Terri Pope - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

Terri Popeposted an update

243 days ago

Grace Mason , Rose Madura, Yumiko Ishida reacted to this

5+ weeks post op from my Mitral Valve Repair. Thanks to the team at Duke University Hospital and my surgeon Dr. Glower I’m recovering VERY well. I was in ...Read more

5+ weeks post op from my Mitral Valve Repair. Thanks to the team at Duke University Hospital and my surgeon Dr. Glower I’m recovering VERY well. I was in surgery over 7 hours undergoing a minimally invasive surgery to repair torn leaflets and my severe mitral valve regurgitation. I woke in the ICU around 7p and thanks to Adam’s blog (heart surgery.com) I was not surprised by the breathing tube and the nurses removed it pretty quickly. I didn’t even have a sore throat. At 3am I took my first walk. The first couple of weeks were of course the hardest, but I’m now 5+ weeks and back to my 1-2 gym classes and 2 hours of pickleball a day. Not 100% but about 85%. The appetite is back! I’m so thankful for this blog and all the wonderful patients who share their experiences….it’s very educational and calming. Prayers for all of you and Adam for creating such a wonderful resource. God Bless you all!

Deena Z Amazing recovery at only 5 weeks. And who the heck does walking at 3am right after surgery?! Pays to ... Read more

Deena Z Amazing recovery at only 5 weeks. And who the heck does walking at 3am right after surgery?! Pays to be in great shape going in and minimally invasive definitely has a better short term recovery. Congrats, warrior!

Valerie Allen Terri, you sound terrific! Very good recovery. I can’t imagine being cleared to play pickleball at ... Read more

Valerie Allen Terri, you sound terrific! Very good recovery. I can’t imagine being cleared to play pickleball at 5 weeks, though!

christine blackway Wow Teri, you are doing great!

Ana Brusso Agree with my hvs godchild Deena, it pays to be in great shape before surgery. Some of us weren’t b ... Read more

Ana Brusso Agree with my hvs godchild Deena, it pays to be in great shape before surgery. Some of us weren’t but we are also here 🥰congratulations Terri, God bless you

Dan Fouratt Great Story, glad to know others have been to DUKE. Keep getting better.

Terri Popeposted an update

267 days ago

Laurent G, Kristen Newton, Valerie Allen and 2 others reacted to this

I’m day 12 post op of a mitral valve repair and doing great. Been walking 2+ miles a day since day 9. Still weak but walking makes me feel better. No real ...Read more

I’m day 12 post op of a mitral valve repair and doing great. Been walking 2+ miles a day since day 9. Still weak but walking makes me feel better. No real pain, but a lot of soreness. Still don’t have much of an appetite…how long does that take to return? Hoping to return to the gym for modified classes in another week or so. Very blessed to have found Dr. Donald Glower at Duke University who specializes in Mitral Valve repair….he is the GOAT in the North/South Carolina area. Feeling grateful for this healthy journey, it’s brought me closer to God!

Barbara deLoache

wonderful!

Rita Savelis Oh my gosh, it's still early for you and you are doing so well. I didn't have an appetite for a long ... Read more

Rita Savelis Oh my gosh, it's still early for you and you are doing so well. I didn't have an appetite for a long time after surgery. I ate, but very little appealed to me. I ate soup for a long time. Eat what appeals to you and your appetite will eventually come back. Everyone is different. Take care.

Klara Čičić Me too, like Rita, I was still a wreck after 12 days, let alone walk two miles! You are doing great, ... Read more

Klara Čičić Me too, like Rita, I was still a wreck after 12 days, let alone walk two miles! You are doing great, just take it easy, day by day...

Evelyn Buttram So glad you are doing so well. You are an inspiration to me to recover fast and get back to normal l ... Read more

Evelyn Buttram So glad you are doing so well. You are an inspiration to me to recover fast and get back to normal life. May God be with you.

Todd Hanson Congrats Terri! Sounds like you are doing great! Every day gets a little easier and easier. Your s ... Read more

Todd Hanson Congrats Terri! Sounds like you are doing great! Every day gets a little easier and easier. Your scenario was very similar to mine when I find out 2 years ago about my valve. Keep working that heart!

Daneen Douglas Awesome!

Meghan Bridges Your doing amazing. It took about 2 months for my appetite to return and my energy.

Gina Heuer Congratulations!

Rose Madura Wonderful to hear! It's not unusual for your appetite to be out of whack for a while but as Rita said ... Read more

Rose Madura Wonderful to hear! It's not unusual for your appetite to be out of whack for a while but as Rita said, it will come back. 🪖👍💪❤️‍🩹

Ana Brusso Hi Klara, any new pictures of the children. Hope all is well with you. Terri, you are doing great. Co ... Read more

Ana Brusso Hi Klara, any new pictures of the children. Hope all is well with you. Terri, you are doing great. Continued good health and recovery. God bless you 🙏❤️

Paul Lebel Hi Terry, I'm 3 mo. out from my MV replacement. With my new resting hr of 90 bpm(!) , my metaboli ... Read more

Paul Lebel Hi Terry, I'm 3 mo. out from my MV replacement. With my new resting hr of 90 bpm(!) , my metabolism is so high that I HAVE to eat as soon as I wake up! Never used to eat, until lunch, after a good workout swimming or biking.I'm sure your appetite will come. ;-)

Terri Popeposted a journal

300 days ago

Rose Madura, Brady Busch, Pamela Gregory reacted to this

Great news after seeing my surgeon for severe Mitral Valve regurgitation he CAN proceed with the minimally invasive surgery and CAN repair vs replace the valve. ...Read more

Great news after seeing my surgeon for severe Mitral Valve regurgitation he CAN proceed with the minimally invasive surgery and CAN repair vs replace the valve. While in there he will also repair my Tricuspid valve which has moderate leakage. He says 4-6 weeks recovery which I find amazing for a major surgery. How grateful I am for skilled surgeons and the technology we have today for health care!!!

Kimberly Eisenhut Terri, That is GREAT news!!! Yay!

Paul Lebel Congratulations! I know how you feel :-)
As one fitness geek to another, I'm in my 7th week and ... Read more

Paul Lebel Congratulations! I know how you feel :-)
As one fitness geek to another, I'm in my 7th week and have either biked or swam every day this week..., half my pre-surgery distances. Not watching the clock yet of course 😉

Richard Munson Stay away from the clock on the wall, let your body tell you the time.

Laurent G Good news

Rose Madura Wonderful news. I can feel your excitement.

Greg Lewis Breaks my heart to say it, but...Excellent advice Mr. Munson! 😉..( why can I never find that darn ... Read more

Greg Lewis Breaks my heart to say it, but...Excellent advice Mr. Munson! 😉..( why can I never find that darn winky face)

Terri Popeposted an update

302 days ago

Terri Pope reacted to this

I’m 66 year old female athlete with severe mitral valve regurgitation. All my pre surgery tests are done, Tee and heart cath. My heart cath showed only ...Read more

I’m 66 year old female athlete with severe mitral valve regurgitation. All my pre surgery tests are done, Tee and heart cath. My heart cath showed only a trace of stenosis (praise God) but the Tee shows both mitral valve leaflets prolapsing. I see the surgeon Thursday and hoping he can still use the minimally invasive repair surgery vs replacement or surgery through my breastbone.

Richard Munson Best of luck. I had minimally and loved it. Maybe loved is not the correct word.

Laurent G Good luck. I had a minimally invasive repair with bi-leaflets prolapse, so it is possible... dependin ... Read more

Laurent G Good luck. I had a minimally invasive repair with bi-leaflets prolapse, so it is possible... depending on the surgeon. 🤞

Paul Lebel I was like you, on pins and needles waiting for the surgeon's confirmation of minimally invasive. As ... Read more

Paul Lebel I was like you, on pins and needles waiting for the surgeon's confirmation of minimally invasive. As an old (70) but fit swimmer and biker I qualified (22 bmi) I think general health, fitness and bmi are key factors. Sounds like you qualify. Good luck!

Paul Lebel Mine also was severe mitral regurgitation (74ml). I chose the bovine replacement.

Susan Eckermann Hi Terri. I was in a position similar to yours. I had severe MV regurgitation, plus A-fib caused by t ... Read more

Susan Eckermann Hi Terri. I was in a position similar to yours. I had severe MV regurgitation, plus A-fib caused by the regurgitation and a large cyst (benign, thankfully) on the pericardial sack. I was hoping for minimally invasive but after testing, my surgeon recommended than standard OHS -mainly based on complicated nature of repair, narrowness of my chest and having breast implants. Going into surgery, I was given 65-70% chance of successful repair due to the poor condition of my MV. It took 7+ hours, but my surgeon was able to make a successful REPAIR, do a Maze procedure for the A-fib, and remove the large cyst. I was petrified of the sternotomy going in, but it wasn’t at all painful as I anticipated. Recovery was relatively pain free, with the sternotomy really being the least of my issues. Backache and lack of sleep and energy were my top issues. Day by day, you will feel better and stronger. The speed of recovery, at least for me, was amazing. I hope you are able to have the minimally invasive, but if not, know the OHS with sternotomy is really not that bad.