RANDYJEAN
Active member
Hey, all...it's great to be back here, able to report that I'm now POST-OPERATIVE. Ha. The third time was the charm, although it came down to the wire once again!!! On the morning I reported for surgery, I was still kinda wheezing from a chest cold and there was some talk of canceling again, but the surgeon ordered up xrays, and then gave the go ahead.
I'm not sure how much to write here. I don't wanna scare people, but I wanna be honest, too. Let's just say that since I'd NEVER had surgery, NEVER been in the hospital, NEVER been through childbirth...NOTHING...I think I was a teensy bit in denial.
I truly believed the first couple days would have me saying, "Wow, that wasn't NEARLY as bad as I'd though it would be."
Um, no. It was way worse. But still....now...eleven days out, my memory is already fading about what SPECIFICALLY was so awful.
I have to say that waking up with the tube down your throat is...well..barbaric. I thought I'd manage it well, but i didn't. They kept asking if I was in pain, and I kept shaking my head no, wishing they'd ask the right question: "Can you breathe?" They let my best friend (who's a respiratory therapist) be with me, and she finally asked, "Do you feel like you're choking?" And I nodded. I guess they suctioned me then, and I vomited, but I felt much better after that. They took the tube out 4 hours after surgery which, I hear, is a relatively short time, and my friend said the doc had them move it up an hour since I was doing so well.
I spent the first night in ICU, relatively happy. And omigod, ice chips are my new BFF's.
The next day I was moved to a private room (what a NICE surprise that was!!!!). I can't say enough about how wonderful Providence St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California was. Everything so clean and fresh...and the staff was so organized and friendly.
Anyway, I hit the first bump on day 2, I think. My blood pressure was running really low and I was anemic, so I got two units of blood. Then, either that night, or the next, I realized I was REALLY having a hard time breathing. I could only take short, shallow, breaths. It turned out that my left lung had partially collapsed. Go figure. They purposefully collapsed the RIGHT lung cuz I was having the portal access procedure, and that one seemed to be okay. Consequently, they did a bedside procedure by which they inserted a tube into the left side of my chest. So now I had two drainage tubes on the right, and the one to fix the leak in my lung on the left. This kinda cut down on any mobility I might have had!
In fact, originally, the doc told me that if all went well, I'd be in the hospital from Thursday to Monday, but instead I got out on Wednesday. As a result of all the tubes etc. (plus my continuing inability to BREATHE), I only did physical therapy twice, once with a walker, and once kind of assisted. I couldn't BELIEVE how much trouble it was to walk down the hallway and back! Plus, I didn't even sit up in a chair until about day 5 or 6.
Meanwhile, though, I have to say, I wasn't in any real pain. The cardiac coordinator encouraged me to take the full dose allowed (2 percocets every four hours, I think), so that's what I did. I had to keep reminding myself that when they asked if I was in pain, even though I might not be at that moment, I would be as soon as I coughed! HA. But even that pain wasn't excruciating. I took the medication more to get through whole ordeal as if I were in la-la-land, and it worked. I had the TV on almost the entire time, but I don't believe I ever watched one entire program from beginning to end.
So here it is Sunday, and I've been home since Wednesday evening. I think it's really a GYP that we're supposed to get up and get going, rather than loll around in bed accepting gifts and flowers. I haven't had any problem with sleeping in my normal bed, but then I think that might be more of an issue for sternotomy patients. I'm able to hike up two flights of stairs almost without pausing for a rest. I'm getting my own meals (sent best friend home yesterday). Dressed for the first time today and put on make-up. Woo hoo!! And went for a walk in the nice California sunshine. Life is good!!!
If anyone has questions, about the portal access procedure, I'd be happy to answer them. I have to say, I was very conflicted since my own nephew-in-law (head of trauma surgery for a northern California hospital) said the sternotomy choice was a no-brainer. Still...I had other people telling me, go with your gut. Do what YOU wanna do.
And I'm glad I did. Don't get me wrong, surgery is surgery. Lots of the stuff that goes on are common to all procedures, with similar impacts. Recovery still isn't a snap. But it just seems much easier not to be dealing with restricted mobility of the upper body. I mean, I can easily reach up and put a T-shirt on over my head, I can wear a bra, I can prop myself up in bed with both arms.
Anyway, I guess I've gone on too long as it is. LOL. I wanna thank all of you who participate here...y'all make the journey much less lonely!
~Randy
P.S. Forgot to say that my surgeon is still shaking his head, wondering how I could have POSSIBLY been walking around with my aortic valve in such bad shape. He said the narrowing was unbelievably severe, and that the rigidity was off the chart. Eeeek!
I'm not sure how much to write here. I don't wanna scare people, but I wanna be honest, too. Let's just say that since I'd NEVER had surgery, NEVER been in the hospital, NEVER been through childbirth...NOTHING...I think I was a teensy bit in denial.
I truly believed the first couple days would have me saying, "Wow, that wasn't NEARLY as bad as I'd though it would be."Um, no. It was way worse. But still....now...eleven days out, my memory is already fading about what SPECIFICALLY was so awful.
I have to say that waking up with the tube down your throat is...well..barbaric. I thought I'd manage it well, but i didn't. They kept asking if I was in pain, and I kept shaking my head no, wishing they'd ask the right question: "Can you breathe?" They let my best friend (who's a respiratory therapist) be with me, and she finally asked, "Do you feel like you're choking?" And I nodded. I guess they suctioned me then, and I vomited, but I felt much better after that. They took the tube out 4 hours after surgery which, I hear, is a relatively short time, and my friend said the doc had them move it up an hour since I was doing so well.
I spent the first night in ICU, relatively happy. And omigod, ice chips are my new BFF's.
The next day I was moved to a private room (what a NICE surprise that was!!!!). I can't say enough about how wonderful Providence St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California was. Everything so clean and fresh...and the staff was so organized and friendly.
Anyway, I hit the first bump on day 2, I think. My blood pressure was running really low and I was anemic, so I got two units of blood. Then, either that night, or the next, I realized I was REALLY having a hard time breathing. I could only take short, shallow, breaths. It turned out that my left lung had partially collapsed. Go figure. They purposefully collapsed the RIGHT lung cuz I was having the portal access procedure, and that one seemed to be okay. Consequently, they did a bedside procedure by which they inserted a tube into the left side of my chest. So now I had two drainage tubes on the right, and the one to fix the leak in my lung on the left. This kinda cut down on any mobility I might have had!
In fact, originally, the doc told me that if all went well, I'd be in the hospital from Thursday to Monday, but instead I got out on Wednesday. As a result of all the tubes etc. (plus my continuing inability to BREATHE), I only did physical therapy twice, once with a walker, and once kind of assisted. I couldn't BELIEVE how much trouble it was to walk down the hallway and back! Plus, I didn't even sit up in a chair until about day 5 or 6.
Meanwhile, though, I have to say, I wasn't in any real pain. The cardiac coordinator encouraged me to take the full dose allowed (2 percocets every four hours, I think), so that's what I did. I had to keep reminding myself that when they asked if I was in pain, even though I might not be at that moment, I would be as soon as I coughed! HA. But even that pain wasn't excruciating. I took the medication more to get through whole ordeal as if I were in la-la-land, and it worked. I had the TV on almost the entire time, but I don't believe I ever watched one entire program from beginning to end.
So here it is Sunday, and I've been home since Wednesday evening. I think it's really a GYP that we're supposed to get up and get going, rather than loll around in bed accepting gifts and flowers.
I haven't had any problem with sleeping in my normal bed, but then I think that might be more of an issue for sternotomy patients. I'm able to hike up two flights of stairs almost without pausing for a rest. I'm getting my own meals (sent best friend home yesterday). Dressed for the first time today and put on make-up. Woo hoo!! And went for a walk in the nice California sunshine. Life is good!!!If anyone has questions, about the portal access procedure, I'd be happy to answer them. I have to say, I was very conflicted since my own nephew-in-law (head of trauma surgery for a northern California hospital) said the sternotomy choice was a no-brainer. Still...I had other people telling me, go with your gut. Do what YOU wanna do.
And I'm glad I did. Don't get me wrong, surgery is surgery. Lots of the stuff that goes on are common to all procedures, with similar impacts. Recovery still isn't a snap. But it just seems much easier not to be dealing with restricted mobility of the upper body. I mean, I can easily reach up and put a T-shirt on over my head, I can wear a bra, I can prop myself up in bed with both arms.
Anyway, I guess I've gone on too long as it is. LOL. I wanna thank all of you who participate here...y'all make the journey much less lonely!
~Randy
P.S. Forgot to say that my surgeon is still shaking his head, wondering how I could have POSSIBLY been walking around with my aortic valve in such bad shape. He said the narrowing was unbelievably severe, and that the rigidity was off the chart. Eeeek!
