Nervous

[mjd414]

Hi There,

I am scheduled to have aortic valve replacement on 7/14. The surgeon that will do the operation made it seem like a walk in the park. From what I am reading, it sounds more like a walk through a land mine......any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ross]

Hello and welcome.

Your certainly not the first to feel this way! All of us have. Some of us more then once. It all sounds worse then it really is. The pain isn't as terrible as you'd imagine and you'll be kept comfortable with drugs for the first couple of days, but all in all, depending on your current physical condition, you should be out of there within 3 to 7 days.

 

[Nancy]

From the surgeon's point of view, it IS a walk in the park, unless he's a rookie. They are in and out of people's heart many times per day, for lesser surgeries, and maybe once, possibly twice a day for valves and other more complicated procedures. It's routine for them.

From the patient's point of view, it can be very scary. But as Ross said, the stay is minimal. You'll be uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks, then will gradually get better and at 6-8 weeks, you should be feeling much better. Then the healing slows, and things improve very slowly for the next year or so.

Many feel super right after the first couple of weeks. Others have some post surgery glitches. Each one is different.

It's good that the surgeon feels very confident. You should like that. But, all surgeons feel that way. They really know their field, the experienced ones, that is.

Best wishes.

 

[Tom F.]

Having the jitters at this point in time is quite normal, the key is to not let it get the best of you. Keep in mind that while there are some people that have a rough time of it, and Ross is a good example, the majority of people get through the process just fine. I had surgery 12/20/02, released 12/24/02. Went out to dinner first time on 1/1/03. And exactly 6 weeks to the day of surgery returned to my gym for light weight lifting. My only problem was a slight case of afib 2 days post op, not uncommon. Here we tend to talk about the problem surgeries and the difficult cases, the easy ones go unspoken, because there is no need to talk them over. Think positive, all should go quite well.

 

[hensylee]

T'isn't a walk in the park - not in a land mine either. You will approach the surgery much like all the rest have done/are doing: Dread, fear, trepidation, not going there, panic - but you will go and you will be fine. Nearly everybody comes home renewed and repaired to go on to live more days and encourage others who come after you. You will be sore, you will have pain, you will get through it all. No gettin away from that part. Like Ross and others are telling you, there are medications, etc to ease whatever pain you will have. Tell your dr to go lie in someone else's place for a couple days and he/she will see there's no park connected a'tall.. Peace and blessins.

 

[Granbonny]

Hi MJD

Hi MJD

Perhaps if we knew more about you..M?F?..married? age, children..Are you worried about things at home after you return from operation...Have you had prior heart problems...Worried about how long before you can return to work? Ask away and we have been there, done that..so many can help you with certain questions... Myself, I am female, age 64 surgery at age 61..Never remembered a thing about operation. They make sure you are feeling good when you check in the morning of your surgery. I don't even remember the CCU..Just woke up in a private room..NO pain and started walking the halls...Home on Easter Sunday..6 days later. Doing great..They will send you home with pain meds to take..they want you up and walking at home. Helps get the nasty drugs out of your system faster. Where will you have your surgery? Chances are, one of our members have had their's done in same hospital and can tell you more. Bonnie

 

[Susan BAV]

Hi MJD -

Welcome to this site; you will likely find it extremely informative! Hope all goes well for your surgery! Along with questions here and searches, my surgeon's office gave me a huge packet of information also which I studied and highlighted and read and reread, to try to prepare myself for what to expect. Overall, I feel tremendously better than I did pre-op, better than I could have imagined. I hope it goes as well for you!

 

[mjd414]

thank you

thank you

A big thank you to everyone that has replied to my first NERVOUS email....it is really helping a great deal to know other people in the same situation and especially getting such great info on what to do, what to look out for and how best to prepare for with the AVR on 7/14.......I'll write back and tell you my experience and maybe that will help the next person get through this "adventure"!

Mark

 

[Ross]

Mark don't be afraid to talk and ask questions all the way up until just before you leave for the hospital. We all know what it's like and believe me, talking with us really does help calm your fears.

 

[bvdr]

Yes, Mark........don't just pop in....join the family! Like Ross said, it really does help. The cumulative wealth of experience and knowledge on this site is incredible. Even when members don't respond individually, your posts are read by most all of us.

 

[Debrinha GT]

Nothing wrong with that!

Nothing wrong with that!

Hello Mark, there's nothing wrong with being afraid or having mixed up emotions when faced with a situation like this. I've been there 3 times and don't feel any better knowing that sooner or later I'll have to go through it all over again. There have been so many changes in my life along the way that it doesn't bother me anymore. I'm the sort of person who can easily adapt to new things, I guess there was never really much I could do about it. Try living your life one day at a time now and you'll see that when you least expect it will all be behind you. Feel free to post at any time and there will always be somebody here ready to help you cope. Best of luck!

Debora from Brazil

 

[Debrinha GT]

Pressed something by mistake

Pressed something by mistake

I don't know what that face is doing in the middle of my post. I must've pressed something by mistake!

 

[Shine_on_Syd]

The experiences vary obviously for each patient. I spoke to three OHS veterans over the phone before I went in. The biggest thing I had on my mind was coming to terms with my Lord.
One man who was in good shape said the operation kicked the hell out of him, others said it is no picnic but not as bad as you would expect.
For me, the minute I awoke from the surgery I knew I had a whole new body. My heart felt normal for the first time in years. I kept telling everyone I felt great from days one.
There are some things that you have to put up with like a breathing tube for about 12 hours, the soreness of the sternum incision and IV in the neck. To me the wearing off of the anaesthetic was the worse and it takes 4 days for your stomach to "wake up". You will have nurses doting on you all the time, they know exactly what is going on and tell you everything to do an expect. All their caring attention makes it easier to take. I insisted on getting out on day 4 and was running 4 miles a day after 8 weeks. My doc said all my homework, physical condition and positive attitude helped for a speedy recovery.
I suggest you review as many threads as you can here as the more you know ahead of time the less anxious you will be.

 

[Granbonny]

Mark

Mark

I posted your surgery on July 14th on VR. calendar..Click on calendar..You will be 2 days after Ray in SF We remember to wish you good luck the day before. Bonnie

 

[mjd414]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for making me feel like part of the "family"....One week from tomorrow and the adventure will begin.....I'm still undecided which valve to get....I hate the idea of going through this again, and I also hate the idea of dealing with Coudamin.....any comments on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ross]

I'll tell ya, I don't think you can make a wrong choice in valves anymore. At your age, I used to say mechanical, but anymore I think a Cow or Pig valve is just fine. You should be well into your 70's or 80's before it would fail. There are no guarantees with any of them. So I think your chances of reoperation at least once is still a possibility no matter what you do.

Coumadin is not a big issue. The worst part is the constant INR testing. If it weren't for that, I'd have no real beef with it. People make a lot of horror stories out of it and most of those people have never taken it, so if it sounds way extremely stupid, it probably is.

 

[mjd414]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for the comments....I can see the advantages to both, but given that there might be problems with the mechanical resulting in another operation, I think I would like to avoid hearing clicking and dealing with the drug.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

 

[Ross]

Just because you go with artificial doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be taking Coumadin. If fact, most people do for a short time after replacement and some have predisposed conditions to clotting and DVT that they end up on it anyway. My valve is not noisey at all. I have to be in total silence to even faintly hear it. Also the surgeon may not have a choice once he's in there and has you apart. Sometimes anatomy will not allow the first choice, so be comfortable with a back up plan.

It's a hard call to make. Whatever you choose, it will be a good choice and don't look back on it once you do decide.

 

[Granbonny]

Replacing mechanical valve

Replacing mechanical valve

Mark..Out of my 2,816 posts on VR..only one member that I know of had her's replaced. Our beautiiful Gisele..coumadin was making her have mini-strokes in her brain? Correct me Gisele.... Gisele and I are big joke e-mailers . she is doing great and can really send some great jokes everyday. ..Also correct me Valvers if I left anyone out who has had to have their mechanical replaced. ....Pumpheaded? No..just old age. ....With the new mechanical valves..the clicking fades with time...I only hear mine in tight rooms..like bathroom.....Which ever valve you choose..will be the right one. Many of us coumadin takers have our own home=testers. QAS on our forum..has them. Your insurance may pay for them with your supplies. I only test every 3 weeks at home. Takes all of 4 minutes..then I call my IRN into my clinical nurse at Cardio's office. Always in range. No doseage changes in 2 years...Bonnie

 

[mjd414]

Great Help!

Great Help!

Thanks for the added info.....I am leaning toward the non-mechanical valve, which my primary care doc also voted for this afternoon. He told me that if unrelated surgery is needed, it can be a real pain in the butt to deal with the adjustments to Coudamin. I'm waiting to hear back from my cardiologist to get his "vote". My wife thinks the prospect of going through this a second time is nuts!.......I much rather decide on red or white wine!