Upcoming surgery

[mimi314]

Hi...I'm a new member and haven't a clue how to do this. I've never been in a chat group...never saw a need until now. I'm facing aortic valve replacement surgery within the next few weeks and would really like some words from someone who's been there, etc. I'd really like to know what to expect from the viewpoint of the patient. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Christina]

Hi Mimi,

Welcome to the most supportive valvereplacement forum on the Internet. You've come to the right place! Pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and ask away! More people will come along to help you out. Most of us have all been where you are now and are eager to give you all the support you need..
My Aortic valve was replaced twice within eleven days last year August. Second time due to a blood clot.
The waiting period before surgery is the absolute worst, and I hope you don't have to wait very long. I had to wait about three weeks, and those weeks were horrible!. If it weren't for the people on the forum and my supportive family I could not have done it I think. I could not think about anything else, and it consumed me day and night.
Surgery itself is not that bad. There is very little pain, and if you feel pain, just ask for the morfine.
I found a link to valve surgery that you might want to read.
http://www.healthyhearts.com/valvesurgery.htm
If you go to:www.valvereplacement.com, click on "Personal Stories" and you can find all our personal stories there. Mine is there as well. Very imformative!
When you become educated, you can make informative decisions, and it won't be as scary anymore.
If I can help you with anything else, please e-mail me personally at:
[email protected]

Christina
Aortic Stenosis
AVR's 8/7 & 8/18/ 2000
St.Jude's Mechanical
Coumadin 19mg a day.

 

[JBriau]

Mimi

Welcome
I have had a mitral valve replaced two years ago and
am presently waiting for surgery on my aortic valve.
You will do fine. Just have Faith. I am also nervous
but this my second go round so its not as bad. You will
probably wake with a breathing tube. They will remove it
shortly after surgery. They keep you quite sedated at first,
you don't feel the pain that much. In just a few days they will
have you up and moving around. Just take it easy and don't overdue things.

BEst Wishes and Keep in touch!
Judy

 

[Jean]

Hi! Mimi!

Hi! Mimi!

You have come to the right place for info, comradery, and just good old hand holding!

I had my congenitally bi-cuspid aortic valve replaced with a homograph in January of '00...gee almost two years ago.

I was scared out of my mind...luckily found the Cleveland Clinic site and Steve Goldberg's (I think that is his last name--sorry Steve) site to get me through the terror I felt.

The real thing is not as bad as I worried about at all. I went to the Cleveland Clinic...very efficient yet very good to you. My only complaint was the first roommate who complained constantly. I was surprised at how little pain I had...actually no pain--ouchy times mainly---OK, OK the sneezes were terrible, but I lived! By day three I was up and getting around just fine. Went home on day 5. I can tell you that I feel better now than I have possibly ever felt. I walk-jog two to 4 miles every other day and lift weights the other days. I am back doing my housework, teaching and farming better than ever.

Good luck and do keep us posted...please ask any questions you may have. If you want to contact me personnally, my email is [email protected]. I was 56 when I had my surgery.

Jean

 

[Perrster]

Greetings, Mimi

Greetings, Mimi

Hang in there and stay with us. We've all been there and done that!

As the people before me have said, you couldn't find a better place to get information on your situation. Be sure to review the personal stories. They'll put plenty of perspective on the subject. God Bless and please keep in touch. And don't feel shy about asking questions or how this bulletin board works. Just trust that it works wonders!

 

[Lorraine]

Mimi,


Welcome aboard! This is the place to be if you need questions answered. I didn't find this site until postop and I too wasn't sure how to do this. I had never visited chat rooms but I'm glad I found this site. I feel like I'm with family with all the friends I've made on this forum. Ask and there will be many that will respond. This is the best support group around!

I had my Aortic and Mitral Valve replaced with St Judes Mechanical Valves on March 8, 2001. I also had my Tricuspid Valve repaired. The waiting wasn't too scarey before surgery but I had a very positive attitude toward the whole thing. After surgery the painkillers helped the most and holding onto that little pillow they give you for when you sneeze or cough. But take it easy at first. When you can start walking , walk a little further each time. Before you know it, you'll be up to speed. I wish you good luck and please keep us all informed.

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi mimi!
i, too, had never been on a chat room before my husband was faced with his surgery. i found everyone here to be especially patient, warm, caring and supportive. they are like family.

we each mean it when we say that no questions are too simple; someone has asked them all. please feel free to bring anything (worries, questions, etc) here. we've all been in your shoes and are happy to give back what was given to us.

the pre-surgical wait is truly the hardest, as anyone here will attest to.
also, if you scroll through and read many of the earlier postings you will gather a great deal of info. for instance, there is a thread entitled "making the choice" that covers a lot of info concerning different types of valves, pros and cons , etc.
check it all out and if you have any questions, please ask away... we are here for you.
take care and be well. please let us know how things go.
-sylvia

 

[Peter Easton]

Hello there Mimi --

I had aortic valve surgery about six weeks ago now and have just started back to work part-time. I didn't find it such a bad experience -- not what you would otherwise pick for Sunday afternoon recreation, it's true, but really remarkably smooth for something so monumental in effects and benefits. The medical people have this one down pretty good.

For some reason, I wasn't particularly nervous before the operation or going into it, perhaps because mine wasn't an emergency case and I had some latitude to schedule the operation when I wished (within the surgeon's available dates and the time limits set by the cardio). I was able to use the time to read up on things, and that really helped to calm me down and focus on aspects that I could manage.

As for the operation itself, if it was hard on anyone it was on my kids (uncertain of what was happening to Daddy while they were at school) and my wife (in the waiting room). It was a breeze for me. One minute I was in the pre-op room chatting aimiably with the nurse who was fitting the IV while my wife sat by -- and the next I was groggily waving at people from the recovery room, vaguely conscious that I had made it through. Then in cardiac ICU they really wait on you hand and foot (and, in the case of my hospital, try to get you in shape to move out as soon as medically advisable). Removing the breathing tube can be more or less uncomfortable depending on when it is done. I was lucky to have mine out while I was still semi-conscious and was left only with a medium sore throat as a temporary memory. But in any case it ain't that big a deal. Actually the most discomfort I had -- which really wasn't bad -- came later in the regular hospital room when I was awake and functional enough to get tired of hauling extra tubes around and a tad stir crazy in a hospital bed.

Then is it ever nice to get back home! -- even if there are a host of little or meidum irritants to deal with as the organism adjusts, things that iron themselves out gradually. You might check the little column that Garrison Keilor wrote in "Time" sometime this late summer as he recovered from his own valve surgery -- it's a lot of fun to read, all about convalescence, and I remember the last line particularly, something simple about going out in the morning sun to get the paper and realizing what a miracle life really was.

So there are genuine opportunities in the experience to get back in touch with some basics and replenish stores of gratitude, along with the (for me quite manageable) trials and discomforts of the surgery.

Hang in there. You got a whole cheering section here! And keep us posted.

Peter

 

[Zazzy]

Welcome to the group Mimi!!!

As the others have previously stated... this is a great place for both support and information. Just learn whatever you can, remain skeptical and ask your cardio and surgeon lots and lots of questions!!!

Take care,
Zazzy

P.S. Oh yeah, the most important thing: KEEP SMILING!!!!

 

[Bill Hall]

Mimi - Welcome to this group. I had my surgery early this year and did pretty well convincing myself that it would not be that bad. This site helped a lot since I found so many that made it through successfully and found out the details. The good part is that they get you on your feet pretty quick after surgery and there is not really much pain. The bad part is immediately after surgery, being confined to bed and the aches and pains that develop. The throat tube and chest tubes were not much of a problem for me, but the confinement to bed drove me a bit crazy. Hope this helps a little.

 

[hensylee]

Hey Mimi - welcome to our home. This is just the greatest place you could find for all your questions and you will get many answers and encouragement from now till everything is done and you are over the mountaintop.

If you don't know what to ask, start with just one question and things begin to take on a mind of their own and the information flows - as you can see in the posts above. This is the best group you could ever find. God bless

 

[McCln]

Hi Mimi

Hi Mimi

Just had my aortic valve replacement surgery a month and five days ago and doing just fine. You just hang in there. I was in the hospital for four days and have been trying to get my walking in everyday. The Doctor will tell you about rehab and or get walking in everyday after surgery. You will do fine. Waiting for the big day is the hard part.





Caroline
St jude's valve
9-13-01

 

[Nancy]

Hi Mimi

Hi Mimi

Want to wish you the very best with your upcoming surgery. You've found the greatest website for "handholding" prior to this landmark event in your life.

All of the people here understand your problems and fears and as a group have a wealth of information on the many issues involved with the days leading up to the surgery and the days following the surgery.

My husband Joe has had 3 open heart surgeries. He has a mitral and aortic valve, both mechanical, and just had a repair on his mitral valve.

The doctors who do these surgeries are very, very expert and you will be in the best of hands. You will do just fine.

 

[mhubbard]

Welcome to the group. I am brand new to this site as well and have found more info. that is useful to me than all othe sites combined.

Marty

 

[mimi314]

surgery scheduled

surgery scheduled

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. My surgery is scheduled for Nov. 1. I have a pretty good idea now what to expect...had a long conference with my surgeon. We've decided to go with a tissue valve, even though at my age, I may have to have it redone some day. Right now I'm busy with preparations to be in the hospital for several days and out of the office for a few weeks. Recovery time is what I'm not too sure about. Four weeks? Six weeks?
As long as I stay busy, I'm OK. Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep for thinking about it is the pits. Right now it's 4:00 AM here...I woke up at 2:30 and gave up and just got up. Great time for catching up on email!
I'll keep in touch with y'all. Thanks again, Barbara (mimi)

 

[sylviayasgur]

hey mimi!
have you tried the guided imagery tapes by diane tusek? i use those when i get up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. they are just wonderful. she posted a note in one of the threads on the forum. she can be reached at 440-944-9292 and you can check out her website at: [email protected]. i still use the tapes when joey wakes me at night or when he snores. they are just great. (others here will attest to this too.)

good luck and please keep us posted.
be well,
sylvia

 

[mimi314]

Tapes

Tapes

Thank you Sylvia for the info on the tapes. I'll check them out. Barbara

 

[Nancy]

Hi Mimi-

Just wanted to wish you Bon Voyage as you sail toward your surgery on Thursday. We'll all be here waiting to hear about your surgery and all the details.

Here's to better health!

 

[mimi314]

Nancy and Sylvia

Nancy and Sylvia

Nancy..thanks so much for the kind words. I go in tomorrow for pre-op tests. I'm ready to get this thing over with.
Sylvia...I just realized it was you that recommended the CD to me. I use it every night and have been sleeping much better. I really believe there's a little hypnosis hidden in there somewhere! I'm planning to take it to the hospital with me.
Nancy, again, thanks. Your encouragement means a lot to me.
Later, Barbara

 

[Brade]

upcoming surgery

upcoming surgery

Hi Mimi,
I too am having surgery soon Nov 6,7 or 8th. Although I'm supposed to get my Mitral Valve repaired, the chance of a replacemant is always there. Anyway, I beleve the waiting is the worse. I've been trying to get to Cleveland since April. My Insurance Co. finally agreed to pay at in network prices, and here I am 4 days to go before the flight. Hang in there, you have a lot of people rooting for you, including me.