David's surgery rescheduled for Mon. 8/24

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davidswife

davidswife

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
179
Location
Mahwah, NJ
Thank you everyone for your good wishes. In case you didn't catch it on the original thread, we have postponed David's surgery until Mon. 8/24 so we can get some more of our questions answered from the surgeon regarding the repair of David's aortic aneurysm. We're meeting with him later today and I will post what we find out later.

Nadine
 
good for you guys - and your surgeon ! I think it is important that you know what is going on before you go in, and your surgeon seems to have recognised that, too. Remember to discuss a Plan B in case what you decide doesn't work out once the surgeon gets in there - the tests are not infallible, and sometimes the surgeons find things a little different than they expected.
 
That is great that you are getting all your questions answered! All the very best and we will be keeping David and you in our thoughts on the 24th as well!
 
The meeting with the surgeon today went really well. He is 90% sure that he will be able to go with the On-X valve and then a separate graft to repair the aneurysm in the ascending aorta as he will do everything he can to keep the valsalva (the area just above the aortic valve where the coronary arteries are connected). If the valsalva cannot be saved then he will be going with the St. Jude's combo unit. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he will be able to use the On-X valve. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30am (ugh!) Monday morning.

Thank you everyone for all your well wishes! I will keep you all posted on his recovery.

Nadine
 
Wishing and praying for a successful surgery with David. Glad you had a good visit with the surgeon that is so important. I think we all dreaded the early morning surgery my surgery was 5am. I don't think I was even awake, already half drug w/o the drugs. Good Luck and God Bless. Keep us posted on the updates.
 
Nadine:

Sounds like David's in good hands. Please let us know which procedure he ends up with.

I was lucky with my surgery & admission -- I had my heart cath the day before and they admitted me then. Was sooooooooo much easier to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. the day BEFORE the surgery, have a more minor procedure and then get to "loll around" (i.e., vise-gripped to a table) the rest of the day and be awakened just shortly before making your debut on the OR table, rather than having to get up, get dressed, be driven somewhere, then knocked out for La-La Land. :)

Hope your weekend is restful..........
 
Sounds Good to me Nadine.

You must be a fast learner to absorb so much information in only a week. Have you ever thought about becoming a Nurse? Your ability to learn quickly and not get freaked out about these serious issues would be a real plus.

You, David, and the Surgeon have covered all the bases and explored the options. Now it's just a matter of seeing what it looks like once inside.

Will you have someone to help watch over David while in the Hospital? It is always good to keep track of his medications, making sure that he gets the right meds and doses. It would be wise to keep a chart or notebook, recording med, dose, and time, just to be sure there are no mix-ups (which can happen, especially if another nurse is 'filling in' or someone forgot to record a dose on his chart).

The First week at home, he will feel like he's been run over by a Mack Truck and need a lot of help / support. By the Second week, help is nice, but he should be able to be getting up to go to the bathroom and maybe make a sandwich / control the TV, etc.

Be sure to ENFORCE the 5 lb Lifting / Pulling / Pushing Limit for the first few weeks. The Surgeon should give him a Weight Limit Schedule for his recovery. Remind him that he will want his sternum to heal properly and NOT get misaligned if he starts to think he can do more than he should! :)

David is fortunate to have such a Rock to lean on in his time of need. We'll be watching for your updates. Peace be with you and David.

Enjoy the Weekend !

'AL Capshaw'
 
Good Luck on Monday. I had AV repair and ascending aorta repair in April. Any questions or if you need any help I live in Suffern.
 
And you got a plan B ! I am sure it is a relief to know what's going on. Make sure you get as much rest as he does, I honestly don't know how our loved ones make it through this in one piece! Best wishes for an easy time of it for both of you.
 
Hi everyone!

Jeanette....Yes, we got a Plan B and we are happy with it, just hoping that Plan A will be able to be implemented but we shall see. I will let you all know Monday night what David ended up getting.

John...wow, Suffern! We are neighbors - we're right down the road. We lived in Suffern (Bon Aire) when we first got married. Thanks for the offer to help if we need it - we just might take you up on it!

AL, I think being a nurse to David will be enough for me:eek:! I will be the one keeping a watch over him for the most part. My brother-in-law's cardiology group will be taking care of him in the hospital and since the nurses all know my BIL I'm hoping that they will be extra careful (of course, they should always be extra careful, but like you said mistakes do happen). Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for David my BIL is on vacation for the next two weeks but he is not going anywhere so I know he will be stopping in and/or calling (between golf and tennis!) to check on things. I know I can always call him with any questions and he will call the nurses station if need be. And thanks for the tips on what to do/not do the first few weeks at home. David will definitely be taking it easy. Even though he is a Type A he knows how important it is to let everything heal properly. I think when he is back to normal (whatever that is;)) I'm going to need a good vacation!

Jim, catwoman, CThrock, Danny, Bina, Mark, Deb, ottawagal....Thank you all for you prayers and good wishes. Yeah, 5:30am is not going to be easy. David has to shower the night before surgery and the morning of surgery with Betasept and use a different wash cloth for each part of his body and wash in a specific order. I can just see him trying to do this at 4:30am! Did all of you have to do this? He also has to gargle with a prescription oral rinse the night before and the morning of.

I spent most of today running around with our oldest daughter who is leaving for college (first year) a week from today. She is actually all packed already (she is not a procrastinator like me!) and just needed a couple more things. Luckily she is going only an hour and a half away so that we can make the trip to for David to see her at school when he is feeling up to it. If David is discharged the day I have to drive her to college (that would be 5 days post-op and the surgeon said 5-7 days) then my sister will take him home to her house and I'll get him the next day. So everything is pretty much in order. Tomorrow afternoon we will head down to my sister's house and sleep there as she is only 20 minutes from the hospital (and we are an hour and a half). We should have a pretty relaxing day and then will try to get to sleep by 10pm even though that is very early for us (we are both usually up until about 1am but that will not work with having to get up at 4!). David will have the easy day on Monday - he gets to sleep through everything :D!

Nadine
 
You are so lucky to have a organized, nonprocrastinating college student!! We just took ours to school. We spent a week "encouraging" her to pack and organize herself. Now we are spending two days buying everything she forgot! She was much more interested in her boyfriend than anything else!! We all felt like kicking her from Orlando to Tallahassee!!
 
You may be a procrastinator Nadine, but it sounds like you are a Great Planner!

You / we have not talked much about recovery yet so I'll take the liberty to 'jump the gun' and make some suggestions (which you have the freedom to completely ignore if they don't fit your plans).

Once you send David into the O.R., you will have a LOT of time to pass as you (anxiously) await the results of his surgery.

IF the hospital has some sort of Internet Connection available, you may want to spend some time looking over the Post Surgery Forum on VR.com There is a wealth of information on other patient's experiences there and lots of Tips.

Re: Sleep - Most of us found that we slept in short 'spurts' (typically 3 hours or less at a time) for several weeks following surgery.

MANY found that sleeping in Bed was somewhat 'uncomfortable' (regardless if it was on our sides or back) and difficult to 'get down and get up'. Many have found that sleeping in a Recliner is more comfortable and makes getting up and down easier to do. (Remember the 5 or 10 lb lifting / pulling / pushing limit, i.e. do NOT use the arms to help getting up or down into bed or chair)

Other options include sleeping on a couch with a Wedge Pillow or 'propped up' at an angle leaning on the back of the couch. Body Pillows in a Bed also work in a similar fashion.

Re: Breathing Exercises - David will (or should) receive a plastic "incentive Spirometer" for doing Breathing Exercises. These are Very Important to help re-inflate the Lungs, push out any fluids and phlem that have collected in the lungs, and to Prevent Pneumonia. I was told to use the Spirometer for 10 minutes every 2 hours while awake.

Re: Pain Control - Pain is controlled quite well most of the time. It is important to 'stay ahead of the curve', i.e. don't try to 'tough it out', take the Pain Meds on Schedule or at the First Sign of new / increased 'discomfort'. It takes time for the medication to become fully active and once pain begins, it only gets worse. As I said, "Stay ahead of the curve" and all will be well. Most of us report that the Sternum / Chest only exhibit various levels of "discomfort' rather than PAIN.

Re: Muscle PAIN - This is a not-uncommon complaint and can be INTENSE, especially in the back / shoulder because of how the body is positioned / stretched / moved during surgery. MASSAGE works Better and Faster than any Pain Meds for Muscle Pain.

Re: Heart Beat - Most of us experienced a Rapid (100-120 BPM) Heart Rate following Surgery. This can also turn into an Arrhythmia (irregular) Heart Beat. While arrhythmias are 'Uncomfortable' and can be alarming at first, most are 'benign', or at least not life threatening. (It takes some time to get comfortable with that notion!)

There are LOTS of Medications that can help to control those issues. I Hate It when Docs routinely administer Amiodarone (the Sledge Hammer of Anti-Arrhythmics) as their First Option (because it Works and they can release their patients sooner). Amiodarone can have a LOT of Nasty Side Effects if administered for Too Long or in Too High a Dose. Even the manufacturer (and FDA) warns that it should only be used as the Last Resort when other measures have failed. Docs (and insurance companies) don't want to take the time to find other solutions. (Off my Soapbox now.)

That should be enough to mull over for a while.

Has David found the "peace that comes with acceptance" as he prepares for his Big Day?

'AL Capshaw'
 
AL you are the best!

AL you are the best!

Thanks AL for the all the great tips! They should be part of a Post-Surgery forum sticky if they are not already.

swim mom...yes, she is very organized - typical first child. But she also gets crazy when things don't go exactly as she planned so she is having a little difficulty with the fact that it will only be me now helping her move in.

Cooker...thanks for the good wishes! I'll be doing my best to post a loss for my first week on the Throwdown;)!

See you all tomorrow when we're over the mountain:)!

Nadine
 
David's OR and your waiting room will be filled with good wishes and prayers tomorrow. Please give David a big hug for us and don't forget to take care of yourself as well.
 
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