My mom's surgery tommorow

[eric369]

Hi. I've been reading a lot of these stories and I am glad to see so many people that have been helped by surgery. My mom is having Mitral Valve Repair tommorow, which although makes us nervous, has to be done before anything gets worse. The surgeon said her mitral valve repair looks like a standard repair, and she is a good candidate for minimally invasive (robotic) surgery. She's going to Christ Hospital in Chicago, and the surgeon apparently does 4 of these repair/replacements a week (and has 20 years experience).

The only things that make me nervous are reading the risks all over websites and such that say "heart attack, stroke, and heart-lung machine problems". Do these things just randomly happen, or do these people have other complications that play a part? Anyway, I keep praying that God protects her through the surgery, and overall I know there is a high success rate, so I am hoping for the best!

 

[ponytaila1a]

Eric.....I will add your family and especially your Mom to my prayers. It sounds like she is in very good hands as the surgeon and the facility do so many of these surgeries. That's important. I just had mitral valve repair and had hoped to have the robotic approach. Although I was not a candidate for that....I did have a right thoracotomy approach and did not have my sternum broken. I had no problems with the heart-lung machine although I have some dizzy spells. Please update us as your mom recovers.

 

[Karlynn]

I think your Mom will do well if she is an otherwise healthy person (minus the valve issue). It is a serious surgery, but it's done a lot. Let us know how she does. We look forward to the good news of her successful surgery.

 

[Eva]

Best wishes sent to your mom for a successful surgery and smooth recovery. Do not worry...we all were warned of the side effects of OHS the same, and here we are!! such surgeries are kind of routine these days, to a certain extent.

 

[Bina]

Eric, wishing your Mom a smooth surgery tomorrow. Put your trust in the surgeon's hands.

 

[netmiff]

Eric, I think the internet - and this site in particular - said it was plain sailing, no problems etc. etc. It is a serious surgery, there are risks, but the teams that do these surgeries are experienced and know what to look for and how to treat things.

It seems to me, just from reading around here, that most of us have at least one little bump in the road; mine was fluid in/around my lungs, I was kept sedated for 2 days on the vent while it drained. They told my family it was not unusual, and they were not unhappy with the way it was draining.

Will be thinking about your mom - and you and the rest of the family - as she goes through this.

Let us know how it went as soon as you can - we worry when we don't hear back!

 

[hall]

Sounds like your mom is in good hands. Wishing her a successful surgery and recovery. Prayers for all of you.

 

[eric369]

Thanks for all the prayers everyone! I think it does help that she is pretty much healthy aside from the valve. It probably helps that she can get it repaired instead of replaced as well, and that it can be done minimally invasive by an experienced surgeon. Hope everything goes alright!

 

[Cooker]

Wishing your mom the best possible outcome with a smooth, bump free recovery ..... Godspeed .....

 

[Jkm7]

One comment no one has mentioned......

It is always a good idea to discuss with your surgeon what valve you want in the event a repair is not possible. It's best to have a Plan B just in case. If she really feels strongly she wants a tissue valve if surgeon cannot do a repair, be certain the surgeon knows it.

Sending all best wishes.

 

[catwoman]

Eric:

I will be thinking of your mother tomorrow morning. I've been on both sides of the OR, as the patient, the daughter-in-law and the spouse.

My husband had an MV repair in May 2007 at age 61 and it was very successful. He did have a Plan B, a mechanical valve. Other than lymphodema and an arrhythmia, he had no recovery problems. He was on warfarin for 7 months for the arrhythmia; we just had to wait for the lymphodema to resolve on its own.

Please post when you can about your mom's surgery.

 

[Braveheart]

eric- I think that it is important that people know and understand all the possible contingencies of having a very serious operation. That does not mean that everyone who has that procedure undergoes all of the problems.

The important thing is that the doctor is someone that you trust, and that the hospital has a good track record in terms of how the staff handles patients who have undergone this procedure.

I will be thinking about your mom, and wishing her the best!

 

[skeptic49]

Best wishes for your Mom's surgery and recpovery.

Jim

 

[Ross]

Keep us posted so we don't chew all of our nails off.

 

[eric369]

Well, my mom had her surgery and the repair was successful! They waited 2 hours just to make sure everything was ok and it was, so now we just need to wait for the recovery process to kick in. Thanks for all of your prayers and good wishes as well!

 

[netmiff]

woo-hoo - good news! now, there may still be a bump or two in the road, but the worst is over; you are right, now all she has to do is recover, and that can take time.

You never said wht age your mom is - I think we are all imaging her as the same age as OUR mothers, and mine is 75 years young. She may be younger than most of us !

 

[eric369]

woo-hoo - good news! now, there may still be a bump or two in the road, but the worst is over; you are right, now all she has to do is recover, and that can take time.

You never said wht age your mom is - I think we are all imaging her as the same age as OUR mothers, and mine is 75 years young. She may be younger than most of us !

Ah, lol I forgot. She's 54

 

[netmiff]

Me too !!!!!!! You made her sound sooooooo old, but she is, from your perspective.

OK, I was operated on the September 6th 2007 at age 52, spent 2 days sedated in ICU, released on the 12th, and on the 13th was working from home (between naps, of course), just telephone and e-mail stuff. On the 1st October, I opened my first retail store, and worked full-time there, and as neither DH nor I drive, took public bus everywhere from the day I got home.. The only thing different was my heart huggy went with me.

 

[Tbone]

Glad to hear she is doing well. Here is to a quick & smooth recovery. Best wishes.