Paul Marcotte - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

1607 days ago

Pat Bluemel, Frank Giovanniello , Shannon Gray and 4 others reacted to this

Hello all, sorry for the lack of updates. Today is day 2 at home. I spent 8 days at Northwestern, which seems longer than expected, but I overall had a great ...Read more

Hello all, sorry for the lack of updates. Today is day 2 at home. I spent 8 days at Northwestern, which seems longer than expected, but I overall had a great experience there. I had some obstacles to overcome, such as I could not hold food down & eventually developed a small pocket of air in the cavity around my right lung, but all is well now. It just took a little extra time & effort to overcome. My surgical team did fantastic work. I can see that my scarring will be very minimal. Since I am only 23 I have had very little problems with mobility, & everything seems to be up from here! If I could give advice to anyone going in to open heart surgery? Keep a positive attitude, that is half of the battle itself. There are hardships you will face; but there is nothing you can not handle. Lastly, make the hospital staff laugh! Keep them on their toes when you have the strength to crack a joke. It will make their day. Just a reminder that the human body is a wonderful thing that can overcome even the greatest of traumas. Thank you all for the Love & support, & I will post maybe once more as I wrap up recovery.

Marie Myers Great post! Glad to hear all is well for you, and that you are on the mend.

Pat Bluemel Sorry you had a long(er) stay than expected but you are home and good. I agree w/ the positive attitu ... Read more

Pat Bluemel Sorry you had a long(er) stay than expected but you are home and good. I agree w/ the positive attitude. Happy healing Paul.

stephanie arnold I agree with your upbeat attitude. humor is definetly the best medicine. and it does the staff a lot ... Read more

stephanie arnold I agree with your upbeat attitude. humor is definetly the best medicine. and it does the staff a lot of good. when I was in, I was my usual goofball self, and felt great rapport with the nurses, aides, and technicians. hope you can get a good rhythm going now you're home. the hard part will be to not overdo. keeping a young guy like you on minimal exertion is kinda like keeping a young spirited horse on stall rest.

Paul Marcotteposted an update

1629 days ago

Shannon Gray, Anastasia Golovanova, Ben Landry and 2 others reacted to this

Hey guys! This is my first post, still learning the layout of the site. I guess I should start by saying I was born with aortic stenosis & have a bicuspid valve. ...Read more

Hey guys! This is my first post, still learning the layout of the site. I guess I should start by saying I was born with aortic stenosis & have a bicuspid valve. Dealing with this young means I couldn’t play Competitive sports or be as active as I’d like. Before my angiogram at 16, I really didn’t even know what it was like to feel “normal”. As a child & young teen, I used to get up from the couch & run up the stairs when mom would call for dinner, & pass out at the top of the steps. It didn’t phase me; I thought it was normal to get short of breath, or be dizzy & disoriented (to an extent) while exercising. I am now 23 & have a Ross procedure on July 13th. This will be my first open heart surgery, & I feel a range of emotions. First off, I want to say I am blessed to be able to receive this treatment. As a kid I looked at this as a huge scary thing that there was no way to get around, but now I see it as more of an opportunity for a better quality of life. With the surgical option presented to me, I will still be able to skateboard, Coumadin free. Although I am still very nervous for recovery, it is comforting to be able to share my unfolding story with you all & read about others who can relate.

Hello Paul, just read your story. I can’t imagine what you have gone through but like you I’m gra ... Read more

Hello Paul, just read your story. I can’t imagine what you have gone through but like you I’m grateful for you to have this opportunity to fix your heart and have a better quality of life. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. We have all been there in one type of surgery or another. I will pray for your surgery to go well and your recovery successful as I pray for us all. Stay safe and be well.

Rose Madura Hi Paul, you are a very amazing person. I was diagnosed at age 7 with a heart murmur and "bad heart". ... Read more

Rose Madura Hi Paul, you are a very amazing person. I was diagnosed at age 7 with a heart murmur and "bad heart". I know what it is like to not be able to play sports. It waa hard for me because I have 5 brothers and sports waa a given. I didn't have surgery until 59. So lived most of my life like this. But it has been 3 years since my surgery and I feel great. I'm sure you will feel so much better afterwards and can get to your skateboard!

Civita Fahey Welcome Paul, you are in a terrific group of caring and loving people who all have the same experienc ... Read more

Civita Fahey Welcome Paul, you are in a terrific group of caring and loving people who all have the same experience as you in one form or another. Some of us have gone through surgery and some waiting. I hope that the huge number of us that have had successful surgeries with no complications is helpful to you.. You are young and will do great. Just remember to take it easy after surgery, things will come with time. My prayers are with you.. keep us posted with your recovery.

Marie Myers I can imagine it has already been a roller coaster ride of emotions for you. While I am sorry you hav ... Read more

Marie Myers I can imagine it has already been a roller coaster ride of emotions for you. While I am sorry you have to deal with this at your young age, I know that you will do well and recovery quickly. Please keep in touch!

Pete Mazzeo Hey Paul! I was 20 when I had my first open heart surgery, which was a repair of my leaking bicuspid ... Read more

Pete Mazzeo Hey Paul! I was 20 when I had my first open heart surgery, which was a repair of my leaking bicuspid aortic valve. I wanted to continue snowboarding and mountain biking - so I can relate to a lot of your story. I've had two more heart surgeries since then and I can say that the recovery has been different every time :) I see two surgery dates on your profile so either day was the big day or you are a few days out - the first couple days are always rough, but I can assure you that every day you will notice a little improvement somewhere! Keep us posted on how you are doing.