Fear (maybe I should say terror)

[hensylee]

"posting it seems to help" - that's what this forum is all about, Marge. It is what we are for.

BTW, is someone going to post to us after your surgery? We need to know.

 

[fisher6476]

Marge,
Hensylee brought up something that I had forgotten about. Some of my first memories of waking up in the ICU were pleasant memories. I remember feeling all warm and almost snuggly. I could here voices saying that everything was fine... to go ahead and wake up. I remember trying to open my eyes and yet not really wanting to "leave" that state I was in. I remeber hearing my wife's voice telling my daughter that even though I looked a little( a lot ? ) strange with all the tubes and wires, that I was doing fine. I remember reaching out my hands and both my daughter and my wife grabbing my hands from the opposit side of the bed. For me a lot of my recollections of the first day or two after surgery were not at all bad. It is still a tough surgery, but many here have said that the waiting and worrying is worse than the actual proceedure itself. A lot of that was true for me and I hope it is true for you.
Steve

 

[ccrawford]

Marge - Most people report being calm as a cucumber right before surgery. I remember being wheeled into surgery and seeing all of those people in the surgery center and thinking that I should have brought pizza, then snickering realizing that I WAS the pizza. I'm sure you'll do fine and we'll be anxious to hear from somebody about your progress. Chris

 

[Nancy]

With all my husband's surgeries, I always told him how everything went and all the goodness that had happened to improve his health. I did this whether he was consious or not, and I kept repeating it every so often. I think it's important to know those things as you're coming out of it.

 

[bvdr]

Hi Marge,

You will find that the ventilator has a nice rhythm to it and a gentle sound like breezes going through pine trees. It is not painful but your natural instinct will be to want off of it. You will not be able to talk with the tube in but in the ICU they will want you off as soon as possible so will all be working towards the same goal.

My first recollection in ICU was someone yelling at me to keep my hands down so they could take the tube out. I guess I had been fighting them for a long time but I have no memory of that at all. My next vivid memory is of my husband coming in looking so tired. When I said hi to him he broke out into a big smile and took my hand. Then I knew things were going just fine.

 

[Marge]

Chris, you said:

<< Most people report being calm as a cucumber right before surgery. >>

You know, I've never been worried much about the "right before surgery" part.

Remember, I've been THERE before. The thing that most distressed me before my other surgery was that they had some young resident (a red headed kid who looked about 19) doing an IV on my left ankle. From what the nurses were saying, it was his first IV. He poked at me in several places and fumbled around, without ever getting the IV in while the nurses looked on aghast. It hurt! Finally one of the nurses, wordlessly, took the IV out of his shaking hands and got it in. The place he poked at the hardest got infected (it took longer to heal than the surgery incision, as a matter of fact). I have a rather unlovely scar as a souvenir.

I sometimes wonder what happened to that young guy. He's probably somebody's heart surgeon now. Hope his hands stopped shaking.

I now have dates!

Feb. 6 -- final consult with surgeon

Feb. 10 -- pre-op

Feb. 13 -- THE DAY.

 

[bvdr]

Marge,

With your special considerations no one should ever ever start an IV on you unless they are highly skilled.

I recently had a week of IV Cipro and IV Flagyl. I am not an easy IV stick. After one or two doses of these drugs my vein would be red and swollen and the site would again have to be changed. Each time required multiple sticks by sometimes more than two different people. They finally called down to oncology to send someone very very skilled in difficult sticks. Lab techs were also having a hard time. By day eight there were simply no more places to stick. It seems everybody tried before they finally gave up. I then switched to the pill forms and I was so relieved!

I hope you get someone highly skilled. They left my arterial line in for a few days at Duke following my valve replacement and didn't have to stick me for labs. They just drew blood from the catheter that was already in the artery....very very nice!

 

[Marge]

OOPS. Something Freudian this way comes ....

I wrote that surgery is scheduled for Feb. 13. Which would, BTW, be a Friday. Nope. It is Feb. 12.

The hospital is not superstitious. But they just don't do these surgeries on ANY Fridays.

Assuming I am in ICU for one or two days -- that would get me out on the ward on the weekend. My husband insists that "You'll get better, not worse, care on the weekend." I say, "I'll get all the other patients' relatives having noisy block parties up and down the ward." Either way: incentive to do absolutely whatever they require of me and to be the best little patient in the world so as to get the heck out of there ASAP.

Labguides' daughter's example (out in four days!!!) will inspire me.

Betty, IV sticking really is an "art," but I don't think I am that difficult an IV stick. And I'm a pretty easy blood draw.

Actually at this point I am not too worried about the "special considerations." We have covered the bases, and so far the blood screens haven't developed anything problematical. My best bet is that the earlier complications had nada to do with heparin. It's just a good thing to eliminate that possibility.

 

[hensylee]

Marge - those new ones can get to you, can't they? Years ago, in a very small hospital, a new nurse was accompanying the RN as she went about her duties. Then one night she came in with the RN with THE NEEDLE in her hands and said 'I hope I get this right - it's my first time'. She was definitely a virgin and she poked, proded, got blood everywhere til I began to make waves. I told them to never let that woman back in my room...and I don't really care what happened to her after that, long as she left me alone. Seems they need to practice poking on that old orange for a long time before they get to real people, don't you think.

 

[Nancy]

When Joe was at the large teaching hospital, they had many special things which a lot of hospitals don't have. They even had a phlebotomy team of highly skilled nurses which went around the hospital "doing" the very difficult phlebotomy stuff. Even at that Joe managed to have a shaky male nurse poke him lots and lots. He never stopped ragging on that kid, and every time the kid came in with a needle he's say, "Oh no, not YOU again, did you finally learn how?". I think the kid finally got the hang of it, but he sure was sweating bullets on one of the IVs and so was Joe. He's an easy stick also.

The worst thing was an inept catheter insertion, very bad, painful and bleeding. That nurse was under heavy sarcastic siege for quite a while, and earned some unflattering nicknames. She was otherwise a highly skilled nurse and most compassionate. I kind of felt sorry for her because she felt just terrible, but Joe didn't, sick as he was, there was always enough energy to get his own barbs in.

 

[Gail in Ca]

Hopefully, you will have a post op like my 2nd surgery. I awoke with no tube in my mouth and it was so calm, peaceful, and I had no memory of them removing it. I was so thirsty after awhile and was given ice chips, wonderful , I couldn't get enough!
I think you must tell your family about your fears, so if you do become lucid with the tube still in, you can hand signal or something and they can tell the nurse about your fears.
I ended up hand signaling to the nurse that I needed suctioning over and over after my 1st surgery, and she finally got it and gave me the suction device to suction myself, This worked great for me and I relaxed immediately and just went with the machine until my tube was removed, quite awhile later. Tell your family that, too, cause if you are totally awake you can suction yourself.
Gail

 

[Susan Allen]

Hey Marge,
I too had the big tube concern since I cannot deal with anything that hinders my breathing. See if your surgeon has any education you can take. I was lucky and mine had a surgical nurse who spoke to me and my two daughters. She went step by step about what to expect. It was great. We had a big discussion about the vent tube. She taught me how to relax. Realize where you are when you wake up and that you will be restrained. Then close your eyes and your body will go back to sleep. When I woke up I was well aware of the tube but it did not bother me at all. There was no competition to breathe - the machine does not breathe against you. It more or less aids you. It 's hard to explain but the feeling was not bad. Being concious only lasted what seemed a minute or two then it was back to la la land and next thing I knew they took the tube out.
Then the good meds keep on coming. Trust me they keep you very comfortable so you can get around. You'll be surprised! I had surgery on Thurs. - went home Mon. morning.
You'll do great.
This is the worst part waiting and wondering.
Best Wishes
Susan Allen

 

[fisher6476]

Hi MARGE,
For what it is worth I had my surgery on Friday. I was a little concerned about being there over the weekend fresh out of surgery. I can't tell you why but the care I got was very good all 4 days post op, but was definately better on Sat and Sun.
Steve

 

[Birky]

suction

suction

I am a little dense I guess, but what are you suctioning? Your mouth or what? I was asleep the whole time so I had no recollection of anything to do with the vent. Thanks,

 

[Marge]

Yeah, I was wondering about that suction device, too .... First I heard about that.

Is there somewhere where you can get a full rundown (maye with a diagram or pictures showing everything) on all the things you are likely to get inserted in your body?

I would rather not be surprised by something I was not expecting.

Breathing tube, check. Chest tubes, check. Catheter, check. Lots of IV's, yes, OK, I know all about IV's! What else can I expect?

And chest tubes always seem to be referred to in the plural. How many of them are there, and where do they insert them?

The "Valve Surgery FAQ's" brochure I got from my hospital just talks about "many tubes and lines." It shows a drawing of an overweight-looking guy with his eyes closed and a blissful expression (they must have some good dope in that hospital). He is lying fully covered by a blanket -- the only visible tube is the one in his mouth. He is surrounded by a trio of implausibly cheerful-looking family members.

 

[Kathy]

Marge,

Your description of the brochure is too funny.

I had two chest tubes just below the bra line. I just looked in the mirror to make sure and the scars have faded. I had an arterial line in my neck. I also had wires near the chest tubes which were used for the temporary external pacemaker that was used after surgery. it seems like there were two on each side. I asked why they had put in those and was told that all open heart people have them just in case.

I believe that they suctioned right through the breathing tube. I had a student with a permanent trache for two years and she just stuck the tube (smaller than a straw) in the trache and turned on a little machine (maybe a five inch cube) which operated like a little vacuum cleaner.

They kept the blanket over me and I never asked to look at all the tubes. I would have been a medical professional if I wanted to see things like that.

 

[bvdr]

What they suction is oral secretions and secretions that collect in the tube since you not only can't talk while on the vent but you cannot swallow or cough effectively either. In addition to that there is a condensation that builds up in the tubing because the whole system is humidified. This produces even more wetness. The tubing will frequently be disconnected from the vent and the water drained. At that time a thin catheter will most likely be put down the tube and excess secretions will be suctioned off. It is all an effort to keep things on as normal level as possible.

Believe it or not but the ventilator is your friend for while you need it. It is programmed to provide you with good deep breaths while you are unable to do it yourself. It is even programmed to occasionally give you a "sigh" (a little deeper longer breath) just like we all do unconciously anyhow.

There are usually one or two chest tubes and the placement varies. There is usually often a little drain connected to what looks like a toy hand grenade that is much smaller than the chest tubes and may stay in a little longer.

 

[Birky]

tubes

tubes

I checked mine all out in the ICU when I was awake. Had two chest tubes right below the sternum, catheter, (you know where), Pacemeake wires right by where the chest tubes were.
A arterial line around the clavicle on both sides and must have had one in my groin sometime before I woke up. I had oxygen on my face and 2 IVS that I could see. Most came out before I left the ICU. Chest tubes, one in clavicle area one IV. I think I must have had the same booklet as you. Looks like he was smiling. Must have been on the morphine pump. That stuff works pretty good. Took it away 2 days later. The nurses told me that he doesn't usually use the pump but must have thought I was going to be a Whiner. I really fooled him. The man walking the halls in the booklet looked like he was having fun too. Sometimes I have such a weird sense of humor. I had a young male nurse in ICU who was a little embarassed to give me a bed bath. I think he was used to older patients. Now back that I think about it, he was really pretty red when washing me. Gotta get back to work,

 

[Bob]

Tube what tube?
Most of never even knew we had a tube or if we did it wasn't any big deal. Sneezing, now thats something you dont want to do.
You will do fine. See you on the other side of the mountain.

 

[fisher6476]

Hey Marge,
That guy that was in your brochure must have lot of heart trouble because he was in the brochure from my hospitall too.
I remember him well, a rotund little guy, resting comfotably under clean sheets, with doting family all around! Guess he gets around.
Steve