Facing immenent surgery

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robinfairchild

New member
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
4
Location
seattle, wa
I find myself, after having known of my aortic valve syndrome for about 4 years, facing imminent surgery sometime in the next several weeks. It is something of a shock and surprise because my cardiologist had indicated "the valve will tell you when it is time." And so far as I am concerned the valve is not saying anything - at least anything different from what it has been saying for the past year. But the cardiologist now has a different opinion and I of course am not qualified to differ with him.

So I'm now attempting to become emotionally ready for this. Had the realization come slower I think it would have been easier. But it has come on pretty fast. And so I have to prepare for any possibility and that includes the worst outcome. Not easy on short notice. Not easy to wind things down and to make necessary preparations. Not easy for my family either. They don't know what to expect and are unprepared to "take over" if that becomes necessary.

So - anyone else here facing this kind of conundrum?
 
I had two days and just went with it ....I am sure you have read here on the forum "better sooner than later" many times since you joined last August ....Robin everyone says waiting is the worst part ....deep breaths and read the forums if you have not already done so

Godspeed
 
Hi Robinfairchild. I noticed in your profile that your interest is in "remaining alive and lively" and that should be no problem after surgery. Most of the folks on this forum had similar concerns prior to the surgery. Don't try to "take care of everything" prior to the surgery....remember, you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time. Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and quick recovery.:thumbup:
 
It isn't unusual for many of us to learn it is time for surgery and be admitted within a month. My cardio followed my valve closely and then when he thought it was time, I had my second OHS four weeks later.

Emotionally it is a journey and there are details to see to, of course, but by the time my surgery date arrived, I was very ready. I just wanted to get it done and proceed with recovery.

This is a hugely successful surgery and if you are otherwise healthy, you have every reason to expect excellent results. We all experience this surgery differently but almost all of us come through fine and many with few if any 'bumps in the road' to healing. I had near bump free recovery from two OHS in four years. (The first was not valve related.)

I remember the anxiety and stress and only someone who has faced and waited for their OHS date can fully understand. Let us kmnow how we can help.

Wishing you the very best.
 
Let's see, I was sick for 5 months, but misdiagnosed. Finally diagnosed with a-fib and "probably" a valve problem. Then 2 days later I wound up in the hospital with a TIA, spent the next week in the hospital running tests and getting lovenox shots, got out for the holiday weekend, and had surgery on the Tuesday after the holiday.

Yup, I can commiserate with you on the "sudden impact" part of what you are going through. Shell Shocked.

Get it done now. Been there, done that, twice. It doesn't get easier if you are sicker. If the doctor says it's time, then it's time. You'll recover better and faster if you do the surgery sooner. And you'll avoid the extra heart damage like what led to my having to have a second valve replaced, third repaired, etc. etc.
 
Hi there
I was where you are just 3 months ago. I learned about my aortic valve problem about 5years ago...but wad told I was mild and asymptomatic. 3 months ago I was told that I was now borderline between severe and critical .....I had surgery 3.5 wks later.

This group was so helpful. There is so much to learn and lots of great information here. Ask any questions you have!
Best wishes to you
Amy
 
I knew about my aneurysm and leaky valve for over 20 years. They monitored me every year with an echo and the aneurysm virtually unchanged for over 12 years. I actually got to the point where I though maybe it would never change, maybe I would never need surgery. Then my diagnosis changed. Not something I had even given a thought to. And because the diagnosis changed, I ended up needing surgery. I still managed to push it off for six months so I could "prepare". There is only so much preparation one can do. I ended up in the ER with panic attacks and on clonazepam. In hindsight, I wish they would have just told me I had to do it immediately so I didn't have time to think about it. The surgeons do know best (for the most part) and if they're saying it's time for you, it probably is. One thing that I've noticed, they told me my leak had gotten worse over the years even though I didn't "feel" anything. Post-surgery, I have so much more energy now then I did before. I didn't even realize how tired I was until afterwards.
 
Hey everyone.. Mate you should not concern yourself with this.. Listen to my story..19th May had ascending aorta replacement.... 2 days later was told that they would open me again the next morning to cut out a major clot. 2 days after that operation one of my coronary arteries started to close due to all the trauma.. Yep you guessed it they reopened me for the third time and cut an artery out of my body and used it for a bypass... This time when they tried to close my chest on the slab my heart stopped... Opened chest and the heart started. Closed chest heart stopped... They rang my wife and said that I was close to death cause they could not close the chest... They put a balloon inside my chest and blew it up and then slowly closed chest and put me in a coma for 4 days whilst they slowly let the air out.. I woke up on the 1st June and now I am walking 2 kms per day living life to the fullest.
I am not telling you this cause of what I went through but rather to explain that most OHS is pretty routine but my case was one in a million....
You will be ok... Most of us have gone through it and you will make it to the other side... Feel free to email me if you want to talk...
Cheers
Dave
 
I had lots of people tell me that it was routine and not to worry; however, it is happening to YOU, not them. Those of us that have gone through this can relate, it is very hard mentally to prepare for this.
I saw my brother come out of bypass surgery so I knew what my family was going to see. They cool our bodies down for the surgery and we look pale, blotted and have tubes, wires and monitors hooked up to us. It is very hard on family members so prepare them.
Pick one family member as a contact for the surgeon and a backup, I picked my wife and son.
I was in and out of the hospital in 4 days.

May the Gods be kind to you!
 
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I'm with Jeff, dear Lord....it was unbelievable the variety of folks who told me no sweat it's routine. I doubt these folks even experienced hemorrhoids.......OK neither have I.LOL. Robin, just keep posting and reading the goodies from this site. It is a relief to know we have brothers and sisters who understand "US" cause we are on the same team.

When I got diagnosed Oct 14/10 with a projected life span of 1-2 years I was floored. Severe/critical AS with AV opening .5cm2, anurisum of the ascending aorta measuring 4.6 cm and a bundle branch block due to hypertrophy of the LH ventricle. Those were my stats and I was not symptomatic. If not diagnosed I would have died either skiing or living the triathlon life style. Took 5 1/2 mths to get the surgery. I had a few pity parties as I came to grasp my new life. Had the surgery on April 21 and I FEEL GREAT! ZZ took a right royal sh_t kicking and wins the survivor award! Like he said he was 1 in a million.

Share you worries and questions with your medical team and us. You have tons to learn which will help prepare you for surgery as you learn. Concentrate on getting fixed...no not like a male dog. HaHa! Rather get your surgery which will enhance your quality of life. No kidding, you will feel fantastic 2-3 months post op.
 
A good way to start to 'wrap your mind' around all that is happening is to obtain copies of ALL your tests and test reports, especially the echocardiograms. After reading them for a while you will become familiar with the nomenclature and be able to see changes and trends. There are some references in the Reference Forum that detail how to read Echocardiogram reports.

FWIW, I chart all of the data and specific comments from my Echocardiogram Reports onto a Spread Sheet for easy comparision. It doesn't take long to narrow your focus to your issues get a feel for what the numbers mean.

If you are concerned about some of the numbers, you may want to have other tests (such as a TransEsophageal Echo which gives more detailed 'pictures', or a Heart Cath which can measure pressures directly and provide calculated confirmations of the Echo numbers).

'AL Capshaw'
 
I hear you! I'm feeling the stress right now too. I have known about my bicuspid aortic valve for a few years now but I just had an echo, had an opportunity to look over the results (my general doc shared the results with me), saw what I think is my calling card for a new valve, but don't meet with my cardiologist for another month. Now, every muscle twitch, odd ache or whatever has me stressing. I left a message for my cardiologist Friday afternoon. If it is anything to be worried about, I know he will let me know.....but it is hard not to worry while I wait. So.....I totally understand your feelings. Hang in there....we will get through this just fine.
 
Many, many thankyous to all of you who've replied and commented re my status. I do feel better about the whole thing now. I will be meeting again with my cardio in 2 days to get more details and to set up some kind of schedule. It would be nice to have the whole thing done and behind me, and the only way to get to that point is to move forward. (Excuse the cliches.)

I was diagnosed with a heart murmur at age 14, a functional murmur which presumably would not affect my life to any degree. And it didn't, until about 5 years ago. So, 40 years after the original diagnosis the murmur erupted into AVD. I guess I can't complain about that. My life was pretty normal - I was a runner and completed 8 marathons before the age of 50, at which time my feet gave out. I turned to cycling and did that for more than a decade. It was on one of the cycling outings - the STP, Seattle to Portland - that my AVD became apparent. Peddling up the Lewis and Clark Bridge I had to stop several times to catch my breath, even in lowest gear. At first I attributed that to getting older but soon I was told by a cardio I had AVD. So I've been in the stream for a while now. But because I never seemed to "progress downward" I was beginning to think I could put off forever the operating table. Now I know I can't and I have in the last several days come to accept that. And now I think I want to follow the advice given on this forum by many here - do it and get it behind me.

So again thanks to all the kind words and encouragement. I am coming to see how this forum is an amazingly valuable resource.
 
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