Back home safe and sound!

[Chris M]

Hello everyone - I'm just posting this to say I'm back after my mitral valve replacement surgery on May 17th - Tuesday, last week. I would have posted earlier but the system at the hospital that I paid for (with TV, Internet, phone, games etc) prevented anyone from loading or using any Internet page that looked like a forum - even medical support sites like this one - sheesh! Pretty disappointing.

Anyways.... broadly speaking, everything went very well with my surgery (4 hrs in total, standard length I believe), with just a couple of temporary bumps in the road after I moved down to the regular ward after 48hrs. The surgical team were very pleased with my progress - from their point of view I was a relatively trouble free case, I suppose. The surgeon confirmed my mitral valve was very bad and definitely "rheumatic" when he got in there, so it was high time this was done.

I have a mechanical valve now (no idea what sort, don't really care if I'm honest) and am pleased to report that 99% of the time I cannot hear it at all, which is wonderful! - I so hated the thought of having a real "ticker" inside my chest. I've only heard it when my resting heart was racing at 170 bpm for a short while (one of those bumps I mentioned) and last night when I stirred in my own bed, when it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

I got back home yesterday after 10 days in hospital (including 1 day pre-op). I'm easily tired and breathless after exertion, my chest is achey and I'm occasionally teary but strangely, I feel so much happier and more optimistic than when I went in! It's so good to be home, I was getting fed up with the hospital routine, the different food, the seemingly endless round of people wanting to stick needles in me. Now I can get on with having plenty of rest, some good food, a little exercise and the opportunity my body needs to quietly get on with healing the numerous bruises, pinholes, and incisions (large and small) that I find I have all over my body. I plan on doing very little for the first few days and just let my dear hubby pamper me - he's an angel.

At this stage I don't want to go into the gory details too much as I feel I have yet to fully come to terms with the OHS experience, maybe I'll post more on what has happened to me later. All I can say is that I was in good hands and that the NHS here in England did me proud with a superb service with highly skilled and dedicated staff at all levels. Wonderful!

That's all for now - am SO glad the long wait and accompanying stress is all behind me now - will check back in later!

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Chris,

Glad to hear things went more of less well, apart from the couple of bumps, with your surgery and that the NHS was good. I'm glad to be reading from a fellow Brit as I'm not yet at the surgery stage but getting there and I know things must be different here from the US in some ways.

I would be very interested in the aftercare you get from your GP. What happens if 'something' goes amiss now ? Do you contact your GP or the hospital, and what happens if it's an evening or weekend ? Also did you get one of those cushions from the hospital the peeps on here say they get to hold against their chests for when they cough ?

Anne

 

[epstns]

Great news, Chris! Glad you're over the speed bumps and back home, where the "real" healing can begin.

 

[Bean Counter]

Good to hear. Hopefully those bumps in the road are all in the rearview mirror now.

 

[escargome]

Hey, from one Chris to another, you got the plan right. Rest, eat, breathe, walk, and repeat, repeat, repeat. I'm happy to hear that you are over all the bumps and on your way to a great many more long and wonderful years with your honey. Take it slow and keep us up to date when you feel up to it.

 

[nngbwh]

Good to hear you made it back. Get plenty of rest and make sure you are not lifting anything heavy.

 

[Chris M]

Thanks everyone, it's definitely good to be back! I'm enjoying my more usual food in particular, hehe. And yes, I will be careful about weight restrictions and movements etc in these early weeks.

This next bit is for Anne in England:
I think the system here in England is rather different in many ways to the experiences of many of our US friends. There is little, if any choice, when it comes to cardios or surgeons, for instance. I was allocated these people and that was that. However I have no complaints with the team who dealt with me, the surgeons were brilliant.

However, in the initial investigative phase, I found the delays between tests and getting appointments to discuss results with my cardiologist frustrating and desperately slow (7 months from first cardio visit to first surgeon visit). The waiting is just awful. But it is what it is... had I been an urgent case I'm sure I would have been seen to more promptly and I do have to admit that this is a much better time of year to undergo such surgery than it would have been during the winter time, especially if you think about how bitter last winter was here!

Cushion? No, 'fraid not! Your own crossed arms are just as good for holding/protecting your chest. Mind you, I've not had much of a cough so haven't really needed it, so don't think I'm typical in that regard. However I did get someone to bring in a small cushion to put under the seat belt on the car ride home. Tip: a comfy car is nice too as road bumps can be uncomfortable on firmer suspension, I would imagine.

Problem solving? Do you know, I didn't think to ask (I meant to but forgot. I don't think my brain has got back into gear yet) and nobody said anything to me. Oops, silly me. Depending on time of day and nature/severity of the problem I guess I would ring my GP, the cardiac rehab people (they are forever thrusting contact numbers at you), the cardiac ward I have just left or A&E.

To be perfectly honest, things were so hectic on the day I left hospital I'm not sure I was given all of the information I should have had.

If you have any other questions please just ask.

 

[ChicagoMammy]

Chris - that's great news. My sister is due to have her aortic surgery sometime under the NHS while I'm in Chicago and experienced the US way. I'm sure the two are very different - and again for those in other countries and without insurance in the US. I'm glad you had a positive experience. Here's to a speedy recovery for you.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks ! I shall remember to take in some kind of cushion to hospital Glad you're enjoying your usual food now

I'm very sorry to hear you had delays with the investigative phase of this. That is really not right. I'm very lucky in that I have Bupa insurance from my husband's work, so, so far, my cardiologist does my echos and tells me the results straight away - still stressful but much less stressful than if I had to wait months for results like you did If Bupa continue to cover me - if - no guarantees there - I will get a choice of surgeon for the op but I don't think I can choose, by that I mean there's no way to know who to choose. It's not like in the US where everyone discusses their surgeons or the surgeons have their own websites. The surgeons that do these ops under Bupa are the NHS ones but working privately so I will have no more information than you did. If I'm not covered by Bupa I'll be getting the op done under the NHS at St George's in London, but if I'm covered by Bupa it will be done at St Anthony's with the same surgeons as St George's. But the aftercare will be from my GP or A&E ! Fingers crossed I won't have any problems.

I looked up your hospital on http://heartsurgery.cqc.org.uk/Survival.aspx and it has top rates so you were in good hands

Do look after yourself so that you recover really well. Let your angel spoil you

Take care...and I look forward to hearing more about it all when you're feeling up to it,

all the best,

Anne

 

[Greg a]

Chris, congratulations and WELCOME home.......this family will celebrate all things with CAKE

 

[neil]

welcome home chris..........leave the marathons for a couple of days though lol, i to had mine on the nhs and cant speak highly enough,there where very quick in getting me through all the stages maybe mine was more urgent or there just felt sorry for me lol, as for aftercare i have a great G P who has followed me all the way along,he told me if i have any problems out of hours and was worried just ring an ambulance, i had to on two occasions and there where brilliant,plus i got a nice cough blanket so just remember chris take it easy , eat walk rest sleep,and go at your own pace,

 

[Natina13]

Chris
Welcome home, so glad to see your on your way to a speedy,full recovery. There is definitely less stress on this side of the mountain. Best of luck. God Bless.
Renee

 

[LeakyUK]

Chris, good to see you back. I am back home 5 days out and the Uk experience seems very different from US in many ways some good, some bad, some just plain british incompetence. But All the medical staff (Apart from in high intentity care where they were box ticking automatons) were AMAZING. I will start my blog in a day or two.

Ann, I got a towel wrapped in a pillow case, ask at pre-admission. For the journey home I borrowed my sons anorak and rolled it up. At home I have stolen my wifes stuffed tiger. I cant wait to be seen carrying it round town. In reception while waiting for the taxi I started to cough and grabbed my wifes handbag. I think the concerned staff though I was about to throw up.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi LeakyUK - congratulations of having it done and being home now Your suggestion of a stuffed tiger made me think it would be a good idea to take in a soft toy - or a valentine's day soft heart if I can find one. Looking forward to your blog.

the Uk experience seems very different from US in many ways some good, some bad, some just plain british incompetence.

I'm wondering - should we start a UK thread so we can gather together information which pertains to the UK which is different from the US ? Or maybe one has been done somewhere but I've not noticed it. Maybe one of the moderators has a suggestion about this ?

Anne

 

[Jeri]

Chris.....so happy you are home safe and sound...it sounds you are well on your way to a speedy recovery...gets lots of rest but do stay active accordiingly....in other words, don't over do it....breathe deeply...I have a hard time with that one...even now at 6 weeks post op. But that's just me. You are doing great.

Jeri

 

[Lynlw]

Hi LeakyUK - congratulations of having it done and being home now Your suggestion of a stuffed tiger made me think it would be a good idea to take in a soft toy - or a valentine's day soft heart if I can find one. Looking forward to your blog.


I'm wondering - should we start a UK thread so we can gather together information which pertains to the UK which is different from the US ? Or maybe one has been done somewhere but I've not noticed it. Maybe one of the moderators has a suggestion about this ?

Anne

Anne, Some hospitals in the US give a pillow or bear or something to hug during coughing,laughing etc, others don't. Justin spent alot of time trying out and thinking about what worked well, because his project to earn the rank of Eagle Scout was making fleece"hug pillows" for kids/teens having heart surgery at a local Childrens hospital about 10 years ago, when they weren't very common and even if hospitals had something, even a rolled up taped towel alot of things were too big for the younger kids who were old enough to use them.
Anyway, IF you are interested in buying something to take, Justin's last couple of heart surgeries he's been using "uglydolls" we were shopping somewhere and when he saw them he thought they looked like a good size/thickness to use (he was full grown then about 6 ft) and he just liked them When he had a surgery at 14 it worked so good, we've bought them for other friends having heart surgery and everyone thought they worked great. IF you don't want to buy one, if you have a sewing machine, rectangle pillows are pretty easy to make, obviously since Justin and his friends (all boys) made about 100 of them and noone had ever seewn before.

FWIW we always buy brand new ones for each surgery, just because we don't want to risk getting germs from pillows or toys that have been used or laying around, especially since you are hugging it against your incision. If you don't know what Ugly Dolls are if you go to the photo page on Justin's caringbridge site (link in my sig) the bottom picture shows them in his hospital bed.
IF you don't want to buy something, if you have a sewing machine, rectangle pillows are pretty easy to make, obviously since Justin and a couple friends (all boys about 11-13) made about 100 of them and noone had ever sewn before. Then if you have extra material or polyfil, you can make one to keep in he car, or even give to your hospital roommates

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Lyn,

Thanks for recommendation of the 'uglydolls' ! I shall look for one, I see Amazon have lots. I'm useless with a sewing machine, I wouldn't even know how to turn one on, but if Justin and his friends can sew square pillows by hand should be able to.

Justin has been through a lot !

Anne

 

[Chris M]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes, your support means a lot to me! Right now I feel like I'm doing really well, with little milestones achieved every day.

However, Monday wasn't so good for me as my heart decided to play up a bit and give me palpitations and an elevated heart rate (100-110bpm at rest) on and off whenever I got up to do something briefly then sat down again. Going to sleep was difficult as I was a little anxious about the thumping heart and accompanying clicking from the new valve (I tend to hear it only when my heart is working a bit harder). However, the following morning all was well again and there has been no recurrence over the last 3 days - HR now in a more comfortable range of 60s-70s bpm. I hope that it was just a one-off blip, a last angry protest from an abused heart perhaps.

Other than that I am finding everything much easier as the healing continues. My back/shoulder pains have eased off a little, I'm doing a little walking down the street a couple of times a day, sleeping is not bad, I have a great appetite and my incision is healing nicely... except for the top inch or so which is still a bit swollen and feeling a bit sore. I do still get puffed out and tired with certain things (e.g. climbing 1 flight of stairs) but presume this will get better in time?

@neil brewer: Good to hear your GP has been so supportive. I've heard NOTHING from mine, not a phone call, not a visit, nothing. But then I'm not surprised, she's not a very sympathetic person. *shrug* Other than that I cannot fault the caring service that I have received from all the doctors, nurses and rehab people that I have been dealing with in recent weeks. I think we have a wonderful health service here. :thumbup:

@LeakyUK: Hey, I thought your surgery was on the 7th? Did they call you in early or did I miss something? Anyway, I'm delighted to hear everything went well for you and look forward to an updated report when you feel up to it. In the meantime, take it easy and concentrate on getting better! We both have weeks/months of recovery time ahead of us but at least the wretched surgery business is now behind us... onwards and upwards, eh? :tongue2:

 

[epstns]

Hang in there, Chris! I'm just past the 13 week point, and am now feeling much more like a "regular" person. Heck, nobody who sees me (with my clothes on) can even tell what I've been through. . . which can be a mixed blessing when they think I should do something that as yet I cannot.

 

[Chris M]

Thank you, Steve. At this point I have to take it on faith that one day I will back to normal (perhaps better than my previous "normal" if I'm lucky) and that this heart/valve business will stop dominating my life, as it has done for the past year. It's great to hear you are doing so well at 3 months.