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mmarshall

mmarshall

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
170
Location
dallas, tx
sorry for not posting the day before surgery...there were problems with the link and i had to be at the hospital at 5:30am last tuesday morning. well in a nutshell here it is....went under around 7:30 may 31 and was released saturday june 4 at 11:00am. could have gone home friday afternoon or evening but they kept me an extra night just as a precaution. here is what i have to say for the young ones...well...if you are 31...5'9...160...healthy and in shape...please do not let this surgery stress you out and think that it is going to be the most painfull thing ever. i had lateral hernia surgery 6 years ago and had a 1 inch..maybe 1 1/2 inch scar on my lower waist line...cant even see it now.....if anyone my age has had this and is about to have heart surgery....hernia surgery was at least 8 times worse. through out the whole ordeal...the only thing that bothered me was the lung tubes...and they didn't really hurt...just got really annoying...discomfort and did not hurt at all when they were pulled out. the only pain i felt was before i left icu...they took out my cath...i was so drugged up...felt like i thumped my finger on something...not really painfull...just one of those...oh..what was that...lol the best advise i can give for you guys about to go through this...i know that everyone with a good experience thinks that their surgeon and hospital is the best ever...but dr. ryan at presby of dallas...hands down the greatest....didnt get to do the ross but in my case...it was better that we went with the latest and greatest stentless tissue valve...we are expecting to get at least 15 to 20 years out of it...maybe more (my aortic valve was too enlarged and did not want to risk messing with the pulmonary)...but the best adivse...when you get your own room....take the two 500mg of percodine..sp?...every 4 hours....dont try to be a tough guy and wait for the pain to kick in....it takes about 20 minutes for the pills to kick in...i did it every 4 hours and the worst thing i had to go through....the hospital beds are not the most comfortable and your back and shoulders start to get sore...kinda like sitting in a long boring 3 1/2 hour movie...lol i will be getting online through out the week to chat and help anyone out that needs to get specifics and support...or help. but like i said...i know some people may have had bad experiences with this type of surgery...but myself...and jim (chilihead)...both went to presby and had dr. ryan.....not that i enjoy getting cut up and all...but this is not worth all of the pre stress and worries...now i just have to take it slow and recover...talk to you guys lata.
 
Wow, Mike. You certainly have an incredible attitude! Great to hear everything went well, even though you didn't get the Ross. Think of it this way. Now you still only have one valve to worry about.

I will be having surgery in a couple of months and will try to keep your words of inspiration in mind. Not quite as young as you...a codgerly 36. But in pretty good shape so I'll hope for the same outcome.

Take it easy and may the rest of your recovery be smooth sailing.

Randy
 
Great news, Mike and we're glad everything went so smoothly. Keep it up in recovery and remember to post and continue to inspire those in the waiting room.
 
Mike,
Glad everything went well for you. I agree with you....Dr. Ryan is a great surgeon! Of course I'm biased (lol)!. Anyway good luck with your on-going recovery...Remember...Avoid sneezing at all costs.
--Doug
 
Welcome home, Mike.

Your story is inspiring and will help those still in the waiting room. Keep up the great work and post again when you have the energy.
 
Welcome back, Mike. Sounds like your experience was a very positive one and we need to have all those we can get. Thanks for telling us. Keep on keepin on - Blessins......

Where the heck is Chilihead, anyway?
 
mmarshall said:
sorry for not posting the day before surgery...there were problems with the link and i had to be at the hospital at 5:30am last tuesday morning. well in a nutshell here it is....went under around 7:30 may 31 and was released saturday june 4 at 11:00am. could have gone home friday afternoon or evening but they kept me an extra night just as a precaution. here is what i have to say for the young ones...well...if you are 31...5'9...160...healthy and in shape...please do not let this surgery stress you out and think that it is going to be the most painfull thing ever. i had lateral hernia surgery 6 years ago and had a 1 inch..maybe 1 1/2 inch scar on my lower waist line...cant even see it now.....if anyone my age has had this and is about to have heart surgery....hernia surgery was at least 8 times worse. through out the whole ordeal...the only thing that bothered me was the lung tubes...and they didn't really hurt...just got really annoying...discomfort and did not hurt at all when they were pulled out. the only pain i felt was before i left icu...they took out my cath...i was so drugged up...felt like i thumped my finger on something...not really painfull...just one of those...oh..what was that...lol the best advise i can give for you guys about to go through this...i know that everyone with a good experience thinks that their surgeon and hospital is the best ever...but dr. ryan at presby of dallas...hands down the greatest....didnt get to do the ross but in my case...it was better that we went with the latest and greatest stentless tissue valve...we are expecting to get at least 15 to 20 years out of it...maybe more (my aortic valve was too enlarged and did not want to risk messing with the pulmonary)...but the best adivse...when you get your own room....take the two 500mg of percodine..sp?...every 4 hours....dont try to be a tough guy and wait for the pain to kick in....it takes about 20 minutes for the pills to kick in...i did it every 4 hours and the worst thing i had to go through....the hospital beds are not the most comfortable and your back and shoulders start to get sore...kinda like sitting in a long boring 3 1/2 hour movie...lol i will be getting online through out the week to chat and help anyone out that needs to get specifics and support...or help. but like i said...i know some people may have had bad experiences with this type of surgery...but myself...and jim (chilihead)...both went to presby and had dr. ryan.....not that i enjoy getting cut up and all...but this is not worth all of the pre stress and worries...now i just have to take it slow and recover...talk to you guys lata.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your post. You rock. My surgery is tomorrow. I'll be going the Granbonny route with the dacron conduit Saint Jude valve. I can't thank you enough for the opinion on the stress before the surgery. I feel like a cat in the middle of a dog pound. :) Your viewpoint gives comfort.
 
Good to hear you are doing well, wish you continued success with the recovery..

Best,
Burair.
 
Great report, MIke! I'm so glad things have gone so well for you and hope your recovery is just as smooth. Do not overdo it even if you feel up to it.
 
just a little update on one week after surgery...wow...about this time last week i was knocked oouuut and floating around...lol well...one week after and still no major pain to report. right now the only thing is to remember that the sternum is healing and to avoid using your arms for anything major. laying down i forget that i can not use my elbows to lift and get comfortable...but i get reminded real quick..lol....nothing major...just one of those two second discomfort feelings that tell you...note to self...don't do that again...lol i am on 20mg of lisinopril, protonix (for 3 months), 81mg of asprin, 400mg of advil (for one week...prevent inflamatory), and 500mg of vicodin. the last two days i have only been taking one pill of vicodin to prevent pain and it has not exactly been every 4 hours....last night i woke up around 1:30am and took one pill...was not feeling pain but did not want to wake up and be in pain....woke up around 8:30 this morning and took my meds....i did not take any vicodin and still have not...10:45am right now...just stiff chest. the stiffness comes from the healing process....the best way to describe it is think of when you cut yourself and the wound tightens up during the healing process....well that is about the size of it...just multiply it...lol its not painfull...just tight...doesnt affect my breathing or anything else like that. so i am basically starting to wing myself from the vicodin and will probably take it when there is some major discomfort or before i go to bed....my back is sore more than anything and taking that will help me sleep at night. you would think that being lazy and laying on your back for about 2 weeks would be the good life but your back does not agree with you...lol still doing my arm exercises 3 times a day and walking 10 minutes 3 times a day...plus walking around and doing things in the house...no shortness of breath or anything like that. yesterday and this morning i did my walking for 10min in the house....anyone that lives in texas will understand why...hoooooot...lol the main reason why i want to post this is i think this is a great website for support and information but there is not a whole lot of people on here that is in my situtation....a little younger than the normal...in great shape and was showing no signs of problems...we were just born with a jacked up heart that needed to be fixed...lol so hopefully this will help out and give some info for people in our situation....again...if anyone has questions or needs information about the specific step by step process that i went through just let me know. ended up with the latest and greatest medtronic freestyle aortic root heart valve..29mm to take care of a bicuspid aortic valve and ascending aortic root. side note...im a prime example of having a comfortable back up plan to the ross procedure...that was the real plan going in but my aortic valve and root was soo enlarged...the pulmonary could not be moved in that positition...well..was not worth the risk of trying. in my case...this ended up being a better procedure for me...and when the time comes...in 15...20..or even later years...i will be able to get the ross done if it needs to be at that time..but i doubt ohs will be needed at that time...advancements will be in place...at least im hoping. my left ventricle..something like that...lol...was at 81mm before surgery and my blood ejection flow was at 20%....surgery took a little over 4 hours and by the time they closed me up...my left ventricle went down 10mm and my ejection was at 33%....dr. ryan really cant wait to see what my heart will look like in 3 weeks when i go in for my follow up...im right there with him...in about a year we are hoping that eveything goes back to normal..or close to it.
 
Great to hear from you! I am in the same situation with having OHS young (at 24) and it being way easier than I thought. I'm almost four weeks post-op and feeling fabulous. :) I've actually spent the last two weeks in class and I'm finishing up my finals this week and next. I only needed to take one week off school to recover, and even then I could've come back sooner. :) I wish I had seen posts like yours before my surgery. I dreaded it soooo much! Now I almost feel silly because it has been so easy. God bless youth and health and sheer determination. :) I only wish everyone had the same stories! But it's nice to have a heart now that works better than it ever has! Glad to hear you're doing so well too. :) Keep it up!

Liza
 
great

great

You did your homework and it paid off. If you need heart surgery in Dallas, Texas go see William Ryan. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Take it slow and we'll meet you for happy hour in a few weeks.

I had my 1.5 year follow up a few weeks ago and my heart is back to normal size and full ejection fraction. No more excuses. Now I have to go ride my bike!

Regards,

Jim
 
Hey, Mike -

You're another of those folks who not only did their homework, but had a good trip "over the mountain" and then came around to tell us about it. Thank you for taking the time to do that. Every time I read about someone who has had their surgery and tells us their experience, it helps me (and the others here with me in The Waiting Room) to realize that we can do this, too, when it is our turn.

Keep up the good work. You're another great example for the rest of us.
 
Hi Mike-

I'm trying to catch up on all of the surgeries that I missed when Joe was in the hospital.

Congratulations on a wonderful and easy recovery! You're doing better than average.
 
little update here....didnt take any vicodin at all yesterday. did not feel any pain except for the stupid mistake of trying to reach over for something and my sternum reminding me not to do that yet...lol not bad pain...just one of those quick 2 second pain reminders that its still there. woke up this morning and still no pain...just the usual stiffness which is to be expected...again..doesnt hurt...just feels different. the only pain meds i guess i am on is the 400mg of advil i have to take 3 times a day for one week...but that was prescribed for anti-inflamatory and not for pain...but that is about the only pain meds i am taking right now. also made a great break through in the middle of the night....i woke up with my back hurting due to sleeping on it all of the time. i usually sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees...yeeeees...im 31 and still have a huggy pillow...lol but im single so hey...gotta get some lovin somewhere...lol...just kidding...anyways...i roll over on my side to help myself up so i started to do that last night and feel asleep on my side...woke up later on and realized it so i just stayed there...after i got my pillow of course...lol woke up this morning and was just fine....so one week after surgery and i am able to sleep on my side...freakn awesome!!!!
 
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