Hello, newbie here

[OCheart]

Hi there,

My recent echo showed an aortic aneurysm at 4.6, up from 4.2 14 months ago. My surgeon has pretty much set my expectations that surgery is coming up. I go in tomorrow for a TEE and more detailed CT scan. I'm scared, nervous, anxious, thankful, all of the feelings. This site is extremely helpful- my goodness. I was wondering where everyone was because I couldn't find much of people's experience...now I know you are all over here!

To be honest though, I'm nervous for how my life will change- both physically and emotionally. I know i will be changed from this but I'm nervous how. Depression, memory loss, anger, feeling alone, etc.

Also random question- do you think it is worth it to rent a hospital bed for my house?

Thank you all for being open and honest.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I was wondering where everyone was because I couldn't find much of people's experience...now I know you are all over here!

;-)

To be honest though, I'm nervous for how my life will change- both physically and emotionally. I know i will be changed from this but I'm nervous how. Depression, memory loss, anger, feeling alone, etc.

My life only changed by getting better. On my surgeries from 1992 (at 28) to my surgery at 48 (2011) I simply got better after the surgery. Granted there was a bit of hassle with eye focus and memory for a few months after the 2nd surgery, but within a short time that was over.

I had a homograft put in in 1992 and a mechanical put in in 2011. I self manage my warfarin totally and pretty much do exactly what I want. I'm from Australia and have lived in Japan , South Korea, Finland as well as travelled to many countries. On my blog you can get an idea of the lack of limitations to living my life.
from working on my shed (by my self, unaided)
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2018/01/raising-roof.html

to XC skiing in Finland
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2018/02/why-i-like-cross-country-skiing.html

I hope noone medical has actually told you that you will have a lessened life after surgery. Hopefully its just all the crap you read on the sites who want to make money out of making you feel sick.

Also random question- do you think it is worth it to rent a hospital bed for my house?

honestly till I came here the thought never occured to me. I just slept in my regular bed (well, ok after my 2011 surgery my wife put me in the spare room because as a side sleeper my snoring was unbearable when sleeping on my back.

But I also wanted to not have her suffer sleep deprivation ;-)

You'll be fine.

 

[pellicle]

OCheart

an old post of mine here from 2014 may add more information:
http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...le-to-become-active-again?p=798081#post798081

 

[OCheart]

Thank you pellicle I find your posts very practical and helpful- especially when I have been on the edge with this.

 

[dick0236]

To be honest though, I'm nervous for how my life will change- both physically and emotionally. I know i will be changed from this but I'm nervous how. Depression, memory loss, anger, feeling alone, etc.

Hi OCheart. Welcome to the site.......a lot of good info and support here. IMO I believe the "life changes" are mostly emotional, not physical. The good news is that forums like this one exist to help you thru those times. For me, it has actually had little effect on my physical life and after a lifetime following heart surgery I realize all the emotional "what ifs" never materialized.

Hospital bed rentals where not an option when I had the surgery(as far as I knew).......but I spent about two weeks in the hospital (normal stay in the 1960s), post op. When I went home I went back to a regular bed........far too long for me to remember how comfortable, or uncomfortable, it was.

 

[user 16827]

welcome OCheart is the dilation due to Bav ? i can only speak for myself but before my surgery i felt fine.
Post opp after you get over the OHS depending if you get the valve replaced ( and with what ) life will
be different but not bad like you may think.
i race mtb, run and lift weights, i manage my own inr and i have very few issues.

(short term memory isn't what it was and my body soon tells me if i overdo anything)

there are a few life adjustments and your loved ones will worry about you more than usual but it's a great life experience.
Best of luck with it all....
Re the bed , i bought myself one specifically for after the surgery, one of my better ideas for sure it really makes lifes easier

 

[pellicle]

Thank you pellicle I find your posts very practical and helpful- especially when I have been on the edge with this.

thanks for the feedback

I do indeed try to be practical and hope that my practical is helpful (cos that's what I want it to be). I could try to be something else ... but its just not me ...

I hope that my combination of flippant and scientific approach is gradually bringing you back from the edge...

 

[LondonAndy]

Welcome OCHeart, and your post reminds me how lucky I was to not have the anxieties before surgery that I often read on here. In my case, I was seriously short of breath for a few months before my surgery, and although I was able to continue to work, my life was very restricted. To get a diagnosis and solution was simply a relief - I knew it had to be done, and that life would be better afterwards. Perhaps if I had not had symptoms I would not have been as accepting of the need for surgery, or as optimistic. I knew I would die soon if the operation was not done, and that is quite a motivator!

I have seen many people post comments on here and another forum on pacemakers about their worries before surgery, and I would love to go around giving hugs saying 'everything will be alright'. Obviously life is not so straight forward: surgery is a big deal for anyone, and there are no guarantees - indeed my own operation went a bit wrong, hence getting the bonus of a pacemaker after they accidentally damaged my heart's electrics. You are a good age for surgery, not old and frail, and recovery shouldn't take too long, though you will be seriously out-of-action for a bit. My surgery was in September, and during my recovery at home afterwards I had bought all my Christmas presents online by the end of October! I had never been so organised, but had the time to do it in short bursts (concentration span is limited after surgery)

The changes to my life were: a couple of extra tablets to take each day, and annual checkups for both the valve and the pacemaker, and the ability to queue jump to see my local doctor for the next couple of months if I wanted. I do home testing of my INR (I have a mechanical valve), but because I am diabetic I am used to finger-prick machines, and the INR test procedure is almost identical and only once a week instead of twice a day for diabetes, so that has been a minor thing.

As for getting a hospital bed, I had not considered that as I used an electric reclining chair I already owned, which can recline to be almost as flat as a bed and I found I could lock into whatever position was most comfortable for the first couple of weeks. Then after that it was back to my bed. I suspect that the cost of a decent recliner that you would then own permanently would be similar to the cost of renting a hospital bed for a few weeks, but that may not be an issue.

Best of luck, and keep posting your progress.

 

[OCheart]

Hi OCheart. Welcome to the site.......a lot of good info and support here. IMO I believe the "life changes" are mostly emotional, not physical. The good news is that forums like this one exist to help you thru those times. For me, it has actually had little effect on my physical life and after a lifetime following heart surgery I realize all the emotional "what ifs" never materialized.

Hospital bed rentals where not an option when I had the surgery(as far as I knew).......but I spent about two weeks in the hospital (normal stay in the 1960s), post op. When I went home I went back to a regular bed........far too long for me to remember how comfortable, or uncomfortable, it was.

Thank you dick0236. I also find your posts assuring given you went through this when there weren't the advances in surgery or medicine and you are just fine

 

[OCheart]

I think there are some pretty good rentals in my area. Thanks for the positive review! leadville

 

[OCheart]

LondonAndy I appreciate your thorough reply. I will look into a recliner. You all are the best. I am scared, nervous, alone and this forum board is comforting.

 

[OldmrWilson]

I wish you the best. I am headed in next week 4-19 for "the consultation". 2 bypasses and aortic valve replacement. These people dole out very useful info and support. I am thankful for them too. Now.........if I can just get that confidence in "the doctor". May God guide his hands.

 

[pellicle]

Andy

...
I have seen many people post comments on here and another forum on pacemakers about their worries before surgery, and I would love to go around giving hugs saying 'everything will be alright'. ...
The changes to my life were: a couple of extra tablets to take each day, and annual checkups for both the valve and the pacemaker,

I'm sorry if I cast getting a pacemaker in a bad light, I guess that I'm guilty of the things that I accuse Doctors of: "Making an oblique suggestion about an outcome which gets interpreted as being the end of the world by the patient"

I do understand that pacemakers are actually quite well developed old tech now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cardiac_pacemaker

In 1958, engineer Earl Bakken of Minneapolis, Minnesota, produced the first wearable external pacemaker for a patient of C. Walton Lillehei. This transistorized pacemaker, housed in a small plastic box, had controls to permit adjustment of pacing heart rate and output voltage and was connected to electrode leads which passed through the skin of the patient to terminate in electrodes attached to the surface of the myocardium of the heart.

One of the earliest patients to receive this Lucas pacemaker device was a woman in her early 30s in an operation carried out in 1964 at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford by cardiac surgeon Alf Gunning from South Africa and later Professor Gunning[41][42] who was a student of Christiaan Barnard.

My feeling is that if I have to have one then its "not the end", but if I didn't have to have one that would be my desire, for from what I understand they make active lifestyle more problematic, although the new ones are certainly more "dynamic" in their response to exersize.

I often mention it as an outcome because 1) I see it mentioned here occasionally in the light of "I didn't expect this" and 2) to clarify that redo-surgery isn't just a repeat of the first because it comes with additional risks (which few really bother to clarify what that means)

I guess that in thinking about it I'm less in control over that (and I beguile myself into believing that I have some control over my life in other areas, which I know to be an illusion at best).

Hugs accepted, but hopefully never needed ...

Best Wishes

 

[pellicle]

not wanting to tempt (the) fate (of post deletion caused by editing), I wanted to add this to the above but didn't

It makes an interesting listen for anyone who's contemplating "am I no longer natural"

 

[honeybunny]

I purchased an electric recliner, or rather my brother purchased it for me. I'd planned on renting one but had no luck finding a rental. I still had a hard time sleeping, even when fully reclined, but that was to be expected. I opted for the electrical because I don't have reach (short arms) to easily pull a manual lever.

Glad to see the support here is helping you deal with your anxiety, which is a natural response to the news of impending surgery. One of the thoughts I kept in mind was that there are hundreds of thousands of folks who would have gladly traded places with me, e.g., cancer patients. My valve was fixable; terminal illness is not.

Sending postivie energy your way.

Hugs,
Michele

 

[OCheart]

I purchased an electric recliner, or rather my brother purchased it for me. I'd planned on renting one but had no luck finding a rental. I still had a hard time sleeping, even when fully reclined, but that was to be expected. I opted for the electrical because I don't have reach (short arms) to easily pull a manual lever.

Glad to see the support here is helping you deal with your anxiety, which is a natural response to the news of impending surgery. One of the thoughts I kept in mind was that there are hundreds of thousands of folks who would have gladly traded places with me, e.g., cancer patients. My valve was fixable; terminal illness is not.

Sending postivie energy your way.

Hugs,
Michele

THIS!!! I have my brief pity party but then I think about cancer patients and other people in conditions much worse than I. This too shall pass.