2 weeks to go

[westie]

hi folks

i have two weeks to go before mvr on monday 03-03-2008 and feel strangely relaxed about the matter. i guess that is because i have had 18 months to get used to the idea but most importantly because i have learned so much from the experiences of everyone at valvereplacement.com which has taken much of the mystery out of the proceedure for me.

but i sort of wonder if i really need this operation ( i know i am dreaming )

it is weird, but i am in such good health and feel so good, i am working 6 days a week and just spent yesterday up a long ladder painting, doing some welding and washing our garage. there are heaps of after work jobs for me every day and next sunday i have to plough/cultivate my wife's jumbo sized water vegetable garden and move a pile of gravel for the driveway. on my final sunday i have to cut all the grass and somehow fit truck and tractor in the garage and rush 120 kms to the hospital

can i really be so sick?

ha, it is best i keep busy because i may be hysterical by 3.00 pm 03-03-2008!

on the surgeons and cardiologists advice that it is ok, i am continuing to drink half a bottle of wine a day.

the surgeon says i should recover quickly given my relatively young age, 54 yrs, and lack of any health problems, except a dud mitral valve of course

oh dear, the young boys here at work are demanding i shout them a beer at the end of the day!

 

[Adrienne]

on the surgeons and cardiologists advice that it is ok, i am continuing to drink half a bottle of wine a day.

Do you mean on their advice or on their reluctant consent?

Good luck!

 

[Superbob]

Sounds like you are doing a lot of hard physical work. I don't have much to compare to directly, because I have done desk work. However, from what the docs told me and what I have read (a lot), I know that you can be symptom-free or nearly so, and yet have serious heart problems that need surgical correction without delay. I was pretty active before my surgery too -- still was doing a hard commute into DC and working out, etc. And so it crossed my mind a few times just to back out on the surgery. Good thing I didn't because when the surgeon went in, he found leakage at a "catastrophic" level (as he described it to my daughter) and an aortic root enlarged to 5.3.

So if the evidence from echos and other tests is there that you need it, it is best not to delay.

 

[cp172]

Hi Westie!

I know exactly how you feel. I had no symptons when my cardio told me it was time to have my mitral valve replaced or repaired last month. I had two surgeons and my PCP both agree it was time. When they did the heart cath they were so disturbed by what they saw they told me if they had had an opening they would have done the surgery that day. Instead I went in on Feb.7th and I am glad it is behind me. Are they going to try a minimal invasive procedure and attempt to fix the MV? Best of luck.

 

[Bill Hall]

Westie,

I had the similar lack of symptoms before my surgery. However, I did notice that it was just a bit more tiring playing softball. Anyway, I finally had my surgery and the surgeon told my wife, "Why did they wait so long?" Anyway, I think you already know that you need the surgery. And I think you know that waiting is the worst part. It is not nearly as painful as you would imagine and they get you back on your feet quickly. Good luck for a normal procedure and fast recovery.

Bill

 

[westie]

hello adrienne and cp172

hello adrienne and cp172

hi adrienne

ha, are you a school teacher or something like that? ha. well, i asked the cardiologist 18 months ago about drinking and he said keep drinking, it will not make any difference. and when i last saw the surgeon about a month ago i asked him about if i should stop drinking a few weeks before surgery (i read that on valve replacement.com) and he said "why would you do that"? so i can keep drinking till the day before surgery, and we did discuss what i drink, i.e. 3 bottles of full strength beer ot half a bottle of wine and he said "no problem"

seriously adrienne, i know where you are comming from, but why would i want to join a monestery 2 weeks before the end of the world?

hello cp172

you are correct, i really know i am sick, but i just do not feel it, hence my strange feeling. the surgeon is going for mitral valve repair and says there is a 95% chance of success. i have no other problems, so far, but i have got a cath scheduled for wednesday 27-02-2008. wish me luck!!

 

[cp172]

Westie,

Good luck on your surgery. I hope they can repair the valve and preform the procedure with a minimal invasive cut. I have said a prayer for you.

 

[Susan BAV]

Hope all goes well for you Westie!

 

[Philip B]

Been there

Been there

Yes, I know exactly how you feel. At fifty-one, I had never had any symptoms despite engaging in rigorous activities and work. One of my former bosses couldn't believe I had anything wrong with my heart when he heard about my surgery last March. I had worked as a member of a federal wildfire suppression team with him for thirteen summers. I never had any difficulties passing the fitness tests.

If you are fortunate, your lack of symptoms and good physical condition will play in your favor as you come through surgery and the recovery process. I fared pretty well. I only missed six total days of work. My experience is no guarantee of a smooth ride for anyone else because the ride seems to be somewhat different for all of us.

The experience does seem like a dream, but it's a dream that often changes one's perspectives regarding life.

-Philip

 

[netmiff]

you've had lots of encouraging posts, but I will add mine for what it's worth! I had AVR and aneurism repair at 52 years old, less than 6 months ago, and no other serious health problems - at least none that would affect the outcome of OHS. I recovered fast, was riding the bus within 2 or 3 weeks of surgery, working part-time from home after 1 week, and opened a new retail store just 3 weeks after surgery.

I was warned off heavy lifting, strenuous activities before my surgery, although I was asympromatic, probably because of the aneurysm. After surgery, all the symtoms that I didn't have (occasional lightheadedness, headaches, minor chest pain, SOB), have all gone lol

 

[Curtsmum]

Hi Westie,
just wanted to wish you you best of luck with surgery. Bit of a age difference but my son was healthy before his surgery and still is now and he will be having surgery soon, so kind of know how you are feeling. Hope you can stay relaxed. Wishing you the best for a repair and a good recovery.

 

[Cooker]

Hi Westie,
You are one of the fortunate ones that has no symptoms, that you know about?.Many were not that lucky and have symptom even after OHS/AVR/MVR?..I did not think I was symptomatic either and that caused doubt as to the need for AVR with me also?.Two years after AVR I feel like I did ten to fifteen years ago?.It took me about a year to ?feel? fully recovered, I was back at work in about a month (I don?t recommend that)?.Surgery combined with better eating habits and exercise has me in better shape than I could have hoped for?.The three doctors that I consulted ?all? said the time to have it done is BEFORE you begin to have symptoms and if you don?t get it fixed you will have symptoms.

I wish you the best surgery and a smooth recovery, you will be in our prayers.

 

[westie]

sucessfull angiogram

sucessfull angiogram

sorry if i am raving on too much, but i have never been in hospital before, and strangely, it was quite nice!

had the angiogram yesterday, very pleased to discovery my arteries are in excellent condition, all of the nurses were very happy for me and said it is nice to see such a good result because they see so many bad cases. in the op room i told them it was because i drink plenty of alcohol, never smoke, eat chinese food and fruit and never exercise; they said mmmmm, but you would be even better if you exerecised

the angiogram was conducted at one pm through my right wrist and seemed to take only 10 minutes and i raised and twisted my head to watch it on the screen. i am sure i annoyed the cardiologist ( dr no comment ) who kept telling me to lower my head to avoid the thing wizzing overhead. felt no pain or other sensations.

then straight back to my room for a lovely lunch of sandwiches, tuna salad, fruit and coffee. yes, they supply salt, sugar and margerine with the food.

the wound kept bleeding on 2 attempts to remove the plastic pressure thing; nurse said it was probably due to the dose of heparin i got during the proceedure? even though it came right on the 3rd attempt, i stayed the night just in case.

dinner was a bottle of white wine, chicken and veges, salad, soup and fruit and coffee and salt, sugar too. breakfast was poached eggs, tomatoes, salt, cereal and fruit and toast etc

there are only five rooms in the cadiac interventionist unit and it seems there is almost one nurse per paitient. the nurses make and deliver the tea, coffee and juices when ever you want it and they were constantly fussing over the paitients to the point of comming into the room at 4 am when i turned the tv on and brought me a pot of tea and sandwich snack. ha, and i scored 3 left over chocolate muffins too, healthy ones of course. they kept checking i was urinating. if the food after my operation is so nice and generous i will need to depart by dump truck!

also, the surgeon turned up to say hello and make sure i had not chickened out and said he would see me again briefly on sunday night. he is a great guy.

a lovely hospital, great food and simply fantastic nursing team, all for nz$3740.00; what a great shame that was not the end to my medical adventure!

my operation is at the sister hospital of this one, i have a feeling the building/ facilities there are a dive compared to this one.... will find out on sunday

i was going to spend the next three days up a ladder painting, using the tractor and a bit of woodwork, but the nurses said no way boy!

 

[Susan BAV]

Are you serious about having a bottle of white wine for dinner in a hospital?!? The best I could do on one gloomy hospital visit was some contraband coffee that I sent my husband off to get from a coffee machine hidden down some dark stairwell... and the cardio busted me for that because I was fighting arrythmia...

Afterall, this is California, full of sunshine and vineyards! How can we negotiate to get wine served with our hospital visits?!? Oh... that's right... it's also the land of the liability lawyers...

Anyway, glad things went well for you, Westie, and hope they continue so. Take care.

 

[WayneGM]

I know exactly how you feel as I had a mitral valve repair desite no sympotoms I was aware of. I felt perfectly fine. However, no regrets as I know in the long run it was the right thing to do. I also felt strangely relaxed. I drove to the hospital (over an hour away) the day of surgery not feeling as anxious as I thought I would. My wife seemed more nervous than I was.

Try to take some enjoyment time over the couple of weeks as you'll have your hands full with recovery post-op. Best wishes and good luck.

 

[westie]

only a small bottle susan

only a small bottle susan

it was only a small bottle of new zealand chardonay containing 3/4 standard drinks. (strangly, the brand name is montana) the nurse offered my wife one also, but my silly wife said "no, he will drink it". that was thye end of that. ha

there was no extra charge for the wine

this is not usa, no one here will sue a hospital for that; my personal opinion is that a health system free of "ambulance chasers" and law suits works much better. i.e. to the benefit of the patient

however, i do not fancy my chances of getting a bottle of wine after my mitral valve repair! - but i will give it a try....