Scheduled my Surgery

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malibu82

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
478
Location
Libertyville Illinois
Hi all.
I scheduled my surgery for May 18th. I am very nervous. Scared. Feel sick thinking about it. Afraid to say it out loud. Didn't even want to post about it. I am using Northwestern and Dr. Malaisrie. I have set up a "work schedule" for my helpers for the following 8 weeks after surgery, until I can lift my kids again!

Thanks for listening to all my questions and complaints :)
jackie
 
Hi Jackie!
Try not to worry hun, I know it's easier said than done, but worry really is only our attempt to control something that's out of our hands. Believe me, I KNOW and have done that (& still do) :p ! If you've done your research and know what to expect, then rest assured in that, and all will be ok! Giving this to God and prayer also helped me the most!

So I pray for your successfull upcoming surgery, and hope you will keep us posted as to how you're doing! We care about you!
~Karen
 
Jackie,

I remember having the same feelings the day that my avr was finally scheduled. Keep in mind that you're going to an excellent facility and you've got a great surgeon. It is hard waiting, but you will be be fine once it is all over.
 
Jackie.... We so understand and those of us who have been there get that bottom of the stomach sick feeling when hearing about fellow VR.org'ers going where we have been. The wait is truly the worst part for most of us. There is no option. You have to do it. Try to focus on how wonderful it will be to feel good again, to have the energy to take care of and enjoy your children. For us, it is a huge event but luckily for us, it is 'another day at the office' for the skilled medical professionals who will take care of you. You will be amazed how they ease you through it and get you back on your feet. You'll do fine.
 
I guess I'm on the other side. My valve surgery is in 2 weeks (April 26th), and so far I don't have the nervous feelings yet. As Karen said, no need to worry over things you don't have control over. Put your worries in God's hands. After talking to my surgeon a few times, he put me at ease. His demeanor and explanations pretty much gave me the feeling the surgery is a walk in the park for him. My surgeon is Dr. Chen at Emory University.

Scott
 
Jackie...

The wait associated with OHS I think was the worst part of the whole process. There is some physical discomfort once your through it but the meds help you with that. However the relief associated with knowing your through it is huge. I only had two weeks from initial diagnosis to my surgery, my stenosis was pretty bad and I was very fortunate to secure a top shelf surgeon in that timeframe. But I remember feeling what your going through, not fun in the least. Hopefully you will have the same experience as I had as the date got closer. When I left for the hospital it hit me that this was actually happening and a calm came over me, maybe it was simply accepting the situation at hand. But from that point forward I was ok with it and the whole thing went down exactly as planned.

Talk to your surgeon, ask questions here. I fully believe that the better prepared you are intellectually about OHS the better you handle it emotionally.

Best of luck to you...

Scott
 
I'm not sure if you are worried about something specific. Maybe you posted that elsewhere. Remember that VR is very, very safe unless you have other major health issues that make surgery unsafe. You should have faith that you will do well. Almost everyone does. If you are worried about something specific, ask here, if you haven't, and, above all, ask your surgeon and his/her staff. I had a number of questions and concerns and made a bit of a nuisance out of myself with my surgeon's staff, but they were very helpful. Don't be embarassed to talk about your fears.

Bill
 
thank you so much for your responses. it means a lot to me! it's so nice to have the support of people who know what i am going through :) thanks
 
This Thursday it will have been five weeks since my surgery, and I can't believe how the time has flown! One thing I've learned in life, time never stops...even when the bad stuff is going on...so just remember that every second that passes leads you closer to your surgery as being a thing of the past. I know anticipation is tough--some stuff will be worse than you thought it would be, other stuff will be a breeze. But the important thing is that you'll get through it all and you'll be surprised how quickly the bad stuff becomes a dim memory. Truly!

Best of luck...

~Randy
 
Jackie, because we say this often does not make it less true...your anxiety is normal and it will pass. It helps to begin thinking of your surgery date not as an end but, rather, as your doorway to a more healthy future. Surgery is just the means to open that door. Consider this, you have heart disease that is certain to make your future one in which you are going to experience increasing debility and probably an early death. Compared to that, the high success rate of OHS is a wonderful alternative. The choice you have made is a commitment to live.

Larry
 
Jackie, I remember those feelings you described. It's all normal. A few weeks after the surgery, I was amazed at how much better I'd felt than for years. Hopefully it will go so well for you too. You have my best wishes :)
 
thanks everyone :) they rescheduled my surgery for the 21st. i am getting very scared and even think about canceling it! then i imagine what a huge inconvenience that would be for a lot of people so i feel guilty and don't.
 
Malibu:

Please let us know just what is really troubling you about your upcoming surgery. If it's a general fear of this surgery, hospitals and the possibility that something bad might happen, while that's certainly understandable and normal, this surgery is amazingly effective, safe and well-tolerated. Mortality rates in most centers are below 1%. You're out of bed usually the next day and home in 5-7. Some people find the breathing tube is the biggest nuisance, but most of the time it is removed before you are fully awake - I have no memory of that and never had a sore throat from it or any sense it had ever been in there. Yes, you will have a bunch of other tubes in you for a couple of days, but I found that to be a major convenience. The central line is used for blood samples, so no needle sticks (my greatest irrational fear)! I never noticed the bladder catheter and it made peeing unnecessary.

My biggest problem with the recovery from surgery was that I developed some trouble sleeping. I started to worry, maybe like you are worrying now. I struggled with a few discomforts (bloated stomach, shortness of breath, racing heart rate). I wondered if this would ever go away. I wondered if the doctors and nurses were really doing the right things. I started second-guessing what the staff was doing. I worried myself sick and sleepless. It took a discussion with a wise nurse who picked up on my anxiety to understand how I was undermining the healing process and that I needed to trust that they knew what they were doing and I was in good hands. She said my main job was to let them take care of me. After I realized that she was right and saw the harm i was doing to myself by worrying, I slept like a baby.

So, even though I am trying to reassure you, I do understand worry, although mine came on stronger after surgery.

If you'd rather not go over your fears here, then contact your surgeon's staff. As I mentioned in a previous post, I bugged them to no end prior to surgery with questions and concerns.

I do hope you find a way to manage your fear and and give into the need for this surgery to take place and fix your problems before they get worse. I had never been in a hospital for any illness before this operation, so I had good reason to be anxious too. Also, since I never had ANY symptoms pre-op from my BAV, I could not believe this was happening to me, but I accepted that it was real and I knew I definitely needed to get this fixed before it crippled or killed me.

We're pulling for you on the 21st and hoping you will be able to relax and accept it.

Bill
 
Jackie, I have never had surgery, but spend some time worrying about my son's surgery which will be done sometime soon. I know I have spent so much useless time worrying over things that have never even come to pass. I get mad at myself for doing it, but sometimes it is so hard not to. I am sure it is hard for you having young kids. Try to take it one day at a time, as everyone is always telling me. I will be thinking of you and praying for a very successful surgery on the 21st. Let everyone know how you are doing afterwards. My best to you, Barb
 
COLLEEN S said:
Best wishes to you for your surgery. I truely believe that the more knowledge one has about the process, the more at ease one becomes.
Click to expand...

Malibu,

Am finding Colleen's quote to very true, am also fearful of upcoming surgery, but the education of the forum is helping much with tempering the fear.

Good luck on the 21st and try to find the distractions that you can do, that will get you to the 21st, withought overthinking

many, many before us, have stated that the wait is the worst and that the surgery is not as bad as they had imagined

we must visualize that our process will be smooth

keep up the good fight

Gil
 
Probably us animal people are extra sensitive.....Whenever I used to thnk about upcoming surgery, I would want to barf. Really.
My cardio was furious with me for delaying surgery for ONE YEAR, but I had my old retired horse to care for first. When the horse passed, it was my turn to get fixed up. Get this over with, your family needs you in their lives for a long, long time to come. :)
 
Hopefully, there won't be any more delays... from the doctor/hospital or from you. As others before me have said, you just need to get this behind you. Don't by shy about asking your doctor for a little happy pill to get you through the next week & half. Many have done that with great success... sometimes just knowing there's relief can help. The anticipation is just aggravating - while it's not an easy journey, it's also not as bad as you think it's going to be. Hang in there. I wish you peace.
 
thank you all again for your positive thoughts and information. i am wishing these days were not going by so fast though! i can't believe it's in 8 days. That scares me! I know I will be fine though. Thanks for all of your help!
 
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