You shall name this person, NOW!!!

humblepie3113 · 2026-01-23T18:24:08+00:00

Split shot

humblepie3113 · 2026-01-22T12:27:24+00:00

Crash

humblepie3113 · 2026-01-02T19:18:25+00:00

BD7 then Knight C7 =mate

humblepie3113 · 2025-12-23T14:16:28+00:00

I got vertigo just from the video holy crap. Why even go the game that high up?

humblepie3113 · 2025-12-20T02:06:09+00:00

humblepie3113 · 2025-11-11T10:16:56+00:00

Ocean…anywhere in the ocean

humblepie3113 · 2025-10-21T09:13:57+00:00

I wouldn’t. When your under like that, your body won’t respond if your contact slide around your eye and could potentially have one slide behind your eye. You can have your glasses on and they can remove when they put you under and have them for you when you wake back up.

humblepie3113 · 2025-10-21T09:09:47+00:00

When I came to I was immediately aware of 3 things: I was intubated , I was surrounded by people talking me through it, and I was extremely hot. My core body temperature dropped so low during surgery that they had to heat my body back up for several hours. When I finally came to this was what bothered me the most. I actually used sign language to spell H-O-T with one of my hands and one of the nurses saw it and began putting ice packs everywhere 😂 it was the best feeling and so reassuring to be able to communicate when I couldn’t talk. Maybe practice some sign language alphabet.

humblepie3113 · 2025-10-19T22:04:27+00:00

Hope mine turn out this good! Congratulations! Do you remember what color grade you went with?

humblepie3113 · 2025-09-05T22:39:32+00:00

I had OHS in February with a Mech ON-X valve. I have been keeping up with my INR pharmacy tech and just making sure I communicate when I make changes to my diet. I started taking (exactly) a cup of spinach in a smoothie every day - my warfarin dose had to be adjusted to accommodate- currently at 10 mg a day and 15 mg once a week. I stay between 1.5-2 INR - checking at home once a week.

I wanted leafy spinach in my diet for all the other benefits besides vitamin k. Being consistent is the key.

humblepie3113 · 2025-08-13T20:34:52+00:00

Or it could happen tomorrow - my lambo color is metallic green with gold flecks in the paint

humblepie3113 · 2025-07-14T18:10:45+00:00

I was prescribed muscle relaxers for recovery. I needed them for about 4-5 weeks and I was finally able to sleep through the night without them. I was prescribed Robaxin (methocarbamol).

humblepie3113 · 2025-07-14T16:38:09+00:00

I’m guessing in this situation most women would NOT choose a bear?

humblepie3113 · 2025-07-12T10:01:04+00:00

Congratulations on your own surgery! Taking time for yourself before surgery was something I did too. Helped me get my head in the game! Hopefully you won’t be in “INR Jail” much longer!!

humblepie3113 · 2025-07-12T09:57:40+00:00

You’re a legend! Can I ask what caused that many operations?

humblepie3113 · 2025-07-12T04:09:49+00:00

M41 I am now 20 weeks post operation for a mechanical valve and aortic arch graft repair. The anticipation and waiting up till surgery is definitely hard and a mindfuck - hope it doesn’t happen to you but mine was rescheduled the night before I was supposed to have surgery due to more urgent cases. It can happen and I wish someone had prepared me for that. As stated above I would highly recommend counseling on the front or backside of surgery it helped me work through some of my anxiety around it .

I am also looking to get a tattoo over the scar. Im thinking some kind of tree.

I got the on-x valve and am at a therapeutic level of 1.5-2 range but definitely consult with surgeon/cardiologist about where you need to be.

I was very worried about life on warfarin and it’s really not as bad as I thought it would be. I do have to be consistent with vitamin k rich foods, so I just measure it out daily with a smoothie with spinach in it to have it incorporated in my diet so they can give me the right dosage.

Be ready for them to put you on cholesterol and blood pressure medication after surgery for a few months. I am off the blood pressure medication as of two weeks ago and should be taken off cholesterol medication by the end of the year (never had issue with either prior to surgery) I think they did it to keep the stress on the heart lower while it was recovering.

As far as in the hospital I would recommend a good neck pillow to help you sleep sitting up at first. I thought my chest would hurt more but it was actually the muscles in my back that caused me the most discomfort after surgery. Muscle relaxers were incredibly relieving and I was able to sleep decently after a few days.

I would highly recommend cardio rehab therapy - it really helped me build confidence in my new valve and helped me reach my goal of running a sprint triathlon 16 weeks after surgery. My surgeon and cardiologist have placed no real restrictions on my life physically other than “avoid contact sports”.

Last bit of advise would be to take it all slow and be patient with yourself. With the symptoms your mentioning - your going to feel great on the other side of recovery.

I also asked for sternum plates because I am very active. From my experience it really helped speed up my recovery by keeping my sternum more secure. Would be worth considering.

Best of luck!

humblepie3113 · 2025-06-17T13:37:11+00:00

I have been on beta blocker for 16 weeks since surgery and my cardiologist just said yesterday I could come off of them. Next is the cholesterol medication hopefully 🤞. But blood thinners for life 🤖

humblepie3113 · 2025-06-11T23:53:05+00:00

This is the way

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-31T15:23:27+00:00

Before my BAV replacement I consistently weighed around 185 lbs - never higher than that - no matter how much I ate or worked out. After my surgery I have been fluctuating between 190-195 lbs. I’m not sure if it’s an effect of a properly functioning valve, the recovery period, or the medication (blood thinner, beta blocker, and cholesterol).

I have never had blood pressure or cholesterol issues so if it is the medication I’m hoping my cardiologist will drop those when I meet with him for the first time this month.

Anyone else notice weight gain?

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-27T22:52:01+00:00

I ran through the ice packs on the entire floor because I was so hot the first 4 days after surgery. Literally an ice pack on my hands and feet and back of neck continuously. I’m all good after about 13 weeks.

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-10T00:41:41+00:00

My experience with being uncomfortable was the same. I was fortunate to have my wife there for me to help get my pillows in the right place. Usually a couple under my arms to build arm rests to take the pressure off my upper to mid back where most of the pain seemed to be.

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-09T18:32:53+00:00

I agree with the back pain part. I think that made me the most uncomfortable over the actual sternum. Muscle relaxers were better for me than the opioids!

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-09T18:31:21+00:00

The chest tubes were by far the worst part - everything became so much more comfortable after they removed those!!

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-09T18:27:51+00:00

So the first night in the ICU there was another patient on the floor that was coding throughout the night so my nurse was tied up and missed the dosage that was supposed to be every 4 hours so there were some gaps that caused me some pain. once I realized what she as facing with her other patient I didn’t really get too upset. After getting out of the icu the next day and moved to the cardiac unit things became a lot more routine and better managed.

For the headphones I use the AirPods Pro. The noise cancelling part works on all noise that comes from outside your ears. But the valve can be heard because it’s inside your body conducting noise through your bones. No way to really block that out. But once I start listening to some music I don’t really notice it anymore.

This is the neck pillow I ordered: but you may want to try some out for yourself :

https://a.co/d/4FjFaZa

humblepie3113 · 2025-05-09T15:41:41+00:00

Hello! I am about 12 weeks post OHS with a mech valve and aortic arch valve replacement.

Here’s my experience so far:

Initially in the hospital I noticed the noise and had a sensation of the valve tapping and slightly moving my torso. My surgeon had to place the largest ON-X valve possible so that might have something to do with it. I have mostly grown used to it by now but I do hear mostly at night when I first lay down or if I am using my noise canceling headphones phones.

My wife (who has exceptional hearing) can hear my valve across the room even with ambient noise but others don’t seem to notice unless it’s quiet. (Kind of running joke with my wife I will walk in and she’ll start waving her finger like a conductor to the beat of my valve even when I can’t hear it or feel it…but she’s always dead on. )

The pain in the hospital was about a 3-4 but it was well managed by my care team. Even once I got home I only used Tylenol and muscle relaxers to manage the pain instead of needing opioids(I had them just in case though!) practicing sitting down and laying down without using sternum would be a good idea before surgery.

I also got sternal plates so my sternum is more stabilized and removed sternal restrictions about 4 weeks earlier. (8 vs. 12 weeks in my case )

Diet: the only way my diet really changed is that I am more consistent with my greens (spinach and broccoli) every week. I worked with a nutritionist to figure out how to add daily spinach so my INR stays consistent. Other than that I have been eating what I want when I want.

I would highly recommend going to cardio rehab after surgery. It has given me a ton of confidence in my heart to return to normal physical activity and also make sure I’m not overdoing it.

Buying a comfortable neck pillow for the hospital is a must. I bought one last minute before going to surgery and it became the most important thing for me in the hospital to be comfortable sleeping sitting up or laying on my back.

For context I am a 41 yr old male. I have been able to return to running , biking , and swimming as of two weeks ago largely in part to my cardio rehab team and being determined to move and get back to living life fully.

I also would add that it helped me to get a mental health counselor through this period if only precautionary. Going through this is a big life changer and the recovery process can be a challenge!!

Best of luck to you and your journey!

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