Scott is HOME, too!!!

[QueenVictoria]

Couldn't post as I was SO busy. Thank you Lyn for letting everyone know what was up.The surgery went well. As for his 6.2m aneurysm is was a lot bigger than that. Dr. Colvin said it was huge! They replaced the ascending and put in a cow valve. He hated the vent, NO they didn't take it out until 12 +hrs after surgery- at least. He was in the hospital 5 days. A short stay for such a major procedure. On his first night home (Tues) he sprouted a leak from his hole where the chest tube had been. Of course the Coumadin didn't help to slow it down either. BIG mess. He's doing alot of sleeping-says he got no rest in the hospital.He is complaining of upset stomach- which could be from the Iron pills???? Thanks for all your prayers, it meant so much to both of us. How long does it take to feel good? He has a wedding on 5/27- about 1/2hr from our home. Anyone think he'll be able to make an appearance??? I'll get a wheelchair so he can sit and we figure he'll stay from the wedding and cocktail hour. Think it's doable?

 

[Cooker]

Glad to hear he is home!!! I think the wedding is a go! I'm sure he will feel up to it and without the chair. I came home on a Friday morning and went to a hour long meeting the next Saturday night. It was pushing it but I did it.

I am so glad things are going so well for him. He will continue to be in my prayers.

Tom

 

[Granbonny]

Glad Scott is home.. Sleeping is good..but he needs to be up and walking around in the house..when he feels up to it...helps get the drugs out of his body....from the surgery....I would wait and see about the wedding in 1 week....See how he feels..Even with a wheelchair..may could hurt him..In/Out of car..in/out of wheelchair........(pressure on his sternum?)Takes a long time for it to heal..Bonnie

 

[Susan BAV]

Glad to read your post. Wedding on the 27th? I think the first time I felt up to going out post-op for dinner with friends, and it was at their house with just the other couple and not a lot of excitement, was just about two weeks post-op. Of course, later that night we had a huge fire through the area where we live and there WAS a lot of excitement as we had to evacuate and we thought we lost our home. I survived all that excitement and, happily, our home survived also. 2500+ homes burned down in our county during that fire and a bigger fire just south of us.

I think your son will probably do just fine. Don't let any germy people get around him though. His first cough or sneeze will be horrendous.

Glad all's going well for Scott and you. Take care.

 

[Karlynn]

Glad to hear he's home.

As I like to tell every post-surgery member - Scott's only job right now is to walk, sleep, eat and breathe. And that's a lot of work. Granbonny is right, he needs to be walking - not necessarily pushing himself, but he does need to be moving around.

If he brought his incentive spirometer home from the hospital (the thing that you blow into and a ball or cup rises) encourage him to do that a lot. It will help keep his lungs clear. If he doesn't have one, encourage him to take deep breaths in and out. Walking and moving will also keep his lungs clear.

I think it's too soon to tell about the wedding. Give it another week. If you push your body too hard, it has a really nasty way of letting you know you've done too much and it will set you on your butt.

We're so glad they got in there and got that awful aneurysm. Please give him our best!

 

[gijanet]

So glad to hear.............

So glad to hear.............

that Scott is home in his own bed. We all know how good that feels. I have to second all the others. I would definitely play the wedding by ear. Katie has bounced right back after two of her surgeries, but not so on the others. Prayers for a smooth recovery. Hugs. J.

 

[rachette5]

So glad to hear that Scott is home. How did you like dr. Colvin. I absoulutly adore him. Hope he is walking around.
Every day is a little better.

 

[catwoman]

Glad that Scott's home.

Dunno about the wedding. I had thought of taking my husband to a cat show May 26-27 in Temple TX, just 2 hours' south of where we live. John is doing just great, no pain, no breathing problems... BUT he'll be more comfortable being able to relax at will at home.

You'll be able to measure closer to May 27 whether Scott will have stamina to go to a wedding. He'll tire more easily, may not really enjoy the event as much as he otherwise would.

Hope his recovery goes well!

 

[Guest]

Glad to know Scott is HOME ... CONGRATULATIONS .

Thoughts/prayers for a continued SUCCESSFUL recovery!



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Tell me what you see" ... Bob Carlisle ... 'Getting Stronger'

 

[QueenVictoria]

Scott

Scott

Well, again thanks for the feedback. Yes, Dr. Colvin IS a surgical machine. He did his job well. I personally wanted him for his expertise and for nothing more. He works like a dog. Poor man. I will take it day by day regarding this wedding next Sunday. I just posted regarding his Amiodarone and his other meds- I think they're causing him side effects and it's dragging him down even more. Yes he is using his spirometer and has it all the way up to the top- so his lungs are good and strong. His heart rate went up to 136 last night and we almost had to go to the hospital. The Dr. called and said wait half an hour and see if it slides back down- which thankfully it did. You know- there are so many things that have come up since he got home Tuesday that I don't know what to do about. I just call the attendings and follow their advise. It just makes me feel so inept to deal with the situations that present. For example- on the first night he started to bleed very heavily from his chest tube incision when he coughed. There was a bloody mess and because of the Coumadin clotting was slower and I didn't keep pressure on long enough. We he got up to go to the bathroom he sprung a leak again. I felt so paniced but I stayed calm for all our sakes and reapplied pressure- put on a butterfly bandage and gauze pads. Nothing has happened since, thank goodness. Every day presents new concerns. He is very tired and sits in a chair- does a little in the house walking- and rests again. Any idea how long it'll take till he feels more human??? Thanks again. Yes, this site and all your info is so valuable. Couldn't do it w/o all of your experiences.

 

[Karlynn]

The first few weeks home from the hospital can be the hardest. People often feel somewhat worse than they did in the hospital at this time. He did have a big surgery as far as VR's go. He came home only after 5 days. It's possible it would have been better for him to stay a few days longer, but hind-sight is 20/20, isn't it?

If he's not feeling well enough to get up and do some walking, it could be the meds he's on. Keep taking the advise of the attendings. I'm glad you don't hesitate to call. I always tell people not to hesistate to call. You've definitely paid them enough money to get adivce when you need it!

 

[linda d.]

Scott is home too!

Scott is home too!

Not to sound pessimistic, but don't count on the wedding and don't let him know you are counting on him going to the wedding. There is no way I could have done that after my aortic root replacement and valve repair.
He may do great...and then again complications and little hiccups are quite common.
I learned that it was best not to plan anything at first and just take one day at a time.
Best wishes.
Linda

 

[ToFMom]

He may or may not feel like going to the wedding. My son is now 2 weeks post op and he seems to have his good days and his bad days. A couple of days he ran low-grade temps and his stomach was queasy. Then maybe the next day he'd feel great. He's had a lot of back/shoulder pain which I think will just take time to work itself out. Hopefully, it is something he can commit to last minute without ruling it out completely. He may feel great. Of course my son doesn't think anything he does is "overdoing it". He even told me he could race me down the street and beat me! Well, yeah, that's a given! It does seem like the days he felt worse were days after he'd gone out to dinner, etc. Hope your son continues to feel better!!!

 

[WayneGM]

Glad to hear Scott is home. Everyone's recovery is different. He's young and he'll probably start to feel "human" again fairly soon, although he'll still need to pace himself for awhile. I found if I over did it, it just set me back so better to do things in moderation. Best wishes for a speedy, and uneventful, recovery.