Roger's Journal

Richard Munson  Yes, i have had a slight balance issue post surgery, 3 years. Slight is key word.  Incan still function normally. Been to a neurologist and had a zillion blood tests. Discovered some age related (81) neuropathy and scheduled for an emg in february. Discovered some vitamin b issues after testing which can affect balance and nervous system. B6 way up, b12 way down. Also have some eye cataract problems which can also affect balance. Taking balance sessions at pt to build up core muscles. One thing i took away from all these sessions is that your eyes, your inner ear and your nervous system are all interrelated and send messages to each other. Old age has its drawbacks but it beats the alternative. Good luck. 

Abhishek Sharma  Same with me. But after consulting doctor he suggested vitamin D doses. And after few days i am normal...

Grace Mason   What great news to hear Roger! You are an inspiration. So happy to hear how well you are feeling at 3 months ❤️

Deena Z  Roger, impressive! You must only be 84 in chrono years and not aging years. Keep on doing whatever you are doing.

christine blackway  So happy to read this, congratulations!  Dr. Accola will be doing my surgery early next year.  What procedure did you have?

Marie Myers  The post op fatigue really surprised me as well. Those first 2 weeks were the hardest, as my energy came back bit by bit. As your blood count comes back to normal, you will feel better. Overall, it sounds like you are doing great!

Richard Munson  I expect you will know true exhaustion after taking a shower. For me, it was worse than the treadmill.

Ana Brusso  Dear Roger, sorry about not be able to get your TAVR but it’s better they found your issues on time and your heart will be fixed. OHS surgery is not as bad as I sounds if you have a great team, I have survived two of them by the Grace of God. I will lift you up in prayer for a successful surgery and recovery. God bless you 🙏❤️

Pamela Gregory  Roger, I will be sending my best thoughts and prayers your direction! So glad they found out what would be necessary for a successful surgery. You will do great

Cathleen Weed  Thinking of you as you prepare for your surgery tomorrow! Remember, just because it hurts doesn't mean it's hurting you. So push through the pain and get up and walk as soon as you can after surgery. They usually start you in a chair the next day and then you'll take short walks that will progress to longer walks around the halls. Getting out of bed and moving prevents soooo many of the post-surgical complications. Set goals and crush them. Do your deep breathing exercises (incentive spirometer) like it's your new job :). Sign up and go to cardiac rehab after you are released from the hospital. You'll do great!!! Excited for you because you're going to have so much more energy once that valve is replaced and you get through the recovery <3. 

Deena Z  And we are not just being positive to make you feel better, it is because there are just so much more happy events.  The odds for such are way, way in your favor!

Rose Madura  This is the positive place you need to be in preparation of heart surgery. Don't look at anything else.  Odds are definitely in your favor and even if you do have complications, as I did, the doctors know what to do!  They've seen it all before.  Trust them.  

Richard Munson  Roger, just read your post and felt compelled to respond. First off, there is no such thing as 100% and heart surgery is no exception. That being said, if you spend some time perusing adams site, you will find a ton of success stories. Mine included. The not so successful are a tiny fraction of the total. Do they exist? Of course , but depending on your particular situation and who you have researched to perform the surgery and positive thinking going in, the odds are way in your favor. So tell mrs. Drake to stop reading negative posts and start concentrating on the positive. I know, easy for me to say, i already had the surgery. Lastly, as the days get closer, you will become more and more nervous. All normal. Just this past weekend, i met a couple at a local event that i recommended my surgeon to on this site. Meeting them in person was exciting. Surgery is in november. I would have never done that if i was not a believer. We look forward to your post surgery posts. 

Grace Mason   Roger, I agree with Richard. Now is a good time to tune out the negative stories and focus on reading all the great reviews Dr Accolas patients have left for him. There are many. 

Rita Savelis  Everyone's experience is singular and personal. Someone else's story is not yours. Usually the things we are very afraid of do not happen. You can't control this experience so you need to trust your surgeon and trust your body. Take care.

Marie Myers  Keep in mind that some people love attention, others like to “stir the pot” with possibly exaggerated stories. I was worried about the surgery also, but was pleasantly surprised that the whole experience was not as bad/scary/painful as my worrying mind would have me believe. You can do this!

Pamela Gregory  I was scared to death and have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that while not a walk in the park, the whole experience (except for leading up to surgery) was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. They really managed the pain. It does take a while to get back to normal as far as activities go but the basics are not a big deal except for the first few weeks. Not that I want to go through OHS again but I don't think I would be as scared next time.

George Gardopee  Roger - I, like you, had no symptoms (that is, after they resolved the infection that gave me endocarditis). I didn’t expect to feel any better after surgery and I haven’t. The fear and anxiety I had before the surgery for 18 months was MUCH worse than the surgery itself. For me it was a few days of discomfort managed by Tylenol after 3 days and several weeks of being fatigued and having some restrictions on my activity due to the sternotomy. I won’t claim my experience is universal, but many people here would agree that the waiting is the hardest part. Good luck.

Klara Čičić  Dear Roger, I was so happy I had found this site prior to my surgery, and not any other. I recommend it as the only source of information about other people's experiences as it brings a positive, warm, but also realistic perspective form real-life people who give you support and encouragement, which was priceless in those moments before the surgery for me... You can mostly read success stories here and some complications every now and then, no horror stories. I am glad I had the full picture.  You can do this! Good luck!

Susan Lynn  Roger - You can hear medical horror stories about almost any procedure, but as Klara mentioned, most of the participants on this site are OHS success stories. There are folks who have occasionally had complications, but they meet them head on and get back on the recovery track.
I was surprised that heart surgery was much easier than I anticipated. These surgeons and their teams really know what they're doing! Waiting for game day was much worse! Every part of the process is very tolerable.
You can do it!

Thomas Brusstar  Hey.   It really doesn't help to obsess about rare poor outcomes.  These OHS procedures are very successful.  I had a valve repair through a sternotomy 5 years ago.  I went in on a Tuesday and was home for dinner Friday.  The pain was only bad the first 2 days, when the drainage tubes were in my gut and pushing on my ribs.  Once those were removed, I was on a sharp recovery path upward.  I was seriously fine on regular Tylenol by 48 hours post surgery. Never took anything stronger after that.  My heart was in distress prior to my surgery, getting enlarged while failing to drain my lungs, and I only wish I'd been told to get surgery earlier.  I naturally was worried beforehand, and had dreams of my heart stopping -- but afterwards those dreams stopped.  I was amazed at my recovery, and you will be as well.

Amanda Ryan  Roger, Full disclosure , I did have a complication with my open heart surgery that necessitated a second surgery the next day. However, the key is knowing that OHS is a safe surgery and they are very successful. Your wife should leave the FB group because it is fostering fear in both of you. Listen to your surgeon. That’s your expert, not people on FB. I’m five weeks out from two surgeries and am doing great.  Best wishes!

Jay Heagerty  Roger, what ever you and your family decide is right for you, is the right decision. Best wishes for a positive out
come.

Marie Myers  Because you are active and in great shape, I can understand why the docs say to go ahead with the surgery. But you have to want to have the surgery too. Is there any reason why you are vacillating other than your age? Just asking because my mother-in-law turns 107 in October. When she was 84, she was quite a firecracker! You might have a whole lot more living to do…

Klara Čičić  Marie, 107?????? that's craaaazy! Roger, Dr Accola is often mentioned here in superlatives. Both decisions seem reasonable. I would recommend to read read read as much as you can about this procedure and everything that comes with is, upsides and downsides, the risks the benefits.... Talk to some more doctors. And your gut feeling will hopefully tell you in the end...

Richard Munson  How you feel is not always the indicator that you need surgery.  tests more accurately determine that. The longer one waits can further complicate the inevitable and cause additional heart damage and require the surgeon to replace the valve when repair was once possible. 

Kathy Ozio  I was really shocked when I woke up from my TEE and they told me I had to have my valve fixed pretty soon. I had been feeling really good the last few months. I was always short of breath with exertion,  but figured I was just out of shape.  After the surgery, I did keep thinking did I really need to do this? I felt so bad for the first few weeks, I did wonder. Almost 5 months out, it was definitely the right decision.  It may take you awhile longer to see, but you will be glad. And it's definitely better than a stroke or worse. 

Grace Mason   I understand how you feel. I am mostly asymptomatic and worry that I won't feel better after surgery, but may have additional pains instead. However I know that my aneurysm is no longer stable, so I'm trying to keep in mind Greg's recent advice about worry. Don't let it stop you from enjoying the now, find a surgeon you trust .

Richard Munson  The difference as i understand it and why in many cases heart patients are asymptomatic is because the heart, unlike other bodily parts, tries to compensate for a leak for example by increasing chamber size as well as other things. So while you are sitting back feeling fat, dumb and happy there are ugly little things going on that will someday rear their heads and by then, the eventual surgery if you have it, become more serious. Its not going to heal itself like a muscle tear might. My non professional 5 cents. Probably all wrong but it sounds good. 

Richard Munson  2 more cents and then i will shut up. I actually pushed to get the surgery done with no symptoms. I watched my grandfather and dad wither away with heart issues ( possibly valve related, who knows), but now with todays technology to diagnose i decided at 79 that i wanted to spend the last quarter active, not chained to my bed. I want to fight the grim reaper when he or she or it (to be politically correct ) comes calling.

Rose Madura  Once again I agree with Richard!  You are probably having symptoms and may chalk them up to aging. I know I did.  I feel so much better after since my surgery and you'll be amazed at how much better you will feel.

Richard Munson  Rose, we always agree. Must be the richard edward connection. You never commented on whether the grim reaper is a he, she or it. And why always so grim. Always pictured with a scythe,  Maybe a gardening background.. 

Marie Myers  I didn’t have symptoms either. But I had a good sized aneurysm that required intervention, so i scheduled surgery within months of diagnosis. After surgery, I realized that i no longer felt the sporadic irregular heartbeats that I always assumed were just “normal”. 

Deborah Monteiro  Had my mitral repaired June 22' 2022. Open heart. A year later I'm told its leaking just a little.  I opted for this surgery because I was assured it would fix the problem.  I am so disappointed and now they want to do a nuclear stress test.  Any opinions on this please. I can't stop crying. Thank you.

Susan Lynn  Deborah - That's frustrating news so soon after your surgery, but many people live a lifetime with mild regurgitation and no issues. It's possible you won't ever need additional treatment. Don't borrow any worries. One day at time... you'll cross that bridge if you ever come to it. Best of luck to you. Please keep us posted.

Robert Young  Agree 100% with mentor(aka Richard) I took the same path and it was absolutely the best thing to do long term

Richard Munson  Well roger, nice to see there are other over 80 heart surgery folks out there. I was 79 when i had mitral valve surgery 2 years ago and knock on wood doing good. Other than being 81 which stinks, it is better than the alternative. Keep the faith. And yes, god is behind the wheel, but very important that you are in the passenger seat giving directions and not just taking them. As i always say, your number one health care advocate is you.

Valerie Allen  I wonder if the surgeon can perform minimally invasive in this case? Wishing you the best and keep us posted as we care!

Pamela Gregory  We are all praying for you Roger! I always try to think about how lucky we are that in this day and age they can fix the problem. Very thankful for all the amazing doctors out there that can perform these surgeries

Deena Z  Roger, you may be 84 in chronological years, but it sounds like you are much younger in health- status years, so expect the best outcome. The surgery has incredible high rates of success. You will be pretty tired after it, but you can handle that! Will be thinking of you.

Susan Lynn  Roger - You sound like you're a very vibrant 84 year-old. Your surgeon won't recommend a procedure unless the benefits outweigh the risks. It would have been wonderful if TAVR were an option, but you sound strong and healthy and you'll rebound just like we all did. If that's all you have going on, it is worth it to fix it and get on with your active life style and great adventures! Best of luck to you!