a few questions...pre-op

[dj/utvolsfan]

1. How long should I tell my dad and sister to plan to hang around after surgery? They are both coming in from out of state and I don't want to keep them at Cleveland longer than I have to. If my hospital stay is 4 to 5 days, I am hoping that maybe by morning of day three - evening of day two, I can send them home. Any sooner than that? That would possibly give me a day or two max (barring any complications) without anyone there with me. My daughters are going to come up and get me (4 hour trip) to bring me home. I was hoping it would be a discharge, get in car, drive and stop, drive and stop, then sleep when I get home. Do we HAVE to stay in Cleveland post discharge? All of my kids are college students and I hate to keep them out of classes.
2. Is it possible to 'do it alone' by day three or four if I have to?
3. Will Cleveland now become my main cardio care people? Any other words, have I said good-bye to the Charleston Cardiology people for annuals, testings, etc.??? I don't think I will mind.
4. At what point in my recovery can I attempt a walk of a half a mile or so? At what point can I expect to sneak out and do these walks on my own whenever I feel like it.
5. I am being told I can possibly come back to work at three weeks post-op cause with teaching there is no heavy lifting, etc. However, if I want to lose control of my class, all I have to do is be stuck behind my desk!!! I don'
t want to sound like a whimp, but teaching is VERY stressful and I can't imagine coming back at 3 weeks no matter how much I love my kids!!! I am thinking more like 5 weeks or so. Geez, I was off 6 weeks for a hysterectomy. Are you telling me for Open Heart Surgery, a three week time off is standard???
6. POST-OP ..... I always always always get sick and have major anxiety when I wake up from any kind of surgery....I have this fear of throwing up with a ventilator down my throat. What are the chances? Are the nurses in charge of me at Cleveland going to take my concerns seriously enough to drug me to the maximum allowed by law??? I know that sounds silly, but I am such a wuss when it comes to post-op. Is it possible to be drugged to the point where I won't even remember coming out of surgery?
7. Will I be out of it before I am wheeled into surgery? Am I going to be thinking how brave I am when it is actually the meds working?
8. If all I am on is Toprol, will I be on any meds at all after surgery if my problem is going to be fixed? I don't take Toprol for high blood pressure.
9. Once I am home, how long do I have to have my daughters with me 24/7??
10. One of my closest teacher friends is wondering if my 'spaciness' will improve once my oxygen flow is normal. When I told him about 'pumpheadiness' and or cognitive compromises, we both groaned. I have always been on top of things and able to express myself, etc. In the last two or so years, I have noticed, I am just spacey and I lose my thought process sometime in the middle of conversations. There isn't dementia or anything like that in the family. I wonder if I have attention deficit disorder? I teach those kids, so I know what I am looking at. There just seems to be air up there in places where there used to be the gray matter.
11.. One more for now, how long do most ohs surgeries last? Mine is fairly simple ohs...Doctor said the hardest part with me will be opening me up.(shuddering right now at the thought), then on to the snipping of a pesky membrane, do a tee and an echo and repair two valves...possibly only one will need repaired.
Ok, that is all I have for now. Oh, can someone help me find the links to what to take to the hospital? Can't find them.
I know my post is entirely too long and I do apologize. I promise to keep them short for now on! Can't imagine having any more questions!
Thanks in advance! Debbi

 

[Praline]

Dear debbi..

Dear debbi..

I will leave most of your other questions for other posters since my surgery was done locally and I am not familiar about how Cleveland does things.

But I am also a teacher. I cannot imagine going back to work in 3 weeks. It will be 5 weeks this coming Wednesday since my surgery and I am definitely not ready to go back to teaching. Last week I went grocery shopping with my husband and when we got home , I was exausted.

I have an incision about 9 inches long. I cannot pick up anything over 10 pounds. I can put clothes in the washer if they are light and then back in the drier, but I cannot do that with towels and sheets. I cannot make up the bed.

It is hard to project my voice for some reason. When I want to call the dogs to come in, it is hard to yell loud enough. I think talking all day would be exausting for me.I also have a hard time concentrating for long periods of time.

I have a post-op appointment tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.

I am almost 65 years old though. Maybe young people recuperate faster.

Good luck with your surgery.

 

[Superbob]

Slow Down and Use Your Help

Slow Down and Use Your Help

Debbi,

Speaking just from my experience (which is all I have to go on), I would recommend that at least one family member remain at or near the hospital for your entire stay. My wife and son were nearby (I put them up at a nearby hotel offering a discounted rate), They weren't bedside all the time, but I think it is important for someone to just check on what's going on with the care (mine was excellent) from time to time.

I would think you would want to have local cardio care when you get home, and perhaps just keep contact with Cleveland.

You probably will get a post-op walking schedule expressed in times instead of distances -- maybe as little as 5 minutes initially, working up to 20 mins, 30 mins, etc. I would not get hung up on distances. Do what is comfortable, do it regularly, but don't over-do. If you can get into a cardiac rehab program, you most likely would benefit from the planned and monitored exercise. Many of us have. I swear by it.

Coming back to a demanding job like teaching at three weeks sounds way too early to me. I was told I couldn't even drive a car for a month. Your cardio care people no doubt will have recommendations for when to return to work. Six weeks sounds more reasonable to me. Certainly no sooner than a month.

I doubt many people were more stressed out beforehand about the ventilator than me! As it turned out, I did have to stay on it a little extra time, but it was no big deal. They watch you VERY closely in the ICU and you are still at least halfway out of it from the meds. Just try to relax about that. Think about it doing the work for breathing for you for a little while. Some people say it's out even before you wake up and that may be what happens in your case.

I can only say I was totally out of it before I was wheeled into surgery. Should be no worries there.

I was on some new meds right after my surgery, but only for a week or two for some of them before going back to the old reliables. That could be different if you are getting repair rather than replacement, I don't know.

I am just guessing, but it seems to me possible that your current unrepaired heart condition might be contributing to the "spaciness" to which you refer. I will bet that you will feel better in every way -- physically and mentally -- after this is done.

The time of surgeries varies considerably. My cardiologist told me ahead of time that mine was so complex it sometimes took 11 hours However, he also told me (and he was right) that my surgeon (named below) was the best there is at doing this procedure. It took him just 5 hours.

Sounds like you are understandably worrying about everything at once right now. Try to take some deep breaths, warm baths, whatever you do for relaxation -- soothing music or whatever. Let your family and friends help you when the time comes. Yes, let yourself be pampered some. You are a teacher, and special person, and you deserve it.

Cheers,

Bob

(Fellow Vols fan)

 

[MikeHeim]

Whew! I'll try to take a run at these for you:

1. I was very happy to have visitors everyday while in the hospital. You will be in a lot of discomfort (not so much pain), and being able to talk to other people is a very good way to pass the time and forget about it. Plan on reading being really difficult and your concentration being shot for at least a few days.
2. It's certainly possible, but not preferable.
3. After discharge, I was completely handed off back to my cardiologist. In fact, if you call your surgeon's office 2-3 weeks after discharge they will probably tell you that you are no longer their patient and you need to call your cardiologist.
4. I could walk a half mile at around two weeks. As far as going on walks on your own, I would just wait until you've been able to do them pretty comfortably with somebody else. I wouldn't hesitate to do any walk on your own at any point as long as you have a cell phone and someone to call to pick you up if things go badly. This happened to me and I can't stress enough that when you run out of gas, you will be out of gas.
5. I just came back to work after ten weeks and am still having trouble. Lifting is not the only way to get yourself into a bad spot. I remember getting dead tired if I stood for more than 15-20 minutes even one month post-op. Breathing is another issue. If you are teaching and talking all day, you might have some issue with breathlessness. Take as much time off as you can and hopefully you can come back as close to 100% as possible.
6. I was really worried about waking up with the breathing tube down my throat. However, they remove it as you begin to show signs of consciousness and I have virtually no memory of it.
7. They never told me at the time, but I'm pretty sure they had me on Valium as the wheeled me into the operating room. I was pretty calm considering what was about to happen. Totally conscious, but not for long!
8. I can't help you on this one. I am still on a beta blocker, but haven't been given any indication how long I will be on it.
9. I think about one week would be nice. I had my parents around for about two weeks and I'm pretty sure they didn't do anything except enjoy the California weather during week #2.
10. I have the same problem. Before and after surgery.
11. Mine lasted about five hours, which I understand to be longer than most repairs. Both my anterior and posterior leaflets needed to be repaired, as well as some "trimming" of my atrium on that side. As far as a breakdown of the five hours - I have no idea. I know there is considerable time getting you hooked up with anesthesia and other good stuff before the cutting even begins. I was asleep, so it didn't seem that long at all.

 

[dj/utvolsfan]

To Bob----Go Vols - Both Men and Ladies!

To Bob----Go Vols - Both Men and Ladies!

Thanks so very very much for taking the time to help me through all my ridiculous questions. I feel so much better having read your responses....especially the pre-op wheeling in and the post-op wake up!!! Geez, for some reason, these things are the biggies in my pea brain.
I am counting on your opinion of the spaciness issues! Lord, I would love it if I get back one or two of my original IQ points!!
Do these surgeries generally take place early in the morning? I can't imagine having to wait for two or four hours once I am wide awake. I would also love to be Dr. Pettersson's first surgery of the day!
One of my students gave me a tetris hand out video game to take with me to Cleveland and I have to admit (much to the enjoyment of my kids) that I have found that is a great way to escape my mind and just lose myself in the uselessness of that particular game. I have been getting into some music too. My oldest daughter and I have always dreamed of taking salsa dance lessons together so this weekend we were actually able to think of the 'let's schedule it this summer' instead of the usual 'some day' routine!
Thanks again, Bob, fellow Vols fan! You are obviously a wonderful person!
Debbi

 

[Phyllis]

Debbi, here is the thread you were looking for about what to take to the hospital: http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13283
We really should post it under research or some place like that so it is easily found.

 

[geebee]

Debbi,

Most surgeons schedule morning and afternoon surgeries. If you feel strongly about a morning surgery, ask. There may be a reason for scheduling and, if morning is not possible, I am sure you will be given a reason. However, don't argue too much - you don't want to allienate someone who will be holding your heart in his hands.

You have some great responses so I will just echo the "you should have someone with you every day" sentiments. I know it is hard to ask and you will feel like you are putting someone out but I think you will find your family more than willing to be by your side. This is a time for you and you need the care.

 

[dj/utvolsfan]

Praline

Praline

Praline, You give me an idea of what I can and cannot expect during my recovery! As a fellow teacher, I feel confident your comments about your recovery will mirror my recovery as well. I need my voice. I teach all day and during a normal day, my voice can weaken as do my legs!! By my last class which is 2 to 3:30, I am up front or walking around and then back at the board teaching every second of that class. With my special ed resource kids, I don't have the luxury of being able to give them 90 minutes of the same activity and expect them to stay on task. Just from the creative end of things, I don't think I could handle too much at three weeks post-op. I am sure my doctors will listen to me and let me by the guide as to when I am capable of returning to work....at least I hope they will listen to me! Take care fellow Bajou Baby!

I will leave most of your other questions for other posters since my surgery was done locally and I am not familiar about how Cleveland does things.

But I am also a teacher. I cannot imagine going back to work in 3 weeks. It will be 5 weeks this coming Wednesday since my surgery and I am definitely not ready to go back to teaching. Last week I went grocery shopping with my husband and when we got home , I was exausted.

I have an incision about 9 inches long. I cannot pick up anything over 10 pounds. I can put clothes in the washer if they are light and then back in the drier, but I cannot do that with towels and sheets. I cannot make up the bed.

It is hard to project my voice for some reason. When I want to call the dogs to come in, it is hard to yell loud enough. I think talking all day would be exausting for me.I also have a hard time concentrating for long periods of time.

I have a post-op appointment tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.

I am almost 65 years old though. Maybe young people recuperate faster.

Good luck with your surgery.

 

[ArleneT]

Debbi,

You sound like you are right where I was before surgery. I had lots of questions also. One thing that helped me a ot was to talk to someone who had gone through the procedure. If you would like to talk, let me know and I'll send you a number to call.

1 and 2. I had someone with me the whole time and don't think I would have liked doing it alone for any portion.

3. They sent me home with copies of all my records and told me to make follow up appointments with my local cardiologist.

4. I just got back from my third walk for the day. My surgery was two weeks ago today and I'm doing 1/2 mile quite comfortably. I could push it and do more, but don't see the point. I'm just slowly increasing it daily. As of now, my husband is still going with me, but I probably could do them alone now.

5. I was told to not drive for 6 weeks. No exceptions. I am lucky in that I can start working when I feel like it and do it from home at my own pace. Talked to my boss today and plan to start doing half-days tomorrow. As for going to the office, I am going to wait the 6 weeks. In the meantime, I am going to continue to try to build my strength daily.

6. I think I was fortunate. They removed the breathing tube while I was still in the OR.

7. I was wide awake while waiting in the hall on a stretcher and while they put the IVs in my arm in the OR. This was the reason they were able to take the breathing tube out early. If they had given me pre-meds, they would have had to leave the tubes in longer afterwards.

8. I was taking a med for high blood pressure before the surgery and am not on one now. When I was first released, I was on Lasix, Potassium, iron, Prilosec to protect the stomach lining for the first month, and low dose aspirin. They gave me a script for Tylenol3, but I haven't had it filled. I only took the Lasix and Potassium through yesterday.

9. I'm not sure how to answer this one. I'd be more comfortable with someone for at least a week, but everyone probably has a different answer for this one.

Hope this has helped a little.

Arlene

 

[dj/utvolsfan]

Arlene!!!

Arlene!!!

It is so nice chatting via this thread to you now cause on my way to Cleveland two weeks ago, you were in my thoughts and prayers as I was making my way up the interstate to The Clinic for my two days of testing. From your posts, I can tell you had a great experience there! Oh wow, I love the thought of having the tube out before I even wake up! How was your waking up? Were you in unbelievable pain or was it just discomfort or were you drugged to the gills?
Thanks for posting. I will take that phone number if you don't mind. My email is [email protected] if you want to go that route. You have helped a ton! Debbi

 

[ArleneT]

I wasn't in any pain at all when I woke up so they must have had me pretty medicated. However, I never really have had chest pain except when I coughed or sneezed. The back was a different story. Behind my left shoulder hurt as long as I was in bed. So, I spent the majority of time in a high back upholstered chair.

I emailed the phone number to you.

Arlene