2 Months Out - Preperation Suggestions?

[lieb2101]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I've been trying to keep my attitude upbeat but it's not always easy. I am slightly excited about having a fully functional heart for the first time in my life but I'm completely bummed out about the recovery time. The fact that I probably won't be 100% for maybe a year is going to be difficult for me. Between snowboarding, kiteboarding, mountain biking, and trying to keep up with my wife while hiking across mountain ranges, I like to keep myself going. I'm afraid I'll be clawing at the walls.

That said, I wanted to get some more feedback and suggestions. I have the "luxury" of knowing my surgery is out two months right now. I go in on Jan. 22nd. I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do now to prepare physically, mentally, and organizationally.

1) I know I'm not supposed to do much of anything (uni-cuspid aortic valve w/ aortic anyrism ~5cm) but I was wondering how weight and cardio fitness levels affect recovery. Should I be worried about dropping weight and increasing my fitness level? I've put on a good 15lbs over the last few months due to my cardio limitations and I haven't had much luck with dieting.

2) Are there any items around the house that come in handy? My wife will be working so after the first week or so I'll be on my own with the dogs. I'm planning on buying a recliner soon and borrowing my parent's treadmill but I wanted to see if there's anything that I'm not thinking of.

3) Does anyone have any suggestions for immune system boosting supplements? I'm scared from the infection stories that I've read and if I can prepare my body to fight it then I will. However, how does that come into play with a pig valve? Are there also concerns of tissue rejection?

4) Not that I want to unearth any insurance nightmares but are there any suggestions for dealing with insurance? I'm going into UofM and I've got BCBS of MI coverage through my work on the community care plan. My HR information tells me that I'll have 100% coverage but I don't buy it. Are there any hidden costs that I should brace for? It's going to be hard enough being on disability but to make matters worse, we're still paying off a new addition on our house.

5) Snowboarding. My Cardiologist says ok. My Surgeon says no way. In reality, there is no way I'll be able to keep myself off of a snowboard before the surgery. Especially since I have a paid for vacation to Colorado the week before my surgery. I know I'm at risk with an anyrism but I really don't get my heart rate over 125 on a board. The surgeon is more worried about impacts. I don't do anything "extreme" and I certainly don't jump. (I'm a big dude). Actually, I'm more worried about the altitude. Can anyone provide any suggestions with regards to winter activity and altitude?

Thanks again to everyone who makes it through my posts. I can ramble at times but it's great to have a community to share this experience with. It certainly makes things easier. I'm sure I'll have many many more questions as the day gets closer.

-Brian

 

[MikeHeim]

I will offer advice on a few of the questions, and I'm sure others will come along to help with others. First of all, I did a 35-mile backpacking trip at about 10,000 ft. about seven months after surgery. Feeling completely back to normal can take a year, or more, but by no means will you be an invalid for that time period. Things come back in stages, and there are times where you will be surprised at how well you are doing, and others where you will be extremely frustrated. The questions I can help with:

3. Your surgeon will most likely put you on a regimen of vitamins for 1-2 weeks before surgery. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I recall iron supplements, magnesium supplements, and a few other compounds that I didn't even know the reason for. I assume the exact concoction is pretty surgeon-specific.

4. I wouldn't assume that the insurance company is going to screw you. Mine didn't I don't get the sense that such a thing has happened around here much at all (except for getting life insurance post-op, but that's a different story). I had BCBS as well, and I didn't pay a dime. Of course, I had long since reached my $1250 out of pocket maximum for the year because of my TEE, angiogram, and other assorted diagnostic tests. For me, UCLA contacted BCBS directly and checked to make sure everything was in line the day before my surgery. I doubt that is uncommon as the hospital has to make sure they are going to get paid as well!

5. I'll be interested to see what others will say about altitude and what guidance they have been given. The lower oxygen at altitude means that your heart has to pump harder to get the same amount of oxygen to your muscles. This causes higher blood pressure (especially if you are exerting yourself) and I can't imagine that would be a good idea for someone with an aneurysm as large as yours.

Hope this helps somewhat.

 

[WayneGM]

1) Tough question....my observation from this forum is that very fit individuals tend to bounce back faster but that's just my observation from the postings and I have no basis in fact.

2) I got a chair for the shower for the first couple of weeks. Lots of pillows to prop yourself up with in bed. Believe it or not....a feather.....when my incision was really itchy and I'd be tempted to scratch, it was actually a soothing way to relieve the desire to scratch (this was a suggestion of one of the nurses at the hospital).

5) I'd listen the Surgeon before the Cardio. Accidents happen.

Best wishes.

 

[DeWayne]

We had 100% insurance coverage, the Hospital called got all the approval ahead of time, everything done we didn't see a thing other than invoices that came later outlining things. Never had a single problem with the insurance company.

As for other things to prepare you for the first few weeks after there is a thread on here somewhere with all kinds of great suggestions of things to have while in and out of the hospital.

 

[kman]

good questions.
I wouldnt worry to much about the weight,I lost fifteen pounds since surgery, probably half of it muscle, I went into this in O.K shape and didnt expect to lose so much weight so Ive put myself on a high protien diet, nuts, fish, protien bars etc.
As far as climbing the walls after surgery I cant help you there other than to say thats exactly what Ive been doing the last three weeks since I got out of the hospital, I try to be gratefull to be alive and remind myself to have patience that this will pass and I will be better off.
as far as having someone around I really needed someone my first week out, I couldnt have made it without help, but after that I managed O.K although I didnt have dogs to deal with.
Stay focused on the fact that you get stronger every day, that helps me to keep a positive attitude.
Keep us posted and good luck.
Keith

 

[temp69]

you can fall down the stairs...

you can fall down the stairs...

a friend took her kids skiing
didn't want to risk an injury because she was "in charge"
she fell down the stairs and broke her ankle
caused all kinds of fuss
people racing up to mammoth
in the snow
changing of the guards
emergency rooms.

if she's just skiied she'd be fine
i was apprehensive post op to ski
just bought a helmet and went for it
one surgeon, cardiologist said my skiing days were over
but she's out of shape herself and doesn't ski

so...live your life, go ahead and go

T

 

[ruth]

Hi there, welcome Brian!

1) I think you 'aortics' bounce back faster than us 'mitrals'. JMHO...
2) I LOVED my wedge pillow, let me sleep in my own bed. Get a heart monitor to go with that treadmill or consider cardiac rehab.
3) Didn't do any supplements, wasn't instructed to.
4) No insurance troubles, $250 copay for the surgery and unbelievably $30/session x 36 sessions of cardiac rehab which was a thousand dollars (worth every penny for me though). Relatively speaking the surgery was a bargin!?!
5) I canceled my ski vacation over Xmas just before surgery, due to warmth & rain here in the east, though if I'm honest with myself I felt pretty crummy pre-surgery (but I would have gone....). Do you have shortness of breath? I've skied above 10K feet and it can be hard to breathe for us sea level folk even without heart troubles. Sorry, didn't see where you're from.

Don't push yourself, the goal is to get INTO surgery before any serious damage happens so they can FIX you. Take it easy, even if you have to climb some walls. Easy for me to say, huh? Seriously, though, you want to go into the surgery in one healthy piece so while I understand that you're itching to hit the slopes you do want to lay back and not push yourself.

Oh, and look for the bright side, this will be a unique time for you to slow down for a bit while your body heals.

I wish you all the best.

Peace,
Ruth

 

[Marguerite53]

I must say, you have an interesting attitude. Your surgeon....the person with whom you are entrusting your life, has said NO to snowboarding. And yet you say you will go anyway? Of course it is true that you could fall down the stairs at any given moment and result in the same type of impact. But why are you willing to risk it? Colorado is gorgeous. People there are wonderful. Why not go out and buy yourself a new digital camera and go out and take some winter wonderland photos....or photos of others' snowboarding prowess? Why not take this as an opportunity to learn something else?

I hope you will not be herding large dogs around on their leashes post surgery? Any pulling is quite contrary to proper healing of the sternum. The first few days you may be hard pressed to even open the refrigerator....or unscrew the cap on your pain-killers. While not debilitating...the first few days you will be unusually weak. It is almost rather funny how weak we all are. You will not want to do a lot of reaching either. So if dog food or any personal items are down deep in cupboards, or up high on shelves, you might want to bring them to better reaching distance.

Try to think of this as a journey to a strange new land. It requires a new way of thinking for a few weeks, perhaps a few months. But that is all. It's just a little hiccup in your life. You should try to resolve to allow the event to set the rules. You're being given your whole future with this surgery. Surely you can put aside afew things for the promise of that?

Just my 2 cents!

Marguerite

 

[Philip B]

Concerns

Concerns

Hi Brian,

Here are some answers to your questions from my personal experience. Please keep in mind that experiences and perspectives vary quite a lot.

1) I'm not a fitness junkie, but I was in decent shape before my AVR surgery last March. I think being fit was one of the things that contributed to my speedy recovery. Being overweight prior to surgery was not a problem for me. I did lose over fifteen pounds as a result of the surgery. Try not to worry too much; it causes a lot of stress.

2) There are a lot of experiences folks can relate here. I tried sleeping in my recliner, but couldn't make it work for me. The couch with lots of pillows worked for me. I spent six weeks post-op sleeping on the couch. Post-op exercise is important, but it's important to find exercise activities that you enjoy. I really enjoyed doing a formal cardiac rehab program at our local hospital. If you enjoy walking on a treadmill, borrow your parent's machine. Both of our chocolate labs were very attentive following my surgery. One was actually kind of upset with me for taking his spot on the couch.

3) I didn't use any immune system boosting supplements. There's lots of information available on this site regarding tissue valves. My surgeon told me some general stuff about tissue valves eventually needing to be replaced due to the body's systems causing the valve tissue to degrade. You'll undoubtedly find lots of opinions and information regarding how long the present generation of tissue valves last. I opted for a mechanical rather than a tissue.

4) Dealing with insurance can be a hassle, but it really depends on the company you're dealing with. My wife and I went into my surgery knowing that our insurance was lousy, but we decided not to worry about it. The bottom line for us was knowing what the result of me not having surgery would be. Again, this is one of those things that can create a lot of stress if you let it.

5) I live in the mountains of Colorado and am an avid "tele" and back country skier. My skiing season ended last February when my surgery in March was scheduled. Even though I live and play at altitude, I figured there was little sense of taking chances with my aneurysm. I spent the week before my surgery playing golf in Mexico. Initially, my surgeon advised me to cancel my trip to Mexico because of concerns about the aneurysm. His concern disappeared when I pointed out that Mazatlan had better medical facilities than the small mountain community I live in. I don't know where you are planning to ski in January, but unless we get more snow up here before you vacation is scheduled, you might want to go some place else. Things are pretty thin right now.

-Philip

 

[VikiVix]

hang in there

hang in there

Hi
It has taken me almost a year to see definite changes which on is I have rosy cheeks again and my hands and feet don't get really cold.
I have a valve from a cow and never had to take rejection meds and haven't had any problems.
As for exercise, I was told by doctors and nurses to "chill". Then they offered cardiac rehab exercises and classes that were very informative.
Another suggestions is finding something to stay occupied with that you can sit relaxed and do. Maybe discover some hidden talent at painting, drawing, or writing articles or a book about your experience.
Most important of all.........you are going to start the new year with a second chance at life and nothing can beat that!
Viki

 

[KatieD]

Brian,

It?s great that you?re thinking these things through in advance. You?ll find that every individual?s recovery is different. I had no symptoms pre-surgery and believe I exercised at a pretty good level. I am 5 months post surgery and I?m back to my normal exercise regime.

My sister (who also had OHS) gave me some great advice on preparation for surgery that she had gotten from someone else who had been through it. Buy one of those breathing devices to exercise your lungs. I bought the Voldyne 5000 Volumetric Exerciser 5000ml and starting working on my lungs about a month in advance. Once you?re out of surgery you?ll get constant visits from the respiratory folks making you do your breathing exercises. I could hit the mark every time with no problem, but they drove me nuts coming by at every time of night and day as if nothing else in my recovery mattered!

Sherri

 

[Philip B]

Preparation Stuff

Preparation Stuff

Hi Brian,

I don't know if your Colorado snowboarding trip is still on for January, but snow conditions are improving here. We've finally been hit with some big storms. The storm that's presently rolling through here should allow most of the resorts to get more acres open.

-Philip

 

[lieb2101]

Thanks Philip,

Unfortunately, my symptoms have finally caught up with me, either that or I'm reaaalllly out of shape. Either way, I just had to cancel my vacation
It wasn't easy but it's better than going and having a bum time or worse...
I hate being responsible!

 

[Philip B]

Cancellation

Cancellation

Brian,

Sorry to hear about your cancellation, but the mountains and snow will be here next year. Get the surgery done, get the recovery and rehab stuff going, and you'll be ready.

It's not a bad thing to be careful.

-Philip