Made it through 3rd AVR

[Kevin]

Well, I made it. They replaced the Stented Pig Valve with a St. Jude.
They redid my Bentall procedure and tightened up the MVR and Tricuspid when they were in there also.

12 hours under the knife. Had a tough time coming out of it. Had operation last Thurs; came to on Sunday. Awful stuff. ..... hallucinations, delusions and the like. I did not know where I was or even what year it was. I was quite frightened. I finally came around last Sunday and then improved very quickly over last week. They finally sent me home Dec 4 and being at home is far more wonderous and fantastic than it ever was after my other procedures.

I had a few pre-op complications. Went for a TEE a couple of weeks prior to the operation and they said, "you won't survive surgery due to CHF, so we are admitting you now". Needless to say, I am a little tired of hospital food now. I was throwing up everything. Lost 36 lbs of fluid in 15 days....I know, that sounds crazy and it was/is.

This was by-far my most difficult surgery and I am so thankful to be alive and enjoying what is now amounting to a quick recovery.

I want to thank all you for your support and with the questions about edema and other things pre-op.

I feel so thankful to be alive and on the road back to health. Good thoughts fill every moment. I'm not a religious person, but I now truly know what it is to feel blessed.

Thank you all for your kind wishes, prayers and thoughts. I intend to continue to do the same for others.

Kev

 

[hall]

Glad to hear you are home. That in itself makes us feel better. I am so glad your surgery was a success. Maybe now that you are home you can get some decent food and gain some of the weight back which should build your strength. Prayers for a "bump free" recovery.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Glad you made it through your 3rd OHS Kevin!

I suspect you may be joining Ross in his campaign to educate newcomers that going through Multiple Surgeries is not always a picnic and they need to give serious consideration to the downsides.

I'm sure you're hoping this is the Last One and that your St. Jude Valve lasts forever. Fortunately, St. Jude holds the record for durability.

Your Positive Attitude will be a great asset in your recovery. Here's hoping it goes smoothly from here on out.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[river-wear]

wow, Kevin, that's amazing! It's great that you're home now and can hopefully be more comfortable. Best wishes for a speedy recovery - it sounds like momentum is moving in your favor.

Michele

 

[Luana]

Coming home is one of the best things ever, and I'm so glad you are home now. Whew, you've been through a lot. All the best for a smooth recovery.
Luana

 

[Cooker]

Glad you are home and recovering ... best wishes for a smooth road ahead

 

[skeptic49]

Glad you are home, Kevin. Thanks for posting about your experiences. Sounds like you had pretty rough going for a time. I wish you a smooth recovery.

Jim

 

[deano89]

glad your home good luck with the recovery sounds as if you are now well on track

 

[Guest]

This was by-far my most difficult surgery and I am so thankful to be alive and enjoying what is now amounting to a quick recovery.

I feel so thankful to be alive and on the road back to health. Good thoughts fill every moment. I'm not a religious person, but I now truly know what it is to feel blessed.

Thank you all for your kind wishes, prayers and thoughts. I intend to continue to do the same for others.

Kev

Welcome Home Kevin, there's nothing like your own bed, familiar surroundings, and family to getting you back to your old self. OHS has a way of changing our thoughts as to what is important in life, that we are truly blessed and are thankful for. Rest easy and get well.

 

[kfay]

Glad you made it through and are home now. You know the drill, don't overdue it and keep your walking up. Here's hoping for an easy recovery going forward.

Kim

 

[Bina]

Welcome home, rest often.
(my first and only heart surgery was rough, I ain't doing that again)

 

[ottagal]

Glad that you are home, Kevin and that the surgery part is behind you. What a rough go, you had! Take it easy and be good to yourself. You deserve it. I agree that going through something like this does make us count our blessings. It's good to be alive!

 

[Cris N]

Whew, sounds like a rough one. Glad to hear you got through it and are on your road to recovery. Take it easy and recover well.

 

[marie]

I'm thankful that you are home and hope and pray your recovery goes well. Thank you for sharing your experience as it helps those of us out here who are facing another surgery.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[TXWildflower]

I agree - must have been a roughone, but it sounds like this is in't your first rodeo. You said it was the toughest one yet, but I'd be curious to know as time goes one how you would compare the recovery with this one to the others. It sounds like you have a permanent fix now - I sure hope so! Best of luck to you and may you count your blessings for a long, long time to come!

Rhena

 

[Dale]

Glad to hear that you are home. It's amazing what can be done -- I hope you have a smooth easy recovery. I know what you mean about being blessed! Take it slow and have a great holiday. You must be so relieved,

Dale

 

[zipper2]

Wow Kevin 3 big cheers for you (high five)glad your over this
Sorry you had to endure this yet 3rd time,something i will find out
in Edmonton Jan 11th also already shutting myself down to im not
gonna do it 3rd time it sure doesnt matter how many surgeries we have
the denial finds a way to climb in this....IM FINE,NOT ME,NOT AGAIN
God bless and wishing you all the best in your recovery and healing and
you know from experiencedont overdo,take care and thankyou for your
update of inspiration for rest of us possibly going into 3rd
You did well Thankyou for your update

 

[Freddie]

See Kevin your tougher than you think. You done did good!
and you are too Zipper.
Take things easy there Kevin, one day at a time and don't over do anything.
Be good to yourself yea hear?

 

[Lynlw]

Glad you made it through your 3rd OHS Kevin!

I suspect you may be joining Ross in his campaign to educate newcomers that going through Multiple Surgeries is not always a picnic and they need to give serious consideration to the downsides.

I'm sure you're hoping this is the Last One and that your St. Jude Valve lasts forever. Fortunately, St. Jude holds the record for durability.

Your Positive Attitude will be a great asset in your recovery. Here's hoping it goes smoothly from here on out.

'AL Capshaw'

Kevin, I'm sorry to hear you had such a rough time of it and glad you are on the mend.
MY first thought is, once again this is why it is important to have surgery BEFORE you are having major problems. A few of the members had BAD fluid problems CHF before surgery, and so had problems during surgery and recovery. I'm not sure WHY their doctors let them get that bad (or even worse postpone their surgeries making them go into surgery in even worse shape than they were if they didn't postpone the surgery) you would hope that doctors would be trying to keep things under control, especially if surgery has been schedualled and you are usually having more contact with your medical team than usual, so they don't end up in bad heart failure and go into surgery in worse shape with their body already dealing with alot from the CHF. It doesn't matter what surgery it is, chances are the better shape you are in going into surgery the easier time of it you and your doctors will have during surgery and recovery.

 

[Lynlw]

Kevin, I'm curious, after surgery did they say what went wrong with your old valve? Were they sending it anywhere for testing?