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Dray

Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
14
Location
St. Louis, MO
Just wanted to take some time and express my thanks to everyone on the forum. I’ve been lurking since late last year trying to come to terms with my own aortic valve/aortic root replacement surgery scheduled on June 1st. It is a great comfort to hear all of the success stories out there – as well as the personal challenges that many of you share making the decisions on types of valves, ACT, hospital selection, the list goes on.

Many of you have influenced my decisions to some degree – although there were times I wanted everyone BUT me to make them! You’ve raised issues and proposed answers I never would have considered. I truly feel much more educated and prepared for what’s in store for me.

I’ve also been happily surprised to see so many members around my age (I’m 38) contributing content.

For me the surgery to replace my BAV is nothing new – I was diagnosed at birth with a murmur and it has slowly progressed. *If* surgery is needed was never discussed, when was always the topic. Now that the day is staring me down it’s quite intimidating. I really thought that I would have been better prepared mentally given so much time to consider, but I guess it gets a bit more serious when you book time with the surgeon!

Thanks again for all the great advice and encouragement. I look forward to more reading (and contributing!) in the future.

David
 
Hey Dray

Be prepared to experience an amazing ride as you go through OHS surgery and recovery. You will blow your ward mates and medical staff away with what you have learned. Heart patients from what I have found go in blind, and the cardiac staff are generally not used to working with the informed. Have fun with your knowledge as it will make the journey through OHS a very unique experience.
 
I'll second what bdryer says. It was fun to have one of the doc's ask me "Are you an MD?" I was asking questions and debating issues on their terms, and most of them (including the nurses) appreciated it.

Now is your time for planning. Make all the decisions as to surgeon, hospital, valve choice, schedules, etc. and write them down. Then just "work the plan." If all the decisions are made, you are on the road to recovery already! I found the time between setting the surgical date and the date itself to be so calm as to be almost surreal. Others have said much the same thing, so make that your goal.

You will do fine. As we've said before, no matter what happens in the OR, they have seen it before and know how to deal with it. The same is true in the recovery units. You will become used to being the focus of lots of attention (it is often difficult to wean ourselves from all the attention, too). Just leave your modesty at home. You do, however, get to keep your dignity.

Keep us posted. We will be here when you come back to post about your experiences.
 
David,
I know how you feel! I'm 38 and I had my BAVR/aneurysm repair on May 9th. I felt much more informed and prepared from the information I had gleaned from this website. I am now in the recovery process (spent one week in hospital), and I still get lots of good advice and insight on here. Hang in there, you can do this!
 
I wish I had found the site before my surgery, but at the same time it was a godsend for me when I came here shortly after. I am 36 and had my BAVR/Aneurysm repair on March 7th. Welcome to the club, and I will be thinking of you on the 1st!
 
Everyone - Thanks for the well wishes. I'm certain I'll come through this without too much trouble; to be honest what I'm most interested in is how I’ll feel post-op and post-recovery. I really don’t believe I have any symptoms now – the physical dimensions of my enlarged heart are prompting the surgery. I’m fairly active with two young kids but having this condition all my life I think I’ve just adapted to living with whatever limitations it has imposed. However I don’t think I suffer in my abilities to do physical things so I wonder if I’ll have more energy and stamina afterwards. Guess only time will tell!

It’s been hard for me to justify the surgery when I don’t have any symptoms – I really don’t think I feel any different than I did 10 years ago. But when my cardiologist called on a Sunday to discuss my latest echo, I knew it wasn’t good news.
 
Welcome to the forum, David. You should do well. It is common not to experience symptoms, or maybe just vague ones, before needing this type of surgery. I second what Steve and others have said. I got an extraordinary degree of care in the ICU and in regular care thereafter. And my surgeon was top-rate. I'm sure you've got great resources there in the St. Louis area.

BTW, are you a Cardinals' fan?:smile2: I've been a Redbirds fanatic since latching on to Stan Musial as my childhood hero.

Glad you are with us -- welcome!
 
Hey, David, I just noticed where you're located. I have family in Belleville, on the Illinois side.

Do you do Fitz's? Ted Drew's? Those are favorites of ours. My daughter (now 24 y/o) and I used to get down there a couple of times a year. We also loved Super Smokers' Bar-B-Que in Belleville (or was it Fairview Heights?), but they closed that location.

I had aortic stenosis for many years and "thought" I was asymptomatic. Now that I'm 11 weeks post-op, I realize that Superbob has a point. I am nowhere near fully healed yet, but at all levels below heavy activity, I feel better now than I did before my surgery. Now I have to go through rehab to see where this all takes me, but if I didn't recover at all past this point, life would be better than it was during the six months or a year immediately prior to surgery.
 
Superbob - I am! In fact I was at the game last night. Had to get one more game in before surgery.

Steve - I'm more of a Fritz's guy than Ted Drew's - only because it's closer to the house. Seems the whole Super Smoker's chain is in retreat. Not too many around the area any more - which is too bad.

Just got my Barnes-Jewish OHS Patient Packet in the mail today. Nothing too surprising there, IVs, chest tubes, central lines, everything I've read about here. At best I'd hope to return to where I am today physically and energy wise, anything above and beyond would be even better for me. I certainly hope that's the case and it just gives me one more thing to look forward to after the surgery.

Thanks again everyone for the well wishes.
 
Dray - If my case is any indication of the "comeback" after surgery, I would say that now, at 12 weeks after surgery, I feel better than I did at 12 weeks before surgery. I can do about as much now as before (I was slowly jogging 2 miles/day then, now power-walking 2 miles/day at the same pace now), and I feel good again. The first month was the worst, and after that it has been onward and upward. Of course, I am older than you (63 now) so I would think you could do even better.

Go for it!
 
Big day tomorrow! In the hospital now, had my cardiac cath and all looks good. Certainly do NOT like hearing of all the complications that could occur but it is to be expected. Hope to make my move to the post op forum sometime this week once I become lucid!

Confirmed my valve choice, an On-X, today. Looks like this is really going to happen!

David
 
David, it's perfectly natural to worry about complications beforehand, I know I did too.

The fact is, however, that most problems are extremely rare and highly unlikely to impact on you unless you are particularly sickly and/or elderly. I have every confidence that you will come out with flying colours!

I'll be thinking of you and hope to get an update soon, when you're up to it.

Good luck! You will soon be looking at a new life with better prospects! :thumbup:
 
David - The other thing to keep in mind is that even if complications arise, these doc's have seen it all before. For us, this is perhaps the biggest single event in our lives. For them, it is a day at the office. Regardless of which, if any, complications you hit, remember that they are just speed bumps in the journey back to your "regular" life. I speak from experience. I hit a number of these speed bumps and it shook me up quite a bit, but now, at 13 weeks post-op, I'm doing quite well - back to work for weeks already and starting cardiac rehab now. It may be rough for a while, but once you pass that rough spot, life is good.
 
David
Welcome to the "family" Wishing to a safe and uneventful journey to the other side of the mountain. Sending positive/caring thoughts your way !
Go Team 2011 !!!
Renee
Dx BAV 11/2010 Surgery done 4/14/2011 ARV Edwards "Magna" Bovine Tissue valve and a Triple bypass at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. Ca. Dr. Richard Gregory no complications
 
Welcome!

Welcome!

David, welcome to this wonderful group. Here's wishing you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

All the best,
Ruth
 
Dray said:
Big day tomorrow! In the hospital now, had my cardiac cath and all looks good. Certainly do NOT like hearing of all the complications that could occur but it is to be expected. Hope to make my move to the post op forum sometime this week once I become lucid!

Confirmed my valve choice, an On-X, today. Looks like this is really going to happen!

David
Click to expand...

Best wishes going forward. I had valve replacement at Missouri Baptist Hospital back in 2005. There are some excellent surgeons and hospitals in the St. Louis area, and I'm confident all will go well.

Mary from Cape Girardeau
 
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