It feels real now!

[shellyb]

I came home from work to a message from a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. She said that my husband's records have been reviewed and the surgeon would like to give my husband his recommendations. My husband is leaving to fly to Minneapolis early tomorrow morning for a board meeting, so he said he wouldn't be able to call the nurse before he leaves. I'm more of a basket case over this than my husband is. He just keeps saying I feel fine and I'll be fine. The uncertainty of when the surgery will be and what the recovery will be like is driving me crazy. I try to hide it from my husband but I'm not doing a real great job. I just want to know that my husband will be around for quite some time to come. He's only 56. I'm sorry I'm rambling.....it just has been stressful waiting.

Thanks for listening!

Shelly in SD

 

[Cooker]

Shelly,
Ramble away! We are here for you and your husband. This is major surgery but is really not bad. The recovery is not bad and If I had to do it again I would walk in the hospital full of confidence that all will go well. There are no guarantees but statistics say your husband will be just fine, better than ever.

 

[MaryC]

Shelly,
I have said this before but it was easier being the one going through this surgery than watching a loved one. I had mitral valve repair in February after my brother had mitral valve replacemnt the previous September. Then, my younger sister had mitral valve repair in June. I felt so much more in control of my own situation than theirs. My poor husband and kids were the ones in the waiting room the day of my surgery - I was out of it for at least a day. Then it was uphill from there!

 

[hensylee]

Dear Shelly - Hank created this site just for you and so many just like you. The first visit to VR is probably a visit of fear and a search for what in the world has happened to our world and "I don't want to go there" statements. Nonetheless, go we must. We have had thousands travel through VR and the success rate is wonderful. You only have to read to know this. We are here all the time just for you. As time moves on, you will learn more, you will settle a little bit and by the time your husband is ready, perhaps you will feel easier. You are in the 'other' seat in this journey and yours is the toughest part of the trip over the mountain. Just hang in there and check in here often. We'll walk right along with you all the way. Come in any time you want to talk. Blessins.........

 

[WayneGM]

Ditto what's been said. We're here when you need a shoulder to lean on. I know this was tough on my wife when I went through it, see what I was going through. That said, I don't think it was nearly as bad at my end as she thinks it was since the pain meds work wonders and I slept a lot. Best wishes to both of you.

 

[thenewmarket]

Shelley,

I know exactly how you feel as my 51 year old husband is scheduled for surgery at Cleveland Clinic on September 27th. He has an ascending aortic aneurysm and BAV. Just take comfort that you are going to such an excellent facility for surgery. Prior to Cleveland Clinic ,EVERY doctor in our home diagnosed my husband with a tricuspid aortic valve. We are blessed that his aneurysm was found in the first place, and we are doubly blessed that we went out of our "comfort zone" to seek the best medical care. Our outcome may have been tragic if we had followed our original doctor's advice.......to wait until the aneurysm reached 5.5 and then repair his "tricuspid" valve.

Our experience with Cleveland Clinic is that after reviewing your husband's information, if they felt it was an emergency situation they would not hesitate to bring you in immediately. After our information was reviewed, we were told we needed a pre-op visit with a scheduled surgical date. We opted to go to Cleveland for all the pre-op and then have surgery three weeks later. My husband is a dentist and this allowed him to finish cases he had already started.

Please know I do understand how you feel and you will be successful in your quest for excellent medical care.

 

[dot4toto]

This is the place to be while you and your huband go through his surgery.

Everyone is so kind and helpful with important information that will ease your worries.

Having just had the same surgery I can tell you first hand that it really is "easy"! I can't believe how fast the recovery is and I felt great after the first 2 days in ICU.
Everyday just gets better.

I wish your huband the very best.
The worst part is the waiting...hope they move fast for you. It really helps to just get this "train out to the station!"
Stay strong