My husband will be having valve replacement surgery in 4-6 weeks....HELP!!!

[meganmitch]

My husband and i recently found out that he has severe aortic stenosis due to a large amount of calcium in his valve. He is 31 and up until he went for a physical for a prospective job, he had been very active and in good healthy. At our appointment today with the heart surgeon, my husband and i were told in the next 4-6 weeks my husband would undergo open heart surgery for valve replacement. We are very nervous for many of the obvious reasons. I've read that this surgery is very common these days and the mortality rate is very low. We are both wondering if anyone has been through this and if they can give us a little more incite on what we should expect during and after surgery, from a patients view. The doctor provided us with very useful info, but no info is like that that comes from a patient.

 

[buncle]

You will want to read the sticky's in pre surgery and post surgery.Valve replacement is a step up from bypass surgery so you will want to know how many valve surgeries the surgeon has performed.I live in DFW too and 2 surgeons you may want to talk to Are Dr. Mack and Dr. Ryan in Dallas.They do surgeries at Baylor Heart Hosp. in plano.They were both involved in my surgery.

 

[barbwil]

Welcome to this forum!! I had open heart surgery 5 years ago at age 75 and found the experience nothing as bad as your imagination is probably telling you now. You are both young and we understand how frightening this is for you but you will receive a lot of help here and everyone here will support you and answer your questions but you might want to start in the Pre-surgery section and read all the Sticky posts. Also make good use of the search function. It's very hard, I know, for someone who has been very active and in good health to be faced with major surgery but after he heals he should feel so much better.

 

[Duffey]

Around here almost everyone has been through valve replacement.:smile2: It's a serious surgery, but the rate of survival is very good. Most valve recipients lead long healthy lives after replacement.Your husband is young, and I believe that increases the likelihood that he will do well.

The time before replacement can be difficult not only for the patient but also for the family. The time after replacement can be difficult not only for the patient but also for the family!:wink2: If you can discuss your concerns with one another, you will be ahead of the game.

There are thousands of threads on the forum regarding the surgical experience. I would recommend you just browse through the forums and read what you find interesting.
We're here to answer specific questions you might have and offer support when you need it.:smile2:

 

[Cris N]

Hi - Megan is it? First of all, you've come to the right place... valve replacement is what we're all about (and some other stuff as well). My first suggestion is to take a deep breath and try to relax a bit. The diagnosis of surgery is a bit overwhelming and you're are understandably anxious.

Yes, the surgery is quite common and the mortality rate is very low. It is major surgery, though, and there are certainly risks and bumps along the way.

Since you're here, you've probably noticed that there are a number of avenues you should explore. It helps to read a number of the threads, from valve selection to the pre & post surgery areas. The "stickies" in the various forums are a tremendous help... lots of common issues that people have encountered.

Don't hesitate to ask questions - there's a wealth of info - real people telling it like it is. We're all different and so are our experiences. Your husband is young and will, most likely, bounce back fairly quickly.

My own experience was not too bad - though I wouldn't have said that at the time! I was in the hospital from Monday (surgery day) until Saturday. I had a bit of trouble the next day with rapid heart rate (not uncommon - as the heart is trying to figure out what to do next) and wound up back in the hospital until they got everything straightened out. Once I finally got back home for good I was able to work from home for a about 3-4 weeks and then went back to work part time for a few more weeks before diving in full time.

Cardiac rehab was very helpful and I highly recommend it. My surgery was on May 16 and I started rehab on June 8. I was back on the golf course that summer - a bit tentative in my performance but I was out there.

I would encourage your husband to jump in here too ... he would probably benefit greatly by asking his questions and addressing his fears and concerns.

So, welcome - sorry you're having to face this - but you're not alone.

 

[nngbwh]

Welcome aboard. I had open heart surgery last year. I too was very nervous about this. The mortality rate is very low but there's no guarantee. If you don't have any health issues the chances are good. You might want to check out Pre-Surgery and Post-Surgery forum. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[joanie]

Welcome Megan!

I had my aortic valve replaced in May. It was not nearly as bad as I had feared. I was in the hospital for 7 days (surgery on Thursday, discharged on Wednesday) and flew home on Friday (I had my surgery in Cleveland and live in South Carolina). I went back to work full time at 11 weeks but truth be told I could have gone back much earlier - probably around 8 weeks. I had a few relatively minor bumps in the road to recovery abut overall my biggest problem was just being tired. I started cardiac rehab 6 weeks post surgery (I should have started a couple of weeks earlier but scheduling was an issue) and that helped a great deal in regaining stamina and strength.

There are a number of good sites for information about this kind of surgery and of course this is a great place to get support and answers from those of us who have gone through it.

Good luck!