feelings of the surgery

[diana]

I am 55yrs old and I am very nervous about having the aorta valve replaced. not just nervous, scared I have to admit I feel that when they stop the heart I'm not sure they can start it again.
Have any of you felt that way?

 

[Kevin M]

Diana, I think many (most or even all?) of us have had that feeling. You should not feel alone. What you are going through is very frightening at first. The more you learn, the more comfortable you will feel as time passes.

Go ahead and use this site to vent your feelings. You will find many people who have felt the same or are going through the same thing you are.

The people of this forum are extremely supportive and knowledgable. Feel free to ask any questions you have.

Try not to worry too much. Your feelings are very common and they can be terrifying. The panicky feelings will likely subside as you learn more about the process.

Here are some things that might make you feel better:
-Nowadays, this surgery is very common. Many surgeons have done literally hundreds of your exact operation.
-Although it does happen, complications are not as common as they were 25+ years ago.
-The odds of an otherwise healthy person your age actually dying or being permanently debilitated are extremely low. We've seen some stats that say there is about a 3% chance (if I recall correctly) of dying and those include many many elderly (a great many of these operations are performed on older people and they tend to make the numbers look worse than they are for us younger folk) and other people who have all sorts of other medical problems. When I was in the hospital there was a 96 year old lady who recovered just fine. She also suffered from numerous other severe ailments.

You are not alone and it's important to know that you can express yourself freely here. Sometimes our families don't really understand how we feel because it's hard for us to explain. That's the neat thing about this forum. It is filled with caring and helpful people, so you came to the right place!
Kev

 

[weekycat]

Welcome Diana!

Welcome Diana!

Hi Diana,

My name is Jean. I had a mitral valve repair almost a year and a half ago. I know that was one of my biggest worries, and probably everyone here has at least thought about the possiblity that their heart just might not start again.

I really don't know the statistics on this, but I'll tell you this much, the surgeons were able to restart the hearts of everyone on this board that is post-op.

You have every right to be scared, I know that everyone tells you how open-heart surgery is "routine" these days, (and it is), but when it's YOU that's going under the knife, it is definitely a scary thing.

But you have come to the right place. You will meet lots of people that have been-there-done-that and we'll be happy to answer, (or at least try to answer), any and all questions you may have.

 

[Karlynn]

Welcome Diana,
Rest assured that any fears, questions, misgivings, hesitations etc. etc. that you are experiencing are normal, very normal. You found the right place at the right time with this forum. You just "happened" into a forum that has over 600 people that know first hand, how you feel. Take advantage of the collective knowledge you'll find here. You will find, very quickly, that the people in this forum all truly care.

You will get through this. Will you let us know when your surgery date is?

Karlynn

 

[Creed3]

Hi Diana,
Everything you are feeling is completely normal. I think everyone here has thought pretty much the same things you have. When I first found out I had to have surgery, I was a basket case. I swore I had one foot in the grave and would never see my children grow up. Boy, was I wrong. The support you get here will help you tremendously, but you will still be somewhat afraid before your surgery. That is normal. The more you learn, the better you will feel. You will be surprised, to find out, after the surgery is over, that the worst part is the anxiety before the surgery. In the meantime, please utilize this web set and lean us. We are here to help you through this.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Diana,
Welcome to this Wonderful Site. Do some reading of the posts and I think you will find you are not alone when you say you are nervous and scared. You will hear from more of us that have been there and we will be with you through it all. So read and ask questions and try to relax. You will be amazed at all the support you will find here.
Take Care

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

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Welcome Diana! As the others have mentioned, what you are feeling is VERY normal! I'd almost go so far as to say that if you weren't nervous about it, then you would be unusual. As you read here, you'll see that different people are nervous about different things surrounding the surgery. Read and ask - we've all lived it or are about to.

Best of luck

 

[hensylee]

Hey Diana - we have been waitin for ya. That is the reason Hank made this site and the reason we exist - Hank went through the fears - then as everybody else came on board, lo and behold, the same message is the first one and that is: I am frightened; I need to KNOW I am NOT going to die Can we help you? Yes, we can. You just stay in here and there will be many, many who will be along to tell you how scared they were, too. Then we will ALL stroll along with you to the mountain and get you over the top.

Don't think stopping the heart is a real big worry anymore. We have not lost anybody to the surgery itself, that I can recall. So, my dear, hang in. You are definitely not alone. Love Ann God bless

 

[bvdr]

Hi Diana,

Welcome! I didn't like the idea of my heart being stopped either. I knew all the stats were in my favor and everything but as others have mentioned, it may be a routine surgery but it wasn't something I did every day. What I came around to was that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it and that because of that I was going to have to trust God first and my surgical team second.

We are here to help in any way we can.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Diana-

Welcome to the site. You can see already, how many wonderful and supportive people are members here.

Stay with us and we'll help you get through this scary period in your life.

The surgery is a life-saver, and will give you back your quality of life as well.

The surgery has a very low mortality rate.

The surgeons who do this are in and out of people's hearts every day, and whatever you have going on in there, they know how to fix.

You will be in the hospital for a surprisingly short period of time and will be taken care of beautifully. The Nurses and Physician's Assistants and Nurse Practitioners that work in the post surgery units are the best.

You will have good pain medications to help with that. They want you up and walking around and breathing deeply soon after surgery, so you have to be relatively pain-free.

This site offers the best practical information in how to get through the pre-surgery phase and the post-surgery phase. You can ask just about anything here, and there will be someone, or a lot of people who have an answer for you based on what they have gone through, or have helped a loved one go through.

My husband has had 3 valve surgeries, 2 lung surgeries and has a ton of other medical problems. His surgeries went off like clock-work, and he's been through many other things that were much, much worse.

The most important thing you can do for yourself right now is to read as many of the posts here as you can handle. It will be hard at first, but knowledge is power. Knowing and understanding the mechanics of what is going on in your body will help to reduce your fears about the impending surgery. Even if it's difficult at first, try to make every effort to educate yourself.

this site is about the celebration of life. Hope to see you here often.

Best wishes.

 

[Georgia]

You betcha

You betcha

We all felt scared. But you have the great advantage of having found this site prior to surgery.

Much of what you read here will scare your booties off at first. But you need to keep hacking along, because you'll find that you're in such good company. And the more familiar you become with the lingo, the situations, and the prodecures the more comfortable you'll feel with the whole situation.

It ain't fun; but you don't need to be a basket case either. If you're unable to sleep because of your fear, tell your doc and get something to help. There's no shame in using chemical assistance to get through one of the greatest traumas of your life. Many of us did, and frankly, we recommend it.

Read the old pre-surgery threads; then the post-surgery. It's quite amazing.

But most of all, keep in touch. Ask your questions, share your concerns. We're here and we want to help.

Welcome to the site.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Hi Diana...

Hi Diana...

Like you are now, I was 55 years old when I had my aortic valve replaced. Hmmm, I sorta know what and how you're feeling.

Unlike you, I didn't know ahead of time that I would have to have the valve replaced. I ended up in the emergency room on a Sunday, had a cath on Tuesday and OHS on Thursday. Not much time to even think about it, just a few days.

The way I dealt with those days prior to surgery was to focus on the week AFTER surgery and that I would be alive and recuperating. Positive thoughts -- positive outcome and good advice from everyone above. Good luck to you and welcome aboard.

 

[tommy]

Diana,

Thanks for sharing your feelings. Can you feel the group hug that is surrounding you with love?

 

[Jennie]

Hi Diana,

Welcome! There are certainly a ton of fears that one feels before this type of surgery, as it is not a normal thing to volunteer for! But those surgeons are highly skilled and they DON'T take your life lightly. I actually had a doctor remind me of this, saying that he wouldn't be recommending XYZ if he thought it would be detrimental to me. Yes, there are risks, but there are risks to NOT having the surgery, too. Leave it in the hands of God and the surgical team; they will take good care of you.

But I understand the panic. With my symptoms, I was having panic about dropping dead before I got to the table. I had to keep reminding myself that, symptoms or no symptoms, surgery or no surgery, my life is ALWAYS in God's hands, and I will not be leaving this earth any sooner or later than He has planned for me.

We will be praying for you, and you will do fine! Hang in there!!

Jennie

 

[Bill Hall]

Diana - Welcome to the site. I have just a bit more information. As mentioned way above the death rate is very low, around 3%. However, no one on this site has not made it (at least as far as I know), and that is much more that 100 surgeries. I wonder if the death rate is much lower among educated people, who do some research and find the best surgeon.

 

[tommy]

Bill brings up a good point. I might add that the psychology of doing the research/selection prior to the surgery may be powerful as well. Playing an active role indicates a commitment and a proactivity that are very positive and will pay dividends in recovery.

In other words, its okay to be scared stiff, just keep going as best you can through the fears and tears.

You are not alone.

 

[diana]

thankyou

thankyou

I want to thank all of you for replying it makes me feel much better. I don't know much about this I had a second opion and he said it had to be done within the year the sooner the better my regular heart doctor said we will see you Nov 11 then maybe another echogram in Jan.This is confusing becuase if last year it was only opening 1/2way and this year his words are it is consideraby worse what does that mean? He sent the info to myfamily doctor saying it was critical thats why she had me go for the second opinion. Now I guess the suggestions as to what type of valve should be used. Can you give me some Ideas? are any of you from connecticut?