Got my date .....October 19!!

[mick1807]

Thank you so much for your reply. These stories help no end. I'm like you in that I'm very fit and very active. I hate sitting around so that will be frustrating but understand it's all part of the process in getting better.

I'm a bit of a whimp when it comes to pain (haha) so that will be interesting.

I'm a very confident and positive person so hopefully that holds me in good stead. I'm at the stage now of bring it on.

 

[pellicle]

...
I'm a very confident and positive person so hopefully that holds me in good stead. I'm at the stage now of bring it on.

enormously

take recovery training slowly, small steps, no slips backwards. Take the time to recover properly as this is the actually critical thing.

when do you go in?

 

[mick1807]

I go in tomorrow at 4.00 with surgery for sometime Thursday. Can't wait to just get it behind me now. I look forward to sharing my experience.

 

[pellicle]

I go in tomorrow at 4.00 with surgery for sometime Thursday. Can't wait to just get it behind me now. I look forward to sharing my experience.

look forward to seeing you on the other side ...

Best Wishes

 

[Eva]

Welcome aboard and good luck. You’ll make it as we all did. This is nowadays a routine surgery!

Luckily, I was breathing on my own when I woke up. Tube was removed while I was still sedated.
The hardest and most disturbing for me was tapping my back several times during the night to bring the lungs back to normal functioning. Believe me, all this will pass away quickly and will be forgotten once you start feeling better and healthier!

Awaiting to hear from you your goood news!

 

[Agian]

I was in my own little world, post op. The anxiety was the worst. But, it passes.

 

[mick1807]

Yeah I want to stay in that "little world" for a bit. If they can't repair it and do the mechanical I reckon I'll have a bit of anxiety with my inr levels next. Time will tell.

 

[Agian]

My little world was a very anxious one. I was almost oblivious to everything going on around me.

If you need a mechanical, don't sweat the INR. You might go through the 'What if Warfarin doesn't work?' phase, but it'll be fine.

 

[mick1807]

Yeah those are my thoughts with the inr. Also what if I eat
something that I don't realise throws out my levels or anything that changes my levels that I'm not aware of. How long can it be out before something goes wrong?

all these question I guess are questions because it's all new and unknown to me. But you're right once I get into routine I'm sure I'll get confident and not worry about it like I am now.

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm more wondering what it will be like when I first wake and the following day 1 & 2 after the operation. What's the hardest part? Is it overall dealing with pain? Is it tough to just breathe? It is hard to just get up out of bed? It is hard to even walk? Does it hurt to do these things or is it more a case of it just wears you out quickly?

Hi Mick - when I woke up in ICU the breathing tube had already been removed so, what had worried me, was okay. The pain medication I was on then was also very good so I felt well, very little pain. No getting out of bed in ICU - too many wires attached, but the physiotherapist came and got me doing some breathing exercises. Day 2 in HDU wasn't so good for me because the pain meds were changed. Once the connecting wires to machines were removed they got me up walking - just slowly at first. The hospital bed has all sorts of gadgets to make it easy to get out of bed !

Wishing you well for the 19th !

 

[pellicle]

... Also what if I eat something that I don't realise throws out my levels or anything that changes my levels that I'm not aware of. How long can it be out before something goes wrong?

this is why weekly testing is a good idea. You will see the change and can ponder and then (if needed) adjust. My practice is to look at trends ... its always going up or going down at any time because it always just bounces around between "bounds" naturally (Naturally meaning, including mood, health, diet..)

So for instance this is my 2016 data
[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/c1.staticflickr.com\/1\/656\/32000655005_d9aa85c95b_b.jpg"}[/IMG2]

you can see some wiggles around (which is quite common if you search here others like Dick have reported similar) and occasionally trends up higher than I wish (but still not a harmful level) and so you can see that I've made a quite minor adjustment to the dose the red dotted line and the dots are the data points). NB the adjustments I have made are small, no more than 0.5mg per week (read the numbers off the axes)

so when I see a trend I either act on it or (if I suspect that its one of those which returns to normal by itself) may take a mid week reading just to see if its keeping on keeping on OR if its returning to my "middle ground" of 2.5

I recommend you read my blog posts:

http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2014/09...ng-my-inr.html
and
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2017/01/2016-inr-data.html
and for working through an example:
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2015/10...r-example.html

in particular pay careful attention to this graph included in that second post :
[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/c2.staticflickr.com\/4\/3868\/14626794599_c646b1872d_b.jpg"}[/IMG2]

note that the graph shows you to be quite low risk between INR 2 -> 4.5 with the risk of issue not just doubling, but going up by a factor of 10 or 20 either side of that.

So basically its quite easy to stay within that range ... especially if you are testing weekly.

When it feels right, if you wish, contact me after your surgery and I can help you to self manage (or at least understand what they are doing to you.

Easy

 

[user 16827]

Best of Luck Mick, sounds weird but try to enjoy the experience its very spiritual

ICU and the recovery is all new so try to relax and enjoy the moment

i find and you may too there are 2 parts to your life, Before and after surgery

Both are good just different, its a really good experience to face

like i said it sounds weird but enjoy it & don't try to rush the recovery although its a planned surgery
your body doesn't know that.

ill look forward to your post opp posts

All the very best .......

 

[mick1807]

Thanks everyone. Recieved more responses than I ever expected. Very grateful I found this site. I've read every message and each message has given me more confidence so thank you.

Will be back on soon as I feel up to it to share my story and hopefully help others who are currently in my position at the moment.

and Leadville I totally get where you're coming from. I've gone through every emotion it's been draining to now bring it on, I'm making this a challenge for myself. Looking forward to finding out a lot about myself.

 

[epstns]

I'm late to your party, mick, but you've gotten a lot of very good advice. I haven't had time to peruse the entire 3-page thread, so I may repeat some things.

Whatever you do, don't think you have to "do it all yourself." Your medical team will be there to take you through those first few days, one little step at a time. Don't worry too much about what comes next. Just take the advice of babies and dogs, and just "live in the now." The team will make sure you don't miss out on anything important medically, and the rest of life will be there for you when you are ready for it.

As pellicle mentioned, do what you have to do to "keep things moving" inside. Those surgical meds and pain meds can bring your intestinal system to a complete standstill, and I can tell you from experience that you do not want that. While you are in hospital they will control what you eat and your meds, but once you are discharged home, you should receive advice about bowel health. If no instructions are given, pellicle swears by kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), while I chose the more conventional Miralax laxative recommended by my docs. Whatever you do, do not let constipation set in. I did, and at 4 weeks post op, I was re-admitted to the hospital to get it sorted out. Not fun. They sent me home with Miralax, which was gentle (no stimulants) but did the trick.

One thing to look forward to is the possibility of cardiac rehab once your surgeon feels you are ready. Prior to my surgery I was a 5-day/week gym rat and jogger. After surgery I was as weak as a kitten, and due to some complications, had a slow time of it. I started rehab at 12 weeks post-op, and by the time I finished the 12-week program I was back to my full routine at the gym (except for the push-ups, for obvious reasons).

I've got horror stories. You don't need them. What you do need to know is that in spite of all of my complications I am now 6 1/2 years post op and still doing more than I was able to do before surgery -- which has got to be some sort of an accomplishment since I am now going to hit 70 within weeks. Just listen to your body. You will soon be back here telling us all about it and helping others to make it to The Other Side of the Mountain.

 

[ClickityClack]

Hey mick. Good luck. It's gonna be a bit of an ordeal but you'll be fine. I had my valve replacement (mechanical) at the end of May. I'm progressing through cardio rehab now and was able to add a few sets of pushups to my routine a couple weeks ago (knees up, full on pushups).

My first memory is the clicking. I was on the edge of consciousness and I couldn't figure out what it was. I've grown accustomed to it now and go through most of my day without noticing it.

I woke while still intubated. They had a sheet with the alphabet and I was able to communicate by spelling. I remember spelling that it felt like someone took a bat to my chest. The nurse said that was good 'cause most say it was a truck! The tube was annoying more than painful and I don't remember it hurting coming out. I do remember that they made me cough - it was difficult to do and painful. Coughing and especially sneezing will be rough for weeks - keep the pillow handy. I think I slept most of my time in ICU. I only have snippets left of those first few days and most of those are still with me only because my wife has talked with me about them and thus reinforced those memories.

The nurses should help you with everything you need for the first few days. I had to walk a flight of stairs (I did two) and be able to get myself out a flat bed before they would allow me to be discharged. They should teach you a rocking technique that'll allow you to sit up without using your arms. I could only tolerate laying flat on my back while the opiates were working for the first couple weeks. The recliner was a much better place to sleep. Pillows or blankets to support the weight of my arms helped in the recliner.

Hopefully you live with someone that can help you for the next couple of weeks. My wife had to help me shower and while I could get out of bed on my own, it was better with a little push. Oh, you'll be a collage of bruises, tape residue, iodine and scars. I recently looked back at my shirtless pic from the first day home and was taken aback by it. Button and zip up shirts! Almost forgot that.

The hospital will handle your INR while you're there and they should set you up with an anti-coag clinic before you leave. The clinic should monitor you pretty closely at first (weekly) and then less frequently as you get farther out. Dropping or adding other medications had the largest effect on my INR. I ended up with 1.7 and 1.2 readings in consecutive weeks and I didn't have any issues. While it isn't ideal, short periods with lower INR are far from being a death sentence.

You'll get winded and tired very easily at first - don't worry, it'll get better.

Get religious with that spirometer. You don't want pneumonia.

Don't worry, you're tough enough to get through this. We all are and so are you.

 

[Superman]

Good luck mick,

It'll be here and past before you know it. The day of really isn't that hard. I can't speak for everyone, but I slept through both of mine. Recovery is challenging - but you'll get through. Hard to put a time on when you'll feel "normal" afterward. That's a very individual thing. Certainly follow the recommendations for rehabilitation and recovery and be mindful I trying to overdo it on "good" days.

I'm coming up on 27 years since my first OHS, and I'm only 44. I just passed 8 years since my second. Pretty sure it was 2009 anyway. Had to fix and aneurysm. I've been mechanical and managing warfarin that entire time.

I expect you'll be in good hands. The way I understand it, they don't just let anybody do these procedures. There's a fair bit of training involved.

 

[pellicle]

Oh, you'll be a collage of bruises, tape residue, iodine and scars. I recently looked back at my shirtless pic from the first day home and was taken aback by it. Button and zip up shirts! Almost forgot that.

.

LOL

Had forgotten that

 

[pellicle]

Hi

...pellicle swears by kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), while I chose the more conventional Miralax laxative recommended by my docs. Whatever you do, do not let constipation set in. I did, and at 4 weeks post op, I was re-admitted to the hospital to get it sorted out. Not fun. They sent me home with Miralax, which was gentle (no stimulants) but did the trick.

I swear by KimChi because not only does it work, but its actually a "normal food" and a "normal part of the diet" in Korea (where I lived for some months) and is widely liked in Japan and China. Somehow only the Koreans do it well (as in both China and Japan, Korean KimChi is prized). So its fair to say that probably more humans than the entire US population consider it a staple food.

In Australia I've found local Korean families make it (in the main for other local Korean families).

You can eat it every day (the Koreans eat it with almost every meal) and it does not give you "the runs" as its really just food. But it does keep your gut healthy that's for sure (and get you moving if there is any blockage I've ever encountered).

My friend Bob (the one who nearly died from the bowel tumor surgery a few weeks back when they perforated his bowel {in a different location} and failed to notice) said that it was like the first fire of a 500cc single ... hes also eating it daily now because he's still eating lightly (poor ******* lost 10Kg in the 3 weeks in hospital) and it keeps things moving. In hospital they were giving him stuff which was somehow irritating him ... KimChi apparently doesn't (irritate him)

I'd be happy to eat KimChi daily (god, I did for months) but I wouldn't want to be on Miralax daily ...

 

[epstns]

I'd be happy to eat KimChi daily (god, I did for months) but I wouldn't want to be on Miralax daily ...

I was using Miralax daily, but for only a few weeks. First week - full dose. Second week - half dose. Third week - 1/4 dose. Then stop. Problem solved. I haven't needed to use it more than a day or so since. I do, however, take a daily dose of a probiotic at the recommendation of several of my docs.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

.... I haven't needed to use it more than a day or so since. I do, however, take a daily dose of a probiotic at the recommendation of several of my docs.

Well that isn't needed with KimChi, and I suspect it will be a while before we see Miralax served as a side salad in restaurants ;-)

I mean, sure when medicine is needed, by all means. But if food will do the trick, why not just eat food? I suppose not everyone likes Asian foods though...
​​​​