurse asking for more information about it but I thought I would check with the community first. Otherwise everything else is going well for me right now. Started work today which is great. It has given me something to do to keep busy and not just sit around and play video games. Kids are all out of school so they are around all day to so that is also very nice. I feel like I need to make up time with them since I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and was unable to spend time with them. My daughter got a pitching machine so that we can work on her hitting for softball. She loves it and asks everyday when we are going to go out and practice. She is getting so much better at hitting since we got the machine. Glad that life is getting back to normal for me as it helps my mood.

Got a call yesterday from Cardio Rehab and they said I can get in today. Ready to go and get this started. I can start driving next week also so going to the gym is right around the corner. Can’t weight lift which sucks but when the weather gets bad at least I have a backup plan now.

Officially 1 month in the books. It’s been a bumpy road but I am alive and feeling great. Now the countdown begins for going back to work (2 weeks). And getting back to the gym 4-8 weeks. And getting back to golf 8 weeks and maybe sooner. Weather has been great here in Minnesota so I have been doing 5-7 miles a day walking. My deck is finally stained and ready so I have friends coming today to get all my furniture back up on it. Now my grill will be back upstairs and easier to use. And we can start eating our meals outside. I know it takes time and I am not a patient person but soon enough I can start doing more stuff. Cutting the grass and vacuuming are two things I enjoy and still have to wait to do. Life is great. Thank God for our surgeons and care team to make living longer possible. Yes there are bumps but they come and go pretty quickly and knowing we can live a lot longer is the best feeling. For all my Heart Warriors in recovery keep it up. Battle through the bumps and stay strong. Think positive and be happy. You will get through what you are going through. If you are still waiting keep patient and don’t let anxiety take over. Surgery is not as bad as it might seem and soon you will be in recovery. Keep your head up and focus on your end goals. Set milestones that you want to reach and go for them. Everyday gets better and better just keep setting goals and keep reaching for them. Good Luck and you will be in our families prayers for the best possible outcomes and recoveries.

So sleep is getting better since I have been able to control my heart rate. Problem is I fall asleep just fine but wake up in the middle of the night and my back is sore. I am not a back sleeper. I was wondering when I can start sleeping on my side because that would be a game changer in my sleep. Anyone get told when they can sleep on their sides? Don’t want to mess up the sternum while it is healing.

So on Monday I will be officially at the 1 month mark. It has been quite the journey this last month and glad things are finally getting back to normal. I miss the gym and working out. I miss golf, volleyball and pickle ball. I am so ready to get back to being the active guy I was post surgery. This past week and a half I have been walking 5 miles a day. The kids love it and especially the dog. He is like this is awesome another walk. I need to get my heart healthy diet started better but it’s been hard with so many people bringing us meals. My leftovers have leftovers. I am getting kind of bored sitting around so since I work from home I asked my care team if I can go back to work early. I am off right now till the 16th but not feeling like I need it. I would like to start back next week so I will see what they say. June 5th starts my cardio rehab and that has me excited to be a few steps closer to going back to the gym. My cardiologist put me on metropol last week and I can finally get some sleep at night. It is amazing how much that can help your heart rate. I was wondering when I can start pushing and pulling things cause I would really like to help out with chores and vacuuming is one that I like to do. I help with dishes and meal prep but with my weight restrictions I am limited to what I can do. Thanks for everyone that has sent me messages and been there with me through this journey. It is true there are lots of ups and downs but knowing I can live a longer life is all worth it. All of you in the waiting room it is harder than recovery. I hope and pray that all the upcoming surgeries go well and get to join us on the recovery side.

Sleep sucks I was wondering if anyone has had the same experience as me at bed time. I have been walking a lot and maybe taking a little nap through the day to try and sleep at night times. When I go to bed I am super tired and seem to fall asleep right away. But usually about an hour after I fall asleep I wake up and have to go use the restroom. After that it gets really hard to fall back asleep as my heart rate goes into the upper 90s and even to 100. Eventually I settle down and fall back asleep but that takes up to 45 minutes. I am wondering if I need to talk to my cardiologist to be on Metropol in the evenings. With the walking and daily activities I see that my daytime heart rate has been getting better but it is the nights that are so bad. One thing is I also hate sleeping on my back and that is all I can do for now. Plus sometimes when I wake in the middle of the night I am overdressed and hot so I wonder if that also causes my heart rate to go up. Any advice would be great.

Everyday gets better Since coming home from the hospital on Tuesday after my terrible two week stay things seem to be getting better. I got in nearly 5000 steps yesterday after going and doing some grocery shopping. Since being gone the last two weeks my wife has been so busy and did not get the chance to make it to the grocery store. INR levels are still a little low but I am working to get those within range. I am back to my normal diet so that should help figure out my dosage. Talked to the cardiologist yesterday and they do not want to put me on metoprolol for some reason. My heart rate seems to be getting back to reasonable for me. I have not had much pain so I am grateful that the pain meds are staying in the bottle. I lost 13 pounds since my surgery which seems like a lot to loose in 2 weeks but then again my diet and appetite were not there. And the C Diff did not help. I have slept in bed since being home and use my recliner for naps throughout the day. It’s been a little rainy here so far so I have not had many chances to go on walks. This evening and weekend are looking good so I am excited to get out and walk. Cardio rehab called yesterday and they are wanting me to start on June 5th which is really exciting for me. I want to get back into the gym and start working out. I know I have a few more weeks left till my sternum is fully healed but praying the time goes fast. I have not yet sat down to write about my two weeks since I have been home and this is my longest post yet. Everyone thank you for your thoughts and prayers as mine are also with all my fellow OHS warriors. For those still waiting to go to surgery the waiting does suck but once your in recovery it is amazing to see how your body gets better daily.

First night home was kind of rough. I think I may have had an anxiety attack at bed time cause my heart rate went high and I could not sleep. I finally took some melatonin and got 3 hours of sleep in. Is this normal for me to pay so much attention to my heart rate at bedtime? I am not on any beta blockers just some blood pressure medicine. It was the hardest part at the hospital to sleep cause I could feel and hear my heartbeat. Should I talk to my cardiologist about some Beta Blockers

Ok all today is pacemaker placement day. Hopefully the last day of stuff and I can go home tomorrow. It’s been so long and I miss home so bad. My wife and kids both broke down crying last night cause they want me home. I need to be home.

Family spent the weekend with me at the hospital which was nice. C Diff is finally cleared and my colon is back to normal. Pacemaker Monday coming tomorrow and then finally get to go home Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. So ready to get back home and move on.

Hello all. Just wanted to let you know I am still in the hospital and hope to get out on Tuesday. It’s been a really rough two weeks and I will tell my story then.

Hello All Well it’s been a little while but I have been stuck in the hospital since my surgery. Various complications that are still on going. I will due a full write up when I get home to a computer where it is easier to type long messages.

My sodium levels are low and they want them up. I am not hungry and not sure what else I can do. I don’t feel like eating right after these last few days. Seems to be my major hiccup facing me.

Finally moved to step down today from the ICU. This experience has been a tough one for me as I am hitting a bunch of speed bumps. I will do a full write up of my surgery someday soon when I get home

Hello everyone it has been quite the ride going through this OHS. Still in ICU today but I feel things are starting to get better. Sounds like I may not need a pacemaker as my electrical parts of the heart are starting to wake up. Found out I have an infection in the stomach that needs to be resolved or else I loose part of my colony. I don’t want to have another surgery so hoping these medications start to worry to. Let you guys know more details when I get a better time write everything.