Success!

Today (Friday, Aug. 11) I am home after a successful TAVR procedure at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla.  My procedure was on Tuesday morning, and doctors not only installed a new aortic valve, but put in a stent where I had a partial blockage in an artery near my heart.

All I remember from that morning was being wheeled into the cath lab, and moving from the bed to the operating table.  Then the anesthesiologist said he had given me some medicine to relax and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room.  I do remember Van Halen playing on the speakers in the cath lab as I was wheeled in, which I liked.

Later that afternoon, I was wheeled up to my private room in the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute. A bunch of family and friends came by to visit and support me.  The sixth-floor room had a great view, but I couldn't see it because I had to lay flat on my back due to the temporary pacemaker that had been placed in my leg.

The hardest part of the whole procedure was having to lay flat without raising my head or bending my legs for more than 24 hours.  I didn't really sleep much due to that, and the normal hospital goings on, vital signs, blood draws, etc., so I was exhausted by Wednesday, when the pacemaker was removed and I could sit up and move around.

But the important thing is that all the tests and indications showed the procedure was a success, and my new Medtronic aortic valve is working the way it is supposed to.

I was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.  Apart from being a little tired and sore where the catheters were inserted in my groin area, I am feeling fine. I am walking several times a day around my neighborhood, and trying to build on that each day without overdoing things.

After a week, the restrictions on activity, driving, etc. will be lifted and I hope to feel a lot better when I exert myself. But so far, the heart seems to be doing just fine.

It is simply amazing to me that I can sit here in my kitchen typing these words, having gone for a walk this morning and then made French toast for breakfast, just 72 hours after a major heart procedure.  I am also very glad to have this behind me, and want to thank my wife, Ava, my daughter, Salome, and all of my friends and family for their love and support.

Talk to you soon!

Almost time

It's Sunday, Aug. 6, and I am two days out from my TAVR procedure.  I feel a mix of excitement that the day is almost here, and of course, a good dollop of nervousness and anxious energy.  I think I am less anxious than I would  be if I were having open heart surgery, but still I know this is a complicated procedure, and there are risks.

I am happy because I have been waiting for this day for a long time, and I have high hopes that I will feel a lot better afterward, that I will be able to exercise and exert myself without feeling like I might pass out or my heart is pounding out of my chest.  I just want to feel like my old self again, and be able to do things like ride a  bike or paddle my kayak around Oceanside Harbor.

At the same time, I am stressed out because I want everything to go very smoothly.  I'm optimistic but still worried.  I'm sure these feelings are "normal" for what I am going through, but none of this really seems normal to me.  These last few months have been a blur of doctor's appointments, tests, ups and downs and lots of stress.  I'm more than ready to move on.

I keep thinking there are things I should do to prepare for my surgery and hospital stay.  But really there isn't much to do.  I have paid the bills, gone over the finances with my wife (normally I take care of the household finances so I wanted to get her up to speed), arranged for a friend to take care of our dog and talked to the editor of the newspaper I write for.  I changed the oil on all three of our family cars, even though it wasn't quite time to do it!

I don't think I will be bringing much to the hospital other than my phone, charger and headphones.  If all goes well I will only be in the hospital for a night or two anyway.

Tomorrow I will go to the doctor's office for my pre-op bloodwork, and meet with the nurse who will go over details with me about the procedure and what to expect post-op.

Then  I will show up bright and early (5:45 a.m.) on Tuesday for my procedure.  By Tuesday afternoon, I should be in my hospital room, beginning my recovery.

Very soon, I hope to be writing about my recovery and my life post-TAVR, and reporting about how much better I feel!  Until then, I hope anyone reading this has good health and happiness.