Introducing myself

[hensylee]

pain? oh, yeah - nearly forgot that there is that. but they give you stuff. you are going to be fine. this Atlanta aura sorta guarantees that.

Welcome to this bright sunny spot in the supposed shade of valve replacement.

 

[TenPly]

Hey Matthew, welcome! As a fellow youngster with two mechanical valves, I can tell you the lifestyle change hasn't really had much of an effect at all. Aside from taking Coumadin daily, I still do 99.9% of what I did before my surgery. I'm pretty active -- I bike to and from school/work 5 days a week and have never felt better!

Here's to a successful operation for you.

 

[Dorsai]

You guys are awesome - thanks for the warm welcome!

One question I have for those of you who have young children; what did you tell your kids before you went in, if anything? I have a four year-old son who I play a lot with physically (his game right now is "ball fight", where we wrestle over a big ball of his), and it's going to be a big change for him to not be able to roll around with me.

So...how did you handle it, and how did your child take the news?

 

[Smiley2000]

I have a 4 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. When I came home - they never came to hospital (that would scare them) I showed them the incision and asked them to be very careful around me and I had my heart-pillow with me all the time, just incase. The 4 year old accidently head-but me on the chest a few weeks post-op and I was so glad I had the pillow that protected me.

At 4 years old they can't really understand what you went through but he will be careful with you and will understand that you can't play ball, etc. for a while. Hugs and love will be enough.

 

[davidswife]

Welcome!

Welcome!

Hey Matthew!

Welcome and really glad that you found all of us. You are in good hands and are going to do just great. My husband had AVR with an ascending aortic aneurysm repair 6 weeks ago and he said from day one that he never had any pain, only discomfort. After doing a lot of research he chose an On-X valve, even though his first instinct was to go with a tissue valve as he was worried about being on Coumadin. At 52 all of his doctors felt that mechanical was the way to go. That and seeing all the people here whose lifestyles have not been affected one bit by being on Coumadin made the decision to go mechanical a no-brainer. On-X has features (less turbulence, resistance to pannus growth, trials with lower and no coumadin) that made that choice a no-brainer for us too. Read through the valve choice forum and speak with your surgeon so that you can make an informed decision. Hopefully it will just be a back-up plan and your valve can be spared. If not, at least you know that you made the best choice possible.

It will be hard on your son being so young and probably not being able to understand why you can't play rough with him for a while. I would probably start now getting him used to how to be careful around you when you come home. Maybe make a game out of it! You are going to have to be really careful with your sternum while it heals (6-8 weeks). We didn't have that problem with our kids as they are teenagers and teenagers barely like to even be in the same room with their parents if they can help it!

Keep asking questions. There will always be someone here who has experienced what you are dealing with and will be happy to help. Looking forward to following your progress!

Nadine

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Mathew -

Is your 'unusual' heartbeat perceptible to you (with a stethoscope)?

If so, you could let your son hear your heartbeat and compare it to his own or his mom's.

Then tell him your heart is making a funny sound
and you need to go the hospital where the Doctor will
Fix It and make it sound normal again.

You might not want to let him see you until a few days post-op when you are feeling a bit better (and maybe even have all your tubes removed).

If you get a mechanical valve, your son will probably enjoy listening to the 'clock in your chest' (remind him of the crockadile in Peter Pan).

'AL Capshaw'

 

[TXWildflower]

Let me just add my welcome and best wishes to you as well. Best of luck.

Rhena

 

[Dorsai]

You know, it has never occurred to me to try to listen for any abnormality myself. If I see my mom before I go in I'll have to try it with her stethoscope.

 

[coach14]

I have 3 kids boy 9, girl 11, boy13. We told them all together, but in very general terms. Basically, Daddy's heart needed fixing and I was going to be in the hosptial a few days. This was fine for the 9 year old, and he thought it was cool because my surgery was scheduled on his birthday. For the 2 older ones, showed them some pictures and try to explain about the valves and how mine was "broken". One thing for sure - do not underestimate how much they can understand and comprehend. My wife and I were both very positive about it all and try to make them as comfortable with it as possible. But the older 2 completely understood the seriousness and although they never expressed it me, were frightened. I found this out later through emails and conversations they had with their friends.

It was kind of interesting when I came home and how they each reacted. I showed them my chest and the oldest one just looked away, my daughter cried, and my youngest thought it was really cool and made a point of showing all his friends when they came over.

Basically, just be open about it. All parents know just how much there kids can handle and I am sure you will do great with your son.