My mom just had Surgery

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DoxieDoggs2

Hi!
I am new to this room and was looking for some information about at home care & support. My mom just had her Aortic valve replaced this past Tues (6/17). The surgery went great and she was discharged on Sun (6/22). I have some concerns about her being home so soon and worries about her not getting the proper support mentally and physically from others. She tends to have a very dependent personality anyway but going through this and being scared about Coumadin levels etc We can't seem to do enough for her. I have come back home but my dad and little sister are trying to care for her and they are losing it...I am afraid they will get her too upset. Is there anyone who can e-mail my mom and chat with her on AOL about what she is feeling and help her to be more understanding with the rest of us as we try our best to help her. We are all scared and overwhelmed too. She needs encouragement to do some things for herself but I know she is scared to get too active. Not to mention they just moved into a new home a few weeks before her surgery so the house is full of boxes and very overwhelming....
Just wondering how you might be able to help.
 
Hi Amy-

She could email to me [email protected]. My husband has had 3 valve surgeries and 2 lung surgeries. He's been on Coumadin for 25 years. He has a mechanical aortic and mitral, plus a pacemaker.

I would be happy to email back and forth with her or the family members. I just ask that she put something in the message line such as "aortic valve surgery", so I don't consider it as spam, and delete it.

It would be wonderful if you could introduce her to valvereplacement.com, then she would have the experience and wisdom of the whole group, not just me. There is so much information and wonderful emotional support here. That's what we all do, all the time, each day and even sometimes at night for those who are part owl. Even if she emails me, I will try to get her over here as well. It is a terrific resource for the patient and the family.

Best wishes.

P.S. You stick around too, you'll love it here.
 
Sorry for posting twice, but I had some additional thoughts. I meant to address some of your concerns as well.

I see that your mom had surgery the 17th and was discharged on the 22nd, and that the surgery went very well. That's is the normal time to be in the hospital. Some folks have even come home in 4 days. It depends on the patient. If the surgeon feels that your mom was ready to come home, then she was indeed ready.

The first week and even into the second week, heart valve surgical patients will need a lot of help doing just about everything, even showering or sometimes toileting. The surgery can leave you feeling very weak and unsteady. It is not like other surgery, it is major, major surgery and really cannot be compared to anything else except other major, major surgeries. She will have some pain in her chest area, understandably. Hopefully the hospital gave her a heart pillow after surgery. That is pretty necessary equipment. The patient uses it to clutch to their chest when bending, or sitting or doing anything which could put strain on the sternum area. It is also used for coughing, which she might be asked to do, and especially if she has a sneeze coming on. That is the worst pain. It would be good to have her use the accupressure point just under the nose to try to stop the sneeze. Take your finger and press really hard just under the nose, if the sneezing sensation comes on.

During the initial post surgery phase, the patient might be disoriented, dizzy, forgetful and not herself, might even hallucinate. She might be weepy, depressed, and have absolutely no appetite. Food can taste like cardboard. These things are quite universal and expected. A lot is from the medications used during surgery, the pain meds, and the trauma of the surgery itself.

She will be sleeping a lot, but may find it extremely hard to sleep lying down. A lot of people use recliner chairs which help. Others use stacks of pillows to keep the body more upright. My husband slept on the sofa sitting up for about a month. It will be terribly difficult to turn around on the bed. Also night sleeping will be interrupted, and will come only a few hours at a time. Your mom will be asked to walk around a bit each day. It is important that someone be there is case she feels dizzy. My husband used a cane for a while after all his surgeries.

She will have restrictions on lifting just about everything, or doing anything that would put torquing pressure on the sternum, opening heavy doors, etc. She will not be able to drive until the surgeon gives the OK.

Coumadin regulation will be a little trying at first because it is new. But as time progresses, things do get better. There is a lot of bloodwork involved right after surgery. It is absolutely important that she get into a routine of taking her Coumadin at the same time each day, and that she follow the doctors directions carefully.

Things do get better in time. The progression is slower than most would like, but it really does happen. At about 6-8 weeks, your mom should be feeling pretty well, and all of this will be a memory.

I'm sure there will be others coming along with suggestions, these are just what came to mind right now.

Take care
 
Hi Amy and welcome to the site.

First of all, take a deep breath and relax. Everything will fall into place as time moves along. Worrying about every little detail is going to put all of you over the edge. Your mom isn't going to be able to do very much for the first couple of weeks except, walk, breath, eat and sleep. This is normal. Her body won't let her over do, so don't worry to much about that.

Her discharge from the hospital is normal. Not to many years ago it wouldn't have been, but this is the way it is today. Medical science has come a long long ways in the past couple of years.

The new house-Get the boxes out of the way so she can travel around in the house. The unpacking can wait. It'll still be there when she's ready to do it.

Coumadin-Make sure her diet is consistent in the amounts of Vit K she eats. It takes some getting used to, but once she gets the ideal dosage down, she'll be fine. We all fluctuate from test to test, but by being consistent in our diets, we can keep dosage changes to a minimum and maintain the desired INR range.

She can email me also. Just check in my profile for the email function. I've had 2 surgeries. A dissecting Aortic aneurysm repair in 95 and AVR last July. We are all familiar and experienced here, so if you can, get her to log into the forums and benefit from everyone here. As Nancy said, stick around, there is a wealth of information and support right at your finger tips here at VR. :)
 
Amy, your mother or you can e-mail me [email protected] I am as old or maybe older than your mom. In 2000 I had two open heart surgeries.

The first on in late July the next one on October 4 same year. I recierved a Mitral valve, three bypasses an a large portion of the Aorta replaced. Tell her I am someone who has been there and am now in better shape than I have been in in the last twenty five years.

I will be more than happy to talk to her at anytime. I am retired and enjoying life. Good luck
J.B.
 
Amy

Amy

Tell your Mom to e-mail me at [email protected]..I am age 63 ..Had my valve replaced 15 months ago..My age 10 year old has a hard time keeping up with me:D :D :D (Grandson)....Tell her..take 1 day at a time. Some days she will feel great. somedays. down..:mad: :mad: Tell her the more she walks, the faster those yucky drugs get out of here body..At her 3 week checkup..she will probably be taken off of most drugs.. NOT much company...wears her out trying to talk..Tell her when she is up to going out. use the motor wheelchair at Grocery store, Wal-mart. ect. Don't want people bumping into her..:eek: :eek: At 6-8 weeks like Nancy said..she will start improving a lot. She will be going out for coumadin draws. Hope it is not too far for drive in car. Best to her. Bonnie
 
Thanks for your responses.

Thanks for your responses.

I just wanted to thank you for your prompt responses. I have told my mom and the rest of the family about this site. I have shared your responses to my post with them & I hope they choose to come here to chat and post their questions and concerns.
 
We hope so to Amy. It would be a lot easier for her to talk to all of us then sending email back and forth, but we'll do whatever it takes. We're just that way! ;)
 
Welcome

Welcome

Hi!

Just wanted to also welcome you to this wonderful site.
As the others have said you &/or you family can also email me at
[email protected].

I also agree it would be helpful for your family to join the site and read all the posts their eyes and brains can stand. There is so much to learn from the past posts, but then if they don't feel like searching for a particular answer they can just ask and someone is bound to know the answer!

When I joined the forum I had just found out I had a heart problem that was early April. I was SCARED!!! All of the caring people here help me so much! :D :D :D By the time surgery came around 5/5/03 I was fairly calm. I also learned a very very IMPORTANT lesson here shortly after coming home. I asked a question about some symptoms and everyone said go to the E.R. Well needless to say I didn't listen( I wont do that again!:D ) I ended up back in the hospital for another week with Pericardial effusion.

Again, Welcome and email me if you would like.
 
J.B.

J.B.

I want to welcome you to the site. Pleased to see another senior:D I am age 63..Female and was wondering if you or M/F?I am also the noisy one on this site.:D :D We Senior valvers are also the best-looking ones on site.:p :p :p Chat often and welcome again. Bonnie
 
Hi Amy and JB

Hi Amy and JB

How nice to have two newbies. JB, sounds like you're doing great. We can always use another wiseone.

Amy, your mom's welcome to email me at [email protected]. But truly, the fun of this site is the participation and the value of it is in the varied and vast shared experience.

I'm sure that this whole thing is difficult for you folks and your mom. Having come from a family full of the most INdependent, I-can-do-it-myself cusses I've ever known, I don't have any experience dealing with dependent personalities. This has to be hard for you.

But take what the others have said to heart. Insist that she walk and use her spirometer often and well. And let's face it - getting out of the hospital is the best thing for nearly everyone. And getting out BEFORE you catch something is best of all.

Hang in there, we're rooting for you.
 
I have been requested by a new found friend to post this, here goes.

I am, or shall be, 79 in September, the good Lord willing. In July of 2000, I had open heart Surgery in Texarkand Tx. They just took one look, closed me up and sent me home to die.

That I refused to do, I found Dr. Fred Meadors, in Little Rock Ark. He implanted a St Jude valve, did three bypasses, and replaced a large podrtion of my Calcified Aorta. Took eight hours, sixteen units of Blood and the rest is history.

My Wife and I live in a small town, Atlanta Tx, twenty five miles south of Texarkana. Our house sits on one acre, I do all the yard work and consider myself in great shape, to be a child of yesterday. Sorry for the length of this, just appreciate your welcome message and wanted to tell you. Have a great day and weekend.


J.B.
 
Dang J.B. it just goes to show that with the right Doctor, most anything can be achieved. Too bad we have to search for these Doctors though. Sure glad you didn't accept the first result! :)
 
J.B.'s new buddy

J.B.'s new buddy

Me, Me, Me,...:p :p Marty, he's got you by a few years .:D J.B..Marty is a Doctor in Virginia and age 73.. and a Valverlike the rest of us..Welcome to the site. J.B. Bonnie:
 
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