Nervious about husband's surgery

[Alejandradelatorrem]

Hello guys!

I'm sure this is a topic posted hundreds of times, and I have been reading some and feeling better, but I wanted to share as well.

We discovered a couple of years ago that my husband has a bicuspid aortic valve - he's 32 and now we are preparing for surgery, we are also expecting our first child, so we are very nervious!

Reading your stories has been conforting, he's young and I just hope that everything goes well and we can receive our baby together and as recovered as possible.

Thank you for your stories!

 

[pellicle]

I was young once, then 3 surgeries later I'm old.

I'm sure he'll get old too

I hope that helps

 

[mjd414]

I was young once, then 3 surgeries later I'm old.

I'm sure he'll get old too

I hope that helps

Hello guys!

I'm sure this is a topic posted hundreds of times, and I have been reading some and feeling better, but I wanted to share as well.

We discovered a couple of years ago that my husband has a bicuspid aortic valve - he's 32 and now we are preparing for surgery, we are also expecting our first child, so we are very nervious!

Reading your stories has been conforting, he's young and I just hope that everything goes well and we can receive our baby together and as recovered as possible.

Thank you for your stories!

I’m 70 and have had my aortic valve replaced twice. A cow valve 4 years ago and a pig valve 15 years ago. No issues with either valve. The surgeon told me that today it’s like having your tonsils taken out! Your hubby will be fine!!! YOU take care!!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

I was young once, then 3 surgeries later I'm old.

I'm sure he'll get old too

I hope that helps

It helps so much! It's very inspiring to see similar cases, and to know that you are all well We will keep you all posted. Thank you so so so much!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

I’m 70 and have had my aortic valve replaced twice. A cow valve 4 years ago and a pig valve 15 years ago. No issues with either valve. The surgeon told me that today it’s like having your tonsils taken out! Your hubby will be fine!!! YOU take care!!

Thank you so much for your kind comments! I love the Internet and being able to connect with people that are familiar with this, it's very reassuring!

 

[Suckyvalvegurl]

56 and had it last Feb. as that is when I found out and it was shot. It is scary, but was absolutely doable and your husband is young and healthy. Just got to get it done and recovery over with and all is good. I went Bovine.

 

[dick0236]

Reading your stories has been conforting, he's young and I just hope that everything goes well and we can receive our baby together and as recovered as possible.!

Welcome to the forum. You will find many stories similar to your husband.

I had my, one and only, aortic valved replacement when I was about his age........31 and still here at 84. I have watched my two sons grow into old men. I have also watched their kids, my grandkids, have their own kids, my great-grandkids. If there are no other issues your husband will recover and live a near-normal life.

 

[LoveMyBraveHeart]

Hello guys!

I'm sure this is a topic posted hundreds of times, and I have been reading some and feeling better, but I wanted to share as well.

We discovered a couple of years ago that my husband has a bicuspid aortic valve - he's 32 and now we are preparing for surgery, we are also expecting our first child, so we are very nervious!

Reading your stories has been conforting, he's young and I just hope that everything goes well and we can receive our baby together and as recovered as possible.

Thank you for your stories!

Hi!

My honey is 25 y/o and has had 3 OHS within 10 months. He is 3 months out from his most recent and doing amazing! No one can promise that there wont be bumps in the road or hurdles to jump, but the human body is an incredibly resilient and strong thing, as I'm sure you are aware if you are expecting your first child (congratulations!!). He will get through it just fine. Once we found out about his impending surgery, we started to realize just how common it is. There are tens of thousands of people that have OHS every year and recover without issue. You probably have met many who have had their heart worked on or know someone that has, and you can't even tell. wishing the best luck to you and your husband. Please remember to take care of yourself, too! That babe is gonna need mom healthy!

 

[Ladybug]

Hello guys!

I'm sure this is a topic posted hundreds of times, and I have been reading some and feeling better, but I wanted to share as well.

We discovered a couple of years ago that my husband has a bicuspid aortic valve - he's 32 and now we are preparing for surgery, we are also expecting our first child, so we are very nervious!

Reading your stories has been conforting, he's young and I just hope that everything goes well and we can receive our baby together and as recovered as possible.

Thank you for your stories!

Having just had a TAVR in Sept 2019, I marvel at the advancements in cardiac care. I sailed through. As long as your husband has a doctor that’s very experienced with bi-cuspid, and is young enough to be up to date in the most current surgical techniques, I’ll bet it will go very well. Are you aware that many bicuspid valves are being replaced using TAVR, which avoids an open heart surgery? I don’t know how much research you folks have done, but if your husband gets a mechanical valve (open heart) most people can hear the clicking sound. Some people get used to it and are even reassured by it, while for some people, it drives them bat crazy. Wishing your husband the very best. And lots of joy is waiting for you when you bring that sweet baby into the world. Dread of the unknown is THE WORST PART. Let us know how it all goes. God bless you folks.

 

[Superman]

I had my second surgery when child #4 was 5 months old. We since had #5. We got through all that. I was able to sit in my chair and hold our daughter right after getting home from the hospital (using the arm rest to support most of the weight). That was 10 years ago. All is well these days. Kids are healthy and busy. Doing great in school. I run 4 or more times a week. Workout at the Y when running isn’t enough. Can’t complain. I’m quickly approaching 29 years since my first open heart in 1990.

 

[pellicle]

A rich life mate to be sure

That was 10 years ago. All is well these days. Kids are healthy and busy. Doing great in school. I run 4 or more times a week. Workout at the Y when running isn’t enough. Can’t complain.

 

[DachsieMom]

I’m sure all will be fine! I was 41, had my surgery four years ago. My daughters were 6 and 8.

 

[carolinemc]

Here is another best advice, keep hanging in there and the time will pass quickly. Good luck.

 

[EasterRat]

I had my AVRepair when I was 41 and my boy was 6. Time flies and now some days I forget I even had it. Take care of yourselves and find ways to talk about your fears and anxieties, it helped me and my love.

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

Welcome to the forum. You will find many stories similar to your husband.

I had my, one and only, aortic valved replacement when I was about his age........31 and still here at 84. I have watched my two sons grow into old men. I have also watched their kids, my grandkids, have their own kids, my great-grandkids. If there are no other issues your husband will recover and live a near-normal life.

Thank you so so much for your story! Wow! That's an amazing time - this is so helpful to see other having normal lives, I'm so thankful I found this cozy place in the web! Thanks!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

I had my AVRepair when I was 41 and my boy was 6. Time flies and now some days I forget I even had it. Take care of yourselves and find ways to talk about your fears and anxieties, it helped me and my love.

Thank you very much! It's great advice, we are trying to be as calmed as possible, but of course we have fears and anxieties, and it's great also to acknowledge that! Thank you for sharing your story! It's so good to know you're well!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

I had my second surgery when child #4 was 5 months old. We since had #5. We got through all that. I was able to sit in my chair and hold our daughter right after getting home from the hospital (using the arm rest to support most of the weight). That was 10 years ago. All is well these days. Kids are healthy and busy. Doing great in school. I run 4 or more times a week. Workout at the Y when running isn’t enough. Can’t complain. I’m quickly approaching 29 years since my first open heart in 1990.

Oh! This is so inspiring! We are tryting to schedule the surgery a couple months before the due date so he has time to recover, but maybe that's not an option (since it's not an emergency and there's some flexibility regarding time we don't have as much priority with the dates here in Spain), so if we can't schedule for before birth it will have to be 3-4 months after, so I'm so glad to see that you came home to a baby and could hold her!

I'm so glad you have such a beautiful and big family Thank you very much for your encouraging words!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

Having just had a TAVR in Sept 2019, I marvel at the advancements in cardiac care. I sailed through. As long as your husband has a doctor that’s very experienced with bi-cuspid, and is young enough to be up to date in the most current surgical techniques, I’ll bet it will go very well. Are you aware that many bicuspid valves are being replaced using TAVR, which avoids an open heart surgery? I don’t know how much research you folks have done, but if your husband gets a mechanical valve (open heart) most people can hear the clicking sound. Some people get used to it and are even reassured by it, while for some people, it drives them bat crazy. Wishing your husband the very best. And lots of joy is waiting for you when you bring that sweet baby into the world. Dread of the unknown is THE WORST PART. Let us know how it all goes. God bless you folks.

Thank you so much for your message and for your kind wishes! I can totally see that this fear of the unknown is great part of our anxiety now, which is why I'm very thankful we found this space, it's so reassuring to read other's stories and advices. Thank you!

 

[Alejandradelatorrem]

Hi!

My honey is 25 y/o and has had 3 OHS within 10 months. He is 3 months out from his most recent and doing amazing! No one can promise that there wont be bumps in the road or hurdles to jump, but the human body is an incredibly resilient and strong thing, as I'm sure you are aware if you are expecting your first child (congratulations!!). He will get through it just fine. Once we found out about his impending surgery, we started to realize just how common it is. There are tens of thousands of people that have OHS every year and recover without issue. You probably have met many who have had their heart worked on or know someone that has, and you can't even tell. wishing the best luck to you and your husband. Please remember to take care of yourself, too! That babe is gonna need mom healthy!

Thank you very much for your comments, it was also surprising for us to realize how many people have OHS nowadays, before we knew about this I think I only saw this kind of things on TV - and was under the impression that this were surgeries very rarely performed by alien doctors or something! Lol... I was so mistaken, thank God!

I'm taking care of myself Of course I don't think anyone wants to have to go through this while pregnant, but in a way it has been the perfect distraction and power source, it has also forced us to be as relaxed as possible and just focus on getting everything done, instead of overthinking!

We will keep you posted, thank you very very much for all your kind words!

 

[epstns]

I was a good bit older than your hubby when I had my valve replaced. I was also the "poster boy" for just about any common side-effect and complication you can think of. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm still here to complain about all of it!

The most common outcome of today's valve surgeries is a return to complete normalcy. Even with all the things that befell me, I consider myself as normal as I ever was. . . which may or may not be saying much. I joke around a lot, but I'm going to be 72 in a few weeks, and I still get to the gym 5 days a week, play volleyball, pickleball, bocce, ride a bike, and all that. Your hubby is destined for much of the same.

The first couple of months may be rough. He will be stiff and sore, weak, have reduced stamina and exercise tolerance, and probably a lot of other "normal" complaints. He will be told just how little weight he can lift or hold for some period of weeks (most of us are told not to lift more than 8 pounds for the first 4-5 weeks, to let the sternum heal). He also may be dealing with some new medications, and lots of follow-up doctor visits. He will probably also tell you that he feels way, way better than he ever thought he would. That's how these things usually go. Recovery is work, but if you do the work, take cardiac rehab if offered, follow instructions and generally behave yourself, soon nobody will even think about it. The only time I really realize that I've had heart surgery and have a pacemaker is when I look in a mirror with my shirt off.

I'll bet hubby will be fine - very much so.