Next Friday Sept 5 will be my open heart surgery day. Although I am terrified of having the surgery I feel remarkably calm at this point. I guess I dodged the bullet for 63 years, I was born with a heart murmur and not finally it is time to have it fixed. I have decided on the ON-X mechanical valve (you can see my thought process in the valve section). I do have symptoms now by feeling light headed if I stand or walk so I spend most of my time sitting down. In a way I am happy that I do have the symptoms because now I can look forward to feeling better after the surgery! I have loaded a collection of e-books and music on my phone to keep me occupied during my recovery. I also hope to have my family bring my computer after my operation if there is internet service at the hospital. If so I will try to update my progress in the post surgery section. Right now I am trying to concentrate on thinking about my recovery and feeling better over time. This Wednesday will be my pre-op testing, probably everything will feel more real at that point. Just worried about the pain and discomfort after the operation!
Feeling remarkably calm
- Thread starter rick0329
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If you are symptomatic I'm sure you will feel much better after surgery. Wishing you all the very best for your surgery and for a speedy recovery !
I was asymptomatic Rick so the contrast with pre and post surgery has not been too good - I think it can take time to regain feeling well if you are well before surgery, but if you have symptoms then you should notice that you feel better post surgery. Re pain - at the start when I was in ICU I had no pain, I felt really great, I was on morphine at that point and it really suited me. When they moved me into high dependency they took me off the morphine and put me onto Tramadol and Dihydrocodeine which didn't work well for the pain and gave me side effects. On discharge I had to stop those meds becasue of the side effects, GP put me back on morphine but by then it was too late, even that affected me badly and there were no pain meds I could take so things were pretty rough for a few weeks (mind you I have a depressed sternum so maybe that's why ? More maniputaltion of ribs and things. Thing is everyone is different, our bodies are different sizes, different shapes, and that all leads to different effects). If you have pain just let them know - I should have let them know more forcefully ! Oh, just to add, I never had any pain at all when they took out the drains and pacing wires.rick0329;n846315 said:
Let us know how it goes when you can get online post surgery. Everyone here was very supportive when I got back online, always very helpful.
So sorry about the amount of pain you had. Good advice on being more forceful in asking for pain meds. I have read different accounts about pain on this forum and I guess you are right that every person is different. I can only hope for the best!
I didn't even think about pain before surgery so you are being better prepared in a way Rick…..
but, hey, I made it regardless ! You will too !
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Glad to hear you are feeling calm rick 
As an outdoor sort of guy to me its always been about tthe trip not the methods of getting there. In life I feel the same. My last two OHS have not been about the OHS but about the continuity of life. Twenty years after my 2nd surgery it was only the scar on my chest which was a reminder of my Achilles heel. Now nearly three years out from my last surgery I barely think about the surgery and focus on my daily health journey.
Rather like the hikes through the jungle I have done on many occasions. I think about the good times, the views, the mates. We laugh about the leeches and twisted ankles now
Best wishes
As an outdoor sort of guy to me its always been about tthe trip not the methods of getting there. In life I feel the same. My last two OHS have not been about the OHS but about the continuity of life. Twenty years after my 2nd surgery it was only the scar on my chest which was a reminder of my Achilles heel. Now nearly three years out from my last surgery I barely think about the surgery and focus on my daily health journey.
Rather like the hikes through the jungle I have done on many occasions. I think about the good times, the views, the mates. We laugh about the leeches and twisted ankles now
Best wishes
doberman
Well-known member
Yes and sorry to say I had a lot of pain but it does pass. Glad to hear you are calm sounds like the perfect attitude. Let the docs and nurses can do the worrying for you that is why they are there.
Thank you so much for all of your comments, the more I know the better I will be prepared for my operation. My biggest fears are the pain, breathing tube and nausea. I am trying not to think about that part. I know I have no choice and I need to deal with it!
I would not worry about the pain. I have had other much worse operations. For example, you don't even get a morphine pump with OHS or oxy. I was off the prescrption pills pretty quick. I too got pretty calm as the date approached, but i took off the day before and that was good. Good luck!
with OHS or oxy. I was off the prescrption pills pretty quick. I too got pretty calm as the date approached, but i took off the day before and that was good. Good luck!LDM251
Member
Hi Rick! I know you read my other post-surgery post, but I wanted to post something for you here. I too reached the point of being very calm by the time I was about a week away from surgery. I was still very aware of the scary possibilities, but I tried to focus on the positive. I encourage you to do the same thing. I was none too happy with the thought of that darn ventilator, but there's no getting around it. It's a necessary part of this. Someone told me to just remember that the machine would be doing exactly what it's supposed to do and to just remain calm and patient. As you know, I had a couple of things with mine that made it unpleasant. The time to take mine out came right at shift change, late at night, so removal was delayed and I was very awake and aware of it. I kept reminding myself to relax, but it was frustrating to be hot and unable to communicate other discomforts that had nothing to do with the ventilator. But they got it out, it did its job, and it's all just a memory now.
Tell your family to expect you to look pretty bad when they first see you in ICU. I had told mine, but they were still alarmed. I was pale, had wires and tubes everywhere, and it was scary for them. My daughter almost passed out. They were able to get my attention to say hello. I vaguely remember seeing faces and squeezing a couple of hands. That made them feel better, and it also made me feel better. I knew I was alive!!
The only nausea I had was when the nurse gave me the aspirin on an empty stomach. I woke up out of a dead sleep and luckily she was right there. It was in ICU so she was by my side that first night. They grabbed a little pail for me to throw up in, but I just kept breathing slow, focusing, and saying to myself "don't throw up, you got this, don't throw up". And thank goodness the phenagren kicked in as fast as it did. After that, there was never any nausea. So hopefully you'll experience little to none as well. My nurses usually planned ahead with the aspirin and the pain meds to be sure I had something on my stomach before I took it.
One more thing. Insulin. I don't know if you're diabetic now or not. I'm not. A couple of times when they checked my blood sugar, the level was high. There was usually a good explanation though...what I had for breakfast, or checking it too soon after I'd eaten. At one point they wanted to give me insulin, but I asked them to wait. Sure enough, my blood sugar came right back down just as it should. So I'm not saying to disobey their orders, but ask questions and make sure they aren't just going through the motions.
All along, the doctors kept telling me I had age on my side. I'm only 46. I can't help but think that's helped me bounce back so quickly, but also it's determination that this won't be the thing that takes me down. Just keep looking forward and don't get discouraged. I was symptomatic too before the surgery, so I just feel like things can't get anything but better from here. I can already tell a difference in the way I feel after walking. Granted, I'm not going very far yet, but having had shortness of breath for about a year, I can tell that things will be much better once I'm recovered.
Good luck to you! And if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.
Liz
Tell your family to expect you to look pretty bad when they first see you in ICU. I had told mine, but they were still alarmed. I was pale, had wires and tubes everywhere, and it was scary for them. My daughter almost passed out. They were able to get my attention to say hello. I vaguely remember seeing faces and squeezing a couple of hands. That made them feel better, and it also made me feel better. I knew I was alive!!
The only nausea I had was when the nurse gave me the aspirin on an empty stomach. I woke up out of a dead sleep and luckily she was right there. It was in ICU so she was by my side that first night. They grabbed a little pail for me to throw up in, but I just kept breathing slow, focusing, and saying to myself "don't throw up, you got this, don't throw up". And thank goodness the phenagren kicked in as fast as it did. After that, there was never any nausea. So hopefully you'll experience little to none as well. My nurses usually planned ahead with the aspirin and the pain meds to be sure I had something on my stomach before I took it.
One more thing. Insulin. I don't know if you're diabetic now or not. I'm not. A couple of times when they checked my blood sugar, the level was high. There was usually a good explanation though...what I had for breakfast, or checking it too soon after I'd eaten. At one point they wanted to give me insulin, but I asked them to wait. Sure enough, my blood sugar came right back down just as it should. So I'm not saying to disobey their orders, but ask questions and make sure they aren't just going through the motions.
All along, the doctors kept telling me I had age on my side. I'm only 46. I can't help but think that's helped me bounce back so quickly, but also it's determination that this won't be the thing that takes me down. Just keep looking forward and don't get discouraged. I was symptomatic too before the surgery, so I just feel like things can't get anything but better from here. I can already tell a difference in the way I feel after walking. Granted, I'm not going very far yet, but having had shortness of breath for about a year, I can tell that things will be much better once I'm recovered.
Good luck to you! And if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.
Liz
Hi Rick - you know I've written about pain. But regarding the ventilator tube and nausea since you are also anxious about that - I was worried about the breathing tube, I have a horror of choking, and I talked about this with the anesthetist the evening before surgery. He put my mind at rest a lot. And in the end I don't remember anything about the tube ! I remember it being very dark and someone talking loudly to me, it obviously wasn't dark because I was in ICU but my eyes must have been closed - I wasn't aware of the tube at all, and then I must have gone back to sleep (hubby took a photo of me lying there with the tube breathing for me - I looked quite peaceful). When I woke up there was no tube and I didn't even feel thirsty ! Nausea you can sometimes get from the pain medications but they give you anti-emetic medication to counteract any nausea, so if you feel it tell them straight away. I only felt nauseous once and that was very brief - the side effects from the pain meds I had did not include nausea….but I would have told them pronto if it had of.
Liz - everyone's blood glucose levels rise a lot after open heart surgery, they give insulin to everyone immediately post op through the line with the other meds, that's normal - that's also why they continue to check blood glucose levels in the days after surgery even when you are no longer receiving insulin, just in case bg are still high. They shouldn't have checked your bg level too soon after you'd eaten - they should have done it before you'd eaten or at least two hours after (I'm diabetic so I know).
Liz - everyone's blood glucose levels rise a lot after open heart surgery, they give insulin to everyone immediately post op through the line with the other meds, that's normal - that's also why they continue to check blood glucose levels in the days after surgery even when you are no longer receiving insulin, just in case bg are still high. They shouldn't have checked your bg level too soon after you'd eaten - they should have done it before you'd eaten or at least two hours after (I'm diabetic so I know).
Rick - You're the same age I was at time of surgery. I'm now 3 1/2 years out, and I think (actually KNOW) that I'm in better shape now than I was before surgery - and I consider myself to have been asymptomatic. I was jogging until about a week before surgery.
I see you've had some concerns about post-op pain. As a corollary to pain meds, ask the docs to give you something to "keep your insides moving." I didn't - and paid for it heavily. I was given the "normal" oral pain meds post-op, and truly tried to minimize the use of them. I took half doses, but needed something to help me sleep. I was not in pain unless I sneezed or coughed, which for me were all too common occurrences after surgery. We all react differently to meds, but the pain meds slowed my intestinal system down so much that I had to be re-admitted to the hospital to see why. Fortunately, a single dose of high-concentration magnesium citrate (OK - industrial strength laxative) did the trick, and I was home shortly after. A little scary, and definitely slowed down my recovery in the first several weeks. When I was released that time, they told me to take Miralax as per label directions, just to "keep things moving." Worked for me.
As for the feeling of calm, I think that is normal for those of us who have planned well and made all of our decisions in advance. At this point, there isn't much more you can do. Just work the plan and do whatever you must as needs arise. You'll do fine.
I see you've had some concerns about post-op pain. As a corollary to pain meds, ask the docs to give you something to "keep your insides moving." I didn't - and paid for it heavily. I was given the "normal" oral pain meds post-op, and truly tried to minimize the use of them. I took half doses, but needed something to help me sleep. I was not in pain unless I sneezed or coughed, which for me were all too common occurrences after surgery. We all react differently to meds, but the pain meds slowed my intestinal system down so much that I had to be re-admitted to the hospital to see why. Fortunately, a single dose of high-concentration magnesium citrate (OK - industrial strength laxative) did the trick, and I was home shortly after. A little scary, and definitely slowed down my recovery in the first several weeks. When I was released that time, they told me to take Miralax as per label directions, just to "keep things moving." Worked for me.
As for the feeling of calm, I think that is normal for those of us who have planned well and made all of our decisions in advance. At this point, there isn't much more you can do. Just work the plan and do whatever you must as needs arise. You'll do fine.
Thank you everyone for such great responses. The more I know what to expect surly prepares me for my recovery. It will allow me to have more peace of mind knowing that what I am experiencing is normal and part of the recovery process. I keep on focusing on my recovery and the ability to spend quality time with my wife and children after the recovery!
Red
Well-known member
Hi Rick,
Red here, I am now 12 weeks post op and approached the op calmly too. I think the worst part is making the decisions about which valve, which team and where to have the op done, once that is all taken care of you can just put your trust in the doctors and relax
I had little or no pain, although my first 'real' cough was a little startling !
The things I worried about pre op were never really a problem for me, however, I didn't realise quite how much I need my hands and arms to do stuff, like move myself back up the bed when I slipped down, so use the call bell. On the up side, I went in for AVR and came out with abs of steel I can now sit up from a prone position without using my hands, happy days, there's always a silver lining
My recovery has been text book easy - not a single hiccup, so far.
Best zipper wishes for your up coming op and see you on the other side, feeling, bright eyed and bushy tailed, well, eventually
Red
Red here, I am now 12 weeks post op and approached the op calmly too. I think the worst part is making the decisions about which valve, which team and where to have the op done, once that is all taken care of you can just put your trust in the doctors and relax
I had little or no pain, although my first 'real' cough was a little startling !
The things I worried about pre op were never really a problem for me, however, I didn't realise quite how much I need my hands and arms to do stuff, like move myself back up the bed when I slipped down, so use the call bell. On the up side, I went in for AVR and came out with abs of steel I can now sit up from a prone position without using my hands, happy days, there's always a silver lining
My recovery has been text book easy - not a single hiccup, so far.
Best zipper wishes for your up coming op and see you on the other side, feeling, bright eyed and bushy tailed, well, eventually
Red
Red, glad to hear you had little or no pain! I guess I will find out after post op. Glad everything is going great, tomorrow morning I go to the hospital for pre-op test then I must report back at the hospital at 5am Friday morning, the surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am. Not looking forward to that at all!!!
rick - I was more afraid of the pre-op testing (the catheter) than the operation itself. I had my cath done a couple of weeks prior to surgery, and even that was a "non-issue." No pain, just felt sort of weird when I came out of the fog as they were working. Doc would see me looking at the monitors and tell the nurse "Time for more happy juice" and the lights would go out again. After they were finished, I was home in a couple of hours and back to (careful) normal activity the next day.
My experience with the ventilator was thankfully short. I remember semi-waking up - couldn't see yet, all was black. The nurse told me that I would be unable to breathe for a second, and that I should just cough it out. Not a big deal at all. Removal of drain tubes and pacing wires, etc., was more "interesting" than painful, and as some have said, I felt much better once the drains were out.
Hang in there. We all made it through, and no matter what happens, remember that for your care team this is truly "just another day at the office." Whatever happens, they have seen it before and know what to do about it.
My experience with the ventilator was thankfully short. I remember semi-waking up - couldn't see yet, all was black. The nurse told me that I would be unable to breathe for a second, and that I should just cough it out. Not a big deal at all. Removal of drain tubes and pacing wires, etc., was more "interesting" than painful, and as some have said, I felt much better once the drains were out.
Hang in there. We all made it through, and no matter what happens, remember that for your care team this is truly "just another day at the office." Whatever happens, they have seen it before and know what to do about it.
river-wear
Well-known member
Hi Rick,
Good luck on Friday! I think the variety of responses you've gotten illustrates the point that everyone is different, but it's good to know generally what to expect. I was also calm going in to surgery, in spite of not having symptoms. I even slept fine the night before. Apparently I was also very lucky, because I never had any "real" pain to speak of and even a cough only left me achy. I didn't take (or need) narcotics after I got out of ICU; just Tylenol did the trick. I heeded the anti-sneeze advice from here and pinched my nose for six weeks whenever I felt one coming on.
I had one strong bout of nausea the first night after the nurse left me alone with a cup of ice chips. They are lovely, but go slow and try to pause for awhile after the first 5-10. Too many made me feel sick, but thankfully I kept it together. After that if I felt queasy, they were quick to give me something for it.
The breathing tube... yeah, it's not pleasant. I was trying to gesture for them to remove it for about 1/2 hour before they took it out. Just be calm and remember that in spite of how it feels, you are getting enough oxygen. They are monitoring every tiny detail at that point and you're as safe as can be.
Good luck on Friday! I think the variety of responses you've gotten illustrates the point that everyone is different, but it's good to know generally what to expect. I was also calm going in to surgery, in spite of not having symptoms. I even slept fine the night before. Apparently I was also very lucky, because I never had any "real" pain to speak of and even a cough only left me achy. I didn't take (or need) narcotics after I got out of ICU; just Tylenol did the trick. I heeded the anti-sneeze advice from here and pinched my nose for six weeks whenever I felt one coming on.
I had one strong bout of nausea the first night after the nurse left me alone with a cup of ice chips. They are lovely, but go slow and try to pause for awhile after the first 5-10. Too many made me feel sick, but thankfully I kept it together. After that if I felt queasy, they were quick to give me something for it.
The breathing tube... yeah, it's not pleasant. I was trying to gesture for them to remove it for about 1/2 hour before they took it out. Just be calm and remember that in spite of how it feels, you are getting enough oxygen. They are monitoring every tiny detail at that point and you're as safe as can be.
clay_from_nj
Well-known member
IMO - Pain was a non-issue, except for the owie caused by sneezing. I took care of that by clutching a pillow to my sternum and it really wasn't that bad. The breathing tube I don't even remember, although I was told that I struggled mightily with it. Nausea, I didn't have any of at all. My only complaint, post-surgery, was the darn foley catheter. I couldn't wait to get that thing out and pee like a normal human being. That's when I felt like the surgery was truly over and I was now in the recovery phase.rick0329;n846356 said:
