It is hard to explain what it feels like to be talking to the anesthesiologist one minute and 36 hours later recognizing Jan and Don telling me I had my valve replaced. Everything is different and not the way it is supposed to be.

Before the operation, my heart was beating along easily because half of the blood was flowing backward into a low-pressure system (my lungs) and only half had to be pushed into the aorta which has a much higher  pressure.  Now that the backflow problem has been fixed the left ventricle is pushing against full systemic pressure and it gets tired easily. A simple walk of a hundred steps requires a couple of minutes of rest.

We have good nurses and physical therapists attending to me every week. I have my set of exercises which Jan is helping me do. I am getting more independent in bathing. I have taken over the recliner as my sleeping chair and it makes all the difference.

One thing that hit me the last few days as I read Caring Bridge is how warm and supported I feel reading your comments to Jan’s posts and all of the healing thoughts and good wishes for recovery. I hope none of you get in a situation like this, but if I can ever help out, I hope you will think to reach out to me in the future.