Preop Done... One more thing left.

[Lynlw]

Justin never had blood gases at the pre op visit. I had quite a few when my asthma was bad and the reason they hurt so much is partly because they are right next to nerves and bones ect, since there isn't usually a lot of fat on the inside of your wrist. (I NEVER had numbing for them either )Ross I think that is AWFUL they never gave you an art line, IF the adults were too big they should have used a peds, heck they had Art lines that they used on Justin when he was only 4 pounds /18 inches.
The good thing is almost all lines are put in after you are out of it, they probably will start 1 IV in the pre op area, to give you the meds to knock you out. Its good to know about all the lines you will probably get (and really good to let your loved ones who will see you right after surgery know what they are and are for, sometimes it isn't as scarey if you expect everything and know why it is there, BUT Not everyone has the swan line in their neck. Justin never has.

 

[Mentu]

Robb, I felt much the same way. Feeling ill and jittery at the same time begins to really limit one's life. Compared to what you have experienced, recovery will be ever so much better. I've thought several times that those who have no symptoms before surgery were the lucky ones but, perhaps, if one has not felt that downward spiral of increasing discomfort and just feeling sick even when lying down then one may not be able to fully appreciate how fine recovery can be.

See, we told you so! If you only need a valve replacement, few surgeons now want more than the hair on the chest clipped. I find it odd that such a little thing takes on such prominence. Perhaps it would be different if one was a swimmer and routinely kept body hair shaved. I've suggested to several people that they take or have someone bring their own soft clothes to change into after surgery. It made me feel better after the depersonalization that one goes through during the opening hours. Leaving behind clothes & shoes, glasses, wallet, watch, ring, under-ware and then the chest fur can leave one feeling as though identity is being pealed away. After one is out of the ICU and feeling better, getting a shower and changing into my own clothes seemed to me like a rite of passage where one reassumes the things that tie us to our ordinary lives in preparation for entering upon a new stage of life. For us, it is a new stage and a better one than we left behind but that can take awhile to assimilate.

Afterwords, as one's life settles into its new routines, wounds heal and one gets to explore this newly modified body. Like aftershocks following an earthquake, there are likely to be "bumps" during recovery but most of those are minor compared to what was happening before surgery. Then things smooth out as one's scar starts to fade and then one day you notice that the chest hair is back and you are slipping into your new "normal" life.

I hope all goes well for you Robb. Take care and let us know how things are going when you feel up to it.

Larry.

 

[Luana]

I've never had it drawn from an arterial line. Are you sure about that? It's always been poking the wrist or going majorily deep into the elbow flex area (brachial artery) to get the sample for ABG. I've had it done many times and no numbing medication was ever used.
OK, I see the arterial line and now I know why I was never given one. Ain't no way they could stick a 20ga IV cath in my arteries, they are way smaller then that.

Yes, I am am sure, because, before the dingy nurse removed mine too soon, I saw them being drawn that way, and the first RT who had to get a blood gas from me said he was glad I still had the arterial line and didn't have to stick me.
The respiratory therapists that worked for the home O2 company that I worked at said they give a shot of lidocaine before the draw. The RTs who did mine in the hospital did also; I thought that was pretty much standard procedure to do it that way, but I guess not. I guess it did make a difference, as I didn't think it was too bad, though I should have asked for some morphine before they did them since I was stll in ICU.
Ross, you would have had an arterial line when you had your surgery, as it's pretty standard for OHS. I couldn't imagine a hospital like CC not having one in you, and especially since you were at death's doorstep. I know you were in the hospital a long time, and probably yours was removed before you started to feel human again. I don't think they'd insert one again just for ABGs, but it is standard for OHS and CICU patients to have them to monitor blood pressure, even for kids and neonates.

 

[Robb Wilder]

Barring complications, On average when does everything start coming out.? Vent 6 - 12 hours from what I got from everyone. Chest Tubes Arterial lines etc How long is it that I will be just down to an IV?

 

[Lynlw]

Barring complications, On average when does everything start coming out.? Vent 6 - 12 hours from what I got from everyone. Chest Tubes Arterial lines etc How long is it that I will be just down to an IV?

I know everyone is different and every hospital/surgeon do things slightly differently, but if it helps to read when Justin had things pulled, or doing different things, I gave pretty detailed info during his surgeries/recoveries he had the caringbridge page for. I kept updating pretty good for the first few weeks, so you can see when he was able to do different things, get pretty much back to "normal" . Now Justin tends to move along rather quickly, he believes it is because as soon as he is able to he starts his walks and breathing excercises and does them as often as he can.
http://www.caringbridge.org/nj/justinw/history.htm
the 05 one starts for the May3rd entry. (BTW this one was his 4th OHS) You have to start at the bottom of each day he was in the hospital, and read up, because I often just added to that entry instead of starting a new page. Then after that recovery, you can skip up to the next surgery is Monday June 18th 07. He ended up being readmitted june 28th for complications and having another surgery on the 29th, but the actual days right after surgery were relatively normal for him. The recovery after his surgery on the 28th, his chest tubes were in longer, but that was because the surgery was for an infection and they had to really clean up the area, so there was more fluid draining.

 

[Luana]

It depends how well you're progressing, too. I was in ICU for 3 days after surgery, and some are out the day after surgery. Usually, the longer you're in ICU, the longer stuff stays in you. The chest tube won't hurt, nor will the arterial line, so when they're removed it's not so much relief as progress.

 

[BarbJean]

I was in ICU for 3 days after surgery

Why so long, Luana?

 

[Ross]

Why so long, Luana?

I was in ICU for 50 days. Mainframe came really close to beating my record.

Things happen, this is why I try to make people think this through as much as possible. You never know who's next.

 

[Lynlw]

Why so long, Luana?

I'm not saying this is Luana reason or anyone else, but its one of those things that is good to know, Sometimes, even IF you are doing well, as long as they don't need your bed, they will keep you in the unit longer. I know Justin stayed a day or so longer than he "needed" to a couple times, because someone else didn't need his bed (or there weren't as many free beds in stepdown, someone needed to go home first) That way they still have a little more one on one nursing. They still removed his lines when they were ready to go out and he is usually doing laps around the floor the day after surgery before he was moved out of CICU. I know of a few people who were discharged right from the unit and never moved down to the floor. I see it sometimes more often in hospitals that don't have dedicated Cardiac ICUs and heart floors to step down, when heart patients share floors/rooms with all other kinds of surgery patients. (I personally prefer the hospitals that have CICUs and heart floors instead of mixing, because I like the staff to have most of their expereince knowing hearts and heart pateints instead of having to know a litle about all kinds of surgical patients...but that is just me)
Then of course other times when he was a baby and toddler he spents weeks and or months in and out of CICU because of complications.

 

[Luana]

Why so long, Luana?

I had fluid overload and the day after surgery my right lung collapsed. Not huge stuff, but enough to keep me there longer. I got out of ICU on Monday night and was back there by Tuesday afternoon for another couple days due to a-fib.

Ross and Chris had far more going on than I could have even dreamed of, but like Ross said, things can happen. I was fortunate my speed bumps were pretty small.

 

[Robb Wilder]

Did they vent you with the collapsed lung?

 

[ARGreenMN]

For me, vent out about 2-3 hrs after surgery ended. Chest tube and bladder cath out and moved from ICU to my room about 20 hrs after surgery.

 

[Luana]

Did they vent you with the collapsed lung?

No, forgot to say it was a partial and not full collapse, but O2 was upped to 20-some lpm and I got a blood transfusion for more trucks, and I had an outstanding nurse. She was so on top of it.

 

[Luckyguy17]

Robb,

Your having surgery as well this week, it is a busy week and good for you as you will have a good group of VR recovery buddies in with you during the recovery.
Sounds like you are more than ready and willing to git it done and becoming in focus, it is ok to be selfish for the next little while.
Robb, work and responsibilities seem to be a BIG thing for you, for the upcoming period you need to tune out from these for awhile and focus on doing the things that will get you up and going quickly

The last few days pre surgery were an anxious time for me as well, primarily as I felt quite well pre urgery and was concerned about how sick they would make me with the surgery.
But my test numbers of 25% efficiency on aortic valve and assertation by the professionals that I needed the surgery, got me over the fear and reconciled and prepared for tradoff.

Am now a believer that walking in for surgery is likely a good omen for easier recovery and for me (and hopefully you and the others) at about 5-6 weeks post op, I generally felt back on par with pre op health and stamina status. INR numbers have been good for me with stable 5mg Coumadin daily dose, so am almost med free as well.
This week, my seventh week post op, am getting 1st real meetings and re-evaluation, with ultrasound, followed by stress test next week, am hoping and confident that all confirms what i am feeling.

Robb, wishing you and all about to be VR newbies, a speedy and bump free recovery, like mine.

Gil

 

[Ross]

I know you were in the hospital a long time, and probably yours was removed before you started to feel human again.

Just for the record, I am not human. I am reptilian. I was hatched.

 

[ottagal]

All the very best Robb. Will be sending lots of positive energy and prayers your way for a successful surgery.

 

[ARGreenMN]

You're almost there Robb! Hope you get cookies!

 

[mainframe]

Hey Robb, I don't know if this is your last post prior to surgery, just wanted to wish you the best. We'll be thinking about you.

 

[Robb Wilder]

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Ive got one more day then its my turn up to bat. Im ready to knock it out of the ballpark. Tomorrow is going to go by quickly I think. Going to eat lunch at the cheesecake factory so I can munch of my piece of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake during the day. Chicken N Dumplins for dinner and then Ill be ready to go. Have to get up at 3:00 am to shower with that special stuff and be at the hospital at 5:00 am. Its funny the hospitals automated machine called and reminded me of my OUTPATIENT PROCEDURE to be done on Wednesday July 14th.

 

[Ross]

They wish it were an outpatient procedure. Eat like a pig and enjoy yourself.