After your surgery, what are some of the things that you found out that surprised you

[Keithl]

So I am 3 weeks post op and honestly shocked at how little pain I was in. The first week I had more back and neck pain than chest pain due to how they position you during surgery. Think Alien scene were it bursts out of stomach and that is close to how they position you is what I was told.

Some light headedness and mild dizziness, but I attribute that to the damn Beta blockers they have me on as my pressure is very low and it has side effects as well. I suspect I will transition back to Losartan in a few weeks.

The lack of a good night sleep is probably my biggest complaint so far. Of course a sneeze or coughs feels like th alien is bursting out, but otherwise I feel extremely fortunate so far. Truly amazed at modern medical technology.

 

[Paleowoman]

Think Alien scene were it bursts out of stomach and that is close to how they position you is what I was told.

Well that what I imagined too, both prior to surgery and for a few years after, until last year there was a TV programme here in the UK of a live aortic valve replacement, every minute of it was shown, and no, the ribs are not spread quite like in Alien, it's much less dramatic ! There was a retractor placed on either side of the sternal inner edges after it had been cut - cut very quickly with a rotary type saw - the retractor pulled apart the sternum just enough for the surgeon to gain access to the heart. That would, of course, have placed strain on the rib cage would have an affect on the rib cage all the way round to the back, but the patient's body was not bent or contorted in any way during surgery, they was just lying fat on the operating table. The strangest part was near the end of surgery when the heart was "de-aired" - to do this the surgeon rocked the patient gently from side to side to dislodge air bubbles !

 

[Keithl]

I jokingly told the surgeon (and was actually serious) I would like them to video my surgery. He obviously did not take the bait. I was told they pin your shoulders back, tilt you had back a bit and raise your your mid section to give them better access and view. Either way most of that pain was gone in about a week. I was mostly off pain meds in 3-4 days and after that usually only took them before bed or first am to help sleep or deal with back pain when waking up. Other than an occasional Tylenol int he last week I have not had any pain meds in a week. Still amazed at what can be done, and how well the human body copes and recovers.

 

[Rainbow]

Writing for my husband who is 10 days post op and doing well. Had the most surprising experience on Tim’s second last morning in hospital. The Ward is really busy and short-staffed. Two nurses came in and said they were going to make the bed and do anything else Tim needed. They tidied everything up and helped him have a shower and get dressed. Really hard cases and we had a laugh with them. Turns out they are senior nurses, Directors of Nursing in fact! They had heard how busy things were so decided they would help out. One said you never forget those basic nursing skills and it’s good to use them for a change and to get out from behind the desk. Value the nurses - they might take a bit longer to respond to your buzzer than you would like but they are rushed off their feet.

 

[esvaja]

My biggest surprise was the lack of post-op pain following my second surgery. I had ascending aortic aneurysm repair in 2003 and the surgeon closed the sternotomy with the traditional sternal wires. I had the typical post-op pain and needed some opioid pain meds for a couple of weeks.

My second sternotomy in 2017 was for AVR and aortic root aneurysm. The same surgeon did this surgery as well and he closed my sternotomy with the SternaLock fixation system that utilizes titanium plates and screws that rigidly fixates the sternum. I had very little post-op pain and required zero opioid pain meds.

I was one of the first patients in the hospital to use the SternaLock system and the nurses were amazed when asking my pain levels and I would reply 1/2 to maybe a 1. I didn't even need a Tylenol. I was sleeping on my side a couple of weeks post-op, something that took a couple of months using the sternal wires.

Hello long past due date! Where did you have your surgery? I'm kinda interested in this SternaLock. I know I had traditional wires for my 1st (I saw them on an x-ray) Anybody know anything else new in AVR since then?

 

[pekster11]

i was surprised how calm i remained right up to the op !
i remember being taken down to the anaesthetist the morning of surgery and being very curious about the process and what was going to happen. Unfortunately i was put to sleep soon afterwards

complete lack of pain or even much discomfort all the way through

 

[Unicusp]

i was surprised how calm i remained right up to the op !
i remember being taken down to the anaesthetist the morning of surgery and being very curious about the process and what was going to happen. Unfortunately i was put to sleep soon afterwards

complete lack of pain or even much discomfort all the way through

I had a very similar experience. Very calm. Fully accepted my fate, trusted the team, and tried to find humor in everything. Was doing final stretching exercises in the hallway outside the operating room until they wheeled me in. It was an experience. Hopefully the last time for that too!

 

[pellicle]

Unfortunately i was put to sleep soon afterwards

LOL ... maybe your calm would have broken if they didn't ;-)

 

[MarkZ]

This thread was really helpful to me before surgery, so here's my contribution nearly 6 weeks after my surgery.

1) Unlike some of the others, I had practically no pain. I mean, trying to cough, trying to lift things or do anything beyond my capabilities hurt, but when I wasn't doing those things I really didn't experience any pain.
2) Having said that... I deliberately haven't sneezed in 6 weeks, so maybe that's why I haven't had pain! The holding-nose move works well, and I've taken antihistamines daily.
3) I don't know if it was the surgery or the general anesthesia, but the impact on my brain was noticeable. I'm a migraine sufferer normally with only one migraine every 3-4 months. But I had between 10-20 migraines in the first 48 hours following surgery, and they came pretty frequently for about 3 weeks until trailing off. I haven't had one for a couple weeks now.
4) My first day in the ICU all I wanted to do was sleep. But I would nap for only about 15-30 minutes at a time. At least... that's what I thought. Once I could see the clock, I realized that these 15 minute cat naps were REALLY only about 1-2 minutes long!!! My entire sense of time was screwed up. Not sure if that was the medication or the after-effects of anesthesia. It's wild to think about, but I have to admit it was not pleasant the way time was dragging like that when all I wanted to do was sleep.
5) I also had some memory loss and confusion early on. I don't remember a lot of my hospital stay. When I first arrived home, I slept for about 15 minutes and woke up not really knowing where I was or why there was a scar on my chest! Things got a lot better after the first night home, but the first night home was a little scary actually.
6) One morning in the hospital I woke up with the oxygen tube from my nose touching my mouth and the taste was terrible. I've had that taste every so often ever since leaving the hospital. So weird!
7) Sleeping in the recliner for a couple weeks wasn't so bad. I actually slept really well.
8) Cleveland Clinic was good, the nursing staff was great, but for such a large hospital that allegedly does more of these than anyone, I was surprised that they didn't have enough stepdown beds. As a result, I spent nearly 4 days in the ICU!
9) Dr. Svensson came to my room in the ICU and said my valve was so calcified (he said "like sandpaper") that he said he often sees patients like that present with stroke. I'm still surprised he used the word "often". I guess I was lucky I didn't wait any longer.
10) I had two head CT scans in the hospital because in my 1st night I experienced transient left eye vision loss. Their thought is that I had a very tiny clot kicking around my system that may have caused a brief occlusion of the retinal artery. It only lasted 5 minutes or so, I think. And no problems since.

 

[oo0My_Valve0oo]

I was surprised by what I felt when the lung drainage tubes were removed. I felt pain in my upper back / shoulder muscles and nothing at all in my lungs. I never asked but I wonder how tubes can be attached to your lungs draining fluid yet there is no sort of consequence in terms of air leakage or gurgling while in place and after they are removed. I had two large holes in my skin from the tubes yet they did not require stitches. They must have used glue like the incision from the heart surgery. That is just a line and not a Frankenstein cross-hatched scar.

I was surprised that Tylenol, which has no effect on me at all, is available in an IV form and it is effective for pain relief.

I was hoping to be the exceptional patient who snaps through the process and is home within a few days without having to use a bedpan. I figured I could make it a few days without having to poop. I was surprised that I ended up in ICU for 5 days and the next level after ICU for 7 days. I accomplished my goal anyway due to their using portable commodes and encouraging you to get up and walk from the moment you regain consciousness.

You are encouraged to poop yet they do so much to impede the process. The ICU room is just a doorless alcove off a heavily traveled walkway. There is no restroom or toilet or privacy other than pulling a curtain across a space separating your alcove from the walkway. From my bed I could see a restroom door across the hall and asked to use that but they would have no part in making that happen. There was the lack of privacy and then there was the physical resistance to the concept of doing something so private with zero privacy.

They served spicy dinners guaranteed to be aromatic if the poo ever arrived. These rooms had no doors. Everyone was to know you were pooping even if they were not part of your personal team. You were too wired and tubed up to go anywhere but you could not even stand without setting off an alarm. You needed their help yet they would not respond soon enough when you rang because you had an urge to poop. Then by the time they arrived you had already adjusted and nothing came out.

I felt stuffed and they fed me so many pills I had no room for food. One day a nurse complained that I had not eaten and said I needed protein to heal. I had been on multiple laxatives yet the protein was an omelette buried in cheese which would postpone the poo for days. She offered an alternative protein drink but it was sweet, rich and dairy so it coagulated once in your stomach. Does anyone think about these diet plans? I had to ask for a fruit based protein drink.

I was also surprised at how much better I felt once I was home and in a familiar environment. I was shaky walking around in the hospital and used a walker most of the time to be safe. I was amazed at how easy it was to climb the stairs (18 steps) at home. I could walk easily inside and outside. I could finally poop easily as well.

 

[MarkZ]

I had three holes and they bled for a while after the surgery. They required a couple extra stitches in the hospital too. Nothing significant, but created a lot of blood stains on shirts.

The tubes aren't connected to your lungs though, they're there to drain from the body cavity. I was one of the lucky ones, removal didn't hurt. Or at least I didn't notice.

 

[pellicle]

Glad you're doing better

when the lung drainage tubes were removed

they are for draining fluid from the surgical area inside your chest, not the lungs

 

[Protimenow]

I may have already written this -- this has become a very long thread.

The first thing that I remember, I was in post-op, or cardiac ICU, and just regaining consciousness. The person in the next bed coded, and I think he died.

I remember saying (or thinking) 'Thank You.' The idea was that, if somebody in the ICU had to die, it wouldn't be me.

Today, aside from leaving my wife on her own after 50 years, I don't think I'd really care.

 

[Art O Ceitinn]

Just before I lost consciousness I cried and pleaded with the team ¨¨Please don't let me die¨¨ and it worked both times.
Funny when I had my hip replaced I didn't cry and they nearly killed me.

 

[oo0My_Valve0oo]

The tubes aren't connected to your lungs though, they're there to drain from the body cavity.

they are for draining fluid from the surgical area inside your chest, not the lungs

I got the idea of them draining the lungs through the concerns of preventing pneumonia which was repeated multiple times. I appreciate the clarification. It is very interesting how the missing puzzle piece completes the picture.

 

[DaveLee]

My short story about my recovery.

Back in 2008 I went in for a physical, they found my sweet little valve problem. The next day I was having an interview with the surgeon, on the way out he said talk to your wife and get back to him in a week at most. On the way out I stopped and turned to him and ask when is the soonest you can do it. After he checked and told me Friday at 8am. I said great I will be here. Now the funny thing about my response was there was NO thought given to it. It was like I was on auto pilot, to this day I still dont know why. Anyway it was about a week from when they found the problem to the operation. The surgeon told me a few days later that my valve was only opening about the size of the head of a pin.



The worst part of the day after was the DAMN tube down my throat. I also had really bad pain on my left side the day after. The only thing that would help was a morphine IV. The reason was cracked ribs When I made it home my wife had to make a trip to the drug store. I heard a noise in the house and called out who is there, to which my youngest daughter said its me Melissa. My answer was "who are you". Turns out the drug they sent me home with caused me some problems. I did not KNOW who I was, or where I was or what happened. The big patch on my chest told me something happened that was not good. Needless to say I was rather scared. My wife talked me though it.



When I said "caused me some problems" I was in hell every time I slept and it was a fight to force my way awake. I told my doc that I would NEVER take it again. I was changed to Oxycodone that worked great but had a problem also. I would goto bed about 9pm and take one. About 4 am I would wake with pain in my chest and take another pain killer (Oxycodone). After a few weeks I woke and reached for the Oxycodone and had one in my hand when I reached for my water and that's when it hit me. I had NO pain. So I put the pill down and went back to sleep. The next mourning I gave the bottle to my wife and ask her to HIDE it and I have not taken another one to this day.



Now for my story about the real pain. the damn spirometer, I cant tell you the pain that caused and I had to use it every day two times. Now it could of been from the cracked ribs, I will never know.

The reason why I have told this story is I was NOT prepared for the experience once at home. Not knowing if it was normal or ...

I have a St Jude valve and 71 years old, I have lived with it for 13 years now.

 

[Michael O]

5 weeks out observations:
- The hospital bed was a war crime. After about day 4, the majority of my pain was from my hip/low back, not from the incision, and this was almost all from the bed. At 5 weeks, I'm still working out the back pain and I'll go an entire day w/o the sternum giving a twinge.
- To those who commented about the focus on bowel movements, and the seeming conspiracy to do everything possible to make a bowel movement difficult, this is where an advocate can help you. I was on 600mg Amiodarone 3x/day and the nausea was rough - couldn't keep any food down. I was surprised that it took a consult with the surgeon's assistant (I think - I was pretty out of it) and my wife's assistance/insistence and a meeting with 2 nurses and the assistant **with me sitting in bed dry heaving while talking with them** for them to give me a shot of an anti-nausea drug. I started keeping food down the following day and the day after that, had a bowel movement. An advocate who can articulately explain your distress will help keep your post-surgery drug protocols on track.
- On that note - there's more variability with your post-surgery drug protocols than they let on. The more you're educated about the meds and their side effects, the more you can cooperate with the staff about making sure you get what you need.
- Prior rib injuries will likely be aggravated if the do a full crack of your chest. Just be prepared to talk with the nursing staff about the location of your pain.

Finally, probably the biggest thing that I've learned about the process, and I'll say it all the time: There is a huge difference between the urgency of the surgery and the difficulty of the surgery. For many procedures, it is absolutely critical to get you to the table, but once there, getting the surgery done and getting you off the table is a series of solved problems. I had a lot of cognitive dissonance with respect to the messages I was getting from medical staff prior to surgery - they were insistent to the point of hyperbole about how quickly I should get surgery, but very matter of fact (but never casual) about the actual procedures. It caused a lot of confusion until I understood the distinction.

 

[Mister_James]

Hahahahaha...the Spirometer was invented by the devil himself. The coughing fits it induces are hell but you do not get pneumonia.
Then having a nurse, beautiful one too, remove your catheter and tell you, there will be a little urine as I remove it.

What my surgery did was remove all my nakedness shame. I recently went for a physical and had to give my urine sample and the nurse jokingly remarked "is it your sample?" Without missing a beat I was like it's frothy, warm too...wanna feel it?

 

[Michael O]

Minor serious notes re: the Spirometer - I wound up with two of them - one that goes to 5000 ml and one that goes to 2500 ml, both Voldyne. The one that goes to 2500 measures about 50% higher volume on each breath than the one that goes to 5k. Be sure to ask your doctor about your target **for the specific device you're using**.

 

[charlottekaye]

My short story about my recovery.

Back in 2008 I went in for a physical, they found my sweet little valve problem. The next day I was having an interview with the surgeon, on the way out he said talk to your wife and get back to him in a week at most. On the way out I stopped and turned to him and ask when is the soonest you can do it. After he checked and told me Friday at 8am. I said great I will be here. Now the funny thing about my response was there was NO thought given to it. It was like I was on auto pilot, to this day I still dont know why. Anyway it was about a week from when they found the problem to the operation. The surgeon told me a few days later that my valve was only opening about the size of the head of a pin.



The worst part of the day after was the DAMN tube down my throat. I also had really bad pain on my left side the day after. The only thing that would help was a morphine IV. The reason was cracked ribs When I made it home my wife had to make a trip to the drug store. I heard a noise in the house and called out who is there, to which my youngest daughter said its me Melissa. My answer was "who are you". Turns out the drug they sent me home with caused me some problems. I did not KNOW who I was, or where I was or what happened. The big patch on my chest told me something happened that was not good. Needless to say I was rather scared. My wife talked me though it.



When I said "caused me some problems" I was in hell every time I slept and it was a fight to force my way awake. I told my doc that I would NEVER take it again. I was changed to Oxycodone that worked great but had a problem also. I would goto bed about 9pm and take one. About 4 am I would wake with pain in my chest and take another pain killer (Oxycodone). After a few weeks I woke and reached for the Oxycodone and had one in my hand when I reached for my water and that's when it hit me. I had NO pain. So I put the pill down and went back to sleep. The next mourning I gave the bottle to my wife and ask her to HIDE it and I have not taken another one to this day.



Now for my story about the real pain. the damn spirometer, I cant tell you the pain that caused and I had to use it every day two times. Now it could of been from the cracked ribs, I will never know.

The reason why I have told this story is I was NOT prepared for the experience once at home. Not knowing if it was normal or ...

I have a St Jude valve and 71 years old, I have lived with it for 13 years now.

What drug was in the patch on your ribs that caused the problems? PS I've never never heard of cracked ribs. So sorry for your bad experience hope you are better now.