TitanEddie
Well-known member
So it was will touch and go for a day due to some pretty bad pneumonia . But looks like I am going to make it. Best fathers day ever.
First post here.
- Thread starter TitanEddie
- Start date
Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Glad to see ya 
Agian
Well-known member
Welcome back man.
cldlhd
Well-known member
Good to hear,this was my 1st post surgery fathers day also.
Hey, Eddie! Welcome back to the Other Side of the Mountain!
Come on back and tell us all about it when you're ready. We'll be here waiting for you.
Come on back and tell us all about it when you're ready. We'll be here waiting for you.
TitanEddie
Well-known member
3rd day out and feeling surprisingly good, still some pneumonia but not too bad at all. This is a bit long but I wanted to try to get it out while it was still somewhat fresh with me. Hope to offer some help or insight to those still waiting.
Still trying to get my mind to piece everything back together. Kind of weird, like a jigsaw puzzle but with memories so not sure this is 100% accurate yet but while I am still within a week and a day of surgery I thought I would provide some perspective for those who are like me and are looking at every angle and making plans for everything.
First let me back up and let you know how this all started. 50 years old and in great shape, worked out all the time, things were great, no issues at all then in March at my regular appointment my doc says you have a murmur, I say I didn't six months ago and he says you do now. Long story short I found I had a bicuspid aortic valve that was in bad need of replacement, no symptoms so if you are reading this saying I feel fine, doesn't matter believe the tests, trust me there are only two ways out of this and one is a guaranteed one way trip in a box, Take this seriously.
So, I spend a couple of months analyzing, well more like over analyzing this deal. And once I made peace with what had to be done the questions started on what happens leading up to, during and immediately after surgery.
I am going to offer up some general thoughts and observances about each and will be more than happy to answer any specifics this is just me and I in no way mean to present myself as a representative for everyone going through this.
Pre Surgery:
If you are scared, if you cry for no reason, if you are mad at the world and if you feel guilty about any of it you are completely normal. Don't let anyone tell you this is no big deal, it's a hell of a big deal and you have every right to whatever feelings you are having. I think that is part of what it takes to prepare your mind for this.
For me, I needed to know everything in advance, just the way I am so I soaked up every piece of info I could get. A lot of people said it's best to just let it happen but that is just not me and I am glad I was educated going in as when I developed complications I understood what they were and what was about to happen.
Once testing was done and a date was set I found a strange calm I didn't expect. I had been a basket case and those last few days was really not that bad. Not sure why but walked in and went through all of the admission stuff without batting an eye.
Surgery: 6/18/2015
My biggest fears when it came to the surgery itself was the trip to the operating room and waking up after. There are a few things I am really, really thankful I did and one of them is I put together a playlist just for surgery, for me some select Pink Floyd. Going out to Comfortably Numb and having the first recognition of being alive after surgery was hearing Learning to Fly, I didn't have it in surgery but I did before and immediately after. My wife said when she looked over and saw my foot keeping time she knew it was going to be OK. Nurses got a kick out of it as well but for me hearing that instead of the beeping, and bustle that goes with an ICU was such a huge boost.
The next thing I remember is being horribly thirsty, wanting water more that I ever did in my life and not being able to have it.
Soon enough I was in a chair then actually up and walking, things were going great, then it happened, Pneumonia, As I said, I had done my research and knew this was one of the most common and one of the scariest complications, Friday night into Saturday morning it got worse and worse, things were really serious for several hours, I knew pretty much what was coming, back to ICU, steroids, antibiotics, breathing treatments, lots of painful lung treatments and coughing and that is exactly what happened,
By Sunday Morning I had started to pull myself out of trouble and was regaining my faculties. Friday night and Saturday are pretty much a blur,
Since it was Father's day my family was there most of the day but by mid afternoon I was feeling closer to myself and knew what needed to be done so I ran everyone off and me, the spirometer and a stuffed bear that basically got named Mr. GDMF due to the acronym of what I said everytime I reached for him to cough got real intimate overnight,
By Monday morning all of what I put myself through Sunday night was paying off. My lungs felt scorched, and very sore but I was able to come off the oxygen mask and go on regular oxygen and the world started to become less foggy again.
The second thing that I am so glad I did was to download some audio books, now I'm not a big reader but I'm not big on TV either but between the music and the audio books it was just nice to be able to turn everything off, tune everything out and lay back and just heal and sleep without doing anything including opening my eyes, I continued to have to have the lung treatments and they took a toll everytime so I would plan my day around those six hour periods between treatments, get pain pills in advance, have treatment, spend time with Mr. GDMF, then drift off to an audio book.
Monday I was feeling much better and getting antsy, Managed to finally get the chest tube out, only needed oxygen a few times a day and put on some shorts and a shirt and clean up a bit, Walked as much as I could and joked with the staff as well as thanked them all as much as possible whenever I could.
Since I have been home, have been walking and following the instructions to the letter. Still fighting the pneumonia but getting better everyday.
Parting thoughts,
One other thing I did that I am glad that I did do is go to the Godiva chocolate store and load up on some of the best stuff they had, I also made a big thank you poster with a mended heart for the "O" in you and offered them to everyone from the chief of surgery to the custodial staff, To me those people are Rock Stars, Unheralded Heroes and Angels without Wings, I can't possibly express how grateful I am to the people at Centennial Heart Center for taking such good care of me,
Yes this is routine surgery, unless it is happening to you. What I mean is to the surgeons and staff they do this daily so it is routine, You don't do this every day and there are severe complications that can happen so don't think they are indifferent but don't let anyone tell you you are overreacting either.
Let them do their job. They are good at what they do and when they tell you something it is for your own good, don't take it personally and if it seems overly blunt before complaining ask yourself if maybe you needed it,
This is not easy, come in prepared to work hard, be uncomfortable and to hurt maybe a lot, If you want to get better it will take some sacrifice.
If you have never been in the hospital, the food is really that bad, it just is. Plan accordingly.
Speaking for myself, you are going to want to be by yourself a lot more than you think, if nothing else just to relax or focus at the task at hand.
Good luck everyone and fire away with the questions, this place as well as others was such an invaluable resource giving back now is the least I can do,
Still trying to get my mind to piece everything back together. Kind of weird, like a jigsaw puzzle but with memories so not sure this is 100% accurate yet but while I am still within a week and a day of surgery I thought I would provide some perspective for those who are like me and are looking at every angle and making plans for everything.
First let me back up and let you know how this all started. 50 years old and in great shape, worked out all the time, things were great, no issues at all then in March at my regular appointment my doc says you have a murmur, I say I didn't six months ago and he says you do now. Long story short I found I had a bicuspid aortic valve that was in bad need of replacement, no symptoms so if you are reading this saying I feel fine, doesn't matter believe the tests, trust me there are only two ways out of this and one is a guaranteed one way trip in a box, Take this seriously.
So, I spend a couple of months analyzing, well more like over analyzing this deal. And once I made peace with what had to be done the questions started on what happens leading up to, during and immediately after surgery.
I am going to offer up some general thoughts and observances about each and will be more than happy to answer any specifics this is just me and I in no way mean to present myself as a representative for everyone going through this.
Pre Surgery:
If you are scared, if you cry for no reason, if you are mad at the world and if you feel guilty about any of it you are completely normal. Don't let anyone tell you this is no big deal, it's a hell of a big deal and you have every right to whatever feelings you are having. I think that is part of what it takes to prepare your mind for this.
For me, I needed to know everything in advance, just the way I am so I soaked up every piece of info I could get. A lot of people said it's best to just let it happen but that is just not me and I am glad I was educated going in as when I developed complications I understood what they were and what was about to happen.
Once testing was done and a date was set I found a strange calm I didn't expect. I had been a basket case and those last few days was really not that bad. Not sure why but walked in and went through all of the admission stuff without batting an eye.
Surgery: 6/18/2015
My biggest fears when it came to the surgery itself was the trip to the operating room and waking up after. There are a few things I am really, really thankful I did and one of them is I put together a playlist just for surgery, for me some select Pink Floyd. Going out to Comfortably Numb and having the first recognition of being alive after surgery was hearing Learning to Fly, I didn't have it in surgery but I did before and immediately after. My wife said when she looked over and saw my foot keeping time she knew it was going to be OK. Nurses got a kick out of it as well but for me hearing that instead of the beeping, and bustle that goes with an ICU was such a huge boost.
The next thing I remember is being horribly thirsty, wanting water more that I ever did in my life and not being able to have it.
Soon enough I was in a chair then actually up and walking, things were going great, then it happened, Pneumonia, As I said, I had done my research and knew this was one of the most common and one of the scariest complications, Friday night into Saturday morning it got worse and worse, things were really serious for several hours, I knew pretty much what was coming, back to ICU, steroids, antibiotics, breathing treatments, lots of painful lung treatments and coughing and that is exactly what happened,
By Sunday Morning I had started to pull myself out of trouble and was regaining my faculties. Friday night and Saturday are pretty much a blur,
Since it was Father's day my family was there most of the day but by mid afternoon I was feeling closer to myself and knew what needed to be done so I ran everyone off and me, the spirometer and a stuffed bear that basically got named Mr. GDMF due to the acronym of what I said everytime I reached for him to cough got real intimate overnight,
By Monday morning all of what I put myself through Sunday night was paying off. My lungs felt scorched, and very sore but I was able to come off the oxygen mask and go on regular oxygen and the world started to become less foggy again.
The second thing that I am so glad I did was to download some audio books, now I'm not a big reader but I'm not big on TV either but between the music and the audio books it was just nice to be able to turn everything off, tune everything out and lay back and just heal and sleep without doing anything including opening my eyes, I continued to have to have the lung treatments and they took a toll everytime so I would plan my day around those six hour periods between treatments, get pain pills in advance, have treatment, spend time with Mr. GDMF, then drift off to an audio book.
Monday I was feeling much better and getting antsy, Managed to finally get the chest tube out, only needed oxygen a few times a day and put on some shorts and a shirt and clean up a bit, Walked as much as I could and joked with the staff as well as thanked them all as much as possible whenever I could.
Since I have been home, have been walking and following the instructions to the letter. Still fighting the pneumonia but getting better everyday.
Parting thoughts,
One other thing I did that I am glad that I did do is go to the Godiva chocolate store and load up on some of the best stuff they had, I also made a big thank you poster with a mended heart for the "O" in you and offered them to everyone from the chief of surgery to the custodial staff, To me those people are Rock Stars, Unheralded Heroes and Angels without Wings, I can't possibly express how grateful I am to the people at Centennial Heart Center for taking such good care of me,
Yes this is routine surgery, unless it is happening to you. What I mean is to the surgeons and staff they do this daily so it is routine, You don't do this every day and there are severe complications that can happen so don't think they are indifferent but don't let anyone tell you you are overreacting either.
Let them do their job. They are good at what they do and when they tell you something it is for your own good, don't take it personally and if it seems overly blunt before complaining ask yourself if maybe you needed it,
This is not easy, come in prepared to work hard, be uncomfortable and to hurt maybe a lot, If you want to get better it will take some sacrifice.
If you have never been in the hospital, the food is really that bad, it just is. Plan accordingly.
Speaking for myself, you are going to want to be by yourself a lot more than you think, if nothing else just to relax or focus at the task at hand.
Good luck everyone and fire away with the questions, this place as well as others was such an invaluable resource giving back now is the least I can do,
mattswife
Member
TitanEddie,
Thanks for sharing your story! My husband is having his surgery July 24, and in the coming weeks I will be scrambling to coordinate the household to accommodate his post-surgery needs. It is very helpful to read your personal story.
Ok now my questions!
Were you hungry at all in the hospital? You mentioned that the food was bad, but did you have any kind of appetite to begin with?
How bad was the chest tube?
What kind of meds will you take moving forward?
--MattsWife
Thanks for sharing your story! My husband is having his surgery July 24, and in the coming weeks I will be scrambling to coordinate the household to accommodate his post-surgery needs. It is very helpful to read your personal story.
Ok now my questions!
Were you hungry at all in the hospital? You mentioned that the food was bad, but did you have any kind of appetite to begin with?
How bad was the chest tube?
What kind of meds will you take moving forward?
--MattsWife
TitanEddie
Well-known member
Not much of an appetite I mean I would get hungry but a few bites was all I could do. So if you bring something start small besides everything tastes a. Bit off anyway.
The tube while not unbearable was very uncomfortable made it hard to get a real deep breath and find a comfortable spot was real glad when it came out.
Not sure on meds I got a tissue valve so no thinners. On some temporary stuff now most to do with pneumonia.
The tube while not unbearable was very uncomfortable made it hard to get a real deep breath and find a comfortable spot was real glad when it came out.
Not sure on meds I got a tissue valve so no thinners. On some temporary stuff now most to do with pneumonia.
Glad to read your post Eddie and that they looked after you and your pneumonia well. Lucky you having music to go to sleep to and wake up to ! All my stuff was locked away until I was given it back in high dependency
…...hospital regulations here (due to thefts). Wishing the rest of your recovery goes smoothly now !
giro
Member
Just saw this post; hope all is going well with you.
I was wondering how you dealt with resting and sleeping once you got home. I have read where others used lift chairs and or hospital beds. I foresee getting in and out of a normal bed to be quite a challenge at least initially.
I was wondering how you dealt with resting and sleeping once you got home. I have read where others used lift chairs and or hospital beds. I foresee getting in and out of a normal bed to be quite a challenge at least initially.
TitanEddie
Well-known member
Things are great thanks for asking. I slept in a recliner the first two or three weeks. Couldn't stand to lay flat. First time I tried I ended up like a turtle on it's back. I had just enough leg strength to push down the recliner. A little less and no way so if you have one do a test run with no hands.
