Wendy's Journal

Marie Migliaro  Good luck Wendy. My surgery is scheduled for the 12,this Monday. It was originally scheduled for last week. I'll be thanking of you

Rose Madura  Wendy, I know what it's like to get emotionally ready only to be cancelled. Hopefully this week's will go on without a hitch. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Marie Myers  If your name doesn't show up on the list, does that mean you don't have to have surgery??? We wish!! Seriously, I wish you a smooth ride through surgery and recovery. Looking forward to your recovery postings!

Wendy Wood  Hi Marie and Lynda and Martha (to whom I've already shared my sad tale) - I'm still at home and all in one piece after my June 8th surgery date was cancelled late on Wednesday night around 10:30. I had done all the pre-op prep stuff and was one step in the bed (running late on that I might add) when the call came. There is of course, no fault to be laid here. An emergency surgery could happen to any of us. I'm gearing up again to be ready for the rerun next Wednesday evening and on that Wednesday, my doctor is not scheduled to be on call. My new surgery date: June 15th.

Marie Myers  A lot of us have been in your shoes.. This site really helped me, and I am glad you feel the same! Good luck with your next appointment...

Catie B  I'm glad you're here, Wendy. I'm sorry the stenosis has led to symptoms and restrictions, but it sounds like your surgery will take care of those soon. I hope your appointment tomorrow goes well and helps get questions answered. Keep us posted. :)

Wendy Wood  Hi Marie and Catie. Yes, my appointment yesterday set my surgery date for June 8th, - next week. Wow, this is really going to happen and it's coming fast! I live alone so I have a lot to get done before next Thursday. I have family folks who will be coming down here (NC) from VA to take care of me. It's a lot to ask of them, but they are wonderful to be here for me. Also, I have good friends from work who are lending strong moral support. My doctor, Dr. Takla and the Sanger Heart Institute medical professionals have been AMAZING!!! And finally, again, this community of HVS.com people close the circle of support. I feel pretty good going into this and that really says something.

Marie Myers  Wendy- I am 63 and chose a tissue valve. I really considered the On-X valve, but ultimately decided against Coumadin. I needed an aortic root, ascending graft and AVR. I let the surgeon decide on any other details about the valve which is an Edwards Life Science valve. It was a hard decision for me.

Wendy Wood  Hi Marie- thanks for responding and I think I'm going with the same thing. My life style made me hesitate on the Coumadin as well. This has been a really hard decision, but it's a relief to have finally made it. Have you had your surgery? If yes, how far post-surgery are you and how are you doing?

Marie Myers  I am 8 weeks out from my surgery. I started rehab several weeks ago, and have felt good enough to return to work this week part time.. I started really feeling normal after about 5-6 weeks. It is a long journey requiring much patience!

Wendy Wood  Thanks for your response Marie. It helps to hear from someone with a similar case history to mine and same procedure. Returning to work is a tall order, but it sounds like you're making great progress. Do you have an exercise regimen that you're following? If yes, can you give me an idea of what you're doing?

Marie Myers  I started cardiac rehab at week 3 or 4 . I go 2-3 times per week, and the nurses there instruct you on what to do for how long. I do the treadmill, bike, and tried step machine. Prior to rehab, I started walking, just a few minutes the first day, working up to 10-15 minutes. I also started back to my simple yoga routine around 3 weeks. Everyone is different and progresses at different rates. Happy to answer ant other questions!

Marie Myers  After a few weeks at home, you will be surprised how bored you can become.. Work actually sounded like fun to me at the time! And I really do enjoy my job...

Wendy Wood  I love to walk and have two dogs with whom I love to share my walks. I'm a bit of an amateur dog trainer, playing with building my skills and teaching my dogs to be civilized and to walk correctly on a leash. Nothing fancy, but I do want to achieve 100% recall for them so I can allow them more off-leash freedom; this the holy grail of dog training. I hope they'll be a good focus for my rehab efforts. Generally, I hope to use cardio rehab to build my plan and also, as has been offered, to learn some Mediterranean cooking skills. That sounds like a good long term investment. Regarding work, I'm retiring as of June 30, so I'll have some free time on my hands With lots of interests I look forward to pursuing.

Marie Myers  Sounds like a great plan! Walking is the best, easiest, least expensive way to get exercise. And your dogs love it too! They will really help you in your rehab...