Just waiting

[emc07]

Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I would let you all know how I am doing. I am just waiting for my aortic valve replacement surgery on August 28. It's 3 weeks away and I think I am doing pretty good... It seems sometimes that the waiting is going to be the worse part of all of this... Probably not right

I just want to thank everyone again for welcoming me here. I have been reading old and new posts and it has helped me get through this. I have received a lot of information from the hospital about my stay and such, and I have all the appointments scheduled for the day before. I didn't know I would have to be there all day for the work up, that surprised me. This whole experience so far has been a strange one, but I am thankful that I live in an age that can fix something like this.

I am worried about the pain, but I know that the pain will be worth it. The last time I stayed in a hospital was when I had the first OHS when I was born, that was 31 years ago so this will be very new to me. It's the unknown variable that gets to me the most. Did or does anyone else feel like this before surgery, or is it just me?

Thanks to everyone!

See you on the other side~

 

[hall]

Nope it is not just you. All of us felt that way. The pain was not as bad as I thought. I kept ahead of it w/pain meds and gradually going to tylenol. Waiting has to be hard. To much time to think. I went in through ER so I did not have time to think. That meant I did not have time to educate myself. You have a lot of support here. Good luck to you.

 

[Ross]

We all felt that way. As already mentioned, the pain isn't what your imagining and is well controlled, so don't fret about that. Now coughing still sucks and sneezing will make you think you just died, but outside of that, you'll be fine.

 

[ricks399]

Ditto

Ditto

to all the above. I, too, worried about the pain because I knew I was going to have a sternectomy. My surgery was on July 21 and the pain was never as bad as I thought it would be. After 3 weeks I have occassional discomfort but no real pain. Of course it's one thing for people to tell you this and another to experience it yourself. But then again, we (me included) spend a lot of time worrying about things that never happen! I'll be looking forward to reading about how things are going with you both pre and post surgery.

 

[kfay]

Pain for me was really a non-issue. I was defintely uncomfortable at times, but I can honestly say I was never really "in pain". I think you'll find that if you are in alot of pain,they are pretty good at managing it. The worrying before hand was the worst part for me. Good luck and I'm sure you'll do fine.

Kim

 

[WayneGM]

I was pleasantly surprised about how little pain there was. The pain meds work wonders. I would describe it as discomfort as opposed to pain. Best wishes for a successful surgery and smooth, speedy, recovery.

 

[emc07]

Thank you!

Thank you!

That makes me feel better about all of this. Thank you all for your kind words. Well I guess there isn't a lot more to worry about. I'll just keep working and golfing

 

[ruthienc1]

I have to say, I'm not known as a particularly brave soldier, but this wasn't particularly painful for me. Yes, there's discomfort, but it's all very manageable. The one thing I didn't like was the hour I was conscious and aware of being on the vent (the other 10 I was in la-la land and have no memory of it....). Looking back, I'm surprised that it was as ok as it was. Best of luck to you!

 

[ponygirlmom]

I am worried about the pain, but I know that the pain will be worth it.

See, the cool thing about surgical pain is that you are actually asleep when they are causing the pain. So even though you hurt afterwards, you have no idea when they are actually doing it.

 

[Dawn-Marie]

Hi ~ I don't think you would be normal if you weren't scared of the pain. I think we all have been scared. I haven't had the surgery myself, but when i was in the hospital for a little over 2 weeks i chatted with quite a few other patients who did have it done and they said it wasn't nearly as bad as they had anticipated. Several of them had had to have an artery or two cleared out also, and they said that part was worse. They all left 3-4 days after surgery with smiles on their faces, so i guess it wasn't that bad. It made me so i wasn't nearly as scared as i was before i went in. My best wishes and prayers are with you for a successful surgery and an easy recovery.

 

[Lauren's_Dad]

Hi:

My surgery date is two days before yours, and I'm currently more focused on other variables (overall success of the operation, effect on family, insurance issues, etc.) rather than the inevitable post-operative pain. However, I'm guessing that my mindset will likely change as the surgery draws closer and the pain factor will become a bit more concerning.

Best wishes for a successful surgery and an uneventful recovery.

Jason

 

[Cooker]

Wishing you well ... Honestly, it is not near as bad as you might think ... I was very surprised at how little incision and sternum pain I had ... You will do fine

 

[emc07]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Again thank you everyone...

I was worried about insurance too, but my husband is taking care of that for me and told me not to worry about it. That helped me feel better about that too. I always worry about things and they are never as bad as I make them out to be. It sounds as if this surgery is another example of that. I am glad to hear that a lot of people feel it was worse than expected. That is good news.

Jason- I wish you well on your surgery and a speedy recovery.

Thanks!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello again Erica -

I notice from your profile that you were born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Have you read through the posts in the BAV and Connective Tissue Disorder Forum?

If not, I recommend that you do so as there is a LOT of good (and recent) information there, especially about the fairly high correlation of Connective Tissue Disorders and BAV which can often result in aneurism(s), particularly of the Aorta.

Have you had a Chest CT or MRI to look for Aortic Aneurisms? Again, if not, that would be a wise thing to do *before* your surgery (and before you start making babies). Note that the usual Echocardiograms do not fully visualize the entire Aorta.

IF you have an aortic aneurism, it would also be wise to ask your surgeon about her experience doing surgery of the aorta which is way more complex than 'simple' valve replacement surgery.

I'm not trying to alarm you, just want you and your surgeon to be fully prepared for anything that may show up. One of our members (from Toledo) recently had to have a repeat surgery because her local surgeon simply was 'not up to the task' of dealing with her (radiation damaged) heart and small aorta. He just sewed her back up and refered her to Dr. Bove at UofM who 'fixed her up' right.

GO BLUE !

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Curtsmum]

The waiting is sure a hard part of it all. My son as just had surgery and never moaned about pain at all. He moaned more about having to much sleep and cried when they wanted to put him asleep to take out the drainage tubes. All the best with your surgery.

 

[lisou]

The waiting is the worse, wishing you all the best, and nothing like being home after surgery for a good rest and recovery.

Lise

 

[Jkm7]

I had my second OHS in four years about five months ago. The first was an emergency so only thought about it the four or so days I was in CICU before they could do the surgery. The second one I waited about a month between being told I needed it until it was done. The wait definitely was the worst for me

Yes, I had pain but it was well controlled. Mass General considers pain management as important as blood pressure control and other vital signs. They do not want patients in pain.

I was out of CICU about 12 hours after arriving there and ate lunch just before they moved me. A half a chicken sandwich......not jello or consome or such. I was walking a little bit of the hall with DH and my nurse within 24 hours of the end of my surgery. I tell you these things to let you know for many of us, we move along very smoothly post op and start to get active immediately. The walking and breathing exercises make a huge difference in helping for speedy recovery.

EVeryone is definitely different though. There is no cookie cutter mold.
Hope things go smoothly for you.

Let us help you over the mountain. This group was wonderful in helping me and I am very appreciative.

 

[emc07]

Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for the advice!

Hello again Erica -

I notice from your profile that you were born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Have you read through the posts in the BAV and Connective Tissue Disorder Forum?

If not, I recommend that you do so as there is a LOT of good (and recent) information there, especially about the fairly high correlation of Connective Tissue Disorders and BAV which can often result in aneurism(s), particularly of the Aorta.

Have you had a Chest CT or MRI to look for Aortic Aneurisms? Again, if not, that would be a wise thing to do *before* your surgery (and before you start making babies). Note that the usual Echocardiograms do not fully visualize the entire Aorta.

IF you have an aortic aneurism, it would also be wise to ask your surgeon about her experience doing surgery of the aorta which is way more complex than 'simple' valve replacement surgery.

I'm not trying to alarm you, just want you and your surgeon to be fully prepared for anything that may show up. One of our members (from Toledo) recently had to have a repeat surgery because her local surgeon simply was 'not up to the task' of dealing with her (radiation damaged) heart and small aorta. He just sewed her back up and refered her to Dr. Bove at UofM who 'fixed her up' right.

GO BLUE !

'AL Capshaw' (a southern transplant from MI)

Thanks Al,
I did find out that my ascending aortic aneurysm is at 3 cm. I think she said. In fact, that was the whole reason for me not to get the Ross Procedure, my Dr. thought if I did, it would leak and possibly lead to the aneurysm. I will make sure if it needs to be fixed that they do it now, but I think 3 cm is the range of not too much in danger, or so I've heard. My Dr. actually works in the same office as Dr. Bove... so I feel very confident that if it were needed now they would fix it. I am having a chest X-ray the day before the surgery, as far as I know. She did say she wanted to make sure everything was confirmed before she went in and did the surgery.


Al- Thanks for the advice. I will make sure that she knows exactly what size it is and make sure the proper steps are taken now, if they are needed.

What part of Michigan did you live?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Erica,

I sent you an e-mail through VR.com.
Let me know if it gets to you through the system.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Okielady]

I'm glad you are a golfer. I golfed this weekend, the best I have played in quite some time. I am thinking that it is because I wasn't worried about my stance or my backswing or the million other things we seem to think about, no, I was thinking about the surgery and like you my first fear was the financial part the insurance won't cover and being off of work and having my family pick up the slack. I also kept thinking about how good I was (I was pretty awesome in my mind! ha, ha) and will I be able to remember after surgery and the healing what all I was doing right with my game and will I be able to step back in and play that good ever again. The one thing that I enjoy most about playing golf is being outside and getting to see the wildlife and the flowers. We golf next to a lake and when we played last week there were two mother deer with 4 babies that we watched out playing like little puppies. That is something I can always enjoy even if my golf game sucks.
Take care and keep playing.