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Post Surgery Update

A cold blue sunset back in February 2021

Overcast skies dominate and it’s windy, definitely a bad hair day. Want to update my status after surgery. The TAVR procedure went well. They were done in just over an hour. Surgery started at 7:00 am and I was home about 5:00 pm. They fractured the original valve that was installed back in 2018 and inserted a new valve inside of that one. All done through the arteries. Amazing! My body seems to know nothing about a new aortic valve being installed. However, my groins are well aware of the three catheters invasive entry into my body, one in my wrist and one in each groin. I walk with pain, bent over like an old man, slow and deliberate, one foot in front of the other. Getting up and down from a chair is a slow process also. All tests done so far show the valve working perfectly and the gradient numbers of 40 we saw before surgery are now below 20. That tells us the heart is not working as hard pre surgery. I cannot say enough for the care I received from the medical staff and all the support and outreach from family and friends. Now comes the slow recovery process but this is nothing like I had with my open heart surgery four years ago. More to follow. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Retired. Having fun with photography. Journal daily. Meditate daily. Learning haiku/poetry. Have a love for fountain pens.

10 Comments

  • Faye White

    Thanks for the update, Monte. Healing is a process, your body will let you know if you try to do too much too fast. I can’t believe you went home the same day, that’s amazing. Stay well, get stronger each day.

  • Earl

    It sounds like good news all the way around, Monte. Hopefully, the recovery process will go faster than you think, and you’ll be back trekking in nature in no time. It is incredible what they can do these days. Take care, and fast healing!

  • Mark

    So glad to read this and hope it continues without any complications. Maybe you deserve some latte deliveries from some of those baristas you’ve befriended over the years? 🙂

    • Monte Stevens

      I’m so glad I could post this news, also. HaHa! It never occurred to me for my baristas to deliver but I go there because of them more so than the drink itself.

  • Tom Dills

    Excellent news, thanks for sharing! Glad to have you back, looking forward to further updates. The capabilities of modern medicine are truly incredible. Nothing to do now but heal!

  • Geri Oster

    So very happy for you, Monte, that the procedure went so well and seems already to have made a significant improvement in your heart function. Blessed be the times when all we can do is rest, in those quiet moments we can more deeply experience the love, comfort and peace of the Creator. May your time of recovery be so. Love and prayers for your healing.