Been a long time

[kevin21]

I haven't visited in a while.

Had a cardio. appt yesterday. They were "in clinic" which meant "assembly line". THey cruised in there and cruised out. Gave me another prescription for Accupril 10mg (so the ticker can pump a little easier).

I guess my BP was normal, 113/72. I still have ragin' leakage aka "severe". I got a copy of my file, I'm applying for more life insurance before I have to have surgery. Looked at the echo results, the latest after starting the accupril looked a slight bit better than before the accupril.

Says in my file I will need surgery, there goes my pipe dream.

I bet you guys are like me in wishing I was that guy on Fox doing a medical miracle show where the valve suddenly quits leaking and I go and win the Tour De France.

Sucks knowing surgery is inevitable (I guess).

I do have a question though, how long are you out after a aeortic replacement? I'm 26 and in pretty good shape so I figure I might be faster than normal, but what is average?

I run my own business and without me things can get real jacked up!!!

 

[chilihead]

Kevin,

I'm in the same boat. 39, very fit and "leaking severely". I'm going to see a heart surgeon in Ft. Worth next week that is a runner. I want to get an athletes perspective on going mechanical or Ross. My other cardiologist thinks I need to get it fixed around Christmas. The anxiety is killin me.

I'm kicking butt on my local bicycle rides and still can't believe this is happening.

What type of valve are you considering?

Jim Johnson
Planned AVR later this year.
St. Judes or Ross???????

 

[kevin21]

I haven't even thought about it yet.

My cardio doesn't seem like he wants me on the table yet. He keeps scheduling echo's about every 6 months and monitoring my heart's size.

I like to question his butt everytime I see him to keep him on his toes. I also like to tell him about stuff that he hasn't really looked into, like new meds etc...

My valve choice will probably be mechanical, but the ticking or clicking will drive me nuts!!! I can't stand it when change rattles in the ashtray of my truck.....

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Kevin,
I had Aortic Aneurysm Repair and AVR surgery with a St. Jude Mechanical in April. I am 52 and a firefighter and will find out the end of the month if I get to go back to work. As far as the clicking of the valve it is not that bad. In fact when I don't hear it I start to get concerned. Take care of yourself.

Dave
_______________________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical

 

[chilihead]

How about the coumadin? Being a firefighter seems like risky business to be on the blood thinners. Plus you probably have some heavy lifting occassionally. Sounds like youre recovery is going well. Good luck!

 

[ccrawford]

Kevin - You asked "How long are you out after aortic valve replacement surgery ? " I'll try to answer that. In my case, I was very symptomatic, and could only walk about 800 ' without kicking off some angina pains and SOB. Two weeks or so after surgery I was already exhibiting stamina better than that. On the other hand were you to ask me If I'm totally recovered from surgery that ocurred about 3 + months ago, my answer would be "No". In your case, being the youngster you are, I'm gonna guess that you'll feel like going back to work at the middle or end of the 2nd month, and you'll try to overdo it. You should think about resuming work part time, then ease into full time as your body slowly recovers. This is not minor outpatient surgery and it can kick you in the behind big time. I still tend to tire out pretty easily after a busy day, but I'm doing physical stuff that I haven't done for many years and that's a nice feeling. Try to read as many of the posts in Post Surgery and this will help give you a perspective. I hope this helps answer your question. Chris

 

[Nancy]

Hi Kevin-

Chris is right on. It's better to know things like this early on, so you can plan the best way to handle your business situation. Only you would know what your options are business-wise.

This surgery not only saps you physically, but during recovery, your concentration will be way off, and you will be weak and exhausted. You will also not be able to drive until the surgeon gives the OK. That can be as long as 6 weeks, but it does vary a lot. And you will be restricted in lifting things, You won't be able to lift much at all, or even do anything that would "torque" your chest area because the sternum will be healing and will also be sore.

It gets better and better. But it does take a while.

Best wishes.

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Jim,
Yes I am concerned about the coumadin and the heavy lifting and wearing all the heavy bunker gear,so I guess that is what the Dr's. will way in their decisions. I keep getting better everyday and like Chris, I have been doing things I haven't been able to do for along time. Take Care
Dave

__________________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

Dave:

I hope that you are able to go back to fighting fires, if that is what you want to do. I hope that I can go back to work ASAP after my surgery [unless I win the lottery in the meantime]. But my job is at a desk and so much different than what you would be facing in your job. I hope the docs tell you what you want to hear.

I have been enjoying my visits to this site. When I have my surgery I look forward to all of you experienced people reassuring me that there is really life after open heart surgery. I am totally freaked by the idea of having my chest opened up.

My father-in-law had a major heart attack in his 40's, did lots of damage to the heart muscle, plus he had high blood pressure and cholesteral, lived the low salt life, coumadin, CHF finally took him at the age of 78 after several trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Is this what I have to look forward to?

Oh well, thanks for listening. Again, Dave, good luck with your next check-up.

Peg

 

[ccrawford]

Nancy's post reminded me: The surgeon told me I couldn't lift more than ten pounds for eight weeks post surgery. I laughed at him and told him I didn't own anything that weighed less than 10 pounds. In the end, he was pretty much on target. Everytime I started getting ambitious, I'd pay for it dearly the next day, and Granbonnie would give me a cyber lecture. I cut a whole trailer full of firewood one day this week and loaded it all by hand and was surprisingly not sore the next day. What I'm trying to say is there is some give and take, and you'll have to find out part of the equation all by yourself - just give yourself some leeway, and the opportunity for some lazy days as you need them.

 

[ccrawford]

Peggy - I was totally freaked out too, especially with the prospects of the respirator tube. I expressed my fears as precisely as I could to all the fine people here on the site and slowly by surely, they talked me though it. When they wheeled me into surgery, I was as calm as a cucumber. What I'm trying to say to you is: 1. Try to verbalize your specific fears and give us a chance to talk you through them. 2.Start thinking about how good you will eventually feel after surgery 3. Realize that the good surgery centers do a bunch of these surgeries every year and they are really routine - this is the type of place you want to have your surgery in. 4. If you are a type A person (like me), then you need to start thinking about the fact that you will need some help to get through all of this-including all your buddies on VR.com. 5. Finally, realize that once you are in the surgery and given the sleepy juice, you're just a bystander - everybody else is doing the work, and you will be taken care of very tenderly for the next few days afterwards. Let us hear from you, and let us know how we can help. Chris.

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

Thanks, Chris.

When the time comes, I'll be the biggest pest and will certainly be specific about what is troubling me. I have a good doctor and clinic - the Mayo in Rochester, so feel pretty good about that. What worries me right now is how to time the darn surgery so that I don't end up damaging my heart before the surgery. How do you judge what is going on inside? Every time I feel a flutter or feel tired, I wonder if I am in trouble.

And so far, all I have read is so scary. . . blod clots after surgery, the heart-lung machine diminishing your brain capacity after surgery, the risk of this and the risk of that. My husband is pretty freaked, too. Was retired but went back to work just to take his mind off losing me.

I hope to make some good friends here. I look forward to all of your support.

Peg

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Peggy,
I too was freaked when I found out that I had to have surgery. But I didn't have much time to worry as I saw the surgeon on April 18th and had the surgery on April 21st. I didn't find this site until after I had surgery and wished I had found it before. Like Chris said once they give you the medicine to relax you will be surprised at how well you are doing when you wake up. I am at a point right now that I don't know for sure if I want to go back to work. That is something that is bothering me a lot.
Take Care

Dave
_________________________________
Surgery 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical

 

[Georgia]

Hey, Peggy

Hey, Peggy

I sure don't blame you for being afraid. But you know, although there are risks, the really big risk is in not having the surgery. And because they won't do the surgery until the risks involved with your condition outweigh the surgical risks, it's best not to concern yourself with the risks of surgery; going to Mayo mitigates many of them.

Reading all of these posts certainly makes you aware of more of the problems. All this knowledge is a double-edged sword. I was totally unaware of the "pumphead" problem prior to surgery. Had I been aware of it, my decision wouldn't have been affected. Without surgery I was a goner. Just that simple, kiddo.

Stay with us, keep reading, and understand that the best part of this forum is the celebration of life; of our annual "rebirthdays"; of our commitment to helping and enlightening and supporting the newbies and the folks in the waiting room, and anyone else who needs it; and educating ourselves.

And having a little fun now and then, too.

 

[KristyW]

Stories

Stories

Peggy,

Sometimes on these threads we get to talking about our problems. Probably the best place for you to read right now is the Stories section on the Valve Replacement home page. In this section, most of us have recounted how we found out about our condition, what our symptoms were, the surgery and recovery, and for some of us, even a year or so afterwards. There are some scary stories, but there are plent of very uplifting ones too. Several of us have had no complications from this surgery. Some of us have. Try not to dwell on the negative.

I hope this helps

 

[Ross]

Oh Dave your a stud. You'll be back to work and enjoying it very soon. You do enjoy your work do you not? I get the impression that you love what you do. That in itself will make all the difference in the world.

 

[ccrawford]

Hi Peggy - Glad you replied - good start. Yes there is a concern about the timing of surgery. The doc's won't do it until the risk of surgery is less than the risk of not doing it. Going too late can mean that the muscles of the heart thicken and lose some of their elastisity. However - this is the job of your cardiologist -to figure out your condition and the timing. I'm not aware of your specific condition, but in most cases, there is not an alternative to surgery. I wouldn't be peckin on this keyboard today if they hadn't cracked my chest. There are some web sites that talk about the risk of surgery - I'll try to find them again and give them to you. I was surprised at the relatively low risk of complications and mortality. Sure, you'll read a lot about those things on this site, but its because people want to learn about them, not because a large percentage of people have experienced them. In my case, I felt really bad before surgery and had very little stamina. I was walking the halls two days after a surgery that only took two hours. I was out of the hospital in 4 1/2 days, and have had no major problems so far. The more you read about this stuff, the better, and we stand ready to answer your questions. Chris

 

[wlaldridge]

Let's see, I was the most freaked, the biggest WUS, the most afraid of pain and sure I was going to die.

Now, I am very competitive, a type A, and a control freak. This site did not change the second part only the first.

The negative stuff here is the "sexier" side of things, but most here have had pretty positve outcomes overall and it seems more like a miracle each day.

I had no symptoms, only bad numbers and the surgery was required much sooner than I wanted. But, thank God for this site and the wonderful folks who share so willingly.

Nearly a year later I have an itchy stripe in the middle of my chest and a different view of the world. Would I WANT to have it done again? Never! Is it the most horrible thing I have ever been through? Not even close! Is it the most painful? Heck no! Many things hurt a lot more. Is it the most life threatening situation I have ever been in? No doubt about it. What is the worst part? The WAITING and anxiety associated with the unknown.

My nurse in CICU, a NAZI, I think, left the room in tears because I kept biting the breathing tube and holding my breath. This dropped my BP and , I guess, she figured I was going to expire. Now, I was only trying to communicate with my family. To find out what valve they ended up implanting. Being restrained and having that tube in is annoying, if they had let me have a pen and paper, I could have written my questions and relaxed with the answer. No one knows how they will react to all of this, but information and knowing that others have "been there, done that, and got the tee shirt (as well as a heart pillow)" helps a lot. Get your fears out and get your questions answered.

Don't worry about being a pest, people here are open and very willing to share had try to help.

Follow your doc's advise as to work and exertion, but as Chris poited out most of the time your body will speak out "loud and clear" if you stray from the proper course.

Best to all

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

Thanks Kristy. I have been reading the stories section on this website. I will try not to dwell on the negative.

Thanks for responding.

Peg


Georgia:

You are certainly right. The information here is a double-edged sword. As time passes, I will get more comfortable with my situation, I am sure of that. There are worse things than open heart surgery.

Thanks.

Peg


Bill:

You can't be a bigger WUS than I am! Thanks for your thoughts and comments.

Peg

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Ross,
I do love my job but I don't know if I can handle the physically demanding work anymore. Just have to wait and see.
Dave

________________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical