New to the City/Country - planning for the surgery in March 2012

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It sounds like you managed to get an appointment with a surgeon. I hope it was as informative as you hoped.

I don't know of any such list. One of the things I would do is make a couple of freezable meals in case you don't have time to cook in the couple weeks post-op. I'd also make sure that you have support group of friends to be able to talk to and visit with your husband. Hospital stays can be tedious and boring. Lastly, if you work, talk to your employer and see if you can take some time off work for the week or two immediately after his surgery, or find another way to be able to take time off. Having someone advocate and just visit him will be great for his morale and healing.

Lastly, make sure that you have peopple who can spell off for you, because YOU will need support and time off as well!!!!
 
sarahsunshine said:
Lastly, make sure that you have peopple who can spell off for you, because YOU will need support and time off as well!!!!
Click to expand...

This is a very good point, since the caregiver can wear themselves out if they feel they have to be on call 24/7. Luckily, I came home near the end of my daughter's Junior year in high school, and there were a lot of activities that my wife had to go to and leave me alone. She was nervous as heck the first time she did that, but soon realized that I could get along fine without her for a while.

I think the biggest task beforehand is to make sure you are set up for the first two weeks of recovery at home. Getting lots of pillows for the patient to make their nest in would be at the top of my list, because my wife would have had to scramble a bit if my son weren't working at Disneyworld during my surgery and recovery. We just stole the pillows from his room to make the nest in my recliner.
 
I think the part about not consulting with 2 surgeons at the same place has to do with insurance. My insurance company said they would not cover a 2nd opinion visit if the 2nd surgeon worked at the same office or had the same billing address as the first one. So I guess that means you should research their experience & qualifications ahead of time, and then ask for the doctor you are most interested in at each hospital first.

I'm at a different side of the country, so I can't help with a surgeon in TX. I'm at the stage where I've had 1 consult, and I'm dragging my feet deciding whether to go on a second consult or not. I went to a surgeon at the same hospital as my cardiologist. It's a medium-sized teaching hospital, in a medium-sized town. There is another slightly smaller competitor hospital in our town and the residents in some programs also rotate through that hospital. The local reputation has the bigger one as a bit more sophisticated, and the little one as a little bit more informal but they actually did a few more valve replacements than the bigger hospital in the last year that was analyzed. Also I had someone tell me that the nursing staff at the smaller hospital was friendlier.

So I understand that the choice can be confusing. I'm turning in circles myself. You should be able to find some hospital statistics online (with a popular consumer research group, and perhaps with the state health dept). However, the statistics didn't really make the choice any clearer for me. Should I travel farther, or stay home for just an isolated aortic valve replacement?

I hope you get more responses from some Texans that can tell you about their local experiences. Sounds like you will have to choose amongst some top notch places. This site has been great for information.
 
We spoke to couple of surgeons and have decided to go with Dr. Lawrie Gerald with The Methodist Hospital. He is extremely good, patient and very well experienced. He is too famous. I am also worried if he will not be able to give individual attention to my husband as he is very busy and famous!! Otherwise, we are very confident about his skills. We wanted to stick to a well known hospital. We are staying one mile away from the Texas Medical Center felt it will be the most convenient.

Thank you for the responses. I will make sure we have enough pillows. My parents in law are going to be here during the surgery and the recovery. I am sure that will be extremely helpful.

Do you think it will be enough if i take two weeks off on the whole? My mom- in law and dad - in law will be here for a month. I feel so guilty that i will not be able to take off more than two weeks :(

I am still hoping to talk to someone who recently recovered from the surgery.
thanks all for your support and will keep you all updated about the date.

Vidhya
 
Hi I'm glad you found a surgeon you feel confident in that is a huge step. Don't feel guilty about anything especially since your inlaw will be there for a month, being able to only take 2 weeks off should be fine. Chances are you'll be surprised at how well your husband is doing even the first week home unless there are complications.
You asked about lists, this isnt exactly what you asked for but this is pretty helpful giving you ideas of things you can do to make the house as comfortable as possble http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...How-to-prepare-a-house-for-homecoming-patient
 
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Vidhya said:
I am still hoping to talk to someone who recently recovered from the surgery.
thanks all for your support and will keep you all updated about the date.

Vidhya
Click to expand...

I am 6 months post-op. 5 years older than your husband. Send me a pm, we can connect and chat about recovery.

-Kumar
 
Greg a said:
A heart felt.......................
what to take with you to the hospital http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?13283-what-to-take-to-the-hospital-a-checklist

Preparing the house for post surgical patients http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...Getting-Comfortable-Around-the-House&p=218802
...............................
And Lynw added this PDF on what to expect post op
http://www.sts.org/documents/pdf/whattoexpect.pdf
Click to expand...
Also Nancy-Jane is in the recovery mode and winging her way to the Florida Keys so you may want to PM her
 
Hi. Yes nancy Jane in fla in recovery mode but able to talk or answer questions. Let me know how I can help. PM. Me if you d like. Thanks Greg. Nanc
 
We Have a date toooooo.....

We Have a date toooooo.....

Rajesh's surgey has been scheduled on March 20, 2012. Just wanted to keep you guys posted. Will need your help to get through this. We are meeting one final time with cardio on 13th and want to make sure all our questions are answered. frightened!!

The Admin person at the surgeon's just told us to show up in the hospital on March 20th at 5:30 am! It was scary as i thought he has to be admitted atleast a day before.

Do you think this is fine?

thanks,
Vidhya
 
Vidhya
My surgery is scheduled for this Tuesday and I'm arriving at 6AM the same day to check-in and prep for the surgery. I have a BAV replacement and aortic aneurism repair scheduled. My surgeons office told me arriving the day of the surgery is the standard way of doing this, so don't be concerned. They should have told you about the pre-op lab work that will need be completed prior to your arrival. From what I understand, they try to get this done as close to the surgery date as possible.
I know this is scary and I'm sure your emotions are all over the place. But I can tell you that I've found comfort in reading all of the first hand success stories on this site. I've done a lot of research on my surgery and the success rate is amazing. It's to the point now that these types of surgeries are routine. I've also stopped thinking about what actually will be done during the procedure and I'm focusing on the benefit of getting this fixed. I don't have a choice, this MUST be done if I want to live.
It's easy to say and I don't want to trivialize this, but thinking about what might happen, or what could happen, or the what if's is really a waste of time. I've chosen (it's a choice) to concentrate on how much better I’m going to feel once this is finished. And all of the awesome things I'll be able to do again with my family and friends starting almost immediately.
You have every right to be concerned about this. But focusing on the positive outcome will make this journey a bit easier. You will both be in our prayers and thoughts as we all go through this together
 
Yes, it is very common for patients to arrive at the hospital very, very early on the morning of their surgery.
Insurance does not want to pay for an overnight when the patient does not need any care prior to the surgery.
It is very common for many of us to have pre-op testing done at the hospital the day before. I had blood, urine, chest x-ray, ekg, physical exam, consultation with anesthesiologist and whatever else. Most report the same thing so you may wish to call your surgeons offce and inquire about pre-op testing if they have not yet given you those instructions.

We stayed in a hotel very near the hospital the night before so we wouldn't have to worry about traffic, unexpected car trouble, possible snow etc It was a good idea as we only had to walk a short distance in the morning to arrive at 5:30 A.M. as instructed.

This is the worst time stretch you are in right now. The waiting is very hard on most of us and many agree this is the worst part of the whole experience.

You're doing great and clearly are very supportive for your DH.
We're here to help you in any way possible.

Hang in there...... he'll do fine. No reason to not expect excellent results.
 
Greg:

All the very best. Our prayers are with you! Wish you a smooth and fast recovery. Would be looking out for updates. The success stories really did help.

JKM,

Thank you for your support. We live one mile from the Hospital. I will make sure to check if there is a possibility to have parking pass or something that will make it faster and easier to get to the hospital. I am just making sure if we have all the necessary stuff to facilitate Rajesh's recovery. I shall keep updating and am looking up to you all for help. YOu are such a great support. If not for you all, we would still be very confused and scared.

One question !! I want to make sure i stay in the hospital with Rajesh when he is there. I hope the hospital allows that.

Two weeks to go!!!

Vidhya
 
Everything is moving very quickly for you, which many would find quite a blessing. The many months of waiting can be very stressful.

My personal recommendation, if you live 1 mile from the hospital, is to ride your bike unless you need to have a vehicle for some reason. Parking is very expensive. Most hospitals do provide a praking pass for people with extended stays, but they can still be quite expensive. Personally, I find that in the city I can ride my bike one mile just as quickly as driving, and I get much closer parking.

In terms of staying, That depends on the facilities. From my undestanding, most places allow a person to stay in the pediatric ward, but not in the adult ward. It all depends on the facility, however. It may also be a good thing to have some time to yourself, rather than be with him at all times. I must say that with my stepson in the hospital after surgery it was really great to be able to be spelled off for a while.
 
Yes Sarah,

I am a little worried if everything is happening too soon. I hope i am not missing any preparation from our side :(

Riding the bike is a great idea. We also have the metro every 3 minutes and the metro station is right opposite to where we live.

I am trying to put together list of necessary things. I have been reading a lot and feel less anxious.

Thanks for all your support

best,
Vidhya
 
Vidhya,
Rajesh and your family are in my prayers for today and post-op. Please let us know how things go today.
 
Vidhya,

Hopefully you are 2 weeks post op today and Rajesh is doing well. My surgery was March 20th also. Please start a new thread in the post op section to tell us how he's doing.

Gary
 
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