Better Start A New Thread :)

Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
J

Jamjude

I think my last post got lost. :mad: Anyway to Chris. Thanks for the support, and calming my stupid fears. I think you asked what was wrong with my heart. The answer is I have to have a new valve put in. Hope I spell this right, Aortic Stenosis. I had a lot of episodes of Strep Throat, & Maybe Rhumantic heart that went un-treated for nearly all of my childhood, and teen years. Hope that answers your question. To Nancy. You are indeed a sweetheart. A great asset to this forum. :p You have a great sense of almost knowing what one is thinking. You apply this ability in the kindest way. God Bless you. Also to anyone I missed replying to. I truly apologize. I'm still playing around with this forum to figure it out! :D (( Hugs))) 2 All. Judy.
 
Hey Judy - Its pretty easy to get good responses on this site no matter what your concern might be because at least a few of us have already been there and done that. In the case of the stupid fear over the tube, I happen to be one of many experts on that topic. By the way, I'm glad to see you characterize the fear as stupid, because that means you are either getting over it or have gotten over it. The fear is very real while it's going on, and I'm thankful there were a lot of caring people here to get me thru it. I'm glad to be here and help out when I can. Chris
 
Rut Roh!

Rut Roh!

About those tests? I was simply overjoyed with the scope down my throat! Yeah Right! However the dye job wasn't that bad. They found out that two of my veins going into my heart are also damaged. :mad: Not blocked, just screwed up because of the Rheumatic fevor. Guess Dr. is going to fix those while he's @ it. At first I said no way! I will not have a big scar on my leg! Then he told me he don't use that method. He cuts a tiny place at the ankle, and one up higher, then pulls out what he needs. :p Anyway I will be having my sergury, after this next week. Hugs to all. And thanks Chris. I'm hoping I won't remember the breathing tube very much. I watched a video of just what I'm in for. Not a pretty sight. :(
 
Well, it is a pretty sight in a way, because it will save your life and give you back your life span and a much better quality of life.

Do you have a date for the calendar yet? Like to add it so we can keep track.
 
Hi Judy,

My prayers for your successful and uneventful surgery!
I just crossed over the mountain myself (that sounds so wonderful) and so far things are going mighty well. I went into Duke on last Sunday and came home the following Friday. I went up there not knowing if I would need one, two, or three valves replaced and also the prospect of a single bypass. After meeting with my surgeon on Sunday he said he really thought most of my symptoms were mitral valve related but he was prepared to do all of them if necessary and a double by-pass. I ended up with a single St.Jude in the mitral position and no bypasses. I also signed a consent before surgery for him to access the heart by way of a heart port. He did use this method.

So you might not know until you wake up what you have had done and how big of truck hit you!

It has been nowhere near as bad as I expected pain-wise. It is probably the most serious surgery I have had but I did have alot more pain with some reconstructive ankle surgery and an abdominal hysterectomy a few years ago.
 
Hey Judy - Just make sure your surgeon knows about your concerns and maybe he'll insure you are kept lightly sedated until the tube comes out. If you haven't browsed thru a lot of the pre surgery threads regarding getting ready for surgery, you really need to do so. For example, most of us slept in a lazy boy chair for several weeks after surgery because it was more comfortable than a bed. You will be unable to do hardly any lifting for awhile and you will need to get a lot of sleep. No driving for awhile, and you'll need somebody around to help and do things for you. The threads I'm talking about may be beyond the age limit so you'll have to play with the time limit dowitchee to see them. If problems, ask for help and somebody with some technical skills will help. Go find those threads, kiddo, you still have a lot of stuff to do. Chris
 
To see all the OLD posts and threads

To see all the OLD posts and threads

Go to the Forum you want to look at, not a particular thread, just the forum, like Pre-Surgery, Post-Surgery, Heart Talk, etc.

Go to the bottom of the page, see where it says "Showing threads---" , click on the part that says "last 30 days", a drop down menu will appear, then click on "the beginning" you'll then see all the posts from the beginning of the new and improved Valvereplacement.com.

You'll have all the reading you want for a while.
 
Judy - Maybe I read it incorrectly, but you are having surgery this coming week? Well, I just want to wish you luck. I will say a few prayers. Please come back and post with your exact date, so we all know. I really like your avatar and poetry, and hope to see more of you when you get past the annoying surgery.
 
Bill Hall Chris Nancy, Betty,

Bill Hall Chris Nancy, Betty,

Thank you so much for your support. Chris, you are a very special man. Nancy, you have a heart of pure gold. Seems you know in advance what people are thinking. Do you have ESP.:) in any event you have cut my fears by at least 75%. Betty, thanks for the kind and sweet reply. And Bill. I don't know when my sergury will be. My Dr. Says not this week. He plans a phone call the following week, and as soon as I get there, off to sergury! Me thinks me Dr. Don't want me there all night to ponder on it. Thanks for likeing my poetry. I never wallow in self pity. Not my forte.

I Once Felt Sorry For Myself Because I Had No Shoes.
Then I Met A Man With No Feet.

Sending you all Kisses!
Special Note For Betty.
Glad You Are Ok! ((Hugs))
 
Hi Judy - Only 75% unworried huh ? OK, young lady, what else is on your mind? I bet we can find some more experts who can fix that other 25% too. Let us know and then watch us shine !!!! :D
 
Chris.

Chris.

Lets see? Maybe death? I'm really not afraid of death Chris. More afraid I will make it through the sergury, then die. only because of my family. I pride myself on my honesty. Maybe everyone thinks about this. OK so you know the 25%. (Hugs) :)
 
Ok Judy - That was a straight answer, so lets talk about it. The mortality numbers are really very low for this type of surgery, especially in the younger age groups (less than age 70). You are going to a known surgery center, where they do a whole bunch of these things, so they really are sort of ho-hum routine. Serious surgery, yes. You will literally have a room full of people with you doing god knows what, but all kinds of support roles to get you through the surgery in one piece, and the intensive care continues on into the ICU where you'll have a bunch of gadgets and a full time nurse monitoring just you. There is a risk of complications. There are a bunch of possible ones, but none that are clearly probable. I don't know about all of those probabilities but that's why you'll be in the hospital for a few days. If something comes up, you'll be in the right place for it. By the 2nd day (maybe third) you'll be walking (however gingerly) up and down the hospital hallway, and in just a few more days you'll be home. Oh, I forgot, --- we'll all be worried about you so you'll have to get somebody to post for you. That way we can tease you and urge you to walk more, breath more, and take lots of naps. Once you've rolled into surgery, you have made all the decisions, so you might as well relax and let the experts do their work - you're paying them plenty. I remember rolling into surgery and seeing all those people, thinking I should have brought some pizza. I then realized I WAS the pizza, ready for carving !!
 
Hi Judy-

I think that anyone who is faced with this surgery has those fears of dying. It seems to be a pretty normal fear. Sometimes this fear is a good thing because it gives us the needed oomph to get through a difficult time.

Instead of trying to stifle those fears, give them some room and sort of go with it for a little while, then put them away in the back of your mind and put all the responsibility for your surgery on the very broad shoulders of your surgeon. That's his/her job and what all his training was for. He will take every precaution to make sure your outcome is an excellent one, and when you are sent home, you will be out of the immediate danger zone and ready to go home. There are sometimes little glitches that can happen after surgery, but they are all solvable and can be taken care of. You will be sent home with a big safety net. Your surgeon's office is there to field calls any time you want. Most of them have a PA, or NP available to answer every question. Your cardiologist will field your calls after your care is turned over to them. Any problem you have is just a phone call away.

After surgery, each day that goes by will find you gaining in strength. It's s slow but steady progress.

In the long course of life events, it is a relatively small amount of time, which will give you back your life.

Most folks who have this surgery find a calmness coming over them in the day or two prior to surgery. I think you will find this to be the case.

You will be in good hands, you will be well taken care of by very, very expert people.
 
Thank you Chris & Nancy. :)

Thank you Chris & Nancy. :)

You guys are great. I have to admit I haven't talked to my Dr. about any of my fears. I tend to have a very strong set of lungs, when it comes to singing. I'm at my best with that Mic in my hand. Havent been out to sing for awhile though. I won top female singer in Madison County two years in a row. But other than that, I tend to hold things in, and ask no questions when it comes to my health. Now I'm going to ask my Dr. (Thanks to you guys) so many questions he will probably think I'm writing a darn book! I will tell Jason, my new hubby to keep you informed should I not feel up to it for awhile. Acually he found this forum, and helped me with it. More than likely he will log on as Blackraven, or Mr. Frog! :) In any event he will let you all know. Thanks a million. You guys are awesome! Hugs)))) Judy.
 
Judy have him log in with his real name. The screen name things drive me el loco after a while. :D It is more personal that way also.
 
Why Ross! Cute Kitty! :)

Why Ross! Cute Kitty! :)

Ok peoples, just got a call from my Dr. My sergury is set for 7.30 AM. Tuesday, Sept 9th. I did what Chris & Nancy suggested. I asked questions! :p My Dr. laughed at me, and retorted, Now You Suddenly Have A Mouth! :eek: In any event I think it was Nancy that told me I would probably lose most of the fears, and just except whatever comes next. Thank God for this forum. God bless you all. (( Hugs)) Judy.
 
As with everyone that walks the path, remember that we all go with you every step of the way. We will be awaiting the post surgery report like nervous parents.

If you need to vent or get something off of your mind, you know where we are. ;)
 
Sounds like you're making progress Judy, and we'll all be with you on the 9th, thinking about you and praying for you. In the meantime, I assume you have been looking at those "get ready" check lists in the pre surgery section. One of the things I did was contact my lawyer, who put together a package of documents for me including an updated will, power of atty for my wife re medical decisions, etc. By doing this, I had one more thing off my mind and didn't have to worry about doing some of the stuff the hospital asks you about the day before surgery. You'll have a few anxious moments between now and surgery, but they won't be bad. I had a brief flash of anxiety exactly 24 hours before surgery but it passed in a jiffy - On my day of surgery I really was unflapable. By the way, what kind of music do you like to sing ?
 
Thanks Ross & Chris

Thanks Ross & Chris

Thank you Ross for the kind wishes. To Chris, Yes I have that stuff taken care of hon. Now for the question about music. I love all music, even some opera. However I sing country, soft rock, blues, etc. My voice has such a range I can change octives three times in the middle of a pitch. :p In other words my voice breaks sort of like yodleing. I can do that too. :eek: I will be thinking of you all, when I go into sergury. You guys are awesome! Remember, the three easiest words to say in any language is. I Love You. So? (( HUGS)) & :)
 
Good luck Judy,

I just got back from my 2nd AVR on Sunday and I'm doing fine. Thankfully, no complications. The first time I had the surgery I was a basket case, full of worries. This time was a piece of cake - OK - not quite that easy but I had no anxiety at all.

Let the docs and nurses do what they do best.
You'll see big improvements each day, just hang in there!

By the way, I'm sitting in the same recliner I got before my first surgery 14 years ago. For me, this recliner is a lifesaver...

Think positive, you'll be OK!

Rob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top