AVR, MVR & triple bypass - Past radiation treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

[Guest]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post so please excuse my lack of knowledge of abbreviations, etc. About my mother who had Aortic valve, double Mitral valve replacement and triple bypass yesterday. She had Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the early 80s and was treated with radiation treatment like so many others I have read about on here.
Her surgery was about 8-9 hours. I went into ICU to see her and I was not prepared for what I saw. She is stable but I’m wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect next? The nurse said that tomorrow (day 3) is going to be bad and to prepare myself. Can anyone tell me an idea of what to expect? Did anyone have the balloon in to assist the heart pumping? I just don’t know what to do for her or what to expect next. I would be so very grateful for any help, knowledge or assistance.
Best Regards to all of you.

 

[honeybunny]

Sorry to hear about your mom but I'm glad she has you there for support. Keep in mind that her body has been through a lot. Open heart surgery is not a gentle procedure. I was told that the patients arms are stretched overhead to allow better access to the chest. The doctors cut through muscle and bone to reach the heart. Organs and body parts that were never meant to be touched are manipulated. A heart-lung machine is used to keep blood and oxygen flowing. No nice way to say this but basically your mom had to die then be brought back to life again. So it's no wonder that she is not looking her best right now and will be that way for a few days at least.

The post-surgery forum at http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/forum/post-surgery has lots of posts from patients about what they experienced after surgery. My advice is to read through some of those to get an idea of what your mom might experience. But don't panic or freak out. Everyone is different, has a different state of health before surgery, and a different recovery. Let us know if you have specific questions. And of course consult her doctors and nurses if you have any concerns.

She is very fortunate to have you there to speak up for her best interests. Wishing you both the best.

 

[TJ318]

Honey Bunny,

Thank you for replying to my post, I needed to talk to someone about it. I'm aware of what she had to go through and knew it would be tough but I had no idea that it was going to be so hard. I thought that pain was going to be the worst part of it and boy was I wrong. I appreciate you giving me the link to the other page so I can be better informed and educated.

From one stranger to another, I do hope you are doing well well as I see you are almost a year out from your surgery, if I am reading your profile description footer correctly.

Best regards,
​TJ318

 

[honeybunny]

You are very welcome, TJ. Yes, I am doing well almost a year later.

If you don't mind me asking, how old is your mom and how is she responding to her post-surgery condition? I ask because you said that pain is not the worst part of it.