ACCCCCCK They have changed my date back to 5/31/05

[KristaDeAnn]

Got all my pre surgery stuff out of the way today...I got my SPECIAL soap...Im sure it leaves a love tint of orange when you use it..

My date was changed BACK to 5/31/05.. .so now Im climbing the mountain ALONE... . I was going to backpack with Karla.....but not I guess I will go ahead and cut the trail back for everyone else...

I will try to get someone to post but I dont know how successful I will be at that.. Met my TEAM today...everyone was nice but the unit I will be in is a VERY busy place..dont think I will get much rest there.. I dont even get my own pump of pain medicine..?????? Does anyone know why? Or how I can get that...I really wanted that....I feel gipped.

By the way the medicine I got for my Angio that didnt DO ANYTHING to me was Versed.,(maybe spelling was wrong). I was only give two milligrams...no WONDER I was wide awake. Talked to the anthesiologist today and told him dont hold back on the knock out stuff and please knock me out before I go in the surgery room..I dont want to see all the saws... .and ugly equipment.. He was nice but he made no promises.

Now Im just ready to go...Im done worrying, done messing around...done waiting...done wishing it wasnt me.... Im packed, got my hiking boots on and Im just plain ready to come out alive AND TICKING...

Thank you EVERYONE for EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH COMFORT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME OVER THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS..IT HAS BEEN A GOD SEND.

 

[Karlynn]

Looks like the very last day of May will be a great anniversary to celebrate. Wishing you the very best!

 

[T-Money]

No Pump for Me

No Pump for Me

Hi Krista.
I was rather disappointed that I didn't get a pump either. They told me that they don't use the pump except in extreme cases where I had surgery. I think that may have to do with the fact that they want you out of there ASAP and they need you to be in condition to start moving some the day after your surgery. I think the last thing they want is for you to be drugged to the hilt and unable to get up. From what I learned, the quicker you get out of that bed and get moving, the better you will be. They did shots of Morphine on me. They worked fairly well. As far as the noise and commotion, it won't bother you on Day 1. In fact, it is probably a good thing because it may indicate that your hospital does a lot of heart surgeries, which is what you want.

 

[Mary]

Krista,
Mike Marshall is having surgery on the 31st, so you'll have a hiking companion!
You'll do great; too many of us are praying for you for it to turn out any other way.

 

[catwoman]

Krista:
I didn't have a pain pump. I got shots and then pills.

I vaguely remember being wheeled through doors the day of the surgery. Didn't see any saws or anything like that -- even though my dad had joked that he had gotten a new blade for the circular saw he was going to loan the surgeon. I shot him a rather dirty look when he said that.
He wasn't trying to be mean -- he knew I was tense and so was he, since I'm the oldest child. He was just trying to use humor to defuse my tension -- and his.

 

[geebee]

Krista,

At least they didn't postpone for a week or two

I wish you well. I didn't have a pain pump either. Had shots for the first day or so and then they switched to percocet because I tolerate that the best.

I had the pump for my hysterectomy and I didn't really find it to be any better than the shot/pill routine.

 

[jeffp]

Best wishes to you. I remember being wheeled into the OR (FYI the instument packs don't get opened until you're on the table and out), chatting and making jokes with the surgeon and perfusionist, and then I was in the recovery room. All the time between didn't exist (seemed like a few minutes later). Didn't have a pump for pain meds but had IV pain meds the first day after and then pills. Stopped them on day 2 as the pain wasn't at all that bad, but I got kinda wierd in the head as the meds (percodan) wore off.

 

[karlaosh]

You go girl.

Go on ahead and set up a nice, comfy spot for us to recover and relax.

I'll be thinking of you every step of the way.

 

[liza]

Hi Krista!
I also didn't have a pain pump and did okay. I do remember getting wheeled into the OR room, and getting strapped down to the table. Everyone was introducing themselves, and then the next thing I knew I was waking up in my room. I can't wait to hear back from you after you are done!! In my mind I built up the surgery to be the worst thing that would ever happen to me. It wasn't ANYTHING like I expected. These hospitals do a good job of making you as comfortable as possible. Godspeed to you, I'm sure everything will go uneventually! You won't be hiking alone either...we'll all be with you in spirit at least.

Liza

 

[mmarshall]

Hey Krista,
I'm in Dallas and have to be at the hospital at 5:30am (May 31) for check-in and do all of the fun blood work. They don't have to do an angio so after my blood stuff I will be off to prep work and on to surgery. They are estimating that my surgery will take place around 7:30-8:30am central time, so hopefully we can catch up with each other and hang out while we are floating around in lala land

 

[Moo]

$.02

$.02

Hi Krista.
I was rather disappointed that I didn't get a pump either.

I feel the PCA is more trouble than it's worth for simple pain management cases like OHS. I got so addicted to morphine the 1st surgery because I could hit the button every 6 minutes, that the withdrawl was worse than the pain. The second surgery I was a bit smarter and only used pain meds for the 1st 3 days, regular tylenol after that.

Just my $.02

Rich

 

[Superbob]

You'll Do Well

You'll Do Well

Krista,

A really good sign is that you're going in with your sense of humor intact -- I'm still LOL--ing about that "love soap." Remembering the scrubdowns, the pre-ops, the preps, and yes the postponements -- and very soon all that will be behind you. You're going to do great!

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Flo]

Nerves

Nerves

Am so glad to see so many upbeat remarks. Am anxious to get second opinion about my leaky valves. Just don't know what to expect and how I will get through another surgery if that is what is recommended. Want to tackle things head on however and get my life going. Am so tired and lackadaiscal these days. Is this normal? Thanks for being so honest. Flo

 

[Granbonny]

Hi Krista

Hi Krista

That dancing chicken up there posting to you..Mary..her birthday is May 31st...so you are going in on a lucky day. Look at it this way..Your surgeon will have had a 3 day Holiday. And well rested... I don't remember anything after they gave me a good-feel Shot..while he (YES, male nurse) was prepping me...Remember laughing and tellin the nurse to give my big, 6 ft son a shot..he was teary. NEXT, thing I remember..in private room, all tubes gone and daughter saying, Mom, do you want to get up and walk. I said, sure. No pain... I remember blood draws..but No shots. I think the pain med was in the handfull of pills I was given everyday...Now, I was very weak and only made it around Nurse's station once or twice a day.But, no pain.....Was weak when I came home, but walking a LITTLE everyday in house and then outside for a few weeks..helped me get the nasty drugs out of my body...My Cardio discontined all my meds at 6 weeks..Threw them away. Remember I had only taken 1/2 bottle of dovrset ..my daughter had filled... You will be fine..Just remember NOT to OVERDO it..Takes time for the body to heal...Bonnie

 

[tobagotwo]

Bonnie is right. You're now on Mary's Special List, those who have AVR on her birthday.

Your surgeon is kind of giving you the bum's rush on your concerns and requests. See if he has a special assistant, who might help get your requests closer to reality.

I hate feeling groggy and detached. You could ask for Fentanyl, instead of morphine. It is a cousin of morphine, but is not as hard on the digestive tract, and leaves most people more lucid. At least, I seemed (and felt) much more alert than those around me, and would definitely use it again. It does come in a patient-controlled pump, or even in a patient-controlled patch.

You would need to ask your surgeon or attending cardiologist for the pump. They can arrange it for you, if they want to.

You don't really get to sleep much in the hospital anyway, as someone is checking your pulse and BP every two hours, weighing you frequently, and giving you bed chest x-rays every time they remove a tube or wire.

I'm sorry you have to go ahead of the others, but the sooner it is over with, the sooner you can begin your new life, and that is a wonderful thing.

Put some studs into the heels of those hiking boots and go for it...

Best wishes,

 

[KristaDeAnn]

Its going to be okay. .I just know it. I have always been more of a leader than a follower. .so Im sure that is why this happened so I can get a head start. My surgeon Dr. Nan Wang just got back from a 2 week vacation so I teased him about the old saying (never buy a car that was made on a Monday or a Friday)..tee heee...... Just to make sure he was well rested, relaxed...and enjoyed ALL his time off and is now rar'in to go again.. I found out if I was scheduled first for the day I get the window seat (which my husband promptly reminded me that it wasnt like I was getting on an airplane....god love him I still want the window!) Hee Hee

So I told my surgeon I wanted to be first..and he set me as first. Wanted to get him before something maybe came along and ruined his day. When I toured the unit I will be in on Thursday there were 24 heart surgery patients in there they were full...no vacancies. It was like a darn er triage area. .people bolting around everywhere....must have been a minimum of 50 doctors,nurses, assisstants.etc..dashing everywhere.

Their step-down is the same unit which is shaped like a keyhole with the medical staff station in the middle and the beds fan out to complete the circle. There are 12 rooms, 4 of them are icu the remainder are the step down rooms. The hospital is really nice, super efficient, and the staffs is fantastic. They do hundreds of these surgeries... I feel confident in their hands...nervous but confident.

Since we have no PROOF I had Rhuematic Fever other than the cardiologist saying I "must" of had it because that is how this valve gets damaged, and I did suffer some serious bouts of tonsilllitis when I was a child one of which put me into convulsions, I asked him to keep an open mind when he gets in there and re-evaluate his opinion of the possibility of repair (but only if there is a very very good chance I would never need another surgery) and if he still feels a repair would not be permantent than to go ahead and replace it with an on-x Valve. I do know there is thickening (Scarring?) on either side of the valve so I dont know what is possible with a repair and what it not I just wantd him to look at if with fresh eyes. I guess he wants to do a TEE test once Im out...my angio gram results were EXCELLENT!!! Thats a positive for me.

Well I will stop this novel...Im ready my bags are packed,my advanced directive is notorized, my lab work and x-rays are complete and they pulled blood to type it yesterday so as far as I know Im ALL SYSTEMS GO...

THANK YOU GUYS YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A WONDERFUL SUPPORT, SOUNDING BOARD, WEALTH OF INFORMATION AND YOU HAVE MADE ME FEEL THAT I CAN DO THIS...IM GONNA MAKE IT.....IM READY

 

[Phyllis]

You have a wonderful attitude Krista and it sounds like you will be in the best of care. We will be thinking of you and waiting to welcome you to the other side of the mountain- have a safe trip!

 

[Big-Chuck]

surgery today

surgery today

I have prayed for you and your family this morning and will continue to do so thruout the day. My God is looking out for you during and after your surgery. Please keep us updated!

 

[Yaps]

Wishing

Wishing

 

[Sherry]

Hi, Krista,
Keeping you in my thoughts today as you have gone through your surgery. Hope to hear from a family member soon.