March 4 - getting nervous

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Sammy1973

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
12
Location
PA, USA
March 4th is almost here. AVR replacement -Aorta 4.0 so no issue there. Going with tissue - Dr. Svensson at Cleveland Clinic. Drove 7 hrs to get here today to beat the snow. Now, the waiting...nerves starting to pick up. I have been great and totally calm for a few months - know I'm in one of the best hands. But still, damn, OHS!
 
Dr Svensson may very well be THE best at this. You are definitely in good hands. OHS is certainly not trivial, but I found the recovery to be much easier than expected, not so different than other surgeries and easier than my knee surgery.
 
All the best to you Sammy ! I'm sure they will take excellent care of you. And everyone here will be thinking of you on the 4th and wishing you a speedy recovery !

(Gosh AZ, your knee was easeir than OHS :confused2: Did you have a complication ? I've had knee surgery and it was a piece of cake compared to OHS - even had it with epidural anaesthesia so I could watch, now if only one could have OHS awake !)
 
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Thanks all! This site is therapeutic and informative - thanks for all the support! It's the little things that are worrying me - waking up to a breathing tube down my throat, all the breathing trying to expand lungs post surgery, etc.

Oh, and the 1.7% chance of really bad problems. I'm 40 and mostly healthy so haven't been too concerned - until t minus 48 hours
 
Sammy is my Girl Scout camp name :) My surgery is Wednesday. I've been trying not to dwell on how miserable I will be after the surgery, because whenever I do, my eyes start to leak and my chest starts to pound and my family & friends have no idea how to respond. I'm trying to approach it as an adventure - something I've never done before, new & different. I totally understand the anxiety. Can't wait to hear all about it. You know what to expect, so it won't be a complete surprise, and it'll be over soon, promise.
Meredith
 
It's hard not to be apprehensive, but try to concentrate on the fact that you will be surrounded by people who know how to help you and want to help you. Post-surgery is not the time to be stoic, ask questions, tell them if you're uncomfortable, and push that button if you need something. It probably won't be as bad as you fear, and most likely the unpleasant stuff will be a foggy recollection.

Best wishes, and be sure to post afterwards!
 
Paleogirl said:
(Gosh AZ, your knee was easeir than OHS :confused2: Did you have a complication ? I've had knee surgery and it was a piece of cake compared to OHS - even had it with epidural anaesthesia so I could watch, now if only one could have OHS awake !)
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Well I had some internal bleeding that made me sick the second week after my reconstructive knee surgery, and it was major surgery - the scar is almost twice as long as my chest scar, but what made it so special was waking up to a machine that kept my knee moving to promote healing of the cartilage. I was on that machine for days. It was a special kind of pain and nothing I have ever experienced has come close. Not broken bones, and not OHS. Also, I was bed ridden for about 5 days in the hospital, so when I did finally get up, walking down the hall on crutches felt as hard as running a marathon (and I have run a marathon). I was doing much better 5 days after my OHS.
 
hiya, as others have rightly said it isnt as bad as you think, i am by far the gold medal winner when it comes to being a cry baby, i have medals on the wall to prove it lol, but i found it so much easier than i imagined, you will do just fine, chin up
 
Sammy1973 said:
It's the little things that are worrying me - waking up to a breathing tube down my throat, all the breathing trying to expand lungs post surgery, etc.
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I got worried about that, I think most of us do. BUT, I need not have worried one bit because, although we're supposed to wake up with the tube in as they don't remove it until you are awake and breathing on your own - they can tell as, even though you are still asleep, when you start trying to breath the ventilator lets you and only acts as a back up - they appear to give meds that produce amnesia. Although I have vague memories of waking up, of people talking to me, none of those memories is bad becasue I can't remember the tube being in my throat or it being taken out !
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks Neil, Anne & others. Exactly what I needed to read. I'm back to being calm! Thanks - I'll post an update from the hospital once my wife gives me my iPhone back! :)
 
Hi, Sammy, that was my thought, too, Damn! Heart Surgery! Me! Now! For a decade it had remained a remote possibility for the future but suddenly it was now. Any way one looks at it, it is a significant juncture in one's life. The amazing thing is that it gives you a future again. Just keep in mind that it won't be as difficult as one can imagine. Then, every day you will feel better as you move into your new future and sooner than you may think, it recede into the past and you will find yourself living your life again. Take care.

Larry
 
Good Luck to you. It has been almost 6 years since I walked the surgery road for my heart. I don't remember much, but one thing I do recall was that when I woke up with the breathing tube in my throat, my wonderful husband was right there to remind me not to fight the darn thing. And since he knew I wouldn't be able to speak he had a nice big pad or paper and a marker for me to make some kind of chicken scratch if I wanted to. The only thing that I scribbled was that I was roasting!. Then back to sleep I went and the next time I woke up the tube was out. Everything will be well. You will get past this hurdle and soon and your journey to getting stronger will begin. Go with the flow. Tell the nurses if you are scared, hot, cold, tired, in pain. Don't think they haven't heard it before (they have). I shall be thinking of you on the 4th. Post again when you feel up to it. Take Care:)
 
Best of luck. I have virtually no memory of my tube and its removal, other than a vague recollection of wondering why the nurse was yelling at me to breathe. Maybe the experience will give you the inspiration to come up with a new camp song! (My daughter is a counselor up at a camp in NH)
 
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