Surgery Thursday 5/3/2012 at Cleveland Clinic

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Kismet

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
22
Location
East Coast
Hello Everyone! New member here - scheduled for surgery on Thursday 3 May 2012 at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Pettersson. Anyone else having surgery at Cleveland Clinic this week? Any members with any tips to pass on regarding surgery at Cleveland Clinic? Plans are to replace the aortic valve and to repair the ascending aorta. Best Wishes to all awaiting their surgery day!
 
Wishing you all the success in the world

Had the exact same surgery on the 17th April in the UK

My thoughts and prayers with you

Mike
 
Good luck with your surgery. I know this will be a long weekend for you and lots of anxious thoughts. Be sure and read the other posts about how much better it is on the other side! Also be sure and go to the post-op and read the string that was started about surprises about surgerys. It is very informative!
 
Thank you Mike, Nelson and Okielady for the well wishes! I am very nervous as I prepare to leave for Cleveland in the morning. I have three days of pre op testing and then surgery on Thursday. I was hoping to avoid the heart cath and have the CT instead but that was a no-go with the surgeon. I thought that some centers were using the advanced CT in place of the cath? I did get the OK from the surgeon for the cath to not cross the valve so I am grateful for that.Okie~I took a peek at the surprises about surgery thread.....Too much info! ++ I did learn that I can request the knock out early so I don't remember anything about the OR --lung collapsing....ohhhh noooo! I stopped reading after that. Thanks for the responses...Keep prayers/good thoughts for me on Thursday!
 
Kismet said:
Hello Everyone! New member here - scheduled for surgery on Thursday 3 May 2012 at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Pettersson. Anyone else having surgery at Cleveland Clinic this week? Any members with any tips to pass on regarding surgery at Cleveland Clinic? Plans are to replace the aortic valve and to repair the ascending aorta. Best Wishes to all awaiting their surgery day!
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Welcome to our OHS family ....glad you found us now just try to get rid of us LOL ......adding you to the community calendar .....again WELCOME !!!!!!
 
Kismet said:
Hello Everyone! New member here - scheduled for surgery on Thursday 3 May 2012 at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Pettersson. Anyone else having surgery at Cleveland Clinic this week? Any members with any tips to pass on regarding surgery at Cleveland Clinic? Plans are to replace the aortic valve and to repair the ascending aorta. Best Wishes to all awaiting their surgery day!
Click to expand...

You chose the right place! I had the same surgery performed by Dr. Sabik on 4/4. I traveled from Denver for the surgery. The level of care is phenomenal and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I will be thinking and praying for you on the 3rd. We chose to have my family stay at the Intercontinental Conference Center (attached to hospital via skyway) and it couldn't have been more convenient. It is the priciest of the three closest hotels. The Guest House is right across the street as well but seems a bit dated. You will be in your own private room after leaving the ICU, and there is a bench that folds out into a bed for anyone in your support party to sleep on. If you have any additional questions or would like to speak with me over the phone to discuss my experience, you can send me a private message. You are in great hands and I am confident that you will be fine. The testing that takes place the day before surgery is really planned out well. You will have to fast for some of the tests. Bring a snack to eat once that part is over with. It's a long day, but I felt really confident after meeting with my surgeon at the end of it. Good luck!

Tom
 
Had same surgery that you will on 3/27/2012. I had CT and Cardiac MRI instead of cath. NIH has some pretty high-tech equipment and my surgeons used that for me.
Cleveland Clinic is one of the best, you will be in great hands. Everything will be alright. As soon as you are transfered from ICU to your room, start your recovery stat. Move as much as you can, ask to sit up straight as much as you can, and do your breathing exercises. Surgery will be over in no time, recovery is where all the fun is at. ;)
 
RTZdad said:
You chose the right place! I had the same surgery performed by Dr. Sabik on 4/4. I traveled from Denver for the surgery. The level of care is phenomenal and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I will be thinking and praying for you on the 3rd. We chose to have my family stay at the Intercontinental Conference Center (attached to hospital via skyway) and it couldn't have been more convenient. It is the priciest of the three closest hotels. The Guest House is right across the street as well but seems a bit dated. You will be in your own private room after leaving the ICU, and there is a bench that folds out into a bed for anyone in your support party to sleep on. If you have any additional questions or would like to speak with me over the phone to discuss my experience, you can send me a private message. You are in great hands and I am confident that you will be fine. The testing that takes place the day before surgery is really planned out well. You will have to fast for some of the tests. Bring a snack to eat once that part is over with. It's a long day, but I felt really confident after meeting with my surgeon at the end of it. Good luck!

Tom
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I could only repeat exactly what Tom has to say, except my surgeon was also Dr. Pettersson for the exact same procedure that you are having done. I also would be more than happy to speak to you about my experiences and answer any questions you may have...send a PM and I'll share my cell number. The only tip I can throw out is to treat yourself to an indulgent, expensive meal on your first night (tests permitting) and eat lightly the night before your surgery. The meal is because food tasted absolutely bland and devoid of any taste for me for a long while after surgery...the light eating the night before is because you will not have access to, nor have sufficient strength, to use the bathroom in a normal fashion the first 24 hours in ICU. I ate my big meal the night before...big mistake simply from a "logistics" point of view. I'll leave it at that :wink2:
 
Thank you RTZdad and Just Ask for your valued insight to the workings of CC. Very comforting at this time. I will have my lap top with me so if need be I may be in touch with you via PM and cell. Great to know you two are there for me. Thank You! I took a look at your Caring Bridge site, RTZ, very nice! Lots of info! Thank you for sharing. Gymguy I am glad to see caths are not the norm everywhere. I have followed your journey from your first posts. Impressive recovery! I am off to the airport in just a few hours!
 
Kismet,
Dr Pettersson replaced my aortic valve and repaired my enlarged aorta several years ago. He is the best. A very kind and obviously competent surgeon. You are in very good hands. The staff at CC was the best, from the top to the bottom. Don't worry about them putting you into sedation. They wheeled me into the OR and I was chatting (nervously) with everyone. Once they hooked me up to the sleep juice it was "nite-nite".

You will see Pettersson for your pre-op consultation and in the CICU when he does his rounds VERY early in the morning. He will have his surgical team entourage with him and his visit will be direct and quick. Once you move to step down you will be assigned a surgeon from his team who will monitor your details and bumps- learn his name and get to know this doctor and talk to him about any issues or questions you have. Otherwise the most important thing is to ask for ice cream and enjoy! Oh I kept a notebook of nurses names and medications, and directions or diagnoses and that helped me track what was going on.
Best wishes for you,
John
 
Hello! Well I have finished all the pre op testing and visited with Dr Petterrson's team and had a consultation with the Dr. We had a few bumps already that included the discovery of an unusual routing of the right coronary artery which is into the aorta rather than into the aortic root. The left CA is where it's normally positioned in everyone else. So, Dr Pettersson said he would try to see if he could replace the AV and put in a graft without disrupting the root and coronary arteries but if he had replace root he may have to do a bypass on the right coronary artery. Didn't ask much about bypass at all....never thought I would hear those words as most bicuspid types without other heart problems do not have coronary artery disease(and I do not). I 'm trying not to think about it and know that Dr Pettersson with take care of it in the best way possible. I am on overload and was very anxious since the cath yesterday. Cath experience was not so hot yesterday. I arrived at Dr Petterssons office this morning feeling quite unwell with racing heart close to 100 and other symptoms(from the cath?) and Dr Pettersson's nurse took me right back and took vitals and arranged to get through all the appts with the team very quickly even seeing Dr Pettersson early. Also wrote a perscription for Xanax which I am going to take now and at bedtime. So rest this afternoon, light dinner and we are out the door at 4:45 for 5:15 am checkin. First surgery and Dr P is just back from a 6 day conference. Looking for the positive! Take care all those going in soon or have just come out and thanks to all the kind ppl that have chipped in their 2 cents. Much appreciated!:D
 
Kismet said:
Hello! Well I have finished all the pre op testing and visited with Dr Petterrson's team and had a consultation with the Dr. We had a few bumps already that included the discovery of an unusual routing of the right coronary artery which is into the aorta rather than into the aortic root. The left CA is where it's normally positioned in everyone else. So, Dr Pettersson said he would try to see if he could replace the AV and put in a graft without disrupting the root and coronary arteries but if he had replace root he may have to do a bypass on the right coronary artery. Didn't ask much about bypass at all....never thought I would hear those words as most bicuspid types without other heart problems do not have coronary artery disease(and I do not). I 'm trying not to think about it and know that Dr Pettersson with take care of it in the best way possible. I am on overload and was very anxious since the cath yesterday. Cath experience was not so hot yesterday. I arrived at Dr Petterssons office this morning feeling quite unwell with racing heart close to 100 and other symptoms(from the cath?) and Dr Pettersson's nurse took me right back and took vitals and arranged to get through all the appts with the team very quickly even seeing Dr Pettersson early. Also wrote a perscription for Xanax which I am going to take now and at bedtime. So rest this afternoon, light dinner and we are out the door at 4:45 for 5:15 am checkin. First surgery and Dr P is just back from a 6 day conference. Looking for the positive! Take care all those going in soon or have just come out and thanks to all the kind ppl that have chipped in their 2 cents. Much appreciated!:D
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Sorry to read of these issues but positive thoughts about Thursday

Godspeed and if you can, assign someone to update the family
 
Hi Kismet,
I will be sending you hugs and positive vibes starting right now. I wish you a successful surgery and bump free recovery. Try to relax and remain as calm as you can. We will be here waiting for you. :)
 
YOu have had a few bumps so far. Sorry about having you read about the surprises! You can wait and give us your own surprises and I hope they are all good ones. Hope you are feeling better and thinking of you tomorrow. It will be smooth sailing from here on out.
Best Wishes!
 
Talked to her surgeon, Dr. Pettersson, at 10:00 am and everything went well with her surgery. Replaced the aortic valve and repaired the ascending aorta - did not have to do anything with the unusual right coronary or the aortic root or arch. Very quick. Get to see her in the ICU in a couple of hours. Thanks for your support.
 
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