Some of my AR friends already know of my first week of 2017

I had some test run just before Christmas and found out that my upper thoracic aorta was in a near state of rupture so my wife and I made immediate plans to travel to St Francois Medical Center about 100 miles east to hire a team of very talented surgeons and the hundreds of support staff that it takes to pull this type of miracle off.

A synthetic graft was sewn in and the valve was saved.

The procedure is called

"Valve Sparring Aortic Root Reconstruction...or the Davis procedure

Stats
47 years old
6' 2" and 223 at the time of these pictures

No heart problems ever noted

Pre-op



Just a couple hours after surgery



After 4 days

You look young and strong. You'll have a speedy recovery.

Best wishes and speedy recovery!

I have had heart issues and know how scary it can be. Hang in there!

Hoping you a have a quick recovery.

It's early in 2017 but I nominate this for the best thread title of the year. Glad you did well Ted. Now that you are full of gotetex the rain shouldn't bother you.

Cheers
Jim

Best wishes to you for a quick and complete recovery.
Cal

Prayers for a full recovery, wish you were not having to deal with this.

I wish I could say more, but all I can do is pray that you get better,

Man those pictures remind me of November 2011. I had bypass surgery but recovered fully I think. I don't have any problems that I know of other than being 77 years old. I got a cow elk in October. As soon as you can get to moving and give it hell. You can recover fine.

Regards, Keith
Semper Fi

All the best to you Ted. I had my left mitral valve repaired, my aortic valve replaced and a CABG a few years ago.

My issue was chronic. Yours . . .

I'm very glad they caught it when they did.

And you're right: the skill and dedication of our docs and their support teams is a true marvel.

May you recover quickly and completely.

Sounds and looks good Ted. Glad you made it thru the ordeal and it was found soon enough to fix.

March '12 I started having the chronic shits,(Chrons Disease) got worse til Sept-Oct it hit me about every 5-10 minutes 24/7. Nov 10th a neighbor came over and I told him: "Rick, I haven't been able to get up to the head in three days" "we're going to the ER". I passed out on the way in before the check in desk I guess. Woke up 21 days later gutted, most of my colon was gone, had a belly bag for life. Turned out they had me in a twisting self inflating bed the 5 weeks I was in there. First 21 days was in a coma. That bed wrecked my back, ended up with a L drop foot, both feet numb, still that way.

Then 9 weeks in a nursing home. Came home Feb 8/13, laid around all summer and just couldn't get well. Finally in Sept they gutted me again. Took the rest out she'd left in me. Got to a good doc that time. Even cut out my a/h as the tissue around it was infected. That cured "that" problem well enough I had the L shoulder replaced in Feb '14. That Sept, 4 place back fusion, then Jan '15 the R shoulder replaced.

Did well in '15 I thought. In Oct found blood in my belly button. CT showed a tumor on my pancreas. Had half that, spleen and gall bladder taken out Jan 7th, year ago today.
Butcher didn't make a nice long cut under my ribs. He made a bunch of short ones and let the chunks fall inside and sewed me up. A month later my body rejected it all, blew a hole out thru the scar. Ejected FIVE hunks of belly wall tissue the size of jumbo hotdogs. Hell of an infection of course. Got that cured June 23rd when they sucked out 7 liters of infection fluid from my chest thru the ribs w/drain tubes.

Been doing well since. IF I survive will turn 73 Jan 28th.

Ted, I apologize for high jacking your thread. Keep us posted on your recovery. Young guy like you in good health should recover quickly. Couple months you'll be back at it again.

Best wishes,
George

Certainly great to hear that you found the issue!

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Jason

You are looking better than I did that quick after mine. Lucky for me my valve failed and test for it showed the Root was about to blow. Just do what they say and don't rush it.

In my prayers.

Heck your scar is shorter than mine.

Not what I expected when I opened this, Ted. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and quick return to the hunting fields.

May you get well in God's speed.

I appreciate the well wishes and encourage anyone and everyone....

If you have anything wrong with you're heart...please insist on getting the fast and painless echo cardiogram test

Best wishes and prayers for a quick and full recovery! Thank you for sharing the experience.

How did you start to notice problems? I've had a near death medical emergency, not heart, but would like to know what you were experiencing if that's OK to ask.

quote:

Originally posted by mt Al:
Best wishes and prayers for a quick and full recovery! Thank you for sharing the experience.

How did you start to notice problems? I've had a near death medical emergency, not heart, but would like to know what you were experiencing if that's OK to ask.

I had an erratic heart beat a time or two in the fall of 2015 hunting and staying with friends at a much higher elevations than I'm used to being in. It felt kinda like a fish flopping out of water. So I told my wife.... she told me to tell her if it happened again

It laid dormant for a year then it happened just a couple weeks before Christmas 2016 and my wife insisted that we go to the ER and get some testing started....right away

20 days after that first trip to the ER we had surgery

Very good to hear of your finding and fixing the problem. Many people find it by dying. Wishing you a rapid recovery. Happy New Year, every day is a gift.

good for you for paying attention to the signs. now listen to the docs and get well quick

Wishing you a speedy recovery Ted. At least you should be in shape for hunting season. Glad your wife convinced you to get it looked into.

God Bless you Ted; seems the Lord wants to keep you around a little longer. Sounds like that was a close call. I'd say you'll be turkey hunting pretty soon.

Louis

I guess the takeaway is;
Listen to your wife when it comes to your health.

Speedy recovery to you!

Heal fast.Prayers sent.OB

Good that you caught it before it was more serious/immediate. Get well soon.

quote:

I guess the takeaway is; Listen to your wife when it comes to your health.

Now that is a fact!!!

Ted:
I know nothing about surgery so I have a question: under your scar is your breastbone. Did the docs go thorugh it, above it, around it, etc., to get to your heart? What did they do?
Amazing world of medicine we live in. I trust you are on the mend ahead of schedule.
Cheers,
Cal

Ted,

You look like shit but better that than looking up at the roots of the grass. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
Ted:
I know nothing about surgery so I have a question: under your scar is your breastbone. Did the docs go thorugh it, above it, around it, etc., to get to your heart? What did they do?
Amazing world of medicine we live in. I trust you are on the mend ahead of schedule.
Cheers,
Cal

Cal,

They cut right down the middle and then used glue and stainless steel wire to wire it tightly together...and is permanent

The top is more glue and a thin strip of medical grade tape. This part will all stay in place for 6 to 8 weeks.

Get well soon!

At least you timed it right. A guy I know had open heart surgery 2 weeks before our deer season and the docs told him no shooting for several months. It's the first time he missed a hunting season in over 50 years.

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
Ted:
I know nothing about surgery so I have a question: under your scar is your breastbone. Did the docs go thorugh it, above it, around it, etc., to get to your heart? What did they do?
Amazing world of medicine we live in. I trust you are on the mend ahead of schedule.
Cheers,
Cal

Cal,

They cut right down the middle and then used glue and stainless steel wire to wire it tightly together...and is permanent

The top is more glue and a thin strip of medical grade tape. This part will all stay in place for 6 to 8 weeks.

Wow! Thank the good Lord for US medical care.
Seriously, Ted, after your recover my invite to AK is always open. If you prefer not to shoot double rifles, I live within minutes of four good fishing streams. Salmon won't be in until June, but steelheads are in. Great place for the Mrs., also.
Get well.
Cal

Congratulations on avoiding the medical event, and also surviving the surgery.

Good hunting to you upon full recovery!

I think you should celebrate all of this with a new rifle. Sure to pick up your spirits.

My cousin had this done just over two years ago he is back cross country skiing and doing good. he was 62 at the time

He is planning his 2nd 32 mile ski race end of February since the operation he had 34 under his belt before it.

Knew another fellow that had it done at 30 he seems back in full shape that was about 7 years ago.

Stand with the plan and get better.

ECG's are quick, cheap and great first line tools for early detection of possible problems.
Looks like you're going to make a great recovery.
Heal well.

Ted, like I said to you many times before I'm grateful you were blessed with a wife that wouldn't allow you to ignore your symptoms. She made sure there are many more hunts we can do together in the future as well as other meets. For that a lot of us will be forever in her debt.

quote:

Originally posted by taylorce1:
Ted, like I said to you many times before I'm grateful you were blessed with a wife that wouldn't allow you to ignore your symptoms. She made sure there are many more hunts we can do together in the future as well as other meets. For that a lot of us will be forever in her debt.

Thanks Chad

As our crew knows Tricia's daily efforts are what keeps Ted running good and she is the foundation of our relationship.

I'm home and just being home makes me feel better.

Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery!

Ted, prayers for a speedy recovery. Tricia and the like are the reason that statistics say married men live an average of 10 years longer than unwed men.

The preventive checks are quick, painless and very helpful. The doctors have looked at my heart every way possible over the years as I have had Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) since I was in high school. While not usually an issue, they so scare the hell out of you, especially when they happen for an hour or two.

So everyone, please get checked. I have had ECG, sonogram, other ultra sound, stress tests up the wazoo, Halton Monitors and luckily they showed nothing serious, but don't bet your life on it. Get checked.

Again, Ted, I am very glad you will make a great recovery, I'm sure.

I am so glad you took the advice of your wife and that they caught it in time. I'm sure the recovery period won't be much fun, but I'm praying for quick healing and that you can get back to your normal routine very soon.

All the best...

Wishing you a speedy recovery and get well soon!