On 2/13 I move to the other side

[Cozycat]

Well, my AVR is scheduled for 2/13/09. Met with the surgeon last Wednesday and he said since my other health is excellent I should "breeze" thru this. Of course, he's not the one on the table! Scheduling the surgery finally forced me to come to a decision on valve type (one of life's really, really tough calls), so decided to go with a St. Jude's mechanical. The record of this valve speaks for itself and think I will have no problems adjusting to the Coumadin. I'm a creature of habit and think that will make it easier.

I just really had no desire to even consider another surgery after I'm 80 years old (except for emergency) and since I know I will live longer than that, the mechanical just talked to me. What a relief to have that decision made!!

I do have a post surgery question and know I'm on the wrong side, but need this answered before I have the surgery. It seems to me that I read somewhere on these forums that "over the head slip into clothing" was a problem. Is this correct and do I get to go buy myself some front buttoning tops as a reward for going thru this surgery? I have the lists of things I need for the hospital and for coming home, but somehow I missed the clothes thing. And the NP who did my physical at the post-op made it clear that I needed to get up and get dressed daily as quickly as possible and not lay around in pajamas as it would help get my mind into the recovery process.

Appreciate your input and will be talking more before surgery. It's not exactly scary but there are moments of realizing the fraility of life and it's so great to be reassured by reading everyone's posts.

Cozycat

 

[Cooker]

Wishing you a successful surgery and a smooth, bump free recovery ...... Godspeed

As far as the tops go ... I tried pull over tee shirts and it did not work for me very well .... hospital gowns are not that fashionable but they really made things much easier for me while in the hospital .... tubes, ports etc .... you get the idea.

 

[Phyllis]

Glad you have the date and the valve decision made. I put you on the calendar for the 13th to make it "official". I believe there is a '"sticky" in the pre-surgery thread and in it you will find suggestions for button down the front shirts for the hospital. Others will speak as to what they found comfortble at home. It was winter and as I remember, Dick wore button down flannel shirts and yes, after the first few days, he did get dressed every day.

 

[lisou]

Hi congrats on having a date, as for clothes in the hospital I wore the hospital gowns, but starting from day 1 at home I would get dressed every day, and would wear something that buttons in front, made my life soooo much easier. Best of luck, keep us updated.

 

[skeptic49]

Congrats on getting your date!

Best wishes for a successful surgery.

Jim

 

[Dina]

I wore over the head T-shirts ...but they were extremely oversized,the
buttoned shirts may be better for you. I also like to wear leggings/bicycle
pants or sweats all depending on the temp in the room. For some reason
when I wore the hospital gown it made me feel worse. Some of the nurses
wanted me to wear it but this is where I got stubborn.

Best wishes for your surgery

 

[Jkm7]

I had two OHS in four years and both times wore slip over the head jerseys/tops right from day one home. I had no problem with them at all. Certainly I wore ones that were loose fitting but other than that, I wore my usual tops.

 

[Adrienne]

I had two OHS in four years and both times wore slip over the head jerseys/tops right from day one home. I had no problem with them at all. Certainly I wore ones that were loose fitting but other than that, I wore my usual tops.

Same here, no trouble at all with T-shirts, etc.

 

[Bina]

I found that buttons touching my incision made me freak out.
So, I wore hubby's large cotton T-shirts with my buttoned fleece cardigan slipped on for warmth.
Also fleece jogging pants, warm socks and good slippers.

 

[njean]

Glad you have made your decision & are comfortable with your choice. I'm sure that coumadin will not be an issue for you at all either. I've been on coumadin for 34 years & it was just another little pill I had to take every day. And, I led a pretty active life back when I was younger!

Good luck to you & we will wait with you for your schedule date!

 

[abbanabba]

Glad you've made your decision and are happy with it. Good luck on the 13th!! (always been my lucky number ).

As far as tops, I bought a few stretchy singlet tops with shoe-string style straps that I would "step" into and pull up, which were very comfy and easy to wear while in hospital with some comfy PJ pants. Once I got home I bought some quite large button up tops (getting both arms into something my normal size wouldn't have worked) and they were quite good too. I think oversize T-shirts would have worked just as well, but for me the button-up shirts were more versatile (I still wear them now like a loose summer jacket).

Anyway, all the best.


A : )

 

[Eva]

Well, my AVR is scheduled for 2/13/09. .......Good luck and best wishes ... will be thinking of you on the 13th.

........ "over the head slip into clothing" was a problem. It was not a problem for me...slight discomfort which I considered a part of recovery and moving my arms! ........that I needed to get up and get dressed daily as quickly as possible and not lay around in pajamas as it would help get my mind into the recovery process.

Cozycat

Cozycat,

After your return home from surgery, you will feel so good that you won't like to stay in your pajamas. When I read the instructions given to me by my surgeon's office before surgery that I should not stay in pajamas after surgery at home, I was skiptical if I could do that with all the pain and discomfort of OHS! In fact, I surprised myself and everyone how eager I was, upon wake up, to take my shower and change my clothes. It was so good to feel healthy again despite the slight discomfort of the surgery.

Good luck

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Congrats on having a date. The 13th will be my 21st wedding anniversary - it's a good date!

As for pullover tops, I wore them as soon as I got out of ICU. Some people have trouble lifting their arms, but I was okay. In fact, since I had a horizontal incision right where the underwire of the bra hits, I wore tight "wife beaters" instead of bras for quite a while. (Still do occasionally!) The only thing that really bothered me was scratchy fabric and I think that had more to do with the weird return of nerve endings than the incision itself.

 

[sheridan07]

Good luck and best wishes

 

[WayneGM]

Congratulations on setting the date. Best wishes for a successful journey over the mountain.