A week from surgery [aortic aneurysm repair + aortic valve replacement @ Emory].

[Greenie93]

Hey, everyone!
My name is David, and it looks like I'm going to have my first open heart surgery just a month and a half shy of my nineteenth birthday! Hahaha.
I'm going out to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia for a thoracic aortic aneurysm repair and a biological aortic valve replacement on August 28th.

I was born with aortic stenosis, and aside from an incident as an infant where I needed an emergency angioplasty, I was doing fairly well until roughly a year ago, when my aorta shot up roughly a centimeter in diameter in just about a year's time. After plenty of deliberation, I decided to opt for the biological valve replacement, which is why I am going to Emory for my operation- the surgeons at my local hospital here didn't want to do anything other than a mechanical valve due to my age. I understand the implications of my decision, but I do not feel that I am ready to take on anti-coagulation medication for the rest of my life.

I'll be honest here- I'm extremely nervous. My anxiety has kicked up a decent amount in recent weeks, especially with a lot of other things going on in my life. I'm overweight, but I'm at least somewhat active (only less so the past year due to my restrictions from the aneurysm), young, and I'm not a smoker, so I know my odds are pretty good, but it's still a nerve-racking idea, I suppose.

One thing that is excellent though is that my surgeon says that he expects me to have absolutely zero physical restrictions when I'm fully recovered. I can't wait to be able to exercise again, because I was trying to drop some weight before finding out about the aneurysm's size and being told that I had to stop practically everything except for walking.

Either way, it's a lot of stress mentally and emotionally at the moment, and I'm not really looking forward to the recovery period.

Who knows, though. Maybe I'll get some cute nurses... :wink2: lmfao

 

[Guyswell]

David,

Good luck with your surgery. You'll do fine. I had a similar experience at the age of 41 (eight years ago). I had my native aortic valve replaced with a bovine pericardial valve and my ascending aorta repaired with a conduit. The surgery went very well and after 6-8 weeks of post-surgery recovery, I had no restrictions on my activity and I did not take blood thinners (just a baby aspirin each day). As you know, in younger patients, the tissue valves will eventually calcify and need to be replaced. There's no way to know how long your tissue valve will last. Mine lasted eight years until it became calcified and narrowed. We're still unsure why my valve failed so much earlier than average. We assume it has something to do with my metabolism. Seven weeks ago, I had my aortic valve replaced again. This time I chose a mechanical valve and now take warfarin. I've had no problems with the blood thinner and started riding my bike again this week (rode over ten miles on Sunday). I'm feeling great. In fact, next Monday, I'm playing in a charity golf tournament. Let me know if you have any questions. Now that I've been through this twice myself, I'm eager to help others going through the same thing.

 

[Duffey]

David, the emotional stress we endure before replacement is sometimes as great, if not greater than, the physical stress resulting from the surgery. I don't believe anyone was more afraid than I was, but judging from the posts that are written in the pre-surgery forum, most members feel the same amount of fear.
You have many positives going with your age being #one. The fact that you don't smoke is another big plus in a fast, complication-free recovery.
All in all, I bet you do very well.
We'll get you on the surgery calendar and will be thinking of you both before and after your replacement.:smile2:
Mary

 

[ElectLive]

David - There are more than a few of us Emory "alumni" here, although I think you most likely will have had the longest commute! I have nothing but amazing things to say about my own Emory surgeon, and he taught everyone else, so be confident that you are in good hands.

You know, there are a lot of completely healthy 18 year olds out there who are a nervous wreck (girls, high school/college, etc)...life is hard enough as it is at that age. So, in my mind, you actually seem to be handling this all very very well given the circumstances, and any nervousness you have is perfectly normal. Many report, as I do, that the anxiety actually eases as the big day approaches, as you ready yourself and just want to get it behind you. Now I won't go so far as to say the recovery period is going to be completely "easy", but certainly at your age, if you take charge of the process, and keep your determination to just keep making progress as you are able, it may just surprise you just how quick you are able to return to normal. There have been several members here in the past 6 months posting pretty astonishing progress reports of their recovery and exercise milestones.

I remember when you joined about a year ago so know you've had a long time to consider valve selection. It's one of the more rare medical decisions where patient preference really is the deciding factor, and the right choice at the time for you will always be the best decision. Yes, the decision process stinks, each choice has its downside, even more so at age 18, but your young age should also bring nothing but good news over time in terms of advances in heart valve replacement, in all areas. So, best wishes to you and look forward to hearing nothing but good news after your surgery.

 

[LouLou]

David, I wish you the best of luck. Emory is a good place to be. I had my first valve surgery there in 1989 at the age of 26. I will be having surgery #2 at Emory in the near future. Scheduled for a TEE test next week to decide on timing. I have had a mechanical valve and been on Coumadin for 23 years. My Mechanical Mitral Valve is still good, I am having the Aortic valve replaced this time. The surgeon made the decision for me because we thought it was going to be a repair and in 1989 there were not web sites like this one to do research. It is an individual personal decision and there is no right or wrong.
Who is your surgeon going to be? I am probably going with Dr. Edward Chen.
Try to not let the stress overwhelm you and understand it is perfectly normal to be stressing. In no time you will be on the road to recovery and your age will work in your favor.

Tammy

 

[Greenie93]

Thank you everyone for the support!

Guyswell-
Did the lack of restrictions after 6-8 weeks include everything, or just cardio activity? If it was different, when were you able to get back to heavy lifting? I'm looking at getting a job at one of the local shipyards around here, so I can have something stable, but I will be required to lift +45 lbs. I'm glad you're doing well after your second replacement, though. It makes me not feel quite so bad about the situation, because I know I'll be in those shoes in however long it takes for the valve to wear out. Oh, and how will I feel when the valve starts to wear down? I imagine that I'll definitely feel a difference, but does it feel like it comes on quickly, or?

Duffey- I figure that it's a tough situation no matter who is faced by it. I'm definitely scared. I'm pretty sure I almost had my first panic attack today (though, it probably doesn't help that I'm under stress to find a job and a place pretty much ASAP after recovery... I've got a lot going on, hahaha). I'll be alright though. I'm a trooper. B)

ElectLive- May I ask who your surgeon was? And I'm okay with the commute, because that's what gives me my choice. And yeah, I'm definitely just waiting to get this all behind me. It's been a tough year, with a lot of things going on outside of my heart problems, so it will be amazing to finally have at least this much taken care of.

LouLou- Yeah, I've definitely heard good things about Emory. I really hope everything goes well with your next replacement. And my surgeon is Dr. Brian Kogon. My cardiologist at Portsmouth Naval Hospital seems to have nothing but good things to say about him, so I look forward to meeting him. And I'm trying my best to relax, haha. I'm just a naturally anxious person already though.

I'll definitely keep you all informed on how everything goes! Maybe afterward, I might start a thread to show how I do on my journey to losing weight and becoming healthier, haha.

 

[Guyswell]

David,

Your surgeon will give you restrictions that are specific to you and the procedure you have. Follow your surgeon's recommendations. My first operation with aortic valve replacement and aorta repair was a longer operation and more extensive than my second operation (aortic valve only). My restrictions were the same for both operations but it took a little longer for me to regain my energy level after the first surgery.

My restrictions were as follows: no driving or riding in the front seat of a car for 6 weeks (airbags are bad for healing sternums) and no lifting, pushing or pulling of anything over ten pounds (think full gallon of milk) for six weeks.

I was encouraged to walk several times a day. After my most recent surgery, I took short walks in the hospital hallways and gradually increased my walks when I got home. My first one-hour walk with hills was about three weeks post-surgery. Today is 7 weeks post surgery and I would not try to lift 45 pounds yet. My body tells me that's too much weight for now. My chest and right shoulder are still a little tender at times and I know my sternum is still healing. When I rode my bike on Sunday, I tried not to lean too far forward because it shifted more weight to my arms and I felt little twinges in the center of my chest and in my shoulder when I hit bumps in the trail. I'll probably go easy on the cycling for another month. While my energy level permits cycling, I still want to be careful with my sternum. A few nights ago, I went to the driving range and hit about 50 golf balls and felt fine. I guess that motion doesn't put as much pressure on my sternum as leaning into my handlebars.

Tell your surgeon and cardiologist about your job plans and they will have a specific recommendation for you. I have a desk job. That’s very different from a job at the shipyards that requires so much physical activity throughout the day. You do have age on your side. I’m 49 years old. Your body will heal faster than mine.

Here’s how I knew something was going on with my valve… When riding my bike last fall, I noticed it was getting harder for me to get up the bigger hills without stopping to catch my breath. I also noticed some chest pain when going up long flights of stairs. I told my cardiologist and we did several tests including an echocardiogram that showed moderate narrowing and calcification of the valve. We scheduled a 6-month follow-up. Before the six months were up, I noticed that even lower levels of exertion caused shortness of breath and angina. At that point, it was obvious. We did follow-up tests that showed my valve had become severely restricted and calcified.

If I had to do it over again, I would have had my second surgery sooner. We were all a little surprised at how quickly I went from moderately narrowed to severely narrowed (4-5 months). One nice thing about tissue valves is that they tend to fail in a predictable way over a period of months.

It’s VERY important that you start and maintain a regular exercise program after your surgery. Walking, swimming and cycling are all excellent forms of exercise. Leading an active life will help with your weight issues, help you maintain a healthy heart and will provide an early warning when your valve starts to calcify.

I hope that helps.

 

[Rachel]

David,

I'll be thinking good thoughts for you on the 28! I think you're handling this situation very well, it is a scary time. Just take things easy until your surgery and try to focus on the recovery!

Rachel

 

[Garrett]

David, I am 19 too and had my first OHS in June. I was also born with AS and had balloon angioplasty to correct it when I was three months old. I had my aortic valve replaced with a tissue (porcine) aortic valve. I, like you, was looking to lead a more active lifestyle, which is why I chose an tissue over mechanical valve. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

-Garrett

 

[neil]

hi david just wanted to say good luck and it aint as bad as you think, this is from the worlds biggest baby when it comes to pain etc, honest you will be just fine, oh yea keep of the nurse chasing for a couple of days lol

 

[TheGymGuy]

Welcome David. You are young and will do quite fine. I had mech. valve installed 5 month back and I am hitting the iron as hard as days before surgery. Good luck mate, you will do well. Ping me on here if you have any questions.