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paco512

I am set for surgery to replace by bicuspid aortic at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday May 5th with Dr Joseph Sabik. My "gut" and research has me going with a Bovine valve and i am set to go.

I am sooo happy to have found this forum. While the Cleveland Clinic has great numbers to support their talent and success statistics... they seem to have no "heart" of their own to deal with the compassion and human side of this process. I just now (Saturday morning) realized that i am going to have one looooong weekend of no sleep. I called the Cleveland clinic for assistance and the doctor on call suggested i find a local clinic or doctor (I live in Cleveland) to help me because its Saturday. WOW.

I would think that during all the pre-op visits someone would have warned me of this.

I will get thru this weekend and the surgery... but WHAT about the human side?


-Paul
 
Hi Paul -

With your surgery Monday, will you be checking into the hospital tomorrow for any pre-op stuff? You'll probably be told to shower with some special liquid antigerm soap shortly before your surgery also. I had a week's notice before my surgery and I found myself getting up very early in the mornings and sitting on my backporch, peacefully enjoying all the bird activity in our trees, with lots of quiet reflecting as the surroundings gently woke up. Those times of meditative reflecting and prayer helped me to keep my peace and to be better prepared mentally and emotionally. No matter what you are able to do this weekend, I would strongly try to avoid any coughing and sneezing people, though, of course. Welcome to the site; glad you found it. Hoping all goes well for your weekend and your surgery. You may find much comfort reading information here as you prepare also. Take care :) .
 
Welcome to the VR community, Paul Glad you found us before your surgery on Monday. Best wishes for a successful journey over the mountain and smooth, speedy, recovery. When you are up to it, post and let us know how you are doing.
 
Welcome, Paul. I put you on the calendar and you will be in my thoughts and prayers for a successful surgery and uneventful recovery. I hope that a sense of "calm" that many report here comes over you this weekend.
 
Hi Paul, you need a buddy to send you a couple of tranquilizers for this weekend.;)
Spending a good amount of your day outdoors should make you tired.
Laying down in the afternoon might inspire a nap.
I remember during my pre-op I asked for a Rx for Ativan....never needed them, got called in early.
Best wishes:)
 
Hi Paul and welcome. It is normal to be worried and scared, i'm sure you will be just fine. Wishing you all the best with surgery and a speedy recovery.
 
Thank You all for the Prayers and Advice...

Thank You all for the Prayers and Advice...

The encouraging comments warm the heart right up.

Thanks.
 
Could you call either your cardiologist's or primary's after hours number to request a prescription for sleeping pills?

My impression from reading on this site is that people find the Cleveland Clinic bureaucracy unresponsive before surgery, but are very happy with their care after surgery. Fretting about what they should have done will only upset you at this point.

You are so close now, you will be going to one of the top heart centers Monday morning, and all you have to do is show up.

Wishing you an easy surgery and uneventful recovery. Come back and let us know how you're doing!
 
Best wishes for a successful surgery and a uneventful recovery. The surgeons are great at Cleveland Clinic...my next door neighbor's son is a walking miracle because of his heart surgeon there. He did say though that they are lacking in the "human touch" which is nice to have in a doctor. However, the most important thing is that they are top surgeons. Paul, i'll keep you in my prayers.
~Hugs~ Dawn-Marie
 
I had my Biscuspid valve replaced 9 weeks ago at Cleveland Clinic. I am very pleased with the outcome, my surgeon (Gosta Pettersson) was great from a technical standpoint but I have very little contact with him after the surgery itself. My procedure was on a Friday and I was moved up from ICU to the stepdown early Saturday evening. I was NOT happy with the nurses when I was first moved upstairs, seems by 10pm when I got upstairs they had better things to deal with. It wasn't until about noon the next day that I was comfortable with the stepdown unit. I have been told that the weekend nurses are part time and are not necessarily the ones you want to deal with immediately after coming out of ICU. The nurse assigned to me on Sunday was a fulltime nurse and the care I got from that point forward was really very good. Your surgery is on Monday so you won't have that issue to even consider, you will get top shelf care in the ICU and in the stepdown, Im very sure of it.

I was in the stepdown for 5 days and I only had one other instance where I was put off. The ward was evidently very busy and when my new nurse came on shift she didn't order up my coumadin at the scheduled time. In retrospect now I know that if your dose is a few hours later than your normal time its not a big deal. But at the time I didn't know, I thought you had to take it at a very specific time every day, and I was frustrated by the delay. Also the fact that from when she ordered it to the time that the pharmacy filled it took nearly 90 minutes. I will say the ICU unit was incredible. The nurse I had, I think her name was Laura. She was an OSU grad and probably no more than 23 or 24. But being an ICU nurse is absolutely her calling. She doted on me as if I was her only patient. I hope you get her also !

I was also anxious about the whole event as this was my very first surgery of any type. Fortunately I asked my cardiologist onsite to write me a scrib and he gave me one for Xanax. It took the edge off and helped me sleep. But to be honest with you once I got to the hospital I wasn't nervous at all. I knew what needed to be done and I was completely confident of what I was going up against.

Im not sure of your age but by the looks of your photo we are in the same ballpark, Im 42. If your surgery is like mine you will breeze through it and be home within 4 or 5 days. I've been running the last few weeks now and feel Im about 95% back to normal.

Good luck, you will be in our thoughts and prayers on Monday.

Scott
 
Thanks for the input...

Thanks for the input...

Thanks Scott, Dawn, Debbie and everyone...

I am a bit older, but hope to be up and running in 9 weeks like you. I really hope that the improvement in my heart will make for an active lifestyle again.

I am disheartened with your Cleveland Clinic remarks. I was in for a cath about a year ago and had a very similar experience. I was hoping it was the exception. They really need to work on that staff. It's too late to find a private nurse sitter. So I have adopted the approach that i will go with the flow and pray that the staff is better than their reputation. A friend told me that the operation won't kill you, but the staff will. I bet when the new wing is open later this year it will all improve (at least until they start overbooking the new capacity).

Thanks for the prayers....
 
Hey Paul ..

Welcome to the jungle man. I'm only 7 weeks post op and this forum has been a saving grace for me, use it, it's like the force. Also, what else would you want to be doing on Cinco de Mayo, sounds like the party is just getting started. I had my surgery on St Patty's day and I'm Irish, quite the good time.
I wish you all the luck in the world man... everything will be so fantastic when you get through. Talk to you on the other side of the mountain.:D
 
Paul,

Try not to let the pre-op hassles rattle you. Cleveland Clinic is renowned for the quality of its surgeons so that is the main thing. Put on some relaxing, soothing music and take some naps. Think positive thoughts. You'll be fine.

We look forward to your posts after you're over the mountain and cruising into the recovery phase.

All best wishes,
 
Last minute jitters....

Last minute jitters....

Well, the clinic called and put on the "B" plan. So now i go in at 10:00am instead of 5:00 AM. I like that plan better anyway.

They are really good at what they do.:) (I keep repeating...) I have calmed down a bit today and have been trying some of the many great suggestions from all of you. Thanks.

-Paul (paco512)
 
thats the craziest thing.... mine was set at 6:00 am and two days before they moved it to 8:00 am, life is so much better man
 
paco512 here... its 1:30 am on Friday.

paco512 here... its 1:30 am on Friday.

Everything with the Aortic valve went well and i thought i was going home today. But late last night they "Saw" something on the TriCuspid valve that they want to check out with a heart MRI. I think it was just going too well and they want to scare me. There has never been any issue with anything except the Aorta. Keep praying please.

Other than a few minor issuses everything has been wonderful. Some of these support people are saints. And of course the surgeons are best.

They kept the opening to about 4" and only one drainage tube.
 
Good to hear from you Paul! Glad things are going well and I hope the next test comes out fine. Take care :).

BTW - I had read here that removal of the drainage tube can be painful so I asked for a little extra pain medication when they came in to remove it. Just a heads up for you...
 
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