Waiting impatiently

[Ron K]

Hi,

I discovered this forum through a search engine a couple of weeks ago and I have been reading many of your posts on a fairly regular basis.

I am tentatively scheduled to have an aortic valve replacement and a mitral valve repair at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital on Feb. 26. The surgeon in Dr. Michael Acker.

My family physican discovered a murmer about 5 years ago and I have been followed with echocardiograms and cardiology examinations since then, the last four years being done at the U. of P.

In September, my cardiologist told me it was time to start thinking about when to have the surgery done and to get a TEE for better data. The TEE was done in early Nov. and I met with the cardiologist and then with the surgeon just before Christmas.

I have requested that the surgery be done in late Feb. as my son will be able to come down from Vt. for about 10 days to help my wife. My daughter will also be helping. She lives locally and has more flexibility in getting time off from her job.

My lovely wife, Mary, is a strong and supporting person, but I know she and I will both feel better if the kids are around to help us. Mary will be retiring at the end of this month and we are looking forward to many happy years ot traveling and being together. Early retirement has been a goal of ours since the kids finished college.

Well, that's enough background for now. I have a lot of interesting things to add, but this is already getting too long. I would just like to ask for your support and suggestions. You have all been where I am now and you know the anxiety and concerns I am having. I have found some comfort in the posts that I have already read and I admire your willingness to help others as they go through the process.

I'm pleased to be member #300 and I plan to be a regular contributor to this forum. I look forward to hearing from you.

(Perry -- watch out for the Eagles this weekend.)

 

[Perrster]

WELCOME #300!

WELCOME #300!

Ron,

Your number status is not as important as your name, face and situation here at vr.com. I'm sure Hank has been anticipating the day when membership would top 300.

So, welcome and we will all do our best to help. Are you going to join the mechanical side or the animal valve side? This site has both and we'll support you all the way.

Oh yeah, the Bears-Eagles game should be a good one! I'm thinking about putting my treadmill right in front of the TV!

Cheers!

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Ron,

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us all here. I am sure that you will have much information to contribute as you move forward with your plans, and the folks here can provide you with some answers to any questions or concerns that you may have.

Post often!

Wishing you good health,
Rob

 

[Nancy]

Hi RonK, Welcome

Hi RonK, Welcome

Hi RonK-

You'll love this site, everyone here knows what you're talking about. You don't find that in your everyday life. Most people don't know anybody who's had valve replacement. So you're in the right place.

If you've been lurking for a while, you know the wonderful support that's available for you and your loved ones here.

We all hope that you'll take full advantage of info. here and the experiences.

Hope to see you often, and ask your wife to partake too.

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Ron. Come on in and pull up a chair - and welcome. This is about the greatest place you can be right now. And of course, we know your concerns as those of us who have traveled the road you are on know it's not a picnic, but generally, never as bad as we feared before surgery. Everyone will tell you that pre-surgery is the worst part - it's an unknown and we all hate the unknown. Ask whatever you like, your lovely wife, too. We are here to support. God bless

 

[Zazzy]

Hi Ron!
Welcome! We are all with you on this journey.... the waiting is the hardest to do. I'm praying that everything goes well for you.

Take care,
Zazzy

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Ron

Welcome! Wishing you all the best in your forthcoming journey. Proof in the putting.....there is life on the 'other side' of the mountain. Just keeps get better. Sounds like you have a wonderful support system going there.

So please, join us again. Ask away. We will all help you through.

Hey Hank....what's the door prize for being lucky Member 300???

 

[Ron K]

Wow!

Wow!

Thanks for all the quick responses. It was nice to hear from some of you so soon.

Waiting is definitely hard. I wish the surgery was going to be done tomorrow, at least that's how I'm feeling about 5 weeks from the scheduled date. There's only so much that I can do to prepare, things like pre-op blood tests, x-rays, EKG, trying to arrange for donating my own blood or making arrangements for designated blood donations from family members, etc.

Of course most of this can't be done until 3 or 4 weeks before the surgery, so my "achievements" have been limited to getting the necessary appointments scheduled and submitting a few forms.

I am completely asymptomatic except for some mild fatigue occasionally, which I had been attributing to just getting a little older. I'm glad I'm not enduring any pain and that my activities are not limited in any way. Several people have told me that they felt even better after their surgery. I hope that's true for me, too.

What have you found?

By the way, after a good discussion with my surgeon, I have opted for the bovine aortic valve, assuming the mitral valve can be repaired. I would prefer to not be on coumedin if I don't have to be, although I've learned from some of your members that it's not necessarily a problem and you can learn to live with it comfortably. I'd rather take my chances with a bio-valve and another operation somewhere down the line than deal with the risks associated with coumedin levels that are not high enough or too high.

The surgeon said the chances of mitral valve repair were very good, but he wouldn't know for sure until he actually opened my chest. If the mitral valve needs to be replaced, it would be an artificial valve and I would have to be on coumedin anyway, so the aortic valve replacement would then be artificial too.

I'm going to have a heart catherization on Feb. 25th and then have the surgery on the 26th. I hope to be out in about 5 days and on my way to full recouperation. Actually, I'm dreading the first few weeks after the surgery more than the operation. I've never been hospitalized over night, nor have I had any serious illnesses or injuries that laid me up for more than a few days.

What is the normal recovery period like? I know it helps to walk a reasonable amount and to do the breathing excercises, but what else can you do? I've been told I won't be able to drive for 5 weeks. Are stairs a problem? I guess shoveling snow is out, huh? : )

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jan]

Hi Ron
welcome you really have found the best place,
all your questions will be answered and you get all the support you need as you face your surgery.

I had aortic valve replacement on Jan 2nd and my recovery to date has been good, I am only taking a mild pain med morning and night, my sternum is sore but that it only to be expected
I can easily walk up stairs and am also going out each day for a walk, I do feel a bit tired but I think that is because I had very litttle sleep in the hospital.

I really do feel better since the surgery, my husband says I am now walking at a normal pace ,I used to walk slow because I got out of breath easy.

The waiting is the worse but try and not worry as I am sure you will do fine

Kind thoughts
Jan

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi ron!
welcome to this site; it's a wonderful place. everyone here, as you already know, is extremely supportive and great at hand-holding. they have been my saviour throughout my husbands surgery.
the waiting is truly the worst part. i think you will find that there are some folks who were in the hospital for 4 days and others who had to stay 10 or more because of complications. i think joey would have been out after a few days had it not been for the fact that he went into a-fib his 3rd day post -op )and wouldn't allow him to walk around at all). the few days he was not in a-fib, they had him walking all over the place, including up and down stairs right there in the hospital (we have stairs at home). the walking was great and actually made him feel better.
there are some threads and postings about what to take with you and what you might want to eat (most people, including joey, lose their appetite), for ex. mara recommended ice pops which turned out to be a godsend.
i wish you all the best in your surgery. this type of surgery is done so routinely today, i'm sure there's nothing to worry about.
incidentally, joey finally told me that while playing tennis on vacation he felt he had not breathed that deeply in years!! music to my ears!
i hope to see you back here over the next 5 weeks while you wait.
be well and God bless,
sylvia

 

[Nancy]

Hi Ron-

The short term recovery is around 6 weeks. You'll be feeling better each day during this period. You'll be quite tired and sore and will be busy doing things like your breathing spirometer and walking as much as you can. We went to the malls. Mostly you'll be resting and recovering. Some of the pain meds will make you very drowsy. If you go home with diuretics, they will keep you busy all by themselves. You will not be "as sharp as a tack" during those first few weeks and may lack concentration, but that will improve as you recover. You may find it hard to sleep for long periods of time.

The long term recovery varies a great deal. First time patients and those who are younger and are not in a very difficult situation prior to surgery usually do better than those who have redos, are older or have been very sick prior to surgery. It can take 6 months to a year to feel completely better. Your body has a lot of healing and adjusting to do after this surgery.

As far as stairs go, they never let my husband home without phys. therapy taking him for a stair walk prior to discharge.

He can't shovel snow, and has been warned several time to never do it. That's what he has me for. I run the snowblower.

Wishing you the best. Glad you have your date.

 

[Bill Hall]

Hi Ron - I lived in central NJ and worked at Ft Monmouth for most of my career (Va now). Anyway, UPenn hospital was a place I was considering for surgery, a good choice for you. My Mitral was repaired and Aortic replaced by Homograph (human valve) in Cleveland. I take no medication, but was asymptomatic before surgery and feel about the same now as before surgery. The recovery is not too bad, most get out of the ICU quickly, it took me longer, three days. After that you are walking around, the hospital bed is just uncomfortable and hard to sleep in. Good luck and e-mail me at [email protected] if you have other questions for me.

 

[Gerry]

Hi Ron K and welcome to the "club",

You will find the club is worldwide (I live in Perth Western Asutralia).

You sound like a "young at heart" 59 year old (I am a youthful 56) and your story sounds like a mirror image of mine (that's because you're on the other side of the equator).

I had my AVR on Valentine's Day 2001 and my recovery was as per the text book - walking (aided) 18 hours after surgery, out of hospital in one week, plenty of walking and winning my first competitive tennis tournament 6 months later. I had a Homograft (human valve) for much the same reasons you are choosing a biological valve.

You certainly seem to have a good attitude in wanting to get it over with. There is plenty of information around on the internet - you can spend weeks just reading and when you need to ask a question, just ask it on this forum.

One thing, however, you need to be aware of and be prepared for : post surgery depression. It affects us all - some worse than others, and for different lengths of time. Be prepared for some tears and some mental low points, but the good news is that this is part of the mental healing process. It's not just the heart and the chest that need healing, it's also the mind.

Anyway, best of luck. It's no cake walk but it's very manageable. Worst experience for me was feeling uncomfortable in ICU, lack of sleep for the first few days after surgery and then feeling a bit "fragile" for about a week. After that, every day gets better.

Best wishes

Gerry

 

[Lanna]

HI, Ron K

It looks like we will be counting down to February 26th together. I just found out that I will be having my Ross Procedure with Dr. Stelzer in NY on the same day. I am 35 and have been waiting 1-1/2 years from the initial diagnosis, that I would need a replacement. The waiting is difficult. There is a feeling of relief knowing it will be done soon and the feeling better than ever, will be starting.

May God bless you and give you peace of mind while you wait,
Lanna