surgery soon

[judy13]

So i found out today the are trying to get stat referral for my cardiac cath. Surgeon will be out of town starting July 25th and he would like to do my surgery before he leaves. So it looks like they are shooting for next week. Still have many questions since everything is moving so fast. Wont see surgeon again till just before surgery, not much time to ask questions then. I believe he said i was getting a carbomedics mechanical valve. Anyone heard of that? Most of my concerns are with pain, vent, and chest tube removal heard this can be very painful. Have had many surgeries so the anesthesia part not too worrisome. Very anxious and hard to concentrate or think about anything but the worst. Also wondering about post-op complications and what to look for. Dont know if i mentioned this in my first post but I am a nurse so sometimes too much knowledge can be frightening. Any smokers prior to surgery and did you quit after surgery. Sry for rambling.

 

[Bill B]

I have a friend with a CarboMedics valve, working very well. CarboMedics has a "top-hat" valve that sits ontop of the normal annulus, allowing a larger valve if the annuluis is small. Perhaps he is using that one. They also have a more "standard" valve, but very low-profile, which he may like as well.

It's reasonable to be concerned about pain and discomfort. Many people have some after this procedure. Oddly enough, I had NONE ever. The vent tube was out before I woke up. I never required pain meds at all, and I did not notice the chest tube removal. I felt some strange tugging when the pacing wire was removed, but no pain. My biggest problem in the hospital was sleeping, worrying too much about every little thing I felt during recovery, and some stomach bloating due to the anesthesia effects on gastric motility. Everyone seems to have different issues during recovery. Rather than anticipating problems, you should just wait and see what happens. Very few people have any serious problems and most describe the operation as remarlably well tolerated despite all the things they do to your body.

Bill

 

[ks1490]

Judy, I didn't experience any pain with the tube removals, the sedatives were still wearing off and they were out before I knew it. I found there to be very little post-operative pain. Take your pain meds for the first 3-4 days, even if you feel you don't need it, just to stay ahead of it. I found that being pain-free enabled me to get an early start on gaining back my mobility, walking, etc.

 

[Jkm7]

Hi July,
Happy you found us but sorry for the reason.
I had two OHS in four years and both were different for me. My first seemed harder on me than the second and I recovered faster the second time. I was up and walking less than 24 hours post op and had a half sandwich for lunch the day after my second OHS. With this surgery, they are very much into pain control. My nurses told me Mass General considers pain management as important as fever and blood pressure control etc

I was worried about vent tube both surgeries and while I remember waking with it in place both times, I drifted right back to sleep so fast it is only a vague memory. The next time I woke, the tube was gone and I have no memory of that.

I had three drainage tubes the first surgery and four the second. Have no idea why I got so (un)lucky to have so many tubes. The first time, I did find it painful when they pulled them. The second surgery, I requested pain meds prior to their removal, nurse was obliging and I had minimal discomfort.

Many of us here think the wait and anticipation is worse than the reality of this surgery. It scares us all, of course, but it really is not nearly as bad as we expect....... for most of us. We all do experience it differently. When they say 'everyone is different', they really mean it. I thought they were brushing off my questions but that wasn't the case.
Keep us posted how you are doing and please ask all your questions. There is almost always someone here who has the answer.

Best Wishes.

 

[Greg a]

WELCOME TO THE BOARD JUDY

While I was on a vent the thing I remember most was frustration in trying to communicate......tried a paper and pen then a white board and ended up writing all over myself ,,,,,,my wife thought the comic relief was a great way to break the tension ,,,,,,pen on my face marker on my gown,,,,,,,damn I should have had a laptop

Judy smuggle in a laptop save your sanity, I didn't have one and look what happened to me

 

[Luckyguy17]

Judy,

Welcome to the forum and your forced crash course on preparing for OHS. It will be Ok and ask away as there are several of us on the forum that have recently been through the process.
You should normally have a pre op clinic, meeting surgical team professionals and some pre op tests, this will be very informative.

No question that 1st couple of days post op are no picnic, but generally you will be heavily medicated and there is little you can do to prepare for your 1st week post.....you will be guided by nursing staff on managing that process and they will assist you eith what you need.
Tube removal for me was not a big deal in terms of pain and was actually a big relief in regaining mobility...so there is a plus side to getting to that step.

Judy, you need to prepare for your return home, about 1 week post op, you may need assistance at home for 1-2 weeks and with your time compression...you need to get that planning underway.

There are many things in OHS that will not be in your full control, so it is important to focus on the steps you can control and for now the pre op stage, follow the hospitsl schedule on what and when and think of the return home, taking into account that you will have weak upper body strength and may need assistance for food preparation and managing some daily processes.

Judy, we have all had very anxious moments in the last days before surgery, think positive and keep distracted, view pre and post surgery posts and ask away

Chin up

Gil

 

[judy13]

Thanx to all that have replied. It really does help talking to people who have been through this. I will try not to let the waiting get the best of me. Hopefully I will have my date soon. My husband has been asking me about this site and will probably be driving the sig others thread users crazy with questions and concerns about his role as caregiver. He was hurt in a motorcycle accident 3 yrs ago. On permenant disability after numerous unsuccessful back surgeries, so he will be here to see me through this.

 

[hansong]

Judy,

Having seen the good, the bad and the ugly in your nursing career you may be tempted to let your imagination run riot with negative outcomes. Sure, there's no minimizing the seriousness of open heart surgery, but having been where you are myself six months ago my recommendation is to have faith, make your preparations and then rest easy knowing you've done everything you can do. There's really no substitute for the power of positive thinking. And of course, some heart-felt prayers...

Gordon

 

[Bill B]

As to assistance needed after going home, most of it will have to do with chauffering you around for 4-6 weeks. You can't lift anything over 10 pounds, but otherwise there are no specific restrictions other than not stressing your sternum. You will be educated specifically about this by someone in the hospital. Other than that you will be mobile, should be walking daily and should be able to take general care of yourself. You will be tired, more at some times than others, need some naps, and may have trouble sleeping. Let your hubby do all the housework he can for as long as possible.

 

[Luana]

So i found out today the are trying to get stat referral for my cardiac cath. Surgeon will be out of town starting July 25th and he would like to do my surgery before he leaves. So it looks like they are shooting for next week. Still have many questions since everything is moving so fast. Wont see surgeon again till just before surgery, not much time to ask questions then. I believe he said i was getting a carbomedics mechanical valve. Anyone heard of that? Most of my concerns are with pain, vent, and chest tube removal heard this can be very painful. Have had many surgeries so the anesthesia part not too worrisome. Very anxious and hard to concentrate or think about anything but the worst. Also wondering about post-op complications and what to look for. Dont know if i mentioned this in my first post but I am a nurse so sometimes too much knowledge can be frightening. Any smokers prior to surgery and did you quit after surgery. Sry for rambling.

Hi Judy and Welcome,
The ventilator didn't bother me. Were it not for the taste of plastic in my mouth and knowing beforehand I'd wake up and be on it, I wasn't aware of it. Got extubated around 6 p.m. That didn't hurt. Keep in mind when you "wake up" it's not gonna be like your normal waking consciousness; you're still gonna be groggy. I've had surgery before, too; however, have never had OHS before and they put your butt waaayy out there with anesthesia. Cardiologist came in and talked to me in the afternoon and I heard him but I couldn't open my eyes to save my soul, could not even move a finger at that point. Waking up after HS was nothing like waking up after previous surgery, where I pretty much just woke up.

Chest tube removal did not hurt either. I did not have a sternotomy and my pain was minimal. I didn't think the pain was bad at all. If you're feeling pain, ask for pain meds. Nurses should be pretty pro-active in giving them, but if you're uncomfortable, let it be known. This is no time for being stoic.

 

[LisaD]

I am a nurse too, and yes sometimes too much information is a bad thing. As soon as I found out I needed the surgery I made a date to get it done quickly. I decided I would rather be recovering than dealing with presurgery anxiety. The vent and tube removal are uncomfortable for a short time, but are miniscule in the whole recovery process. The first drain tube I had removed was quite painful, but it did not last long, The second I asked for some extra pain killers beforehand, and the docs were happy to do so. I struggled a bit with the vent tube, but it was so satisfying to have it removed, I know a lot of folks don't even remember that part. During your recovery get up and walk as much as you can and work that incentive spirometer! Also take off as much time as you can I went back to work part time in the ER 2 months after my surgery, that was just too soon. Take care.

 

[Lily]

So i found out today the are trying to get stat referral for my cardiac cath. Surgeon will be out of town starting July 25th and he would like to do my surgery before he leaves. So it looks like they are shooting for next week. Still have many questions since everything is moving so fast. Wont see surgeon again till just before surgery, not much time to ask questions then. I believe he said i was getting a carbomedics mechanical valve. Anyone heard of that? Most of my concerns are with pain, vent, and chest tube removal heard this can be very painful. Have had many surgeries so the anesthesia part not too worrisome. Very anxious and hard to concentrate or think about anything but the worst. Also wondering about post-op complications and what to look for. Dont know if i mentioned this in my first post but I am a nurse so sometimes too much knowledge can be frightening. Any smokers prior to surgery and did you quit after surgery. Sry for rambling.

I wonder if Ross can move this to the Pre-surgery Forum, instead of the Post-surgery Forum, where it is now?

Judy, before they pulled the chest tube, I asked if it might hurt. When they answered in the affirmative, I asked if they could give me something for it. They did and a short amount of time passed and then they pulled the drain tube out and it didn't hurt at all.

The medication, Versed (sp?), can probably take care of any vent anxiety.

BTW, your surgeon's office probably has a packet of info for patients; many do. Maybe you can call them tomorrow first thing and ask them if they can mail one out to you, ASAP. Best wishes

 

[Luckyguy17]

Hi Judy and Welcome,
Cardiologist came in and talked to me in the afternoon and I heard him but I couldn't open my eyes to save my soul, could not even move a finger at that point. Waking up after HS was nothing like waking up after previous surgery, where I pretty much just woke up.
.

Luana,
Concerning the eyes (not being able to see while in ICU), I had the same issue during my 1st spousal visit about 7 hours post op, while in ICU.
My wife said in her 1st visit to me in ICU, that my eyes were covered with some vaseline type substance and with breathing tube still in, my only way of communication, while in ICU, was hand and facial movements. Luana is also absolutely right that consciousness in this period is brief, you are heavily medicated, briefly aware and back out there and hearing is about the only sense which is sometimes working.....but in very brief moments.

Gil

 

[Mentu]

Judy, welcome to VR. We have experienced your anxieties and most of us have found that we worried about things that just never became a problem. It is probably very human to do that. Heart surgery has changed a lot. The teams of people who help you through this are really good and anticipating the things that may be a problem and are used to dealing with them. So many people worry about the ventillator but you've got a lot of drugs in your system when it is still in place and it is usually nothing more than than an annoyance. Most people are off the ventillator in those first few hours when awareness comes and goes. As for the drain tubes and pacing wires, I was fully awake when they were removed and although the sensation wasn't pleasant it also wasn't painful. When I woke up, my biggest discomfort was a spot under my left shoulder blade. I didn't have any pain in the chest, no trouble getting up and none walking.

My greatest concern was that I might not be able to care for myself at home so I got my best friend to come and stay with me for a few days. It was nice to have him there for the reassurance his presence gave but I never needed him to do anything except run errands. I had stocked the kitchen before hand but friends and neighbors brought food by so I didn't need to cook anything for a couple of days. By day three I fixed my own breakfast and needed to do laundry which turned out not to be a great problem but since I couldn't lift the laundry basket I had to make several trips to load the washer. I walked in my neighborhood from the first day home without any difficulty and it was really nice to be able to do that without any of the symptoms walking caused before surgery.

The anxieties are normal but if you are really feeling stressed you might want to speak with your Doctor about medication to help with that. Instead of concentrating on the surgery about which you can do nothing, try to concentrate on planning for your recovery. Pick out some comfortable clothes to wear in the hospital. Arrange things in the kitchen so that you can pick them up more easily since bending over and reaching for things above your head can be uncomfortable. Lay in a stock of movies, music and books. You will no doubt have other things to add to the list. Things are likely to go much more smoothly than you now expect, Judy. Take care.

Larry

 

[Angel]

The vent tube, I did not like, but......I only remember approx. 10 seconds of even being on it. Then, I went back out and that was the last time I ever remember anything about it. It was gone the next time I woke up. The chest tubes, were really nothing. I never looked at mine, which probably helps mentally, however I did look at the bulb thing that catches the fluids, etc. I only had two tubes, 1 large and 1 small. They removed the large one when I was still in ICU before I went to my room. It was not bad at all. They told me when to hold my breath, and that's when they pulled it out. No pain, maybe a slight, very, very slight discomfort, but not much at all. The small one did not come out until about the day before I went home. It felt basically the same as the first one. Not bad. Don't worry, you'll be fine. I was fine and I'm probably one of the biggest babies on here, seriously. It's understandable about your fear though, I was totally filled with fear, but it turned out not as bad as I thought. Just be careful when you're waking though of the intense thirst! You'll want those ice chips and a little water, but taking too much will make you soooo nauseous, so just take it very, very slow with that and if you do get nauseous, tell the nurse, they can give you something for the nausea. You're in my prayers!

 

[coach14]

Judy, to echo what many have said already, I had very little pain or discomfort with any of the tube and wire removals. I was also very worried about this prior to my surgery, but it turned out to be a non-issue. With each removal, they gave me a heads up they would be doing it before hand. I just made sure I hit the button a few times on my self dosing pain medicine and felt nothing. As for the vent, it was removed about 5 hours after my surgery, so I have no memory of it. Just a very vague recollection of the nurse setting me up and telling cough and out it came. Then right back to sleep. You are going to do great and try not to worry too much.

 

[Luana]

Angel, sounds like we had similar nurses remove our chest tubes. I was apprehensive about it since I'd read here some people found it quite painful. The nurse told me to take a deep breath; I did and it was out, barely felt any thing.