Nervous about Surgery and the Odds

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Blue Sue

Active member
Joined
Apr 19, 2014
Messages
25
Location
Lake of the Sky-South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
A co-worker's mother underwent AVR on September 10. We have the same surgeon and I was anxious to find out how things went for her. Unfortunately and tragically she did not make it through the first day in ICU. I trust my surgeon but I am also abruptly confronted by my mortality.
 
I doubt that there is anyone who has not had thoughts about mortality before going thru OHS. While there are some who don't make it, there are countless others who come thru the surgery with flying colors. The lady you mention may have had other conditions going into surgery that where impossible to overcome. Know that you are not alone and your fear is not unique.......keep reading the positive stories.
 
As my wife the nurse, and all her nurse friends told me, every patient's condition varies wildly and you can't forecast your outcome on another patient. Age, comorbities, physical fitness habits, emotional health, and a thousand other factors all play a role. In California the State publishes OHS data for all the hospitals, and UCLA's risk of death (only for bypass OHS) was extremely low, somewhere less than 1/150. Focus on the fact that you have the advantage of modern medicine giving you treatment that can hopefully wipe the slate clean and give you a new lease on life.
 
For a healthy individual, AVR is low risk, but it is not without risk. Risks increase dramatically with other conditions, including advanced age. If you trust your surgeon then there is nothing much to do but wait and know that this is generally the hardest part. Perhaps even more so given your particular situation. I had cancer and found I out I had a congenital heart defect as well as an aortic aneurysm all in the same year. I didn't take life for granted but I certainly value it, and enjoy it all the more now.
 
I echo all that has been said... I was 2 months away from 50, smoker and pretty much a couch potato .... I had surgery on a Tuesday and was home Friday evening. The success stories FAR out number the others ... try and stay positive ... the odds are definitely in your favor!
 
Your profile says you have a bicuspid valve. I had one with no other complications. My surgeon told me there was nothing to fear. He said published failure rate is very low (<2%), and those that do have serious problems always have other complications, of which I had none.
 
I'd also add that all of the published morbidity data includes all populations - the healthy young patients as well as the elderly and very sick patients. With all of the elderly and sick patients included, the morbidity rate for AVR is between 1% and 2%. Think about that. If you remove all of the very old and very sick patients, who have higher-than-normal possibility of death, then that must mean that the morbidity rate for the younger and otherwise healthy patients MUST be much lower than 1% or 2%.

Focus on the outcome you expect. Think of how much better you can make your life after this is behind you. Believe me, attitude does make a difference.

Life is good!
 
Hi Blue Sue,

I'm 52 and now 15 weeks post AVR.

I understand your fears, my Mother had the same op several years ago, survived the op but not the subsequent ... I then had to have and have had the same thing - it certainly concentrates the mind !!!!!!!!!

I echo what everyone else has said and truly believe state of mind helps enormously.

Like I said I'm 15 weeks out and was a text book case even with a little added extras, courtesy of my surgeon, which was a good thing.

If you're happy and confident with your team then, relax you in good hands, the waiting really is the worst part.

With best zipper wishes,

Red
 
Hi BlueSue,
I am 4 weeks Post Op now. I'm 41, had a bicuspid valve and got the replacement mechanical valve. I was also confronted with same thoughts. I prepared all my accounts etc to be joint with wife, and other things in case i dont make it. But i was told by everyone that my odds are better than 99% and since i am young and otherwise healthy, odds are almost 100%....not that any doc will say that out loud. But yes, i was still worried ....but as the surgery neared, i was pretty optimistic and positive.
Well, i am here now, recovering and it has gone better than expected.
Be Positive, but get your affairs in order. But totally go into it expecting that you are coming back...stronger.
 
The numbers that stuck with me and helped me deal with the thoughts of mortality:

1% chance of not making through the surgery (and immediate time afterward) vs. 1% chance of sudden death PER MONTH if the valve is left untreated.

Apologies as I don't recall where I came up with these numbers, I think it was the cardio at Mayo Rochester.
 
That was a little dark. Sorry. I really am trying to embrase the positive and am looking forward to the relief of having the surgery over so I can stop obsessing over it.

Really, thank you for the support...I do appreciate the time and thought that goes into simple answering someones question...not everyone will do that for you.
 
Nothing wrong with a little gallows humor! Whatever helps you get through. And truly, it isn't as bad as I thought. You have a good surgeon; put your faith in him and his team.
 
Hi Blue Sue, I have to echo everyone else's advice. I will also say that you can do things to help put your mind at peace. As morbid as it sounds, take the time to get your affairs in order. Tell the people that you love how much they really mean to you. Cry if you have to. Write some things down. It helps to know that everything is taken care of just in case something goes wrong. Also take time for some one on one with God. Talk to Him.Realize your chances of surviving are huge. There are other things that you can have where you have no chance. They discovered your problem early and it will be fixed. You will be good as new, and absolutly amazed at how good you will feel once you get back to normal. Lastly, think about what you are going to do to change your life and what kind of outlook you will have after surgery. What will you do with your new energy. Hopefully will at least be here giving encouragement to others in your exact same situation. You have one life, don't let any negative thoughts creep in. You have to be strong for the people around you, let them know you are a fighter. You will be back!

Good luck, God bless, and peace be with you.
 
Hi folks- I'm writing for an 86 yr old nun who I've been encouraging to get to the Keck center and have the new PERcutaneous valve put in her aorta. Last I checked she was comfortably far off at .1 or so... Just yesterday I asked her jf she's gotten her osier with down there and she said they did an echo( this us 100 miles from here) and the opening is...... .05. She knows nothing about numbers. I got an email as fast as I could to my contact down there and had her write one too, mentioning she does have the energy to take the train down there with no apparent I'll effects... This to give the Dr. Some idea of where she stands but... I've never heard of a um smaller number do I'm asking for PRAYERS PLEASE that she get down there into the system and this procedure done ASAP... I can't believe... She's running it looks to me, already on the World's empty but the unseen world's fuel and resources. I'll pay for her getting there, staying there but I need her to get in in a snap like they were able to do with me twice now... Prayers for Sr. Jean-Marie... PLEASE..
Michelle
 
Corpses don't post to the board! Wow, that's 'survivor bias' and a heck of a good way to describe it. It can really skew any data. Think about the tech stocks you might have purchased 20 years ago and many of those companies don't even exist any more.

Of course, the corollary to 'corpses don't post' is that the people that feel great after their surgery feel less and less of a need to get on VR.org and post also!
 
Blue Sue, you said so many of the same things that went through my head. But I would also echo everything that's been said here.

I too knew someone who didn't make it, and I also used the same surgeon he did. But I came through the surgery with flying colors. You really just have to come to the realization that there's not a thing in the world you can do about it. Get your affairs in order, have a little extra fun before your surgery, and go into it with the most positive attitude you can. Cry a little, scream, talk to your friends, and read the great stories on here. It's seriously what helped get me through the last couple of weeks before my surgery. And now, here I am almost 5 weeks post op, going back to work on the 1st, and already feeling considerably better in some situations than I did before surgery.

Is it going to be a walk in the park? Probably not. But are you going to look back at things once your surgery is over and you're back home and realize it was nowhere near as bad as you made it out to be before the surgery? Most likely, yes.

It's hard having known someone who didn't survive the surgery you're getting ready to have. I know how much it affected my thoughts and fears. But focus on the positive stories and even some of the famous people who had this type of surgery, and then just put your trust in God's hands or whomever you look to for higher support. You're gonna do great!!
 
The stats are that OHS has the best results of any medical intervention at fixing the problem. That people do rarely die indicates how unwell they were prior to surgery. This could be also because of age and infirmity.

How healthy you are going in indicates how you will fare coming out.

Everyone dies, the older you are the more likely it is, this is simple statistics.

Don't fret about the surgitcal ods, concern yourself more with your life after surgery and what *you* will do to work on your health. Diet (meaning what you eat not just a fad diett) and exersize.
 
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