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Smitty

New member
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
2
Location
Cohoctah , Michigan
I found this site about a month before I had my Aortic valve replaced. I am 11 days post OP and I feel like for the most part I'm doing fine. All your posts really helped me accept what had to be done and I say thanks to all.
Here is my story:
male 50 yrs old working full time at a extremely high stress job , I had a lung issue or so I thought only to find I had Aortic stenosis and one blocked vessel. I made a choice to go with a tissue valve as when I get back to work dealing with my diabetes is enough of a ritual.
My surgery was June 6th and honestly the surgery was not bad at all ....some emotions with my wife and kids but we all knew this had to be done.
I told every person from the receptionist to the surgeon that I did not want to wake up on a ventilator I was assured I would be so out of it I would not remember ......well I woke up and first thing I did was choke and gag, my wife said I was swinging and kicking and it took 7 people to hold me down ....needless to say the tube came out quickly there after. I had my surgery at U of Mich and was transferred to the Ann Arbor VA hospital for recovery as I am a Disabled Vet and VA Patient. I will say I was up in a chair and a little bit of walking with in 12 - 14 hrs , I was transferred with in 24 hrs and We believe the Ambulance ride may have cause my lung to collapse ...This was the most scary painful experience I think I ever had . with a little morphine and a local the surgeon cut thru my rib cage and stuck her finger into my lung cavity to insert a tube , I will never ever forget the sound of the air escaping when she punctured my chest and Instantly I could not breath ...scary scary stuff . with in 24 hrs they had to replace the drain tube which looked like a clear garden hose . Second problem I went into A Fib for 13 hrs and was told they needed to shock my heart to get back to normal rythem ... well lucky for me the meds worked . All in All I was home sitting in my recliner with in 7 days. I was off all pain meds with in 5 days and actually only asked for them to help sleep . I had several coughs but I had my forst sneeze the other day and I thought my chest exploded , I use the heart hugger and it helps a lot . my appetite is fully restored but I have to eat like a rabbit
I do not feel like a new man and at this point I am just as tired as prior to the surgery , I know it takes time and excersize to get fully healthy .
I live on a small farm and I have Animals to tend to and hay to cut so the most hardest part of this whole ordeal is the no lift , light duty rule .
I am planning to push on day by day .

Thanks again for all the posts to help understand what I had to look forward to .

Smitty
 
Welcome aboard mate.
Sounds like a rough landing to me. Hope it gets better soon. Better meaning less bumpy.

You may not feel like a well man yet, but as time passes you'll get stronger and if you work at it fitter.

I look fwd to your progress reports :)
 
Congratulations on getting through the surgery. I'm sorry the first part of your recovery was so tough. I hope things get better for you day by day and that you'll start feeling stronger and stronger.
 
Wow! You sure did have some bumps. But you are home and mending and one day you'll realize how much better you feel. Don't be discouraged as the weeks go by. Your body has been through a lot and full recovery takes time. I was anxious at 8 weeks because my energy level was still low and the folks here assured me I wasn't abnormal. Everyone is different. Come here when you feel frustrated and you'll find much support. Thanks for the update and keep us posted.
 
Glad to hear you're on the mend. All's well that ends well eh? I remember that sound as well. Post surgery I was told I had a pneumothorax ( large air bubble preventing my left lung from inflating) and the used a metal rod to pop a hole between 2 of my ribs and it sounded like a tire going flat.
Try to minimize the stress going forward if you can. A management position opened up at my work recently and I chose not to bid on it as the pay was 5 to 10% more but the stress increase was probably more like 500% .
 
Just echoing what everyone else has said here by saying welcome to the forum and wishing you the very best of better health. Looking forward to your updates.
 
I believe the worst is behind you, I'm sorry you had to endure that. In very little time you'll be tending the animals, and you'll find yourself able to lift more and more. But really resist pushing yourself to hard. You have the rest of your life to do the things you used to, try to enjoy your recovery. Best of luck!
 
Agian;n865717 said:
Being pre-op, the thought of waking up with that ventilator scares the crap out of me.
Aglan - the ventilator was the thing that scared me most pre-op. And the ICU nurse explaining to me before surgery how I would have to co-operate etc when they took it out. Thankfully I don't remember anything about it - I have a vague memory of things being completely dark, I couldn't open my eyes, and a nurse telling me something very loudly or shouting to me, but I don't know what that was about - maybe that was the vent being extubated ? I woke up after surgery feeling completely well - my best day after the op was that first day in ICU, I am not kidding, I felt well and positive with no pain. I hope you do too !
 
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