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R

ricks399

I've lurked here a few times but registered today. I'm scheduled for aortic valve replacement and double bypass on July 21. I'm 58 and have decided on a bovine valve. My surgeon said that they are now treating valves and given the results from studies with sheep, he feels 20 years is a possibility but that 15 is certainly reasonable before a replacement is needed. So I'll take my chances that in 15 years, if replacement is needed, it can be done by robotics through an artery.

I find that I became aware that the surgery was really going to happen maybe a week ago or less. Before that it was an event somewhere in the future. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on how the anxiety builds as you approach the date for surgery. I'm scheduled for 7:00 a.m. and need to be there at 5:00 a.m. so I don't anticipate much sleep that Sunday night.

Also, how do you tell the people you work with without them thinking you are a dead man walking? My neighbor, for example, told me "you don't look like you need a valve replacement". I started by telling one fellow employee in a different section whom I consider a great friend and she kept the secret. I've recently told some of the people I work with but asked them not to share with anyone quite yet. I suppose in the overall scheme of things this may be a minor issue but I feel at peace with having the surgery itself and with all the possible outcomes.

Anyway, it's great to see a supportive community of people who will or have undergone a common experience. I would certainly like to here from you.
 
Hello and welcome. Dealing with the anxiety....Well everyone does it differently from simply dealing with to needing medication. We are here to help you no matter what and help you get through this. Oh, YOUR NOT A DEAD MAN WALKING. Your about to be given a new life.

As for telling others at work, I wouldn't until it's over and go back. People have this preconceived notion that you'll be disabled and no good which is far from the truth. Sometimes the human resources dept. can be real jerks toward you also. I'd keep it low key.

Others will post also and hope we help you out, but welcome aboard! :)
 
I often wonder how many people I pass on the street in the day that have had OHS. I'm betting a few at least.
 
Welcome to this exclusive club -- valvers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your stenosis. :D Glad to have you here, and if you have any questions, you will find many friendly and well-informed folks willing to share their perspectives.

Guess we are all different on the point of telling work associates and others. I told one and all, and enjoyed watching their reactions. I got nothing but respect (as far as I know), and maybe a little appreciative awe. The gals in the office were especially sweet leading up to the day of surgery, and I enjoyed that to the hilt. :)

As for anxiety, sure you think about what's on your schedule. But I found as it drew very close, the last few days or so, I calmed down considerably. Was really busy with pre-op stuff, and helping organize the house for recovery, etc. I did find mysaelf reflecting about life a lot -- but that's a positive thing.

Sounds like you have done a good deal of research already, and you will be fine. We look forward to following your progress, and hearing from you.
 
Welcome to our group. I'm glad you joined and I added you to the calendar for July 21st.
 
Hi, Rick, and welcome to the Zipper Club!:)

In my case, other people tended to dismiss the seriousness of valve surgery. So many people mistake it with bypass surgery that they assumed that's what I was going to undergo. I'd get remarks like, "Surgery,
huh? See you next week!" It was disconcerting, especially since I was convinced I probably wasn't going to survive!:eek:

But I did, and you will too. It's a yucky type surgery, with plenty of complications that can add a little extra misery to your recovery, but almost everyone does well. We'll be here to cheer you along, so once again, welcome!:)
 
Hello Rick and welcome.
You may have co workers who have had bypasses, but it is surprising when you bump into a fellow valver....I live in a tiny town/ farm area and one day I was yacking with the wife of the feed mill owner. I asked her about the bruise on her arm and she replied "no worry, I'm on Coumadin since my valve replacement surgery". Of course that got a long discussion going and she was a great assurance that I could be on Coumadin and still live on a farm!
 
Welcome, Rick.

Happy you found us but sorry for the reason.
Only someone who has been in your place can understand and know the feelings you are coping with. We are all anxious pre-surgery. Have to be a little nutty not to be?? :) But, the success rate is huge and almost all of us do excellently. OHS is frightening but not to those medical professionals who take care of us. The surgeons are so able, so experienced and the nursing staffs in major heart centers have 'seen it all' and know how to handle it.

My second OHS (four months ago) was scheduled for 8 A.M. and I had to be at the hospital by 5:30. We were there by 5:00.......not that I was eager to get it over with and get on with recovery. ;)


Ask all your questions. We all had a bunch.
Try and enjoy the days between now and your surgery date. Do things you enjoy most.
 
Hello and welcome.
The closer I get to my turn the less anxious I am. Not comfortable mind you, just less anxious. Much like you Rick, I?ve known for many years now that I was going to have OHS and it was always ?sometime in the future?. When I was told in May ?We should do this in the next couple of weeks? it hit me like a body blow.

The toughest thing for me has been accepting the reality that the time is now. The more I researched, (much of my education has come from this site) and the more decisions I made, the less reserved I have become. This site has been a tremendous help to me and I hope you find it to be for you as well.

I am two weeks out and I have been very honest with my coworkers. What I am finding is that folks are stepping up to cover my duties, knowing that I will get back in due time. I feel very fortunate for the amount of support I am receiving from all angles. Now if one of those rats doesn?t stab me while I?m out!!!! LOL!

Good luck on all fronts. Dig in?you will find many answers here.

Rob
 
Welcome to VR. Sorry for the circumstances, but glad you found us.

To my surprise, I was actually fairly calm just before my surgery. I slept pretty good but had to get up really early to make the 1 hour drive to the hospital. I drove and my wife said I seemed calmer than she did. Best wishes and good luck.
 
Welcome Rick!

First, I'd like to welcome you to the forum.

Somehow as the date got closer I got calmer, the miracle of the human brain to cope I suppose.

I was open with the folks I worked with once my surgery date was set. I found that most were unfamiliar with valve surgery and so they took their lead from me. I portrayed it as a good thing and they accepted it as such. I think I needed to hear my own 'happy speech' as much as they did.

I would calmly explain that I needed to have open heart surgery to repair or replace a valve in my heart that was damaged by a strep infection when I was a child. I explained that the surgery is around 99% successful in otherwise healthy folk like me. I would tell them that I was very happy to live in a time and place where my condition could be readily treated with such success. I also would share that I was really looking forward to feeling great again, and confess that I hadn't been quite on my game these past few months but that the surgery would change it all for the better.

I found everyone to be remarkably supportive and understanding. It was very heartwarming.

I wish you all the best with your upcoming surgery and recovery.

Peace,
Ruth
 
Hi Rick,
Glad you joined this great family from all parts of the world.
Anxiety is normal,i'm waiting after seeing one cardiologist whom prefers i
have surgery in a bigger centre but waiting on this other appt i dont have yet. feeling badly some days to feeling good others,the waiting is hard even for the appointment,16 years ago i had an aortic valve replacement,ive had 2 echos since this year may12th and june 3rdthat show i'm in need of a mitral valve now and a whole bunch of other things that have happened.Somedays when i feel worse and i'm presently employed in a police detachment working in a cellblock,it can get very stressful at workand my shifts rotate days evenings,nights and it can toll the body even more so,but with afew in my dept.having had heart surgeries,i am given the understanding especially the waiting unsure if another day i can hold out not need to be ambulanced the next day not a bad one,i'll make it or if i can't show i dont.You have your date and thats the hard part waiting it out,but you keep busy and appreciate the big and little things as i am right now just for my appointment and time does move quickly and soon you'll be posting how well it all went for you .
Ive been there once and the second surgery for me not any easier anxiety wise,but we will all do fine,i just wish i had my date and knew exactly what they are gonna do and then my anxiety would turn to a different path.
It will all go good for you you've found everyone here to get you through this.


zipper2
 
Rick:
Welcome. I had mine at age 59. I was retired so I didn't have to deal with the work thing. I had a short one week window between the "go" and the surgery and spent my time basically taking care of business such as updating my will, familiarizing my wife with banking matters and other stuff, getting a call list together and learning what was to come on this forum and other informational web sites. I even found one site that showed a movie of an actual AVR operation. The more I learned, the better I felt. I actually slept well the night before, checked in at 4:30 am and went to surgery at 7:30. The whole thing was a blur, and the next I knew I was facing my wife in recovery.
Best wishes on your surgery - keep asking question.:D
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks to all who responded. The sense of community and support on this site is awesome! I understand why people come here. I will, of course, update my journey and look forward to hearing how things are going for others.

One final thought. I think someone mentioned that as they waited for the surgery they became self-reflective. I can definitely relate to that as I feel that I have come to better understand how to distinguish the important from the trivial. I also find myself not wishing to leave things unsaid, even though the success rate for the surgery is so high. Somehow I feel that this whole process is life altering in some positive way, and things can never be the same. Anyone feel anything similar?
 
Oh yes and you'll feel that way even more so afterwards. This is definatetly life changing. Don't say this is a final thought for now. Stick around and join in while your waiting. It helps the time go by and helps you feel better too.
 
hi rick and welcome to VR! sending good vibes your way. trish
 
Welcome!

Welcome!

Hi Rick,
Welcome to the site. I am so thankful you have found us. I personally have felt better ever since I found it. I too feel anxiety as the surgery approaches. Mine is in August. There was one night I had convinced myself I was numb in my left arm, I had a Dr. Appt the next day and was obviously nervous about it, no worries, it was all in my head (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac). That was the longest night, and I swore to myself I wasn't going to put myself through that again. Ever since I have been ok, just enjoying the stuff I love. I have been reflecting as well. It is perfectly natural. Going through something like this changes your life... for the better in my opinion. Nothing makes you appreciate life more than having something like this thrust into your daily hum drum.

I told my co-workers about my OHS and they were very supportive. It really depends on your work environment whether you want to tell people or not. Mine isn't that large and we are very close, so it was an easy decision for me. Plus I am an open book and can't keep something like that a secret.


Utilize this site, it is a wonderful outlet. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
 
...One final thought. I think someone mentioned that as they waited for the surgery they became self-reflective. I can definitely relate to that as I feel that I have come to better understand how to distinguish the important from the trivial. I also find myself not wishing to leave things unsaid, even though the success rate for the surgery is so high. Somehow I feel that this whole process is life altering in some positive way, and things can never be the same. Anyone feel anything similar?
Welcome to the site. I became more self-reflective pre-op also. I would get up very early in the mornings and quietly sit out on our back porch and watch the wild birds wake up and come to our feeders. And I would think. And pray. There were things I didn't want to leave unsaid to my closest loved ones, even though I knew that my surgeon had a zero mortality percentage. I didn't bother to explain my situation to many friends because, frankly, a lot of heart patients don't look very ill, even when they are. And I just didn't have the energy for explanations and I didn't want to deal with any perceived skepticism. I felt somewhat weak and vulnerable emotionally in that way, because I was that ill. And I found out years ago anyway that it was easier for me to just keep my heart troubles to myself, for the most part. (One thing I hope I have learned is to not be dismissive when other friends confide in me about their fairly non-visible health issues.)

My life briefly altered somewhat because of the valve replacement, but things can become "normal" for you again, after you recover. Post-op, it's amazing how much better I feel, in so many ways, now that my fuel pump and valves are working properly, despite a couple of fairly common OHS complications.

I hope you will feel tremendously better also. Best wishes and take care :) .
 
I've lurked here a few times but registered today. I'm scheduled for aortic valve replacement and double bypass on July 21. I'm 58 and have decided on a bovine valve.... I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on how the anxiety builds as you approach the date for surgery. I'm scheduled for 7:00 a.m. and need to be there at 5:00 a.m. so I don't anticipate much sleep that Sunday night.

Also, how do you tell the people you work with without them thinking you are a dead man walking?
I just had my surgery on Monday. I had been waiting for months, so when it finally got close it seemed unreal! I think that feeling of unreality was good, though, because I didn't obsess about the surgery. I was way more stressed about getting the house in order for the relatives who are coming to take care of me than the upcoming surgery.

It's cool that you have an early morning surgery time. I had one, too. You won't feel the effects of not eating and drinking before surgery as much, and you won't have as much time to worry about it. Once they start checking you in for surgery, things seem to go fast because of all the things they have to do to get you ready. Plus, they give you happy drugs! I think you'll sleep better the night before than you think.

If you think your coworkers are going to be all "dead man walking" on you, don't tell them -- it will just be depressing for you. But if you think they are positive people, telling them will make you feel better because of all the support you will get.
 
Welcome!

Welcome!

I am due on 07-09 so I too am waiting to climb. You'll find this is the place for the answers and lost of "HEART" felt opinions.I don't know what you do at work but I get the same bit from the police dept. :mad:My insurance company even sent me th3 generic "HEART PATIENT" package. :rolleyes:I hope they know what they approved me to have done!:eek:Don't want to come out missing parts I need or something. Any way, glad you found us, and i'll be waiting on the other side of the mountain for you with everyone else.:)
 

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