Surgery Time

[Run To State]

Prayers for all to go well for you and a speedy recovery, UKMF! God bless.

[UKMustangFan]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement and of course the thoughts and prayers, they are all very much appreciated!

 

The funny thing is, I've never had any sort of symptoms. Outside of lifting weights and no tattoos, I've never had any restrictions and still don't.

 

The fear is that because my valve doesn't close properly (and it never has), that it puts undue stress on the other chambers of my heart, specifically my ventricle. The latest batch of testing showed my ventricle function had fallen just below the bottom threshold of normal. Due to that they've decided there is no benefit in waiting on the surgery and now is the best time to do it in order to preserve the function of the rest of my heart.

 

I apologize in advance if I ramble in here from time to time between now and my surgery date. I've found that the more I talk about it the more at ease my anxiety and stress levels seem to be.

 

A couple interesting questions I've been pondering....

 

Will the valve cause airport security metal detectors to go off?

 

Am I basically gonna be a cyborg once the procedure is done, part man, part machine? Will I be one of those "machines" @theguru is worried will eventually take over the world?

[swamprat]

Please keep us updated. You will be in our thoughts and prayers, especially April 5th.

[mcpapa]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement and of course the thoughts and prayers, they are all very much appreciated!

 

The funny thing is, I've never had any sort of symptoms. Outside of lifting weights and no tattoos, I've never had any restrictions and still don't.

 

The fear is that because my valve doesn't close properly (and it never has), that it puts undue stress on the other chambers of my heart, specifically my ventricle. The latest batch of testing showed my ventricle function had fallen just below the bottom threshold of normal. Due to that they've decided there is no benefit in waiting on the surgery and now is the best time to do it in order to preserve the function of the rest of my heart.

 

I apologize in advance if I ramble in here from time to time between now and my surgery date. I've found that the more I talk about it the more at ease my anxiety and stress levels seem to be.

 

A couple interesting questions I've been pondering....

 

Will the valve cause airport security metal detectors to go off?

 

Am I basically gonna be a cyborg once the procedure is done, part man, part machine? Will I be one of those "machines" @theguru is worried will eventually take over the world?

 

Some of us are old enough to remember:

 

“We can rebuild him.”

[mcpapa]

And if you have metal inside you, you’ll probably get a small x-ray to carry in your wallet to show airport security.

[TheDeuce]

Don't apologize for rambling... That's exactly what we are here for. In fact, we'd probably be mad if you didn't share with us. :lol2:

[TheDeuce]

And if you have metal inside you, you’ll probably get a small x-ray to carry in your wallet to show airport security.

 

"TSA regulations require passengers to remove any heart valves and place them in a SEPARATE bin before stepping into the metal detector."

[oldgrappler]

Some of us are old enough to remember:

 

“We can rebuild him.”

 

Yes, yes, I am. I must say though, I preferred Lindsay Wagner's character.

[ggclfan]

"TSA regulations require passengers to remove any heart valves and place them in a SEPARATE bin before stepping into the metal detector."

 

Now THAT is funny Deuce!

[ggclfan]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement and of course the thoughts and prayers, they are all very much appreciated!

 

The funny thing is, I've never had any sort of symptoms. Outside of lifting weights and no tattoos, I've never had any restrictions and still don't.

 

The fear is that because my valve doesn't close properly (and it never has), that it puts undue stress on the other chambers of my heart, specifically my ventricle. The latest batch of testing showed my ventricle function had fallen just below the bottom threshold of normal. Due to that they've decided there is no benefit in waiting on the surgery and now is the best time to do it in order to preserve the function of the rest of my heart.

 

I apologize in advance if I ramble in here from time to time between now and my surgery date. I've found that the more I talk about it the more at ease my anxiety and stress levels seem to be.

 

A couple interesting questions I've been pondering....

 

Will the valve cause airport security metal detectors to go off?

 

Am I basically gonna be a cyborg once the procedure is done, part man, part machine? Will I be one of those "machines" @theguru is worried will eventually take over the world?

 

Just got to reading this thread tonight UKMF... I had no idea of your heart history. Praying for my fellow Pats fan...

[Deaconjim]

Hang in there. You have a lot of prayers behind you. I`ve had everything from a stent to a hip replacement and i`m still working everyday. As soon as they get you rebuilt you should be around a long long time. Good luck and I too will be praying for you.

[strongopenyon]

Good luck, UKMF!

 

Where will you be having your surgery? Is the same cardiothoracic surgeon performing this upcoming procedure?

[CatsBy90]

Figured I'd share as this place has sort of been a kind of extended family to me over the years...

 

As many on here are probably aware, I've had health issues, specifically heart issues, my entire life. I had open heart surgery at 4 months old (I was born with my heart's chambers in the wrong spots) and another to replace a failing heart valve when I was 6.

 

I've always known another surgery was coming at some point in the future, as my cadaver valve had outlasted it's life expectancy by over 10 years. Roughly a month ago, it became official that the time had arrived, and last week everything got set in stone.

 

The first Friday of April, I'll be going under the knife for my third open-heart surgery. This time they'll be putting in a mechanical valve, that God-willing will last forever. It's quite the extensive procedure, expected to last roughly 10 hours, with a week or so hospital stay to follow, and quite a bit of rehab after.

 

I've known this time was coming, but now that the reality of it is starting to sink in, it's pretty daunting.

 

Wife and I have had to have some conversations that you don't expect to have at 28 & 32.

 

Best of luck to you! You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers as you go through the surgery and rehab. You got this!

 

I've had my fair share of health issues I had and for some reason, most of them have come during March Madness. It may sound silly, but UK was a big help in getting me through the chemo and surgeries. For those 2-3 hours a day, I forgot about the hell I was going through and could have a little escape. I hope PJ and the Cats will be in Minneapolis the weekend of your surgery and can do the same for you.

[UKMustangFan]

So today was my last day of work before surgery. Get to spend all day tomorrow at the hospital doing pre-op tests and prep, then back there early Friday morning for the surgery.

 

Much calmer and more at ease than I figured I’d be at this point.

 

Will probably be good until it comes time to leave and say bye to my boys Friday morning. Not sure I’ll be able to keep it together at that point.

[rockmom]

So today was my last day of work before surgery. Get to spend all day tomorrow at the hospital doing pre-op tests and prep, then back there early Friday morning for the surgery.

 

Much calmer and more at ease than I figured I’d be at this point.

 

Will probably be good until it comes time to leave and say bye to my boys Friday morning. Not sure I’ll be able to keep it together at that point.

 

Prayers for you, your family and your surgical team, UKMF.