Jim P -- Home!

[Jim P]

Hi Everyone,

My wife brought me home from the hospital yesterday. I now have a new CEPM aortic bovine pericardial tissue valve, with ThermaFix anti-calcification process, installed. I also have a long scar down my chest.

Surgery was performed on Feb 8 at Florida Hospital in Orlando. The staff there could not have been more caring, nicer, or more experienced at what they were doing. I felt very well treated.

I had a few complications. 1.) After surgery, in the recovery room, I started bleeding from the chest tubes and was rushed back in to reopen the wound and stop the bleeding. Of course, I was not awake for this, but it was a terrible ordeal for my wife to undergo. 2.) Later in the week, after I was in ICU, I had an arterial fibrillation experience which the medical staff handled quickly and professionally. This was a first for me and likely a reaction to the surgery. So, I am hoping for no recurrences. 3.) Lastly, I had 0.8 L of fluid removed from my chest cavity, by a pulmonologist while also in the ICU.

Life in the Progressive Care Unit (stage after ICU), discharge, and return home were all uneventful.

I am very tired, sore, and somewhat depressed. I know that this successful surgery was a miracle and undoubtedly saved my life from a heart failure occurrence in the near future. However, I do not want to become addicted to pain pills. The severity of pain I feel today ? either terrible or tolerable ? depends on the length of time since my latest pain pill.

I have a wonderful supportive wife who will do everything she can to help me during the recovery stage of this drama. I will keep you posted on my progress. I know that it is only one week after surgery. Based on my earlier readings on this forum, I expect to gradually get better, day by day. That is my great hope.

Thank you so much for your well wishes and prayers before my surgery. Now I have one question to ask: How long did it take all of you to lose dependence on pain pills after AVR surgery? days, weeks, months, or years?

 

[Karlynn]

Jim, glad to see you are home and doing well all things considered. It looks like decided to do your AVR like you were choosing from a Chinese take-out menu.

I'll have the bleed from column A, the atrial fib from column B, and I'll have the fluid instead of the almond cookie.

Your only job these next few weeks is to walk, sleep, eat and breathe. Did you bring an incentive spirometer home from the hospital. If so, keep doing that, it helps a lot! If you don't have one, make sure you are taking deep breaths many times a day. It will help to keep your lungs clear.

Best wishes to you and your darling wife.

 

[readsforfun]

Welcome home, Jim! I must say, I agree with Karlynn - that does almost sound like choices from a Chinese Menu! What do you say we do away with that now and just concentrate on getting well! Hang in there!

Jan

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi Jim -

Welcome back and glad you sailed through the complications so well.

Pain meds - I got off of them ASAP. I was on morphine and oxy-whatever for a week in the hospital, but I only took Extra-Strength Tylenol at home for the next week, and then I stopped taking pain relievers entirely and just took things easy. It does all gradually get better and better and then you will hopefully be delighted with how much better you will feel! (edit - hold a pillow to your chest when you cough or sneeze for the first many weeks -- it can be a very painful event.)

My surgeon told me not to lift or push or pull anything over 5 pounds for 8 weeks and he didn't want me to drive for 8 weeks and he wanted me to use a pillow in the car to protect my chest while riding. I was also given an incentive spirometer and exercises with that and some other gentle upper-body stretching exercises also. I was also on a reduced fluid intake for the first few weeks, but I think that was a fairly unusual directive, according to what I've read from other Valvers. And I slept on a heavy and firm recliner off and on for the first few weeks after the surgery also.

The only meds that I take now are a bp med and aspirin therapy and a thyroid med. I didn't need a bp med right after the surgery but my bp slowly climbed back up and around a year post-op I had to take a bp med again.

Best wishes to you and your wife! Take care and post again.

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome home, Jim. Sounds like you had a few bumps but now on the road to what I hope is an uneventful recovery.

With respect to the pain pills, for me it was a matter of weeks although I had to contend with a second trip to the OR for an incision to insert a drain tube for fluid in my third week.

Whle I was on pain pills, I was weaned off of them while seeing my GP weekly. Started with 2 Oxycocet (most addictive) every 4 - 6 hours, then a combination of 1 or 2 Oxycocet or Tylonol 3 (less addictive but also less potent) as required (max 2 of any combination every 6 hours), then only Tylonol 3 as required (max 2 every 6 hours), then finally over the counter extra strength Tylonol (not addictive) as required. As I recall I was pretty much done with taking any kind of pain pills regularly about 6 weeks out.

 

[Marguerite53]

Congratulations! You're home!

Please don't be depressed!! Worn out, yes!! Depressed...NO! The pain pills are something you should be happy to use for awhile. I don't think your doctor will continue to refill the prescriptions if he/she thinks you are becoming dependent. Don't worry about dependency. Right now you are in major pain! Use the pills. Take them on schedule before the pain gets bad and I think you'll find that it will be easier to cope. If you try to wait it out, the pain will just be that much tougher to abate. Very soon things will calm down. You will find you can wean yourself off when you want to. Please don't worry about it so soon and be in constant communication with the hospital (I'm sure they gave you a cardiac nurses phone line to use for quesitons) or your doctors. If you are experiencing more than the normal amount of pain, they'll want to know. Watch for any fevers, too. Very important.

Rest a lot. My best friend was sleep! I did a ton of it. Sit in the sunshine and let the warmth be on your back...it will feel so good! (Or is it too cold even in Florida?) Take it one day at a time. Do try to walk a little more each day. BE PATIENT!!! You got an extra dose of the nasties in there! It will take you a little longer to recoup....but not that much longer....you'll see!!

Try to put it into perspective. It's really only a few weeks out of your whole life, here, that you'll be feeling down and out. Certainly that's not so much a price to pay for extending your life by 20 years!

Hang in there. Keep checking in with us. We've all done this in one way or another. We know it's tough and frustrating and fraught with unknowns. You'll get through it!!

Best wishes!! And a friendly Moo, to you!! Marguerite

 

[briansmom]

Jim,
My mom is a drug addict so I share your concern about the pain meds. But I was emphatically counseled by my sons doctors that too much pain impedes the healing process. The fact that you are concerned about addiction pretty much means that you will not become addicted and/or that you will force yourself off the drugs when necessary. I have taken xanax a few times since my son got out of the hospital to deal with my anxiety. It was an extremely difficult decision for me because of my mother's history. Again, I was reassured that if I was not an addict by now, that I was not going to become one. I wouldn't worry about this, just focus on resting and recovering.
Best wishes.

 

[Susan BAV]

You know, Jim, I was just remembering that about my fourth day post-op I had a really strong day of panic and depression and I think that I was just too full of the morphine or something.

A few weeks later I had a bit of depression and I felt like I was a weak human specimen because of needing the surgery to live; and something that helped me think my way out of that was that I thought of all the C-sections that women need to live. Lots of people need surgeries to live, whether it's to have their appendix out or whatever. Anyway, that helped me.

 

[Mary]

Hi, Jim!
I'm glad to see you posting from home!
I believe on the 6th day following replacement, I was dealing with pain due to coughing and it was "drop down on your knees and want to die" type pain. That day I would have taken every pain pill known to medical science if it had been feasible. For whatever reason, that was the last day I really suffered much pain. I think I was still taking something for another two weeks or so, but the worst of the pain had passed.
I think depression is rather common, but I wouldn't let it originate from the fear of taking pain medication. Valve replacement is yucky surgery, and I think it takes a few weeks to feel like your old self again.
If you can get outside in the sunshine and walk about, I think your mood will improve. You'll be back to normal sooner than you think!
You might want to read Robhol's thread about his second anniversary of his avr. It's inspiring.
Best wishes,
Mary

 

[Phyllis]

So good to see you home Jim and as the wife of another valve recipient, so glad to also see you so appreciative of your wife! Dick was sent home with only extra strength Tylenol and along with many back and shoulder rubs, he managed with that, but all those who tell you not to worry about addiction now are right. Take lots of naps, walk as much as you can and after we get over this cold spell get out in the sunshine- a little sun always lifts the spirits! Best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery and welcome to the chorus of mooers.

 

[StretchL]

How long did it take all of you to lose dependence on pain pills after AVR surgery? days, weeks, months, or years?

First of all, Jim W E L C O M E H O M E ! ! ! ! ! :

So glad you're back, and sorry for the complications...

To answer your question, I was only on Tylenon+Codeine for a couple weeks or so after surgery, then tapered off pretty quickly to Tylenol once in a while and then, poof!

You sound great... don't let that depression keep you down. Everything you're feeling has likely been experienced by someone here on this forum before... you're not alone, and your new, long life is ahead of you. That's something to look forward to.

Best-

 

[geebee]

Welcome home Jim.

You will have a lot of ups and downs over the next few weeks. Just try to ride through them and know they will pass.

I think it highly unlikely there is a chance you will become addicted to pain pills during the few weeks you will need them. The pain will become less and less and you will need fewer and fewer pills. Please don't allow yourself to become uncomfortable from a pain standpoint for fear of addiction. Now, if you start taking the pills when you are not hurting then you need to worry.

Get plenty of rest - you made it over the mountain!!!

 

[Superbob]

Hi Jim. Welcome home! You've gotten some great advice from the good folks posting here. Just wanted to add that some degree of depression is quite common. I experienced some. Just don't get depressed about the depression, so to speak. Chances are very good it will dissipate, and all will be sunny again.

Cheers,

 

[StretchL]

By the way... Does this man yet have a Tawdry Shirt?

 

[kodi]

Jim
Glad you are over the mountain and on the road to recovery. The complications would have scared the daylights out of me and/or my family but fortunately, none of that happened here.
Your number one priority is rest, breathe, walk, eat healthy and repeat several times daily.
As far as the pain meds, everyone is different and so is the pain and tolerance to it. My last pain pill was five days after surgery. I do an aspirin a day if you want to call that a pain pill, however.
Keep up the recovery and keep us posted.

 

[temp69]

welcome home

welcome home

sounds like you had a bit of a rough go of it, but fear not, the worst is behind you and you will recover nicely. it will take time, so take the time for yourself and read and breathe and meditate, speak to god, whatever brings joy into your life. i am now 7 months post op and getting stronger every day so there is hope!!! The pain will subside, i know how bad it can be, i been there, but things will turn for you.

 

[Jim P]

Second Day Update

Second Day Update

Thank you everyone for your responses to my pain pill question.

Clearly everyone?s body is different, and everyone?s surgery was different, but I gained strength from learning from you that I was not the only person needing the meds initially. All of you seemed to have started to wean yourself off the pain pills either in the hospital or at about the 2- or 3-week point after leaving hospital. I am now taking one Percocet tablet three times per day.

I am feeling better today, although I am accustomed to being an active person and find this sitting at home and resting to be stifling. However, I may begin to enjoy this life. Who knows?

My only activity right now involves light walking, resting, eating healthy, and using the incentive spirometer (mine is called an Airlife).

My emotions pre-surgery were mostly anticipatory (and some fear). I am only days returning home from the hospital, and I am swamped from many directions ? exhaustion, pain, relief, and frustration (at my loss of independence, at least temporarily). However, above all, are thankfulness to skilled surgeons and nurses, as well as the marvel of modern medical science and industry to produce an aortic valve that could be implanted safely in my body.

 

[Granbonny]

Welcome home, Jim

Welcome home, Jim

I believe I was taking about 3 pain pills a day.. for about 1 week ..then tapered down....to maybe 1 at night? It will soon be 5 years for me so my memory is fading ..but I do remember being depressed....because I could not do the things I wanted to do..mainly go to my Grandson's little league games...My family took me to one at 3 weeks post-op..and I felt better. ..So I'm thinking it may be 3 weeks before you can do the things you loved to do before surgery..Just listen to your body and not overdo it...Bonnie

 

[Guest]

Welcome home, Jim!

Thoughts/prayers for a continued successful recovery for you .



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Enough is enough, I can't take anymore" ... Alabama ... 'Can't Keep A Good Man Down'

 

[JAMES W]

Welcome Home

Welcome Home

JIMBO,
DON'T LET THE BLUES GET YOU DOWN.....I TOO NOTICED A DEPRESSION THAT ENVELOPED ME POST SURGERY....TAKE WHAT EVER PAIN KILLER DOES THE TRICK...YOU WON'T GET DEPENDANT...THE DOC's WON'T ALLOW YOU TOO MANY REFILLS.....TIME IS THE BEST HEALER...GIVE IT A FEW WEEKS...DONT RUSH IT......A CONTINUED GOOD RECOVERY...BE SAFE, MY FRIEND