Last year at this time I was being prepped for my surgery. When I read my daily devotion this is what it said. Happy Anniversary to me! I’m doing well! I ...Read more
Last year at this time I was being prepped for my surgery. When I read my daily devotion this is what it said. Happy Anniversary to me! I’m doing well! I hope this brings some peace to others on this journey.
Pamela Gregory Congratulations Erin!!! I immediately recognized this from "Jesus Calling". A total stranger I met g... Read more
Pamela Gregory Congratulations Erin!!! I immediately recognized this from "Jesus Calling". A total stranger I met gave me a sheet of paper with the name of this book for me to get, then my sister in law gave me this book when I arrived in Cleveland for my surgery not knowing about the stranger. This book I still read every morning to get my day started. I am not a very religious person but this has been a blessing for me and maybe I am changing
Rose Madura Happy Anniversary Erin! Wonderful post. God never misses a beat! 😇👍
Daneen Douglas Congratulations! I needed to read this today.
Anna Ma Thank you for sharing this, Erin! Love it! So often I like to carry my burdens instead of trusting an ... Read more
Anna Ma Thank you for sharing this, Erin! Love it! So often I like to carry my burdens instead of trusting and depending on Him! This is such a great reminder! Where do you get the digital version?
Hello all… 3 months ago today I had my aortic valve replaced with an aortic aneurysm repair. I’m just posting an update as around 6 weeks things felt so ...Read more
Hello all… 3 months ago today I had my aortic valve replaced with an aortic aneurysm repair. I’m just posting an update as around 6 weeks things felt so much worse for me. Had constant chest pain and aches and wondered if I did the right thing. I was told to be patient… it’s a big surgery…. And now… three months after surgery I feel great! It’s amazing! Just met with my cardiologist yesterday. All blood work looks good, INR in range and got a big old pat on the back! I am walking every morning before work and loving it. I can breathe again!!! My point is for anyone who feels things get worse…. Hold on! It will get better!!!
Hey all. I am still struggling with pain after 8 weeks. My primary did an x-ray to look at the wires and he said all looked good. He prescribed 1/2 pill of ...Read more
Hey all. I am still struggling with pain after 8 weeks. My primary did an x-ray to look at the wires and he said all looked good. He prescribed 1/2 pill of tramadol twice a day, which didn't help so he raised it to a full tab twice a day. I have to say, this comes and goes. I cannot say what brings it on, but I was fine Monday, and yesterday and today it's so much worse. I just finished Cardiac Rehab and am able to walk at a level and incline that would indicate I could do mush more physically. I do a half hour walk every day, my BP and Heart rate are good. I can breath fine, with slight pain/pinch in the right side occasionally of my back, my neck, if I stretch it or bend to the left will pull on my right side shoulder area. I have pain when I laugh, cough, mostly in the center or just right of center of chest and when I bend forward it also hurts and sometimes feels "heavy". I can move and use my left arm just fine, but my right arm has several movements that cause pain, and I do have pain in my right armpit. Has anyone else had similar issues at 8 weeks or so?
Annette Sterzel Erin, I had surgery 3 months ago most of my pain is gone. I still have some chest pain. I had the ste ... Read more
Annette Sterzel Erin, I had surgery 3 months ago most of my pain is gone. I still have some chest pain. I had the sternum surgery. When I started rehab the nurse told me to stretch my arms and then bring them in and to do 10 of those. It helped me a lot. Hope you feel better soon but I was told a good 6 months.
Carol Jackson Sorry to hear. It does take awhile to recover from open heart surgery. My chest was sensitive, felt ... Read more
Carol Jackson Sorry to hear. It does take awhile to recover from open heart surgery. My chest was sensitive, felt "very heavy" for quite a long time. I'd get a twinge of pain every so often in my upper body. I think I had it off and on for about 6 months. It wasn't bad enough to take anything more than extra strength Tylenol. I was prepared that my upper back would be really "tight " after surgery and it was very tight. I have gone to the same chiropractor for years so I went to him on day 7 after surgery. He was very gentle in adjusting me on a kneeling chair and in a chair and it really helped with my back.
Steven Weber Hope that you feel better soon Erin. Thank you so much for sharing your progress (and lack of in some ... Read more
Steven Weber Hope that you feel better soon Erin. Thank you so much for sharing your progress (and lack of in some areas). I find it helpful. It's refreshing to hear reality. Keep up the fight!
Shelly Hubbard Hi Erin I hope the pain gets better for you. Monday coming up will be 4 weeks for me. Yesterday, I st ... Read more
Shelly Hubbard Hi Erin I hope the pain gets better for you. Monday coming up will be 4 weeks for me. Yesterday, I started getting more pain in my chest, armpits back.etc. Not sure why. I start cardiac rehab next week and still have hematoma on my left leg groin it is slowly coming down not sure how that is going to work with cardiac rehab. I just do not want it to start internally bleeding again.
Erin Feaker Thank you all for your insights and thoughts. IT’s appreciated.
Erin Feaker Shelly I’m assuming more pain as we do more but I also thought it should be getting better at 8 wee ... Read more
Erin Feaker Shelly I’m assuming more pain as we do more but I also thought it should be getting better at 8 weeks. Wishful thinking I guess. Tell them at rehab your concern about the hematoma as my rehab people were very caring and helpful. I am scheduled to meet with a cardiologist at Mayo June 6 so I will discuss my concerns with her. I wish you the best and would love updates.
Today marks 4 weeks ago that I had my surgery. Thank you all for the well wishes. I didn’t feel like posting after surgery but it went very well and I was ...Read more
Today marks 4 weeks ago that I had my surgery. Thank you all for the well wishes. I didn’t feel like posting after surgery but it went very well and I was released on day 6. Started cardiac rehab last week and my INR was perfect last Friday. (I have the on-x valve) Let’s hope it is this week as well. Surgery at Mayo in Minnesota with Dr Pochettino and his team. Good people there. I was surprised how little pain there was when they removed all the drainage tubes. That was a huge fear of mine but y’all there was none… just a very odd feeling I can’t even describe. Make sure to use your pillow and cough… and use your incentive spirometer! If they don’t give it to you ask for it… it helps! I did have some issues with eating/drinking as nothing tasted good at all. That has gotten better but it took a couple weeks. Had to force myself to at least drink. All in all things went great and I’m now doing very well. Prayers for all who have upcoming surgeries.
Shelly Hubbard Erin your words have comforted me so much. So happy you are doing good. You are my inspiration. I wou ... Read more
Shelly Hubbard Erin your words have comforted me so much. So happy you are doing good. You are my inspiration. I would absolutely love to meet you in person someday when we are both through all of this. God bless!
Erin Feaker We may be able to arrange that as Mayo will be where my cardiologist is so I will be up there occasio ... Read more
Erin Feaker We may be able to arrange that as Mayo will be where my cardiologist is so I will be up there occasionally!!
Rose Madura Congratulations Erin on a successful surgery.
Just got a call from Dr requesting to reschedule my surgery by a week. Bummed but agreed.
Rose Madura I had a similar reschedule and for some reason, I cried all day. I finally watched a documentary on ... Read more
Rose Madura I had a similar reschedule and for some reason, I cried all day. I finally watched a documentary on the JFK assassination to focus on something else. I finally realized that all things happen for a reason and unfortunately, someone was in such bad shape that they needed my slot. That brought it into perspective for me. God bless you on this journey...
Erin Feaker Yes. That’s is exactly what I thought. Although bummed obviously someone was in desperate need so I ... Read more
Erin Feaker Yes. That’s is exactly what I thought. Although bummed obviously someone was in desperate need so I will happily give them my spot.
Carol Jackson Erin, Mayo Rochester is the best. I had ascending aneurysm repair in 2013 with Dr. Kevin Greason and ... Read more
Carol Jackson Erin, Mayo Rochester is the best. I had ascending aneurysm repair in 2013 with Dr. Kevin Greason and since my BAV was working ok, they saved it. Fast forward to 2021, my aortic valve went from moderate to severe very quickly so I returned to Mayo with Dr. Greason and Dr. Eleid where they did the TAVR. You are in good hands and at a wonderful place. I see you are from Iowa. So am I! You can find my story and journal on this site. The best to you!
Trying to navigate the FMLA paperwork and Short term disability in the digital age! Everything and every contact is all automated or you get a different... Read more
Trying to navigate the FMLA paperwork and Short term disability in the digital age! Everything and every contact is all automated or you get a different rep every time you call with a question which inevitably never gets answered!!! Even our HR is mostly automated!!!
Ana Brusso Not fond of automated HR. feel for you Erin, hang in there.
Rose Madura Erin I love automation when it makes sense but get very frustrated when you try calling and to talk t ... Read more
Rose Madura Erin I love automation when it makes sense but get very frustrated when you try calling and to talk to a live person. Thankfully, I have a unique patience for people with foreign accents. I had a lady who worked for me and she was from Russia, 2nd language was Spanish and 3rd language was English. I really learned the art of listening. God bless you as you maneuver through this.
Lilly Black I do everything digitally, and can confirm it can definitely be frustrating even though I am technic... Read more
Lilly Black I do everything digitally, and can confirm it can definitely be frustrating even though I am technically inclined, and also train people on specific systems. I hear you! wait until AI is fully on board! just around the corner, LOL!
I was informed that I have to have an angiogram and truthfully that scares me more than the surgery! I understand I have to be awake for this procedure and ...Read more
I was informed that I have to have an angiogram and truthfully that scares me more than the surgery! I understand I have to be awake for this procedure and am very “needle” shy! Was hoping to avoid it!
George Gardopee Hi Erin. Most people here will tell you that the angiogram is not a difficult procedure for the patie ... Read more
George Gardopee Hi Erin. Most people here will tell you that the angiogram is not a difficult procedure for the patient. Although you will be “awake”, awake doesn’t really describe the sedated state you will be in. The drugs they will give you are very nice. I was drifting in and out of consciousness during mine. Whether they go through your wrist or your groin area, they will numb the area first and you are unlikely to feel much of anything. The only (minor) problem is having to stay relatively still for a few hours after to prevent bleeding at the entry site. I wrote a pretty detailed description of my angiogram in my journal. Good luck! I should add that the angiogram was (for me) a breeze compared to the surgery, and the surgery wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected.
Leona Resch Hi Erin! I was petrified about the angio and afterwards thought wow that was a piece of cake ! Truly, ... Read more
Leona Resch Hi Erin! I was petrified about the angio and afterwards thought wow that was a piece of cake ! Truly, try not to worry about that procedure. It’s quick and over before you even know it!!
Richard Munson If you qualify for the wrist, do it. Way easier.
Mark Buttell I had the very same thing done a week ago today at Mayo. It’s incredible how easily performed the n ... Read more
Mark Buttell I had the very same thing done a week ago today at Mayo. It’s incredible how easily performed the newer angiogram’s are done. The team is very fluent and they will keep you at ease. Most importantly this test is the stamp they need to be able to perform your procedure the best way possible. Stay strong and rest easy!
Marie Myers I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the cardiac cath was. I, too, was dreading it, but it really w ... Read more
Marie Myers I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the cardiac cath was. I, too, was dreading it, but it really was not bad at all. The doc was able to go through my wrist, and other than some bruising afterwards, it was pretty easy. I remember bits and pieces of the experience, but do not remember any pain. I got a little midazolam, which lessens your anxiety and memory of the procedure. Some people do fine with nothing at all. Let us know how it goes!
Yesterday’s visit to the surgeon resulted in scheduling surgery for my valve and aneurysm replacement. March 1 is the day! I’m leaning toward mechanical ...Read more
Yesterday’s visit to the surgeon resulted in scheduling surgery for my valve and aneurysm replacement. March 1 is the day! I’m leaning toward mechanical but have not finalized my decision yet.
Rose Madura Hi Erin. I just read your story and the last sentence is where a lot of us were. We assumed our sympt ... Read more
Rose Madura Hi Erin. I just read your story and the last sentence is where a lot of us were. We assumed our symptoms were because we were just getting older. You will be surprised at how much better you feel after you recover from your surgery. Godspeed.
Andrew Dial Hi Erin, Welcome, and thanks for sharing your story. Like Rose said, are we just getting older? Or is ... Read more
Andrew Dial Hi Erin, Welcome, and thanks for sharing your story. Like Rose said, are we just getting older? Or is our heart telling us something? I experienced that same exact thing. Do your research, ask all the questions you can think of. There could be a good list of possibilities for you. Tissue valve, mechanical valve, Ross procedure, repair, etc. a lot of that depends on your age and the condition of your current valves too. Anywho, please feel free to ask any questions you may have :)
Adam Pick March 1 will be a great day for you, your heart and the next chapters of your book of life. Whichev... Read more
Adam Pick March 1 will be a great day for you, your heart and the next chapters of your book of life. Whichever valve you choose, it will be the right choice. As many patients and doctors will tell you, there is no perfect valve choice. Take the time to do your research and consider your lifestyle. The answer will come to you in time. Thoughts are with you!
Adam Pick Also... I thought you might want to see this patient webinar all about heart valve replacements with... Read more
https://www.Heart-Valve-Surgery - What should patients, their family members, and friends know about the newest medical advances in heart valve replacement d...
Erin Feaker Oh thank you Adam! I also purchased your book a while back and that has helped me emotionally prepar... Read more
Erin Feaker Oh thank you Adam! I also purchased your book a while back and that has helped me emotionally prepare for what lies ahead!
Adam Pick Wonderful! If you need anything else, please let me know!