Hi and Thank you!

[OldManEmu]

Welcome aboard Linda. Even though you have known about the valve problem for 12 years you no doubt never imagined this day arriving when surgery was required. Almost certainly this whole aortic valve replacement issue has come as a shock to you being a runner. After surgery you will most likely be surprised with how much the valve had really been impacting on your day to day energy levels.
Wishing you a smooth run for 17/10 and look forward to your first post after successful surgery.

 

[tobagotwo]

I am claustrophobic, and was afraid I'd feel like I was choking if I woke up with the breathing tube still in. Of course, I did wake up still on the ventilator, but it wasn't bad at all. Just remember, it kept you alive and healthy throughout the surgery and since, so it is your friend, not your enemy. You can't breathe against its pattern while it's on, but don't worry - it won't let you go without air.

It will go faster than you think on Monday. And if you are like me, you will be shocked at how much better your heart will feel on Tuesday, all things considered. My heart felt like it was coasting for weeks after surgery.

We'll be waiting for you when you come home. Please have someone post for you, so we'll know how the surgery went, and how you're recovering.

Best wishes,

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Linda

Good luck tomorrow.....as I said, If you need ANYTHING, I'm only 20 minutes away from you and you have my phone number.......

You're in my prayers.

Evelyn

 

[Phyllis]

Will be thinking of you on Monday and wish you the very best of surgeries and an uneventful recovery. You will do fine and be back here telling us all about it before you know it!

 

[dmoses1]

Inhaler, Huh?

Inhaler, Huh?

Wow! I told my PCP the same thing. I thought maybe I had asthma. She said no way and sent me to a cardiologist.

I agree with you; it's amazing how we self-diagnose. But, I think as women, we do it because we're not taken seriously a lot of the time; so, we try to avoid going to the doctor's office (well I do).

CONGRATULATIONS on finding out the truth and getting the right treatment. I'm glad to know that you'll be feeling much better shortly.

Will be praying for you.

 

[dbuenting]

Ventilator phobia

Ventilator phobia

Hi Linda,
Concerning your fears about the ventilator, I would discuss them with the anesthesiologist before you go into surgery. I talked to mine just outside the operating room and said that I had heard horror stories about ventilators for almost 25 years due to my husband's occupation. The anesthesiologist said he would make sure I encountered no difficulties, and I didn't.
I woke up once after surgery, just long enough to hear someone say, "Mrs. Stone, we"ve just taken the breathing tube out", and I thought that was the easiest thing I'd ever had done.
I really think if you mention your concerns, they will do their very best to make it an easy experience for you.
Good luck!
Mary

That's good to know!

 

[dbuenting]

Hi,
I want to thank you for the kind and supportive responses I've been receiving these past few days. They help so much. Just to give you a little information about myself:

I'm 47 and an assistant professor at Long Island University in the Education Division. I teach at Southampton College in Southampton N.Y. and C.W. Post College in Brookville, N.Y. I have 3 sons, Jeff 22, Bryan 21, and Tim 16. I've been married 25 years this November 9th and my husband and I have planned a trip in February to go to Ixtapa Mexico for a week. We can't wait. I'm a runner and it was my running, or lack of ability to do it, that lead me to the dr.s' to see what was causing it. I had just run the 1/2 LI Marathon a year before with my son Jeff.

I think what I'm most amazed at and now currently nervous/frightened over is how quickly my health has weakened. I'm out of breath when I go upstairs, in fact I'm only allowed upstairs once a day since my catherization on Wednesday. I wonder about every feeling in my chest and I get so very tired so easily. The dr. who performed the catherization said that my previously assumed "pinhole" aortic opening was less than that, in fact he didn't know how blood was getting through. I'm feeling afraid to move at this point. Oprah's become a big part of my day!!! I'm looking forward to Monday but I'm also afraid of it, particularly the ventilator part. I've heard of people waking up and struggling and nurses not getting there quick enough so you feel like you're not able to breathe. Is that a normal occurrence?

Anyway, thanks for listening. Bless you all.
Linda

I know what you are going through, I too have that fear of waking up on the ventilator. I'm sure you will do fine,a and soon be reporting that it wasn't so bad after all. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

 

[joanne6]

Linda??

Linda??

I have checked on the postop site and can't find any follow up on Linda. Thougt about her yesterday and today. Does anyone know anything about how she did?
Joanne

 

[afraidofsurgery]

Good luck!

Good luck!

Linda,
Wow, what great luck to catch your condition in the nick of time!!

The ventilator was a non-issue for me, I was still groggy when they took it out.

My big surprise was how much better I felt IMMEDIATELY after surgery, I could tell as soon as I woke up my heart was fixed (mechanical valve replacement for a really leaky bicuspid aortic valve).

Don't worry about the surgery, best to just take it as it comes. You'll do just fine, your body is still in good condition in spite of how crappy you feel.

Good luck!

Patty

 

[MichyB]

Hi Linda. I am a LI'er (originally) and have a bicuspid too. Also athletic, I had trouble with getting winded when I started being an active but pushed through it. I've recently career changed into education and am loving it.

It really calms my nerves to know that you had three kids with a bicuspid, though it sounds like maybe you didn't know you had it when you had kids. I am struggling with trying to decide whether to get pregnant and have been to a lot of docs lately to help me decide that.

Anyway, from everything I've read on here, being in good condition before surgery helps. Wishing you good luck for your upcoming surgery. The others on here will be able to help you with the ins and outs of surgery and recovery.

Regards,
Michelle

 

[dmoses1]

I concur!!!!!!

I concur!!!!!!

. . . This site has answered questions, calmed me down when the reality gets overwhelming and in general has been the peaceful place I return to to know that I'm not alone. . . With gratitude,
Linda

Although my fate hangs in the balance, I feel the same way about this site.

Thanks guys,

Dawn